Lume West Village — Restaurant in New York

I will share that our waitress was superb. If the food matched her abilities, this place would shine. Don’t you get sick of being told that you must go try a place and then you find out it’s just another mediocre restaurant serving mediocre food and you wonder what is it that we don’t see. Was it just an off day? Well, no. I always make sure my team orders different items and we must get desserts. The Caesar salad was limp and tasteless. The BURGER-we couldn’t finish. Something off putting that was on the bun. But the real scream was the focaccia with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar-egads a mess and so what if it had some slivers of aged ham. Not one dish did we finish. The fries were not hot, not warm, but just ones that had been sitting back there. But let me repeat- the waitress was very good but I think she realized something wasn’t right because not once did she ask- HOW WAS IT? But the most disappointing thing was the torta merringata which in Italy I love it. Here, let’s say this, you aren’t missing much. The design of the restaurant has a great lighting fixture over the bar. If you are disabled, getting to the restroom might be a challenge. Luckily, I hadn’t picked the restaurant but I did pay the check. For lunch it wasn’t that crowded. Maybe, at dinner they pick up the pace. I don’t know. In Italian lume means light or lamp. I guess because of the light fixture I mentioned. If it symbolizes something here, I...

A few friends and I dined here last Saturday. The restaurant was very packed and we had to wait outside a bit before being seen by a hostess. Upon entry, the inside of the restaurant was gorgeous! The lighting was very moody and had a romantic feel.

We waited an eternity to be seated because the party before us stayed way past their reservation time. We were offered champagne while we waited which was nice. After awhile, the wait became ridiculous. The hostess did speak to the party but they were in no rush to leave. In my opinion, it is the responsibility of the restaurant to ensure reservations are upheld and to enforce the time limit as necessary. I understand not wanting to upset any customers but it was downright ridiculous that we waited 45+ minutes to be seated especially since the time limit was repeatedly sent to us via text upon reservation.

Once we were seated, the rest of the evening was smooth sailing. Alfredo was our server and was very friendly. We ordered the cacio e Pepe and branzino. We all enjoyed our dishes and would return to try others! Despite a rocky start to our evening, we still enjoyed our visit to Lume and would return...

My friend and I were unable to get into the initial restaurant we had planned for one night and stumbled upon this gem where we had a great dining experience.

Upon arriving around 6pm, we were not greeted very well by the host. When we walked in, neither girls said hi or welcome but instead immediately asked do you have a reservation with a tone. Despite this, we were able to be seated immediately at the bar. The waiter and bartenders who took care of us thereafter were very attentive, kind, and helpful.

We ordered the carbonara, wagyu carpaccio, and the truffle and scallop dish, along with a lemon drop martini and a margarita.

Both cocktails were excellent—fresh, balanced, and full of flavor. The carbonara was rich and comforting, and the wagyu carpaccio was beautifully presented and melted in the mouth. The truffle and scallop dish had great depth of flavor, though the scallops were just a bit on the salty side for my taste.

Overall, the meal felt thoughtfully prepared and the atmosphere matched perfectly for a relaxed night out in the West Village. Definitely worth a visit, and I’d love to come back to try more...