Lakou Cafe — Restaurant in New York

Sad to give this place a bad review but the service was not worth traveling across brooklyn for. Food was good but the service left the worst taste in my mouth.

There was a VERY RUDE and INHOSPITABLE young black woman cashier/barista working yesterday (9/15/25) She got overwhelmed and snappy as soon as there were more than a 10 ppl in the restaurant. There are ways to tell customers you need a couple more minutes in between orders that are not dismissive and off putting.

She was so sweet to the white woman in my party of 3 Eating In (remember that part) but whenever it was my turn (dark skinned black woman) time to order or do anything it was met with a flippant- Im too busy for this attitude. I ordered immediately after my 2 fellow dinees.

The two people I was dining with got their food before me and I graciously told them to go ahead and eat. 15 mins later my friend chicken plate was still not ready.

I checked in twice because it felt strange to me to be waiting that long when I order immediately after the rest of my party at the register.

I got spoken to very rudely about how the food is made to order and told I order after a big party of 6 who were also dining in. (I suspect that this cashier did not put in my order until later)

Finally it arrives at the table almost 40 mins later- in a to go container and with plastic utensils.

As if to say heres your food, get out of here.... SO RUDE. I had to demand a plate and real utensils and then had some heated words with the cashier for her rudeness.

Then commences her stomping around and loudly slamming things behind the bar being immature and having a silent but noticeable tantrum. I ignored her and ate my food. They are smart to have you pre-pay bc I would have left without that food if I hadn't paid already bc of how I was being treated.

But of course anytime the white woman in my party needed something she was happy to oblige and made a show of being helpful. To prove what? that I, a black woman, was the problem??

Is this a black owed business even? How I was treated makes me think otherwise or someone's niece is not well trained at all or too easily overstimulated to work in such an environment.

Many other nice Haitian places that don't treat customers unequally and like a burden in Brooklyn.

I will take the $30 it costs for 1 meal and 1 drink here and pay it ANYWHERE else but this. - Dee Daniel (since my email address does not...

Where do I start with how MUCH I LOVE this place! Firstly, for a restaurant that I've never stepped foot in (thanks to pandemic), I am amazed at how well their food travels arriving with beautiful presentation, perfect temperature and flavor! I am a regular orderer and at this point have probably ordered more than 20x. My ALL TIME FAVORITE is their Fried Mushroom sandwich. I love how they add pikliz to the sandwich and the bread is perfectly toasted with a beautiful epis aioli. The mushrooms are fried to perfection, you would think it was chicken! I also love their Banana Bread! Oh my goodness it knocks all the other regular degular banana breads out the way. This one is spiced just right with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg! I also really enjoy their Haitian Peanut Butter Cookies. You've never had a peanut butter cookie like this. I also LOVE their sos pwa. If you are a fan of beans and rice then you need to try this. And then my other favorite dish to order is their Kale Salad. It's already generously topped with roasted chickpeas, the tastiest, crunchiest croutons you've ever bit into and pickled red onions with a homemade vegan Caesar dressing that is every bit as delicious as the non-vegan version. They also offer complimentary and paid protein toppings but the Kale Salad is perfect just is. They're avocado toast is also a joy. It goes beyond the boring avocado mashed on bread and brings in seasonings and toppings galore! I hope to step foot in there one day, but for now I'll be ordering away :). If you're on the fence about eating here, here's your permission....order...

So I had the soup here and it was absolutely wonderful. It was nice and hot filled with potatoes vegetables and the regular j o u m o u flavoring. I also had a veggie patty. I like the way the bread is very soft and crunchy at the same time. Now customer service was good however I was charged a tip I did not bother to leave a tip however the staff member placed in the tip. This is not fair this is not good practice. Please change the card swipe so it does not charge your customer a tip this is at the discretion of your customer. The next thing that's an issue for me I rolled up in there 11:00 a.m. why was music blasting so loud I had to repeat myself three times and ask the staff member who was taking my order what did she say over and over again. There's no reason why the music should be playing so very loudly. If you need to stay up drink a cup of coffee. I think that took away from the enjoyment of wanting to stay and possibly just gather in the front or even sit for a minute. I do hope on my next return these things have changed otherwise I know a number of other Haitian restaurants they may not be in the neighborhood but they do listen to their customers and try to improve upon what we ask of them. So keep up the good work with the food and hopefully I'll see you again and try...