Lei — Restaurant in New York

I want to caveat this review by saying that we dined here on Jun 14th, just one week after opening. There were some kinks that i'm sure the team is still in the process of working out, but all in all the experience could have been better.

First things first, the owner and team were really kind and clearly passionate, and the food was creative asian fusion and great to pair with the wine. I would definitely reccomend coming here if you're a part of two, as the majority of table seem to be for 2 people.

We arrived at 7pm and asked for a table for 4, of which we realized there was only two in the whole restaurant. We got put on the list and was tentatively quoted 45min, although they couldn't guarantee anything, which was totally understandable. We eneded up waiting for 1.5 hours, upon which we went back to ask for an updated eta. When we asked at 8:30pm, we got told again that the wait was another 45 minutes, which did suprise us, but we knew there was no guarantee. We then decided to go eat dinner nearby, but after 15 minutes, we received a text saying that our table was ready. We texted back asking to be put behind the next party, which we were grateful they agreed to do.

At 9:30, we arrived back at the wine bar and waited a bit to be seated. At ~9:50, we ordered a round of wine and got some small bites, and at 10:20, the staff came around and asked us for our cards to pay. We were quite confused given we had only been seated for 30 minutes, but assumed that they were closing out the tab after each round. We were not asked if we wanted to order any incremental drinks or food. Then, at 10:40pm, the staff came around once more and told us there was another reservation incoming.

To be honest, it was a bit frustating given that we had been seated for just around one hour, and had basically waited 2.5 hours to get a table, but understood that they can't do anything given the reservation had been booked. I think we as a group wished that they had either warned us in advance we would have ~1hr for the table, as we might've taken the option of coming back...

We were told the wait would be 45 minutes for a party of 4 (depending on the party in front of us), but we had heard nothing after waiting 1.5 hrs. When we checked in with the owner, she suggested that we could either wait another 45min or get a reservation for another day. Considering we had already waited so long, we decided to stay in the queue and grab a snack elsewhere. In the end, the total wait time was over 2 hours by the time we got seated.

Honestly the long wait would’ve been ok had there been more communication, but the rushed experience that came after was quite disappointing. After finally being seated, we were offered the check just after one round of food/drinks (~30min after). The server did not ask us if we wanted to order more and informed us that there was another party coming in. We sat down around 9:50pm and were rushed out around 10:40pm. The whole experience was around 50min for waiting more than 2 hours.

The food and drinks were good, but the experience was soured by the lack of respect for our time. We understand that there are challenges being the first week of operations but people are also spending their time and money to support...

Honestly, I am glad I came here now as I am certain this will become one of the hottest wine destinations across NY and will be impossible to get a reservation (reservations strongly recommended). I really think Annie slayed it in creating the ambience of such a curated wine bar, from the drawings on the wall, to the lighting, the furniture and just thee overall vibe. The place is simple yet so sophisticated, and like da Vinci said, simplicity is the highest form of sophistication. I doubt there are many other places in the world where you can find such high quality of fusion Chinese food and a truly outstanding wine selection. As this is after all a wine bar, I have to put my hands together for Matt for creating such a refined list and to Hugo for being a true enthusiast and helping pick the gems. If you are looking for an easy night with great food and great wines, Lei is the place to be. I hope to come back...