Ivo & Lulu

12/10/08

Gem of a Find!

by AlexSef at Citysearch

We went there on a Friday night with 3 friends. It took a little while for us to get our table, but that was expected. We were able to open our bottle of wine (BYOB) in waiting. The staff were curtious & friendly. The food was amaizing, highly recomment the Duck Breast! Can't wait to go back & try a couple of the other dishes.

• Pros: Atmosphere, food
• Cons: can get crowded

11/16/08

No table despite a reservation. No food despite a menu. Like a bizarre movie set. All facade & empty promise.

by ThePalateKnife at Citysearch

I really wanted to like this place. It's charming, albeit cramped & has the feel of a hidden gem. Sadly, I find myself wishing there were a half star rating to serve up here.

My friend confirmed reservations for our party 48 hours prior to our arrival, only to be met with blank stares of incredulity. " No. Nothing here under that name. I'll seat you as soon as I can."

"As soon as I can" translated to almost an hour wait. A wait in which we watched with utter dismay as our host seated his friends who had audibly "just popped by" at a table he had only moments before nodded toward and said, "he'd have ready for us shortly." Once finally seated at a cramped alternate table, we were informed that of the 7 apps on the menu ,a scant 3 were available. "Ok, the food must be really good," I thought. More bad news. There was 1 entree from the menu to be had & 1 special of merguez w/ cous cous.

After ordering what we could, we were informed that of the 3 app choices, they were now "down to two," & "sorry, dessert's on the house." Of the apps left the alleged "terrine de faisant," which, when it finally arrived, tasted suspiciously like ground pork. I grew up eating pheasant almost weekly, so my tongue was primed but I found myself dabbing at the little clumps of meat masked in gooey brie & wondering...

The chicken was scant & a bit dry but pleasant. I ate my partner's few remaining bites as I was still starving.

We opened our 2nd bottle of wine, meant to be a gift, just to put something in our bellies. Our host/waiter came blithely by , visibly drunk, offering us the check instead of our promised dessert. Upon my inquiry as to what there was for sweets, I was told to "pay no attention to what was on the menu." He begrudgingly brought 2 unremarkable mango mousse for the 3 of us & staggered away.

We left- hungry & dismayed.

• Pros: BYOB, cute.
• Cons: Disorganized, ran out of food , unapologetic

09/03/08

A truly unremarkable and upsetting visit to a once fantastic restaurant.

by NYCEat at Citysearch

I used to be a big fan of Ivo and Lulu but after tonight?s experience I will never go back. I made a reservation over a week ago for a party of four. When I got there tonight not only was there no record of my reservation but the waitress/hostess was absolutely rude and inconsiderate. Although half the restaurant was empty she said she was too busy (understaffed?) and told us to wait. After 45 minutes I asked for my bottle of wine back (which she had placed in the freezer) and then she continued to chat with the chef. After another 20 minutes we left, and she followed us out to scold us for leaving. Her behavior was unacceptable and uncalled for, and the experience was an overall disappointment. A truly unremarkable and upsetting visit to a once fantastic restaurant.

08/17/08

Used to be amazing...now not so much

by izzodesh at Citysearch

Ivo and Lulu used to be a well kept secret. They didn't used to take reservations (now they claim they do for the past ?) and had some of the most entertaining staff/ customer service.

Unfortunately , the food has gone way down hill. Their best dish (appetizer) the smoked mussels is now made with shrimp..and not even normal sized shrimp. The tiny frozen ones that are the size of you finger nails. A very big let down from what it used to be.

This will be our last time going down their....the BYOB policy is still great, but def. not worth the long trek.

Also the main course, both duck dishes, were good but nothing to write home about...

• Pros: Good prices and BYOB
• Cons: cramped space, no walk ins, down graded ingredients in their food

07/23/08

Glad i didn't see the recent bad reviews

by EleanorR at Citysearch

Whoah, really happy not to have seen all the negative comments before going to Ivo & Lulu. I thought the food was great (mussels, rabbit sausage and boar sausage in particular), the service was attentive and prompt, and you can't beat BYOB and good prices. The only con was that the air conditioning was non-existent, so the heat was a bit much. I will absolutely go again though.

