Jalao NYC — Restaurant in New York

I really enjoyed the food but had mixed feelings about Jalao and I’ll explain why…

Service wise: 2.5-3 out of 5 stars. Need to do better! We were a party of 6, so of course we made a reservation in advance. We had to change it cause we were supposed to be more and then some people cancelled at the last minute. When we arrived they sat us down pretty quick, the table was uncomfortable for the six of us so we asked to be moved. The person who appeared to be the manager/supervisor, his name Corporan, gave the green light, so that was done pretty quick as well.

So, we waited no time to be seated, at 6pm exactly we were sat down, at around 6:10 they changed us to another table. We had to wait until 6:35pm for the waitress to finally come to our table and take the orders. They had not even served water and we were there for 35 minutes already. I can’t really say how long they took to bring our food or everything else but we calculated a rough 30 to 45 minutes for every course, which was a really long time. We stood up from the table to leave the restaurant exactly at 9:07pm. So that was 3 hours in the restaurant, being that said, if you’re trying to get something to eat and are mindful of time or in a rush, maybe should find another restaurant option. If you don’t mind being at the restaurant for a really long time, then this is the place for you.

I was referred to this restaurant by a friend who also joined me yesterday. She stated the service was very different the first time she came, much faster and far way better. There were all waitresses yesterday, when she visited before there were all waiters, so maybe there’s a difference in service depending on the staff. She also mentioned if she had not visited before and only yesterday, she wouldn’t have referred us to come but she knew they have more potential than they showed yesterday, which was a bummer for us visiting for first time.

Food wise, they deserve 5 stars. We ordered 3 Croquetas de Chivo, Chicharron and Guacamole for starters. All appetizers were delicious and well prepared! Most of the table had Chivo y ChenchenPaila JalaoSancochoCostillas Ñoñas5 LechesMajarete

I want to start by saying that my friend and I were very excited to visit this place. I also feel like maybe we visited the restaurant at a bad timing. We were a party of 2 and we didn’t have a reservation. Getting one when we arrived was very smooth. The hostess was very pleasant and quickly made a reservation for us. She gave us the option to either wait a a few mins at the bar or to wait around in the lobby. We proceeded to the bar. There we ordered drinks. I got the Mercado margarita and my Friend ordered the santo dominicano. We loved our drink and the bartender was very lovely and professional. When we finally moved to the table, that’s where things went downhill. Our waitress or waiter never came to our table. A waitress came by and quickly took our order She did that to get us at least started. There we waited and waited. The food could’ve been better; for appetizer we got the Bombones de yucca. For the entree, we both got the coconut fillet, which came in a beautiful plate but could’ve used more sauce. I feel that that day, the menu was very limited. An altercation was happening with another table where the customer was upset. Prior to the manager approaching that table, he came by and asked us if we wanted dessert, we proceeded to say, “no thank you, just the check”. It took 20 mins for us to get the check. When the waitress that took our initial order came by she asked “nobody came by after I took your order?” And we said no, which made us realize that she was never our waitress and that our waitress/waiter never showed up. As we were getting ready to leave fully disappointed and dissatisfied, the manager passes by and offers us a “shot at the bar”. What was interesting about that interaction was that he was holding a bottle of Prosecco or champagne that he had offer the other table, but he followed to offer us a “shot” after noticing that our service was subpar. We politely decline and he insisted we get that “shot” when we visit again. Honestly? I don’t know if I can go back to Jalao here in NYC. It was very disappointing, not to mention that our bill was over 100$ for the service and the food that we received. There were a total of 5 tables that Sunday afternoon and there wasn’t a shortage of staff. The staff just looked lost. It was a mixture of many things that made that Sunday lunch very disappointing. I’m giving it 3 stars because the hostess, and bartender were very nice. Also, the drinks were very decent. As far as everything else? I believe it needs more work. Would I go back? I’m not sure but I believe there’s room for...

I came here with my family to enjoy an early dinner. We were seated right away, but at one of the most awkward tables. I get it, the ambiance. Which is beautiful by the way. They didn't overdo it with the decorations but it was very hard to eat without hovering over the table. It looked more like a lounge set-up rather than one to dine on. We were sat on time. In fact we areived 10 minutes early and were sat early. It took about 30 minutes before anyone had acknowledged us. The poor waiter, im sorry I don't remember his name, greeted us and told us that even though he wouldn't be able to stay for the entire service, he'd get us started with drinks and appetizers. Our appetizers were of no issue, the guacamole came with plenty of platano chips and the chicharron was nice and hot. Our meals arrived. First, he serves my cousin who orders the ribs and my dad who ordered the rabo. My cousins ribs came bare, with half of half of a corn on the cob and nothing else. My dad had initially asked to sub the chen Chen for Morro. When he got his plate, the server sets it while saying in Spanish "There is no more morro and the kitchen did not give me a chance to ask for something else" and walks away. He comes back almost 10 MINUTES LATER with my mother's and mine. I got the paila and the only thing that was hot was my steak, and rice. The longaniza, maduros and chicharron were all cold. My mother's salmon came with no side, two peppers and a slice of lemon. SERIOUSLY!? We never got a chance to mention it to the server because he never returned to ask how everything was going. I had to stop the host and ask her to grab him. The manager came out and we explained the situation. Because of my experience in food service for more than a decade i made sure to explain to the manager that there were things with in and without that server's control before explaining in detail, he offered to make the food over but it was mostly too late. Even though we said no, he magically brought out two cups of morro, piping hot meat and offered a bottle of champagne on the house. He also threw in two desserts, the cheesecake and 5 leches which were both mediocre at best. When the bill came, nothing was removed. The manager thought he could sweeten the deal with Wycliff and dessert to make us still pay for it all and we had no problem doing so but we will not be returning EVER. Steakhouse prices, without the steakhouse. This is just mediocre, sideless, Dominican food on a nice plate, if that. Save your money and go...