Ivo & Lulu

Decent food, cute place, but not really worth the trip all the way out to near the Lincoln Tunnel. The prices weren’t bad, but like others have said, the portions are small.

Intimately European with the sizzle of it’s Caribbean influences sure to impress. All the dishes are best described as «intensely flavored» in the best possible way. It’s tiny, but that’s the best part. You can always hear who you’re sitting with and never wait very long for anything (other than a table).

(Visited in 2009) Very intimate and romantic-​esque restaurant. Service was decent, the woman at the counter was somewhat rude. Heard from a friend that the food was great and a great date place.
Upon arrival to the restaurant we were greeted by a young woman who had told us we only had one hour at our table. BYOB is a must for your wine drinkers.
Aside from that, the food was absolutely wonderful. Great date place, but I must say it is «Cash Only». Be prepared

Easily one of my top 5 restaurants in NYC. The fusion of French and Caribbean cuisine lead to a wonderfully unique and delicious menu. From the grilled pears w/​blue cheese, to the spicy shrimp curry, to the duck, this place is awesome!
While the menu isn’t terribly extensive, it’s still difficult for me to order because everything is so damn good. It’s also a BYOB which is an added bonus.
A bit off the beaten path but well worth the trip.

I can’t believe I haven’t reviewed this place. I came here on a date with my friend. He had seen this in the «sleepers» list in Zagat and saw that it was BYO, so it became an instant favorite of his. He decided to take me here one day so I could try Ivo & Lulu for myself.
When we got there, we were seated promptly. The place is pretty small, but luckily there was only one other group there. The place was also very dark, and we only had our candle to go by.
My friend ordered for us, since he’s been there before. He had brought a red wine from our local wine place, so we ordered the boar sausages. We also decided to try the duck confit (I am a big fan of duck confit). For our appetizer, we ordered the escargots.
Our bread and olive oil came out promptly. The bread was pretty good, but my friend date told me to save it for the escargot appetizer, which I was very glad we did. The escargot came out and we pretty much killed the whole plate. We sopped up the sauce with our bread, it was so good. This set the perfect tone to the rest of our meal. I was a happy camper at this point.
The sausage and duck entrees came out (each came with a side of couscous). The sausage paired really well with the wine my friend had gotten (he knew exactly what he was doing, which was really nice). The duck confit was really tender and delicious as well.
I really enjoyed my meal here and gladly give this place 5 stars.

This place is literally a hole in the wall with only one person acting as the waiter/​host/​busboy/​person answering the phone. I chose to go here as I had gotten a coupon from
for a $ 25 coupon for $ 4. When we got there, it was raining cats and dogs and the restaurant was very difficult to find. Then, the waiter told us that the
coupon was not valid on Friday or Saturday nights. However, he decided to still take it given we weren’t warned of that condition upon purchasing the gift certificate. I’ll already liked Ivo and Lulu because of that!
Pros: Delicious food! I had a vegetarian entrée which was served in a cored squash. It was the best squash dish I have ever had! My pear and blue cheese appetizer was great too, but the entrée was definitely the star of the night. My boyfriend had a sweet potato appetizer which was absolutely delicious.
Cons: This place does not have good lighting at all. We had to read our menus with light from our phones. The place is also quite cramped. If a patron had to sit on the inner side of the table, the waiter had to pull out the table to let him/​her in. I guess this all builds up the cute and «homey» effect of this place. Also, on Saturday nights, they only offer the prix fixe menu for $ 30 for an appetizer and entrée and $ 35 for an appetizer, entrée and dessert. Those price points are a little steep for a hole in the wall. That being said, this is probably the best hole in the wall I have ever been to, thus the four stars

I am a fan of this place. Located on Brome St right outside the entry to Holland tunnel is probably its only flaw. The place was hard to find as most other resturants around the area were closed.
This place is small so make sure you call before to make reservation. The BYOB is a great addition to this tiny place.
As for the menu (you get the option of picking two things — 1 appetizer and 1 entrée, 1 appetizer and 1 desert or 1 entrée and 1 desert). Kinda a unique concept but it works out pretty well.
There are limited vegetarian options on the small menu but the dishes are definitely worth trying (or even coming back for). For appetizer — Avocat Grille and Poire Roti are both delicious. They have great dressing on top which make the food taste better.
For the main entrée, the only veggie dish on the menu is Summer Squash Ragout. From all the french cuisines I have tried, this one definitely lists as one of the top.

