Les Tontons Afro Vieux - Lille — Restaurant in Lille

I usually leave a review right away, but this time, something was off and I could not put my finger on what. I didn’t want to drag anyone’s business down so I first decided not to leave a review, then I remembered sth the Google Podcast Creators Program keeps telling you: “Feedback is a gift”. So, Les Tontons Afro’s, merry Xmas in advance, one month after my first visit, a family reunion celebrating my sibling’s architecture degree and my niece’s birth:

ROSE (note that the pros are so good that they outweigh the cons, to make a general appreciation of 4⭐️): Nice decor, very clean, great food that Africanizes perfectly the Western dishes we already know, (delicious) veggie options (which is rare in African restaurants), tasty cocktails, amazing pineapple cake, great fancy location, the owners are around and dressed in a fancy colourful way that makes them very recognizable (they stick to their brand), the prices are affordable (not too expensive), there are two floors, the food comes fast, the quantity served is very good and the food presentation is mouthwatering. Easy booking online, the menu and the wifi password are available on their website. Good music, all the ingredients for an amazing night out are there, except...

THORN: customer service can definitely do better, the cook on my way out was by far the friendliest person in the restaurant. Everyone else (starting with the business owners whose brand image is so chill, fun and friendly) seemed to be on edge. I still don’t know why, I wonder if it was us in particular or whether the other tables felt the same strange vibe. Did any of our faces look familiar? (Usher’s “U Remind Me”? Someone who broke your heart or stole your money?) They all looked suspicious and weird, sometimes a bit scared as if someone was holding a gun behind their backs. Whatever that was, that vibe doesn’t belong in a restaurant. It ternished all their branding efforts. The music was a bit too loud and there was clearly no assigned Dj (abrupt changes, big nopes). When we booked the table for 6, we warned that we were bringing a 4-month old baby in a stroller and we were still given a table upstairs (no elevator but a very narrow staircase, my poor babe! that was scary). Not once was my sibling congratulated on their architecture degree, let alone my niece, although I said it again to one of the business owners who came to our table (I was luckier 10 years ago when my family and I celebrated my degree. The owner and the other tables congratulated me warmly, it was very kind of them, so kind I can still remember). The guacamole was my first guacamole so I liked it, but everyone else found it tasteless. I had my second guacamole two days later and could tell the difference: a good guacamole is addictive! That one was not! As a tiramisu-lover, I found the mango tiramisu meh... You need a smartphone to pay your bill and the restaurant owner just assumes you know how to scan a QR code and pay the check, and he looks so annoyed at you that you won’t ask.

BUD: If you want to keep the same music catalogue ( coupé décalé, ndombolo, etc.) I think you should make room for people to dance. But the restaurant is small, so I’d suggest a more lofi/chillwave West African catalogue (Angélique Kidjo, Richard Bona, Dina Bell, Etienne Mbappe, Blick Bassy, Charlotte Dipanda,...) Another suggestion is that the owners should not always be around. 1) It would be a nice surprise in the middle of the visit to have them come over, say hi, offer pictures (with all your QR code’s, I can’t believe you don’t offer pics, a wall of fame and a hashtag), chat a little with your guests, crack a couple jokes and leave. That’s it. That should be their roles. 2) Their staff will look less tense (it felt so weird!!!) Oh by the way shout out to the biracial waitress who knew how to take pictures of our table! She took several pictures and stuck around until we were satisfied. She never made us feel like we were annoying...

