Mary Lou’s — Restaurant in Town of East Hampton

ADDENDUM: When I left the restaurant, I did not realize that my credit card was not returned to me. While the staff’s fault, I too am at fault for not realizing this. I emailed the restaurant in the am before opening and received a reply within the hour that they had my card in their safe.

I returned the next evening and my card was returned to me by the general manager Jeremy. I did confide to him about my unpleasant experience. At his suggestion we stepped outside and with great interest and patience he listened to everyone of my issues. He addressed each one of them, some of which management was already aware of and addressing. He seemed to have a genuine interest in improving the patron experience. As a business owner myself, I understand how important reviews are. Reviews are also a way to look introspectively and see how to improve your organization. In my opinion, the owners of this establishment are very fortunate to have Jeremy and I do believe that he can and will bring this establishment to the quality it needs to be. When I return next year, I will look at their most recent reviews and if I see that improvement has been made, I would definitely return.

INITIAL REVIEW: I was last at this restaurant three years ago when it was called La Fin and under different ownership. I would give La Fin five stars. My wife and I hosted a private party there before our wedding the next day. I had such great memories I was thrilled to be going back.

The service was deplorable. My wife’s dinner arrived without mine. Her salad with tuna was mostly lettuce with tiny unidentifiable bits of tuna (I assume that’s what it was - did not do a biopsy). My dinner was salmon and was very good. Took longer for first drink to arrive than the appetizers did. Waitstaff cleared my plate and utensils while my wife was still eating. At 9:30 the waitstaff and hostess changed into club attire, the music was turned up to Van Halen level and my wife and I, although sitting next to each other, could no longer communicate and resorted to sign language and hand gestures. I could not get anyone’s attention to get a check. I finally got up and started to head to the door in hopes of finding a manager. Finally got a check. I did not see anyone working there above the age of 21. It wasn’t the staff’s fault - they were untrained and no manager in site to assure proper operations. Oh, and they included a 20% gratuity in the check even though we were only a party of two. I have never seen that before (except in Miami), so that should tell you something. If you want to drink and party at the bar, it’s great. If you want...

The hostess was off putting and rude from the jump- when we arrived, she made a big ordeal about us adjusting our reservation from 5 to 6, and nearly turned us away from being sat. After the experience, I wish she had! Made a reservation for 6 for Saturday, June 6th. The food was horrible. Our reservation was 8 pm and we didn’t get any dishes til around 9:45 pm. We were brought what appeared to be bread for the table after about an hour after ordering. The bread was white wonder bread with the edges cut off and seared (read- lightly burnt) yet it wasn’t toasted. It was disgusting. The steak was cold inside once cut in to. The noodles for the lobster were also not cooked and had the consistency of calamari.

We ended up leaving before the rest of the dishes were delivered and walking next door to the...

I really wanted to like this place, but my experience at Mary Lou’s was beyond disappointing.

First off, the service was disorganized and slow. We waited over 2 hours just to get a drink, and when our food finally arrived, it was [cold/underwhelming/incorrect]. The girl in the front with the black bob. DISGUSTING

What really turned me off, though, was the exclusive, snobby vibe. It’s clear they prioritize “friends” over regular guests. If you’re not part of the in-crowd, expect to be treated like an afterthought. For the prices they charge, the experience should feel welcoming—not elitist.

Montauk has plenty of great spots. Unfortunately, Mary Lou’s just isn’t one of them. Won’t be returning.

Bouncers -...