So the big draw for this place is that it is BYOB and cheap and is cute and has some fun ambiance right? It is still BYOB, but not cheap. When we got there we found out that they had changed the way that they do the menu. You are no longer allowed to order a la carte, but instead are forced to choose one of the following:
1 app, 1 entrée = $ 30
1 entrée, 1 dessert = $ 30
1 app, 1 entrée, 1 dessert = $ 35
We really just wanted to share an app and have two entrees, but that was not allowed. Very weird. I thought maybe it was a restaurant week (there perpetually seems to be one) thing, but they said no, that they had simply changed the menu recently.
The food was just ok. I had the pear app to start and that was very nice. My friend had the duck, which was overcooked and dry. The catfish entrée was way too salty and there was not enough. Believe me, I really do not eat a lot (usually I cannot even finish just an entrée), but I found myself eating bread at the end of this appetizer/​entrée meal.
The waitstaff was very friendly, the place is cute, and the BYOB policy is great — that is what gets the second star. The place however was really really really dark (could not read the menu without swapping the candle back and forth) and the music was bizarre (a lot of Bryan Adams), but thankfully very quiet.
I wouldn’t recommend it. Way overpriced for what you get. And I won’t be going back.

Ladies, «We should eat at this place I frequent in the neighborhood.» Our reply. «Sure.»
While getting ready and before the night is about to pop off, I sit there gazing at my friends new and old. I smile and have literally the slightest clue of what is going to happen.
We walk, literally no more than 10 minutes from the flat and arrive to Ivo and Lulu. There seated like friends of distant friends among such great company and love that night. We are seated a full table of aspiring young adults. Truly lively crowd. The wine is flowing, the chat is laughter and the dimly lit, romantically pleasing aesthetics make Ivo and Lulu not only a place to come to meet friends but a place I would highly recommend for a date.
The food: flavors and flavors of perfection. Marinating perfectly with our on going plethora of appetizers. The main course only adding a touch of bliss in each bite.
While the service is slow: Sonia and Cacau have plenty to offer! Please make this experience a pleasant one and enjoy the wait outside without barking at your host and chef. The fights I see of overly ambitious blond haired women treating this place as if their customer etiquette left and their barn raised primitive boxing gloves are put on.
One thing I can say, don’t come here if your diva ways can’t handle a gracious wait and make sure you’ don’t come here STARVING. Also Don’t forget the wine: they do not request a corkage fee, BYOB, can accommodate groups, early arrival suggested.
bon appetit

My sister swears by this place.
I always seem to swear this place when I leave. Go figure.
It’s small and uncomfortable, something like an elongated elevator.
Food is bleh. I guess the BYOB and the «french/​carribean fusion» is all they have going for them (you can tell by all the young hipster/​wannabe foodies — yea, you know who you are). $ 17 for 3 pieces of sausage and half cup of couscous. pass. $ 17 for a duck confit leg with a half cup of couscous. pass.
Here’s a tip: bring a bottle of wine, get a couple of apps (both of the pâtés and the gratin — the escargot tasted very fishy — wth? — and lacked seasoning), and maybe stay for a dessert (coconut flan — perfect texture and not too sweet). The confit doesn’t live up to the hype. I’ve tried to give it a chance, twice, and nothing. DON’T come with a group of 5+. You’ll be forced to rub elbows with your neighbor and have to analyze the bill, trying to figure out how the hell they came up with the final $ amount (pay attention to the gratuity and tax).

