LÉLÉ — Restaurant in New York

My wife and I came to this restaurant 10 pm reservations. The doorman politely greeted us. Upon entry you are welcome to a nice decor very attractive I had a nice vibe many people taking photos. We felt like okay we going to have a great time …. This is when the ship sinks. The 10 pm reservations wasn’t honor we arrived at 10:05 and was told to have a sit in the upstairs lounge. Okay I’ll be flexible but watching the host. I can view the tables on the first floor from the second floor lounge about 10-15 min pass. I see people being seated and tables available. I go to the host tell her I see open tables and would like to be seated at a certain table and also asked why I had to wait since I did make reservations. She replied. Some of the 9:45 reservation was late and wanted to accommodate them. Okay. I asked how did this other party of two get seated before me. When they also had 10 pm reservations but check in behind me. She apologized and quickly seated my wife and I at the table we wanted. We had the menu which was lacking. The waitress asked would we like water we did tell her yes and asked if they have a full bar. She replied no. But suggested a few signature drinks we also place our food order since the menu is not many options we went with wings and a coco bread and my wife order the rice and chicken wasn’t sure how it would turn out we asked the waitress she said it good We place an order following her recommendation. We sat at our table looking at other tables food and their facial expressions and it’s wasn’t a good The food came out before the water or drinks The wings was not seasoned, the coco bread was okay. My wife dish we didn’t even touch it it was a small bird sitting on a plate not cut up with sauce poured over it and look like onions on top. My wife and I was like this isn’t what I expected it not a STK nor Catch. It not Native They need to do better if the have a buzz on the gram but the food is terrible. I did have someone I think may have been owner come to the table asked how is everything. I expressed my displeasure. He did apologize they only been opens month and they are going to change the menu and asked to give them sometime. He did comp the drinks and said he working on getting a full bar. I did tell him you need to do better with the menu and food you got us in the door but you want repeat customers. The ambience is nice got me on the ship. The food made me...

Well my wife took me out on a date night last night (Saturday night). We drove to the city paid for parking, congestion fee and slight 2 min walk to Lélé. Doorman was pleasant we made it in past the black curtains into a great looking restaurant. That's basically all that was good about this place. Waitress was great we were seated upstairs for out 9pm reservation. After the very limited menu we both decided on our drinks when the waitress returned the 2 drinks we we wanted they were out of. Now as caribbean people once we see things that are staples we gravitate to it so the pap bois punch and the sorrel drinks were out on a Saturday night... We chose another drink and apps. Apps were chicken wings corn bread both had zero taste. Don't get me wrong everything that night was cooked to the perfect temp but herbs and spices with out salt leaves everything tasting flat. So we tried the sauce on the wings and it left my wife and I feeling nauseous. Cornbread had zero flavor with some sort of sauce that had zero taste aswell. The air vents were on full blast and blowing directly on everyone seated at the benches head and shoulders. I asked the waitress if it was possible to either turn it down some or atleast raise the temp (and it did happen once i wrapped the whole meal up to leave about 40 mins later). Entree was oxtail diri blanc - white rice with corn and I had the souya chicken again with white rice. Again the food was cooked well but tasteless everything needed elevation except for the rice when it came to flavor. For some reason my chicken (whole roasted small chicken with feathers still on the wings 🤢)tasted like smoked herring for some herring ofcourse without salt. Highlight of the evening is we were seated next to a couple that I may have been related to based on table chit chat 🇬🇩. After 1 bite of the chicken and my wife's single scrape of the oxtail meat we asked to have everything wrapped up. We left and went to a hookah lounge and had fries n sliders danced and vibed the rest of the night.Food was a super let down and wasn't worth the $300 tab. Honestly it wasn't worth $40 from a regular caribbean restaurant anywhere outside of the city. But like I said the atmosphere is great just don't let social media trick you into eating here it's...

ENGAGEMENT FAIL at Lele NYC — A Beautiful Space That Forgot the Heart of Hospitality

On August 21, my man had a reservation at Lele NYC for my birthday — a night I didn’t know would also become my engagement celebration. After the big surprise (I said yes 💍), we were running behind and he called the restaurant, hopeful they’d understand. He explained that we had just gotten engaged and asked if they could still honor our reservation. The representative congratulated us — and then promptly told us there was nothing she could do. No flexibility. No empathy. Just a $50 deposit gone.

Still determined to celebrate, he rebooked for the following day. My fiancé, I and two other guests arrived on time, only to wait over 30 minutes to be seated. Initially, we were offered cramped cocktail tables on the upper level — not exactly the setting for a celebratory dinner. We declined, and were told that waiting for proper seating would delay us further. Fine. We waited.

Once seated, the service was kind and attentive, and the ambience — undeniably stunning. Lele is visually captivating, no doubt designed to lure the TikTok crowd with its trendy aesthetic and curated vibe. But beneath the surface, it’s clear the restaurant is still finding its footing. And in these early stages, honoring guests — especially those celebrating life’s biggest moments — should be non-negotiable.

The food? Mostly delicious. The cocktails were strong, balanced, and beautifully crafted. But the $120 Kobe beef was sadly overcooked, and every entrée came with the same plain side of white rice — a lack of imagination that dulled the experience. For a restaurant positioning itself as upscale and experiential, this felt lazy.

What stings most is the missed opportunity. We weren’t asking for fireworks — just a little grace. A little acknowledgment. A refund of the $50 deposit or a gesture to mark our engagement would’ve gone a long way. Instead, we were met with rigidity and indifference.

Lele NYC may be the newest darling of social media, but if it wants to build lasting loyalty beyond the influencer crowd, it needs to remember that hospitality is about people — not just aesthetics. We came to celebrate love. We left...