Llewellyn Parq Bar and Grill — Restaurant in West Orange

Not sure how this place received 4.3 stars because our group had more of a 2-star experience.

First off, the service was atrocious. We had reservations for 9:45 PM (they allow bookings until 10:00 PM). We arrived on time, stood at the front for 15 minutes, and no one even acknowledged us. There’s a sign at the door that says, “Please wait to be seated.” So we did exactly that. After being ignored, we finally went up to the bar to let someone know we’d been standing there. The lady’s response? “Why didn’t you just walk in?” We pointed out the sign, and all she said was “oh.” Then instead of seating us properly, she asked where we wanted to sit and mentioned that one table only fit three people (we were four). Common sense should’ve told her to seat us where the party actually fit.

We finally got seated at 9:57, and right away she told us to hurry up and order because the kitchen closes at 10:00. That made me wonder — what happens to people who reserve at 10:00? They clearly accept those reservations, so how would that even work?

As for the food: • The short ribs and mac & cheese were actually really good. • The candied yams were burnt, dry, and just plain bad. Same for the cornbread — it was so dry I spit it out. They tried to drizzle syrup on top like that would help, but why not just serve it with butter? • The collard greens were decent. • The empanadas had no seasoning. • My boyfriend’s nachos were burnt. • The wings were decent, nothing special.

The seating didn’t help either. We were given a high top with stools that had no back support, and depending on what you’re wearing, it’s easy to slide right off. Definitely not comfortable.

For how the place looks online, you expect a completely different experience. On top of that, they make you agree that if you cancel a reservation less than six hours before, you’ll be charged $50. Yet they can’t even manage to greet or seat guests in a timely or professional way.

To make things worse, they don’t allow you to split checks — not even into two cards for a bigger party. And they automatically added gratuity for our party of 4, which is usually only applied to groups of 6 or more. After waiting, being rushed to order, sitting on uncomfortable stools, and dealing with dry food, the least they could’ve done was accommodate us.

Overall, they really need to work on professionalism, communication, and parts of their menu. Unfortunately, we left more displeased than...

We had a reservation for 2:15 p.m. on a Sunday and were seated immediately upon our arrival at 2 p.m., a great start to our visit. We also enjoyed the all-day Sunday happy hour and the drinks we ordered were good.

However, the experience quickly went downhill. Our server was inattentive, preoccupied with watching a football game. Her repeated apologies about the game being a distraction were not a valid excuse for the slow and poor service. When my friends asked about a brunch menu after seeing another diner with a waffle, our server said brunch had ended at 3 p.m. but offered to show us the menu anyway. We mistakenly thought this meant we would still be able to order from it.

We ordered several appetizers, including catfish sliders, salmon bites, and wings. All were tasty, but the catfish sliders were the clear favorite. Unfortunately, our entrees were a different story. The two catfish meals looked great, but the fried chicken wings my friend ordered looked burnt. While the collard greens were edible, they lacked flavor. Both the mac and cheese and yams were terrible; the mac and cheese was oily and looked old, while the yams were dry and had no sweetness. The chicken wings were, in fact, burnt.

When we notified our server about the issues, a manager came over to help. She was polite and offered to replace the sides, and my friend was able to switch his burnt wings for the delicious catfish. However, the situation turned sour when we overheard another manager instruct the first manager, "Don't let them get over. Don't comp anything for them. Only offer to replace what was wrong." This comment was disheartening and offensive, as it suggested we were trying to take advantage of the restaurant rather than simply providing honest feedback.

Ultimately, the pros of this visit—quick seating and good appetizers—were overshadowed by the significant cons: poor service, disappointing entrees, and a hostile attitude from the management. I wouldn't recommend this restaurant for a full meal. Maybe it's a decent spot for drinks and appetizers, but given the overall negative experience, I'm not...

First time visiting this neo-soul food esq restaurant and would like to say that I'd return as a patron in the near future.

Black owned business. Plenty of parking in lot and on street available. The venue's decor speaks Black excellence, as there's black art displayed all around, with modern faux suede furniture and bistro area seating. They have sports bar vibes as well with plasma TV's to show any sports games, music videos, etc.

There are a few photo op areas in the venue to memorialize any special occasion (towards downstairs bathroom area). The staff is youthful, inviting and very friendly.

Within an hour of being seated we were served apps and drinks and our main courses were served promptly after.

Would def recommend the calamari, deviled eggs and salmon bites. The firehouse pasta (tastes like Rasta pasta) was good paired with any protein but specifically the lamb chops.

Traditional meal selection prices are average when selected as is, but any change can gouge the selection IMO. For example, i don't think $20 to add 4 baby-sized lamb chops to a $15 pasta entree was warranted. Shrimp, salmon, fish was i believe $11-15.

All entrees were flavorful, tasty!

Cons:

18-20% gratuity was automatically added to a party of 3, which i thought was weird considering usually that's reserved for larger parties (like 5 and up).

Feeling nickel and dimed about adding simple syrup to a non-alcoholic beverage. For example, i ordered a ginger beer and asked for a splash of passion fruit and was charged $2 additional dollars for it, which wasn't told to me at the time of ordering. To me, that's unnecessary and overkill and considering the price of the meals and auto gratuity.

Also the entree portions were a tad smaller than expected. Pics make the entrees seem bigger than they are, so beware. Gives tapas and apps style restaurant vibes with the portions so depending on your appetite order a few apps to start.

Overall, a great place to add to your list to visit. I just hope they work out the end of...