Aye Tea Elle — Restaurant in College Park

I had a reservation for a party of 10 on Saturday to celebrate my best friend and my 40th birthday. Upon arrival, I was greeted by Rick; he was extremely polite and had amazing customer service. I was happy we were off to a wonderful start. After getting inside the restaurant, the front desk representative was very polite. She gathered my information and let me know that I could sit at the bar or in the front area where she was located, I decided to sit up front and wait for all of our party until our 9:00 reservation.

The representative let me know that once 5 guests arrived, we could be seated in our area. While waiting, Rick would come in and let me know which one of my guest arrived, I thought that was very nice of him. The representative let us know that she would be more than happy to snap any photos for us and to just let her know when we’re ready, just truly accommodating. So around 9:08 we had about 6 guest and we were still waiting to be seated. The rep apologized and stated that we would be seated soon. Since my experience had been so pleasant, I didn’t mind the wait, it gave us more time to laugh and catch up with each other.

Around 9:25, we were getting a little anxious and we wanted to be seated; we finally were seated at 9:30. Walking inside to our tables, the place was beautiful. Great music was playing, the lightning was perfect and it was just a vibe. The ambience was amazing! Now, while booking, I communicated with Joe who stated he reserved 2 high table tops for my party, that’s not what we received. Still, no biggie but I did mention to the Manager, King, what I was told we would receive and he stated “this is that”. Not gonna lie, totally threw me off by that response because it was standard height table. I asked if it was possible to move the 2 tables together so that we could sit together. He immediately let me know that he could move the table but not the way that I envisioned, the way it was moved was completely awkward.

Our crew rolled with the punches because we were all happy to catch up and laugh. Our waitress was superb! I don’t want to mess up her name but I believe it began with the letter D. She was very attentive and she checked up on us quite often. Now, I’m going to be honest and sum up my reasoning for the 3 stars. King wasn’t nearly as pleasant as the other staff. He wasn’t accommodating and I didn’t appreciate the 30 minute wait the seated. Due to the fact that we waited for 30 minutes to be seated, I would’ve really wished for his demeanor to be better.

It seemed as if any inquiry someone had at our table, he was ready to make a response but in a condescending type of tone. Also, when I received the tab, I had to mention to them that I paid a $150 deposit and to please adjust the tab. The drinks were amazing and the food was pretty good. I just wished the customer service towards the end matched what we initially received. To sum it all up, this is a beautiful establishment where the ambiance is a whole vibe! I enjoyed a great percentage of the staff but 1 bad apple can ruin it for you, especially when you know they’re in the wrong for making you wait 30 minutes...

Was super excited to try this place out after seeing it on Instagram. Was even more excited when I saw it was near me. The first time my friend and I came we were rudely turned around before we could get completely on the sidewalk by the gentleman manning the door “got a reservation? won’t be getting it” was all he said. No “hello, how are you ladies? If you don’t have a reservation you won’t be able to come in tonight.” Just straight up rude. We were unaware it was reservation only because the flyer online didn’t say it, that’s my bad, understood but I had to let him know he spoke to us rudely and he tried to smooth it over but first impressions are everything right? We left w/o issue though. Decided to try again a few nights ago, this time I made sure to reserve us a table. Everything was going well for the first 30 mins; until we got our drinks & food. My friend and I ordered the same drink yet hers was filled nearly half way more than mine, that’s odd right? We ordered food, I got the shrimp w/ bread (my bread was so stale and hard I couldn’t even eat one bite) she ordered the shrimp salad (they pretty much gave her a bowl of lettuce w/ 5 shrimp on top), now maybe this wouldn’t be an issue if the menu wasn’t so pricey, but I mean cmon 5 grilled shrimp for $16 and you couldn’t even make sure the little piece of bread I got was fresh?!?! When we spoke to the waitress about this, she was suppose to send someone over, well 30 mins later still nothing. We ended up just asking for our check (to another young lady cause our waitress was just too busy I guess) once we asked for our check the young lady asked us if anything was wrong, I guess she saw the blatant disappointment on our face. We proceeded to tell her our issue f (For the second time to a second person), she said okay and went to get our check. What’s the point in asking if your only response is “okay?”

Our waitress came back and ask “did he come over?”, assuming she was speaking of a manager, but no he did not. Took us about another 30 minutes to get our checks to us, we look at the checks and they charged us each twice. At this point I’m so over it. Our waitress Dasia (not sure if I spelled it correctly) was very sweet and she did give me a $2 discount (but honestly that didn’t help the situation much but she tried) so I don’t wanna put too much of the blame on her. I think this establishment should put forth more effort and energy when it comes to customer service & time management instead of aesthetics. I unfortunately will not be patronizing this business again, but if you’re more of an ambience and aesthetic person this may be a spot for you, I will admit it was a cute spot, the DJ was doing their thing but it’s a no for me when it comes to customer service. I don’t mind spending money but not when the...

It was my birthday and a good friend invited me to dinner here. I live in the area literally 1.3 miles away but had never heard of it.

This is a black owned restaurant that also serves as a lounge. It is on the same street as the Fire Department just across the street.

The decor is very cozy and intimate. Black table cloths on table along with a candle. We were seated very quickly. Although we went on a Saturday around 7:30, we didn't need reservations. We tried to make a reservation but they wanted a credit card. Our server took our drink orders and he also brought us a small container of popcorn to nibble while we were waiting for our food.

As with most new restaurants there is no paper/hard copy menu. You have to scan a QR code to being up the selections. I understand the advancement of technology and the ability to change the menu online. However some eyes need to see it on paper.

What we ordered:

Sides and Appetizers

Fried Green Tomatoes (4) $12 served with house made remoulade sauce. This was a miss. I had high hopes because Fried Green Tomatoes is usually a hit. 4 pieces of tomato that was mushy in the inside and lacked any flavor. They were pretty small and at $3 a slice it just wasn't worth it.

Fried Brussels $8 💯 I will try Brussels no matter where I go as long as they are fresh and not steamed. These were so good. I didn't want it to end.

Entrees

Aye Tea Elle Burger $18 💯

Our handcrafted "beef" burger topped with cheddar or monterey jack, served on a grilled brioche bun topped with with lettuce, grilled onions, tomato, & applewood smoked bacon with french fries and secret sauce. This is a win! The burger tasted home made with fresh ground round meat. Nice well out together burger and the secret sauce was so good on the fresh cut fries.

Red Snapper Filet $35 💯

Pan Seared or Fried Topped with Caribbean Salsa served over rice pilaf & plantains. This was another hit. My fried ordered it fried. Beautiful plate of fish and peppers. It also had a slightly sweet taste of the peppers mixed with the fish. Chef's kiss. So very good.

Dessert Butta Love 9 Butter Pound Cake with Caramel Drizzle. This was ordinary cake. Nothing fancy or significant about the taste. I love cake but this just didn't hit for me.

Yoni's Famous Bread Pudding 12 topped with Ice Cream & Caramel Drizzle. My friend said it was delicious...