My boyfriend took me here about a year ago and it was great! Unfortunately the quality of service has gone down significantly since then.
We went back earlier this summer. It didn’t seem to be a particularly busy night (though I couldn’t really be sure about the other side of the restaurant). We were seated promptly — and that was pretty much the only prompt service we received the entire night. We told the hostess that we had our own bottle of wine, after which she said «ok» and disappeared for a good 15 minutes. If I remember correctly, she received a phone call and was having what must have been a very important conversation. My boyfriend spied the wine cork from where we were seated and finally just opened the bottle himself. Suffice it to say, the hostess did not seem pleased when she returned. I think the bread might have come another 10 – 15 minutes after that. Now, 10 – 15 minutes here and there doesn’t sound like a lot on paper — but realize we didn’t even get *bread* for almost half an hour, let alone our orders. Don’t even ask me about the wait for the bill. And frankly, the food wasn’t even as good as I remembered — though it’s entirely possible that the poor service affected my perceptions there.
It’s so sad because it used to be quite good and I definitely would have given the place 4 stars had I reviewed it after my first experience there! Unfortunately service is just too big a factor for me and the food failed to make up for it, so «meh”/2 stars it is. If you don’t mind the trip, check out their sister restaurant A Café And Wine Room uptown (West 100’s). Great prices, great food, and much more attentive staff (a definite 4-​star).

I would have never discovered this place if my friend hadn’t hosted his birthday party here. When we arrived, one of the guys working seemed like a serious grump but he got friendly towards the end of the night. I tried the curry escargot and it was pretty good. Everyone’s food was very nicely plated but the amount they gave you seemed skimpy for the price you pay.
Random observations:
— I&L has chalkboard walls and they drew soccer jerseys on them. Everyone sitting on the inside got chalk on the back of their clothes.
— Bench style seating makes it extremely hard to get out if you’re on the inside.
— It’s BYOB! The owner will chill your goods.
— Interesting fusion food. It’s something out of the ordinary for a foodie like you.

Ivo & Lulu, a tiny bistro, is on the shady side of SoHo, the barren strip with office buildings that is west of 6^th Avenue. But it’s BYOB, the food is good, and it’s BYOB (did I mention that?). The food here is pretty eclectic French. Grilled avocado may sound interesting but it’s just not that good. I’ve tried a number of other dishes I’ve enjoyed, though, including the summer squash ragout. Prices are very reasonable.
There’s something about the food at I&L that makes it seem a little like your friend was experimenting in the kitchen and is having you over for dinner. Which isn’t to say it’s bad, just homey and doesn’t entirely all make sense together.

Ivo & Lulu. At 197 reviews, I have nothing further to add than to agree to what’s been stated. And since the preceding Unilocalers are far wittier and humorous than I am, I’ll try to offer some utility: a highlight reel of their reviews. Impassioned reviews, with deep insights into the human condition and the misunderstood charms of the French.
[Emotive]
— Go to hell Ivo, and take Lulu with you.
— «Why did I pay 15 for duck leg when I can get whole roast duck for that price in Chinatown!!!»
— ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?*
— I DON’T SEE IT AS A JOKE*
— HOW’D HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW WHAT YOU ARE HOLDING.*
*Select entries may or may not be culled from one reviewer
[France]
— French are not always nice to American [sic], as we all know. They are nicer if you are coming from other countries /​have a more open-​minded attitude.
— I think they tried to overcharge us with the tax– 10%! What is this socialist France?!
[Cannibalism]
— I also had a bite of my mom’s roast duck leg
[E for Effort, F for…]
— BYOB!
— Expect to be ignored when you arrive. And bring your own corkscrew.
— They run out of things.
— This place should be a soup kitchen
— They play their music off an ipod.
— You yell at the customer, no one goes home happy.
[Metaphors]
— The boy ordered some sausage dish.
[Diner’s Journal]
— I thought I was walking into another Mamoun’s take-​out.
— …sauteed snails in cayenne-​curry sauce.
— The terrine tasted like microwave sausage with brie on top.
— Although the days of drinking your wine in solo cups out front while waiting for your table are over
[Miscellaneous]
— Any fatter and I would not have been able to fit in.
— Also, the dim lighting makes this restaurant a excellent place to take an ugly date.
[?]
— Yes, it has it’s [sic] down sides [sic] like all other places but what is life without death, love without loss… get my drift?
— All the dishes are so gourmet and so inexpensive it’s hard to believe you’re still in the city.
Dear Ivo & Lulu: Unilocalers have spoken. Please think twice about sending a flaming email because I will Unilocal about it.