Never in MY LIFE have I experienced the disrespect that I got from the manager at this restaurant. Our food was absolutely not up to standard, when we asked to speak to the manager and explained what was wrong with the food we ordered he was standing there wi we his AirPods in and saying he’s sorry but there’s nothing he can do it’s not his fault we’re not happy with the food and he said there’s nothing he could do. He said we can buy more food but he wouldn’t even offer us a drink as a sorry, or a discount off the food that we weren’t happy with. I did not go into that restaurant trying to get a free meal, myself and my sister both ordered the same meal and had the fries and one bite out the burger, it was so sweet I thought I was eating a dessert. I was very calm and he was raising his voice and I felt as if everyone’s eyes were us I asked him twice to come closer to our table so we didn’t cause a scene but he walked off halfway through me talking and I had to shout to get him come back to talk to us and he continued to have his AirPods in and whisper with the waiting staff then continued to walk off again.. Never in my life have I been so embarrassed and disrespected and had a manager shrug his shoulders and say it’s not his fault we’re not happy with the food it’s ours and we had the wrong expectations. Our bill came up to over €110 and 2 of the burgers each had 1 bite out of them. It is a disgrace to African food, and the manager was absolutely incapable of managing a restaurant. The manager is an...

Une expérience mitigée chez Les Tontons Afro

Date de visite : Jeudi dernier Note :3/5 ⭐⭐⭐

L'accueil et l'ambiance

Les Tontons Afro nous plonge effectivement dans une atmosphère chaleureuse et colorée au cœur du Vieux Lille, comme promis par ce restaurant tenu par deux frères d'origine camerounaise qui proposent une cuisine afro-fusion. Notre réservation avait été parfaitement prise en compte, ce qui est toujours appréciable.

L'ambiance musicale, avec des sonorités afro-modernes dans l'esprit de Gims, contribue à créer une atmosphère détendue et festive. La décoration, authentiquement africaine, invite effectivement au voyage.

L'espace et le confort

Le principal défi de cet établissement réside dans sa configuration spatiale. Dans ce petit local du Vieux Lille, les tables sont disposées de manière très rapprochée, ce qui nuit considérablement à l'intimité des conversations. Cette promiscuité forcée transforme chaque repas en une expérience collective involontaire où les discussions des voisins font partie intégrante du décor sonore.

Le service

C'est là que le bât blesse le plus. Avec un seul serveur pour gérer l'ensemble de la salle et un barman concentré sur les boissons, l'équipe semble nettement sous-dimensionnée pour faire face à l'affluence. Une heure d'attente avant de voir arriver les premiers plats témoigne d'une organisation qui mérite d'être repensée. On ne peut qu'avoir de l'empathie pour ce personnel en sous-effectif, visiblement débordé malgré sa bonne volonté.

La cuisine

Les points positifs Les samosas et l'attiéké ont su nous convaincre : bien préparés, savoureux, ils constituent une entrée en matière réussie dans l'univers culinaire des Tontons. Le poisson braisé était également maîtrisé techniquement, avec une cuisson appropriée.

Les déceptions Malheureusement, certains plats phares n'ont pas été à la hauteur de nos attentes, particulièrement pour des palais habitués aux subtilités de la cuisine ouest-africaine. Le yassa, plat emblématique sénégalais, manquait cruellement de ses caractéristiques essentielles : l'acidité citronnée, les oignons caramélisés et cette fraîcheur distinctive qui font l'âme du plat.

Le poisson braisé, bien que correctement préparé, souffrait d'un manque de "saf" (cette pointe de piment qui relève le plat). La sauce Madame Jeanette proposée en accompagnement s'est révélée disproportionnée : trop ardente, elle masquait tous les autres arômes au lieu de les sublimer.

Conclusion

Les Tontons Afro portent une belle ambition : valoriser les gastronomies et cultures afro dans un cadre qui inspire au voyage. L'intention est louable et l'atmosphère chaleureuse. Cependant, l'établissement souffre actuellement de défis organisationnels qui ternissent l'expérience globale.

Pour les néophytes de la cuisine africaine, ce restaurant peut constituer une découverte sympathique. En revanche, les amateurs avertis de ces cuisines y trouveront peut-être moins leur compte, les subtilités et l'équilibre des saveurs traditionnelles étant parfois sacrifiés.

Recommandation :Un renforcement de l'équipe en salle et une attention particulière portée à l'authenticité des recettes pourraient transformer cette adresse en véritable pépite du...