Le Cheile

It's the biggest thing ever!

I went there to have dinner with my daughter and brother. We were served, but not everything we ordered the waitress kept forgetting everything. We never got the fries and a juice for the baby. And to top it off we had a gift card and the machine (was not working)...

I had the grilled salmon, which was scrumptious, with a side of sauteed mushrooms which were so delicious I nearly swooned! The side mixed greens were kind of lame, about 1/2 oz of salad at most, and the balsamic vinagrette dressing was so-so. The waitress was friendly and helpful, and overall, it was a dining pleasure.

Yea, only half decent. They try to be this homey neighborhood place, but fall more than a little bit short. The people who work there overall are nice, but something is always a bit off. Every time I'm there it seems like they are messing up an order or someone is getting up to leave because they have been waiting 45 minutes for their food. Several times I've gotten food to go and they messed up the order and I had to go back. At this point if I am getting take out from there (usually only because they are open late) I check my order before I walk out the door. There is good beer on tap, and that's a plus. Yet the food is inconsistent, ranging from bland and uninspired to decent. As others have said, why would you mess up simple bar food? They could do so much better. Serving simple food at a local place is an invitation to make it really, really good, but that seems to be lost here.

I've eaten here several times since it opened, and I'm most impressed with their attempt to be a valuable part of the neighborhood, with their music and art shows. However, the food is mediocre and thoughtless (they even forgot the hollandaise sauce on my eggs benedict one day!) and the service consistently really poor (no spoon or sugar with my tea and a very long wait to get a bill, for example) whether the restaurant is full or virtually empty. The restaurant could be a real asset to the neighborhood if they paid a little more attention to food and service.

I have lived in this neighborhood for 12 years and continue to be shocked at how subpar the new restaurants are (Saggio however is great). And this is no exception. The service was really poor. No personality, we had to get up to find him twice, once to order another drink and once to get our bill. The food below average and obviously frozen.... How do you screw up basic bar food? We had salad, the meatball app and then burgers. The wine list is pretty uninspiring and I had to order 3 beers before the one I wanted was available. This neighborhood could benefit from a real pub which this claimed to be. My UK friends in the hood won't even go for a beer. I do hope the owner steps this up because I would support it but as it stands now, not worth the trip.

I come here for brunch and I've been a couple of times for dinner and I have never been disappointed. The brunch food is always delicious...especially the specials (challah french toast with plantains). A HUGE plate of bacon for $2...cant beat that. I only wish they had fresh squeezed orange juice. The staff is friendly. Yes, they aren't the best at serving and you can tell they are not breed and breathing (or really naturals) for serving, but they are kind. Oh, and so you know, my credentials are as a server in fine dining, so I do know a little bit about what Im talking about here. Plus, I love that the place has a chess board. I always feel warm and cozy when Im there. All and all, I think its a great a value for what it is. Plus, they opened their doors for the community meeting after the fire in Inwood January 2012. Who wouldn't want a neighborhood restaurant like that?