Go to hell Ivo, and take Lulu with you. Damn you for making me write a bad review. I hate writing bad reviews. –_–
I can’t pinpoint any one particular thing spoiled my experience at Ivo & Lulu. In fact, I had a wonderful time, surrounded by seven fun people and plenty of wine. But no restaurant should receive a good rating simply because everyone was determined to have a good time.
So listen carefully – whoever runs this place – because it’s a damn shame you can’t rack up 4 stars on Unilocal!with a BYOB policy and a terrific location.
First, knock a hole in the back wall and find a way to connect the kitchen to the second half of the dining area. It is freezing cold in NYC four months of the year, and when your staff has to throw the front door wide open every 2 minutes to bring food from the kitchen to the patrons some poor guests end up having to endure a chilly, drafty meal.
Next, fire the wait staff. Seriously. Fire them all. It shouldn’t take 5 minutes to get a glass of water refilled or a bottle of wine opened because the ENTIRE wait staff is standing around at the bar socializing and ignoring the room. There’s a sea of difference between being too busy and being flat out lazy and inattentive. Just because tip is included in the bill doesn’t mean you can turn your back on the customers.
Finally, honor your reservations. When you tell customers they have a reservation, they take you at your word. If you don’t have the seating capacity or flexibility to take reservations, DONT DO IT. It’s very simple. Elephant and Castle, a mile up the road, has the same dining capacity and BYOB policy. They don’t take reservations, for good reason, and they are all the better for it. Nobody likes to book a table for 8 (as we did), then show up and have to wait 40 minutes for an earlier party of 8 to finish their meal and clear up.
Poor service and terrible space layout aside, the food here sucked. Yeah, I get it, it’s BYOB, people don’t come here looking to send their tastebuds into ecstasy, but if you are going to charge $ 16+ per dish, at least make it edible. The chicken was dry, the duck was overcooked, and both tasted like they were leftovers heated in the microwave without a lid to maintain the moisture. Oh, and the escargot was bitter and looked like mashed up bird droppings (I’ve had escargot many times, it never looked like that).
A WARNING TO ALL: part of the BYOB policy requires that you order at least TWO COURSES EACH. They conveniently forget to mention this until after you are seated with your first glass of wine poured. So if you are here with a friend, don’t plan on splitting an appetizer (you’ll need to order two appetizers, or an appetizer and a dessert). Maybe it’s written somewhere on the menu in fine print, but none of the 8 people in my group knew about this.
This will be the first and last time we come here. Enjoy the huge 20% tip you added to our bill, because you certainly didn’t earn a penny of it.

