Oulala Restaurant and Lounge — Restaurant in Town of Hempstead

I emailed the restaurant prior to writing my review with no response. My husband and I visited back in Dec. We arrived around 9pm, sat at the bar, ate, and stayed until 1am dancing. We observed the changes after 10pm and saw other diners remain at their tables while periodically dancing and returning to their tables. We enjoyed the food, ambience, and service. Therefore, I decided to celebrate my birthday there.

On 2/26, we were a party of 13. We understood that at/around 10p the restaurant changes into a lounge. We were told prior to arrival that our children would have to leave by 10pm and the men in the party may have to pay a $20 fee. We understood and complied.

It was very upsetting to find out that after spending $1000 on our dinner that we were nearly kicked out of the restaurant.  Our table/chairs were completely taken away, no bar stools were provided,  my mother in law who cannot stand for a long period was told she couldn't have a chair to sit in and she have to stand or leave. We quite possibly would've spent another $1000 during the lounge setting if we were provided that opportunity.

We'd like to suggest drawing clear lines with your promoters and patrons, especially when it's a large party with a reservation.  We should not have been treated like this.

Also, our waiter, Walter, was excellent but he was alone and there were other diners and no bartender. He admittedly told us that he is not good as mixing drinks. I am writing a 1 star review which is based on how we were treated after eating and...

This place is horrible! As soon as the food came out, the rice had a horrible odor. To the point where it was making me nauseous. I advised the waiter that I did not like the food and that it should be removed, he stated that his manager would not allow the item to be removed but offered another meal instead. I did not want anything else here, and was extremely disappointed that this was not accommodated. They refused to remove the item off the check! The black rice is horrific!

The jazz band was great and that’s it, get a drink and enjoy the music but that’s it. I will not be back and as you can see, I am an avid google member and will not be back and will also inform friends and family as well.

**For the response to be that I’m bashing is absurd! Let me make something very clear, I make it my business to support black owned businesses and 99% of my reviews are positive, however when you lack business acumen to make things right for your customers, that’s where I have a problem. I am a VP for a large corporation and manage multiple businesses! It’s not worth being so stubborn for a meal that was not consumed! My reviews get over 100k views! Maybe this will be a learning lesson for you when a guest is truly not satisfied to see if that’s worth losing business. Also I will add that I’m not the only one leaving 1 star reviews, instead of going back and forth with people, learn from it and better your business and hire a new chef! Invest in...

Oulala has something for everyone! Where do I begin?! Thursdays nights are such a great vybe for the younger crowd. Wednesdays are jazz night and it’s soothing and calming with an older smaller crowd. The band that plays there were super friendly and talented and they allow people to bring up instruments or perform their own pieces as a mini open mic. Haven’t been there on a Tuesday but I hear it’s Taco Tuesday and there are other themes for other days. The food is AMAZING! I’m Haitian and I have to say their tassot meal was on point - I don’t give that kind of compliment easily! So good that I went back for the same food two days in a row! The rice was perfectly cooked, the plaintains were deliciously crispy on the outside and soft on the inside and thin-ish just how I like it! The tassot was everything: well seasoned, succulent and soft, and crispy on the outside. Absolutely delicious! The staff are very personable and accommodating! When I had some drinks at the bar as well the bartenders were pretty busy yet worked fast. The drinks when sitting at a table were great also! Five stars! I love this spot! We need more diverse Black-owned places like this around this area! I will keep coming and...