Cafe Lalo

08/22/09

good coffee and desserts

by Babybella456

I love to stop by here for coffee and sweet treats to go. Usually it is overflowing with people and the couple of times I sat down for table service, it was pretty slow. I just LOVE the darling christmas lights that they have glowing year round though. it really adds a special touch to the block.

• Pros: fun decor, christmas lights up year round
• Cons: always crowded and loud

02/15/09

worst service ever! Are the waitresses there got braindead?

by dsfr

I used to love the place tho' the food is not really good, but its atmosphere always make me happy.

The plenty of dessert in the shelf always look fantastic but not as good as they look, don't expect too much.

I decided to go to Cafe Lalo on Valentine's night because of the late night hour, and got DISAPPOINTED.

I was there around 12.30 am. and it was still crowded.

I had chocolate lava which was not bad at first but after I dug it to the bottom, the chocolate was very sticky and hard to eat. Seems like it was burnt and got too hard so I couldn't finish it all. Waste of money but since I didn't expect so much, it's ok.

Then the WORST thing came to ... SERVICE.

I was having the Super premium and organic decaf ICE coffee, the coffee taste itself wasn't too bad, but having it with the super sweet dessert made the coffee taste like nothing. So, I asked the waitress for SYRUP. The first one came to me and asked me back like, 'What kind of syrup do you want?' I was like, wow! there are so many kinds of syrup here, interesting! But how can I know which one would be good for my ice coffee..I asked her back and she made 'some kind of face' then went away to find the waitress who was serving me at the first time. There she came, I had to tell her again about what I want, this time, I told her that I just need something that can make my coffee sweeter. Can't believe what she told me, with 'some kind of face', she said 'then you can use that sugar' (with her eyes looking at the sugar on the table)..I was like, 'Umm , do you think that this kind of sugar could be melt in the ICE coffee?' She, again, made 'that kind of face', arrogant, ignorant and kind of thought that I was a fool. due to the fact that many waitresses there were not very busy, they were standing, giggling, talking, singing and dancing!

Well, the food and dessert here are just normal, not worth for the price, plus the WORST SERVICE ever.

I'd definitely not go back ever again!

• Pros: nice decoration
• Cons: SERVICE, braindead waitresses, bad music (pop dance music!???), bad atmosphere and overprice

06/19/08

Overrated, Over-priced, terrible desserts, Cash only!!

by anonymousisawoman

Came here for dessert after Lunch at Uncle Nicks in Hells Kitchen, which was delicious and cheap. What a difference between Nicks and Lalo! We ordered the apple crumble with ice cream, which was gooey and not in a good way-- no flavor, not a good texture, boring, and a Midnight Chocolate Cake, which we had to order a scoop of ice cream for after getting a bite into it and realizing it was dry and not very tasty. So, after dousing the desserts in ice cream, we were able to stomach them, but of all the places in NY that I've had dessert (and I consider myself quite a connoisseur), I recommend avoiding Cafe Lalo. It was SUCH a disappointment. The waitresses were aloof and hovering around seemingly bored. They informed us AFTER we had eaten that it was Cash Only and I didn't see a sign when we came in, so my friend had to rush to an ATM so we could pay. And to top it all off, for two desserts a la mode (to cover how bad the deserts themselves were) and two of the small glass bottles of diet coke (the old novelty bottles), it was 25.00 before tip! lunch at uncle nicks was less than that and was delicious and filling! I will never go back to Lalo again. There are too many places to get fabulous, tasty, not gooey, not dry, not overpriced desserts in NYC.

• Pros: I got nothin'.
• Cons: Cash Only, Prices, AWFUL Desserts.

03/07/08

Great Desserts

by kmonkey

Cafe Lalo is our favorite place for dessert on the Upper West Side. It has long lines at times but well worth the wait! my husband and I have been coming here for years and will always be on the lookout for our favorite after dinner treats!

• Pros: Wonderful variety of desserts
• Cons: Spotty Service

03/03/08

Mediocre desserts...that's about it.

by uwsgirl79

I've been here once for brunch and twice for dessert. I've heard pretty good things about the place, so I wanted to give it a good try. But on every visit, the customer service was very frustrating. They hire very young girls who don't seems to know much about giving good service. After squeezing around tables and repeatedly saying "excuse me" as you can't help but bump into others as you attempt to get to your seat, you have to ask for a server after you've been sitting for 10 minutes. My third (and last) time there, in order to clear off the table next to us, the bus boy set their dirty dishes on our table. The coffee is good, but good luck on getting a refill. Brunch was ok, and the desserts just so-so. Definitely not worth the high prices and inept service.

• Pros: Coffee is decent
• Cons: Service, atmosphere, noise, cramped tables

02/25/07

good dessert

by nycspunky

We are new to the nieghbor hood and went over to this cozy place for a quick dessert after dinner across the street. It was very noisy but the dessert was great! I had this chocolate layer thingy that was out of this world! Check it out!

• Pros: great dessert
• Cons: Noisy!!

02/13/07

Paying for the experience

by eatallthetime

It is overpriced but you are in the infamous cafe lalo. The brunch is good. fresh ingredients. Depend on what you order, it could be great or soso. The dessert I've had a few and is not all that. My boyfriend loves the belgium waffle with fresh berries and the homemade whip cream is indulging( I LOVE IT TOO) But at a steep price $12. That's NY. Service lags. They hire teeny boppers to serve and few are nice but majority are a bit oblivious. I go there at least 10 times a year and the help is always different. Go for the experience. I go back because of the vegetable panini and belgium waffle. Coffee drinks is not out of this world and overpriced.

• Pros: belgium waffle, vegatable panini, fresh whipped cream
• Cons: price service, cramp seatings

02/03/07

fine, but not worth it

by mubtez

It's so tiny and crowded with tables (can't go it you are obese, that's for sure), and costs about 20% more than it should. Kind of touristy, I guess is how to describe it.

01/14/07

never been that impressed...

by suebeelin

Have come here quite a few times since the early 90's, and have never been that impressed. At first, I went for lack of any other venues in the UWS. Now I go only if a friend insists. The tables are small, chairs are uncomfortable, and there's ALWAYS a wait. The desserts are good, but you can get great desserts everywhere in NYC. It must be because of the "You've Got Mail" movie that everyone's so crazy about Lalo's...

12/29/06

Most amazing desserts spoilt by the stuffy atmosphere

by olenka2112

I really tried to like this place (it's one of my boyfriend's favorites), but I couldn't. My sweet tooth is the size of the Empire State Building, and I definitely appreciate the delicious Cafe Lalo desserts (especially their REAL, rich whipped cream), but I can't get over how crowded this place is, and how stuffy and pretentious it feels. The worst part of my experience is trying to squeeze through to my seat without putting my butt into somebody's dessert. (And no, my butt is not that big.) To be fair, the place is not a boring one - it does stand out, and it has the potential to be charming, but somehow it just lacks grace. Anyway, I recommend going there once because the desserts are worth it. Then you can decide if you will coming back. I won't.

• Pros: desserts, real whipped cream, large selection
• Cons: crowded, pretentious