Why can’t I give this place 0 stars?
I’ve been to Ivo and Lulu a few times. The first couple times was early in the week — Sundays/​Mondays, and they were fine. Good food, alright service, byob.
But I went there on a Saturday night with a group of friends (4 of us total)…and experienced EPIC bad service. I’ve been in New York for a while now, and have NEVER received service like this. Remember the Soup Nazi on Seinfeld? It wasn’t even like that (he was so wonderfully organized and fair)…no. At Ivo and Lulu, there is no method to their madness. It’s just good old-​fashioned incompetence with a healthy helping of rude arrogance on the side.
We arrived at 8:58 for our 9p reservation. The waiter told us «I’m sorry, it’ll be another 10 – 15 minutes». We were fine with that — we’d made reservations, but the place is tiny, so we understood the wait. We waited in the «overflow room» they have next door. And we waited… and waited. At 9:20, I went to check with the waitress… and she assured me we were next, pointing to a table where the party was finishing up their food. I went back to wait. And wait… and wait. At 9:35, I went back to check with the waitress. Another 10 minutes, she said. At 9:45, I went back in… they had just sat another 4-​person party at the table that was promised to us. This time the waitress punctuated her statements with lots of eye rolling and dramatic shrugging. I insisted «but we had reservations for 9!». The reply was «So did everyone else!». And so the fatal flaw was revealed.
Finally, at 10, I went back in for one last try and was told to «Just wait!!». At that point, my party had already finished our bottle of wine, and… we left!
So, to say the service was rude is an absolute understatement. Reservations are a joke — I suspect they accept all reservations and it becomes a free-​for-​all once you arrive. The «over-​flow» room was filled to capacity and was twice the size of the actual restaurant. At some point, someone yelled out «Everyone want to just order pizza?!?»…and it sounded like a great idea.
In New York, we get used to bad service. But this isn’t that adorably jaded New Yorker attitude we all secretly respect. Nope. This is something to avoid… unless of course, you’re looking for a night of humiliation and high blood pressure… some people are into that.
The food is good, no doubt — but not worth the bad service. Avoid at all costs.

BYOW and kick it with the faisant, aka pheasant pâté, or the escargot (they serve 6 solid appetizers) and then follow that with the nicely smoked poulet with a papaya sauce or the confited duck leg, spiced with a mild Jamaican Jerk spice, both served with a side of couscous and you are set.
Portions are actually moderate so fatties or those with big appetites and throw down with a bit more than an entrée (I have!). They have around 7 entrees and of those ⁴⁄₅ they have been serving for years
Coconut flan was a bit too sweet for me but sweet-​toothies won’t mind. Service was excellent, don’t know what these sourpusses are taking about as I have always been treated with mad love (you know what might work, offer your server a some of your wine).
Ivo and Lulu represents and successfully takes you to Martinique-​like vibe with reggae tunes in teh background as you tear into your French influenced organic meal, that is as far as Broome Street can manage with the Holland Tunnel entrance around the block.

The only thing that has going on for this restaurant is the quirk that you can BYOB. Ivo and Lulu prides themselves for being «the first restaurant to not charge a corkage fee».
Take a look at the cold hard reality, you would have never generated the business you are getting if you didn’t have that feature because your food is only mediocre at best, service is terrible and you and your workers are such divas.
I felt some age discrimination going on here since we were a relatively younger group so the servers did not take us seriously. I mean, are you seriously going to sit me down in a 4 person table when we have 6 people? We were literally sitting on each others laps for the first half of the meal, thank god the last person showed up on time just to save us from our misery.
While i understand the reality that manhattan restaurants in general do require all parties to be present in order to have you seated, but the way which we were communicated to was rude and unsympathetic.
First BYOB experience and definitely a bad one in terms of the service. As much as i was drunk off my face, i could still tell if someone is treating me like i am a freshman in high school.
The key of a successful restaurant besides the food is you gotta treat your customers with respect.
No second chances, so long Lulu!

