Fans of A, the itty-bitty French-Caribbean café on the Upper West Side, will feel right at home at this equally mellow BYO offshoot, which shares A’s commitment to organic produce and D’Artagnan game. Grilled avocados stuffed with spinach mousse, pheasant terrine swathed in an herbed Brie crust, and everything else on the eight-dish menu falls in the equally palatable $12-$15 range. — Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld
BYOB
There is no corkage fee.
Recommended Dishes
Jerk duck leg confit, $14
6.8
"Recommended" Average Reader Rating on a Scale of 10
I don't care what the other reviewers are saying- if you're a true New Yorker, you would agree this place is a rare find. With the hundreds of typical "highly rated" restaurants to choose from in the city, this one stands out due to it's sheer ambiance and social experience.
Sure, the service might be a little slow or slightly un-attentive at times. But it's always such a happening venue that people are too busy mingling to notice or even care. Bring one, two, even three bottles of wine and sit back and socialize while you wait for the delicious food! The place is small but cozy, and the tables are tightly packed but perfect for making new friends after a few drinks!
As a person who loves BYOBs, I was very excited to find Ivo and Lulu. The menu looked great and the restaurant defintiely has its quaint atmosphere... however, word to the wise 1) don't plan on actually having great service, 2) make earlier reservations as it gets busy with people waiting in chairs outside and 3) expect to be waiting for everything.
Went early Saturday night and then had to open our own wine, someone stopped by a handful of times, 1) take order 2) give bread, 3) say they didn't have anymore confit, 4) drop bill off and 5) to tell us to leave. When it comes to any restaurant, being asked to leave twice is rediculous. We hadn't even paid our bill before being told they needed the table and wanted us to leave. I wish the service hadn't taken forever to get our food in the first place, and it was rediculous to be yelled at for a table when they took forever!