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This venue is closed.

Owner Sean "now just Diddy" Combs named this Flatiron Carribean and soul food hub after his young son in 1997. Like all things Puffy, Justin's is a testament to the drawing power of celebrity and bling: It's not uncommon to see music stars and athletes stop by amid entourage to chow down on jerk jambalaya hen or lobster tails and watch sports on the many large-screen televisions. Nonetheless, the elegantly appointed hot spot is also imbued with a kind of laid-back aura belied by the husky bouncers and velvet rope outside, but reflected in the plush seats and the affable staff. The crowd of mostly impeccably-dressed professionals generally stops by in the evenings to quaff Courvoisier, but the food is far better than the afterthought it can be at many nightspots that double as restaurants. The down-home spice of dishes like the stuffed blackened catfish, and other creative preparations, in fact makes Justin's one of the better places in the city to get high-end Carribean food. Some may not appreciate the deafening hip-hop, but the place is nonetheless a good impresser for a first date: the kind of place people from elsewhere come to the city to see and be seen at. — David Hirschman

Stuffed blackened catfish, $24; Caribbean spice lamb chops, $28