They’re very pretentious about their reservations. We just walked in, and were immediately asked if we had one. When we answered no, and explained that there were only two of us, she said «I suppose we can accommodate you …» If she had turned us away I would have gone off on her, since the place had just opened and was empty. But, save yourself the drama and just call ahead.
Bring your own booze. Seriously. I don’t need to have a drink with dinner. But, at this particular restaurant, a bottle of good wine really enhances the meal.
I didn’t know that when I first arrived. We knew it was BYOB, but we just didn’t bring anything with us. I was silently kicking myself for this lapse of judgment when we asked a waitress where the nearest liquor store was. She said she had a friend who was at the store right then, and asked if we wanted her to bring a bottle for us. We jumped at the offer, and she even recommended a brand that she favored and thought we’d enjoy. Really nice of her … and the wine she picked out was great!
The madre and I ordered the shrimp appetizer, and both of their duck dishes. The shrimp in rum and cilantro chili butter was great, but tiny. In fact the shrimp are minuscule. But, it’s an indulgent appetizer, and meant to be enjoyed with their bread. We cleaned that tiny platter and enjoyed every bite.
Both duck dishes were well prepared. I’d have to say that the confit was better than the magret, at least to me. The meat was tender and perfectly seasoned on both dishes, and the skin was crisp … who can ask for more when ordering duck?
After tasting everything, I realized this: Ivo and Lulu are big on their sauces. Everything came in a very distinct sauce, and they were all delightful. I’ve heard numerous people complain about the portion sizes. And again, yes, it’s small. But, the food is meant to be savored and quality dining sometimes means smaller servings. It wasn’t an issue with us, but I think it’s important for people to know before they go.
The restaurant itself is tiny, but the food is a real experience. The waitresses and hosts are very accommodating, and funny too! Everybody there seemed to be having a great time, employees included. I even liked the music they were playing …
Come here when you’re looking for a light meal, as opposed to on a night when you’ve skipped lunch. Come here with good friends, and for good conversation. Come here for date nights. And come with booze!!!

When there has been THIS many reviews about a place, what can you do to spice things up a bit?
I know. Talk about underage drinking.
I came here with my cousin Anna D (who offends me by using Unilocal for its resources yet never contributing– but that is neither here nor there) to have a romantic cousinly dinner to celebrate our 20^th birthday. She said she didn’t want the usual cuisine, she wanted something different. So I did my research, bookmarked this place forever ago, and now it no longer has to be filed under «to try.» Because, um, I’ve tried it.
It took us a while to get here, we may have gotten a little lost on Canal St. and I quickly lost my patience with the random man or woman mumbling «you want handbag?» to which I yelled back,
«BUT YOURS AREN’T REAL! STOP IT!»
We eventually got to Ivo + Lulu, a little sweaty from aggressively running away from the tragedy that is Canal St. (I hope I have not offended anyone). We had reservations, but didn’t need it, there were still a couple of tables open on a Saturday evening. So we sat down. But there was a problem.
The wine. I had been carrying it in my purse (in a brown paper bag, a-​thank-​you) and it was now at a very tasty room temperature. So we ask if they could be so kind as to help us chill it. No problem. No problem at all. We put in our orders for appetizers (me, the roasted pear, her the scalloped potatoes) and patiently wait for the wine to chill while having our way with the bread. Holy hell, it really hit the spot.
Then the pear and potatoes came, and the waiter uncorked the wine for us. Anna took that moment as her cue to announce that we were celebrating our birthday.
Waiter: «Oh really? How old are you two?»
Anna: Twenty…
Me, realizing she’s an idiot and Anna realizing she’s an idiot.: «One! Twenty one!»
Waiter, laughing: «Ah, I see. Well enjoy your meal»
That we did, but not before I gave her a stern talking to about the intricacies of underage BYOB. The waiter obviously knew we were not of age but was all «whatever man» about it. He was also kind of sexy with his long hair and his French accent. But again, that is neither here nor there.
Holy mother of sweet Hey-​sus, that was some good food. Everything was good. The pear was divine, the scalloped potatoes nicely crawled into my arteries, my duck was sick-​nasty (but in a good way), Anna’s chicken was good (probably the least tasty but still good), and this needs a line of its own:
COCONUT FLAN.
Hey sup, wanna hook up sometime? You can define hooking up however you want, coconut flan, do dirty things to me. Because if loving you is wrong, coconut flan, I don’t ever… ever want to be right.
The sexy French long-​haired waiter comped our desserts. I didn’t even have to offer him sexual favors. He also put candles in our desserts (Anna got an apple soufflé which was okay, but the coconut flan was embarrassed to be seen by it, I could tell) and was just awesome.
I gave him a big tip. But only the monetary kind.
I walked out of Ivo and Lulu in a fantastic mood, a little loopy from the wine but with belly full and most importantly…
A giant smile on my face. A fantastic birthday dinner, indeed.