• Pros: Tasty dishes and BYOB
• Cons: No A/C

06/26/08

Only Real Selling Point is Their BYOB

by chiway at Citysearch

If you visit Ivo & Lulu, you're pretty much just going there so you have somewhere to drink your alcohol. The food is satisfactory, but no where near delighting. Couscous acts as a side for almost every dish you order and over-seasoning in general seems to be a restaurant motto. It's really not worth going out of the way for, and if you are around the area, go next door to La Sirene instead; certainly more expensive, but unquestionably better tasting. Bottom line: Forgettable.

• Pros: everything is edible.
• Cons: mysteriously enough, there are long waits.... don't know why.

04/08/08

WASTE OF MONEY

by lillin at Citysearch

Couple of my friends and I had three-course meal here. It was just a complete waste of money. Every singe dish we ordered was disgusting, we couldn't even have a bite of anything. Dessert was edible, we all came out of the restaurant starving and went to have hambugers, which was much better than the food here and it cost not even 1/5 of the price that they charged us. I guess people only go because it's BYOB. Don't waste your money & time.

• Cons: EVERYTHING

03/14/08

Not a clue...

by vinosole at Citysearch

I used to come here all the time when the original owners were in the picture... Since the new owners took over, I have been here three or four times. I gave them a good chance, but it's just not the same. It seems like they took the establishment as a turn-key operation, and keeping the same menu and ambience, but they just don't have a clue what they are doing. The spirit is not there, first of all. This is hard to explain, but it has a lot to do with a general lack of hospitality. I could forgive this, but the food is not at all as good as the previous chef... The consistency and texture of the ingredients is sub-standard. I doubt it is actually organic. Part of my suspicion lies in the fact that the owners are constantly dashing out the door and returning with bags that look like they are from the Deli around the corner. And then there is the c*ckroach problem... yikes. Spotted several times. Worst of all, on my last trip, I was simply turned away at the door as they were "completely full tonight"... I peeked behind our host to find a half-empty restaurant at 8pm. It's sad really, but I don't think I will be returning again.

• Pros: byob
• Cons: not worth it

03/03/08

Couldn't be cuter

by twothirty at Citysearch

I was nervous about going here on a Saturday night after reading these reviews, and I thought my fears would be confirmed -- there was a line out the door, even at 10 p.m.! But as soon as we were seated, the service was amazing -- the woman who seemed to be running the joint was solicitous, helpful and welcoming. She even offered us some of her own wine when she saw that we'd forgotten to BYOB! On top of the convivial atmosphere, the food was fantastic -- all perfectly cooked. Expect a long wait and crowded tables, but it's totally worth it.

• Pros: Food, friendliness, BYOB
• Cons: Packed in like sardines

02/24/08

We never got to taste the food...

by mellie3 at Citysearch

I don't doubt that the food is fantastic here, based on the reviews I've read and the team spirit in this tiny restaurant that oozes from the other patrons, all of whom you have no choice but to become quite close with as you are literally sitting next to them. The problem? We were never served! We were totally nonplussed as we watched the staff scamper around, running in and out of the front door into the rain to some other magical kitchen or some place with hands full of entrees, dirty dishes, etc. It was odd. We ordered and waited...and waited. We had a few pieces of bread and then after an hour, received another bit of bread, which we'd watched the hostess/waitress/busser bring to the restaurant from a grocery, along with a few pats of store-bought butter. By the time we decided that we just couldn't wait to eat any longer (we were meeting friends later and with not even an appetizer in sight after an hour and a half, we knew it was never going to happen) my hair smelled of oil and meat and I had had it. I was also confounded to look around and realize that of the 9 or 10 tables, not a single one had food on it. The poor lonely guy in the kitchen---I felt bad for him. We made a b-line for the tiny BYOB French Bistro next door and were served a fantastic authentic French meal in a flash and were treated like queens by the fabulous chef/owner. Not sure if I can talk myself into going to this tiny corner in SoHoand making the choice to give this place another go when an intensely enjoyable dining experience is just next door at La Sirene. Wish I could have tried Ivo and Lulu. : (

• Cons: Literally, where's the beef?