LaNoma Italian Steakhouse — Restaurant in Fort Lee

4/25 I previously gave this place amazing reviews but tonight their door man was obnoxious and rude. So allegedly their dress code is so strict for a single female wanting a pizza at the bar that he could not explain it. I have been to this restaurant on several different occasions (on dates, with girlfriends, and by myself) on three of the five occasions that I’ve been here I have actually worn nice Gucci slides to this restaurant. Today in 80° weather I arrive at this restaurant around 6 PM to have a drink at the bar and a pizza before I went home. I was wearing straight fitted jeans, no rips with a Gucci belt with Gucci slides and not the Gucci slides that you wear to the beach, nice leather monogram, Gucci slides with a cotton corset buttoned up shirt and my sunglasses and my matching Gucci bag upon entering the restaurant a super rude guy at the front was like where are you going? You’re not dressed appropriate I asked him what about what I was wearing was not appropriate. It was casual, but it wasn’t casual like I’m going to the mall or shopping in Walmart casual but it definitely wasn’t like super dressed up like I’m going on a hot date. It was bar/lounge area appropriate. He says you can’t wear slides. I said OK but these are like Gucci slides. These are actually like fancy sandal type of shoes I was like are you sure that that’s an issue because nothing else that I’m wearing seems to be on your list that’s an issue on the wall. He says no I’m sure and I don’t know why you have to keep telling me that they’re Gucci slides I said, because there’s a difference between wearing slides that you would wear to the beach or to go grab something from the store and slides that you wear as a woman to go to dinner. I proceeded to ask him if he could get the manager for me or supervisor just to ensure that what I was wearing was not appropriate for the bar yes let me remind you I just wanted to sit at the bar. I was not even actually trying to go into the dining area. He refused and said there’s no need for me to go get a manager I know what the dress code is and they’re gonna agree and say the same thing that I said so I also told him I have been here on several occasions and I’ve worn same type of shoes and I’ve never had an issue and on two of those occasions, I actually went into the dining area. He said that’s not his problem. Whoever was at the door that day must not know how to do their job. I once again ask for a manager. I stood there waiting to which he just looked outside as if I wasn’t talking to him, so I just decided to go up the block to Ventanas, which is of the same caliber as this restaurant when we’re talking about how much per plate where I was more than welcomed given a table sat outside and had an amazing meal. I guess my real frustration is if you’re gonna have somebody be that nasty and obnoxious standing at your front door, at least don’t have them wearing some cheap suede looking sneakers slide shoes and a cotton button shirt with a suit jacket that barely buttons in the front because it doesn’t fit. Also tell them to get a proper haircut and trim their beard appropriately since we are that strict on an alleged dress code for women. He works the door he does not own the restaurant and if someone ask for a manager he should just go get them. NEVWR COMING HERE OR RECOMMENDING THIS PLACE TO ANYONE AS I SEE THIS IS A COMMON THEME IN THEIR REVIEWS.

Amazing ambiance. Was there on a first date. He sucked but the restaurant made up for it. Devin was an amazing waiter. The pizza maker is the best. Try the pistachio sour drink 😍 definitely coming back not...

The place is very nice, it has a delicate American feel, it has excellent decoration, the music volume is pleasant! The atmosphere is 10/10, their dishes are delicious, I had the good fortune to try octopus (Polpo) excellent, very good flavor, I also had Filet Mignon very tasty but I asked for it well cooked and as you could see it was medium cooked, everything was good but something I must point out is the service! SERIOUSLY! They need to train the waiters! I see that not all of them were trained to give quality service, we had a guy who said his name was AK (when the bill said, server: Ahmed A) this was definitely what caused me to question whether to return to this place! At the start, the guy did not hear well and brought us a drink that was the opposite of what we asked for! We insisted and told him to change it but he pushed me to take more to see if I would change my mind! In my opinion this should not be the case! When you don’t like something, you don’t like it, you should respect that! Then he brought us Saratoga water! The problem was that he wasn’t paying attention to our table, our glasses were empty and he didn’t see that we needed more water! I had to ask other people to get more water! We also asked for bread! Because the waiter didn’t even bother to ask if we wanted bread, seriously the service was getting worse and worse! When I placed my order he suggested a dish to which I said no! We went back to the same thing! I appreciate his suggestion but I had to say NO more than 2 times! Seriously the last time I almost told him that I didn’t hear well or what’s going on! I already told him no and he kept insisting! I must also thank the waiter Alex, he did change our drink which was the first one we said we didn't like, Alex was great, kind and very up to his position and service, after having the appetizers we had to wait more than 30 minutes for our waiter to realize that we had finished the appetizers and it was not enough to put our cutlery on the plate in a parallel way to let him know that we had finished ! He came up to the table and asked if we were done! Seriously!

We had to ask Alex to bring us another drink because our glasses were empty and the waiter, I don't know, to finish we ordered dessert and some tea, we finished our dessert and the tea arrived later, I had to tell the tea guy that we didn't need it anymore, they arrived after 20 minutes who takes a dessert and sends the tea later seriously !

After all this, they charged me $76.80 in gratuity, which doesn't bother me if it was 20%, but I totally disagree that in certain places they have to include gratuity when the service is mediocre, and I'm not talking about the money paid but the service provided! If they were more accessible and gave the customer the opportunity to decide how much the tip would be, would that be better, or should they prioritize the service if you are going to include the 20%...

If you’re thinking about grabbing a quick bite at La Noma before your evening plans, don’t. If you’re willing to wait 90+ minutes for dinner, be my guest. My experience there was nothing short of disastrous. We arrived early around 5:15 PM, basically the first people in the restaurant for the evening, and placed our order almost immediately at 5:20. What followed was the most frustrating dining experience I’ve ever had. Multiple tables that arrived after us not only got their food and ate, but even paid and left before we were served. We waited over an hour for our mains, watching as people around us wolf down their meals. When I finally called our waiter over to ask about the delay, his response? A dismissive “Yeah, I know. I checked on the kitchen already.” No apology, no explanation—just pure indifference. I flagged down another staff member, who at least offered an apology and said she would check on our food. Yet, despite her efforts, it still took another 15 minutes for our food to come out. By this point, we were no longer hungry and incredibly frustrated, knowing we were late for our next engagement. When I asked to speak to someone about the situation, our waiter doubled down, insisting he had put in the order on time and blamed the kitchen. The owner came over and apologized profusely, even mentioning that she was considering firing him because of past mistakes but felt bad because “he’s old.” Honestly, that’s not my problem. What is my problem is that other tables—who ordered the same food—were served long before us, and our waiter showed no remorse or effort to make things right. The owner tried to make amends by offering dessert or suggesting we try the food anyway, but by then it was too late. The damage was done, and no amount of dessert was going to fix the terrible service we received. To top it off, on our way to the exit, we witnessed the owner reprimanding said waiter in front of the restaurant; which not only made it uncomfortable for us because the waiter made eye contact with us, but could have potentially caused a negative client experience for others who were dining at the restaurant, as the conversation was taking place in a very open area- the entrance. La Noma isn’t just a place with slow service—it’s a place with no accountability and zero regard for its customers. If you value your time (and sanity), do yourself a favor and avoid this place...