Le Rendez-Vous Cafe

Good food, but that’s about it.
The service here reallllly blows. Be prepared to be annoyed if you come to this spot

Apparently this place closed within the past month or two. My friends and I went looking for it and found out from one of the other proprietors. They told us they got bought out by Disney (we’ll see how correct that is). Personally I liked it. Where else in NYC can you get in somewhere to party for free? The only downside was that this place was so tiny.

This place sucks. They wouldn’t let our friend in. they said it was closed for a private party. But then they let all these awefull people in who started to dance in the middle of our party. It was so annoying. And the drinks were weak. don’t go here.

I just have to provide all of the reviewers of Le Rendez-​Vous Café with a little culture lesson, based on the comments about why a Middle Eastern/​hookah place had a French name. Well, most of the countries along the Northen tip of Africa (e.g. Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia) speak French, as well as Arabic. While this is not the Middle East proper, most of the people inhabiting these lands are also Muslim, and share many of the same traditions as Middle Eastern countries– therefore, you get a hookah café with Middle Eastern cuisine and a French name. Que magnifique!

Came here solely for the hookah and tea. The name of the place certainly throws off your expectations. Rendez-​Vous. Even something cheesy like Rendez-​Hookah or Round-​The-​Hookah would be more appropriate.
Staff were dilly dallying around more concerned with their makeup than anything else. We could literally see them flat-​ironing and applying makeup in front of one of the mirrors. Service was incredibly slow, however the hookah and tea themselves were just fine.
The guy’s washroom is extremely small with you having to shuffle yourself sideways in between what seems like a furnace and a giant pipe to get to, watch out for what surfaces you touch!
The most annoying fact was how unattentive the staff were. To add to all this, the suddenly super human speed with which they brought us the check and processed the payment simply added to the negative view developed of the staff.

We went there after a show and had a couple glasses of wine. They had Blue Fish-​Pinot Grigio, which was inexpensive but delicious. We shared the hummus platter and when we asked for more pita they kept bringing it. The hummus was definitely home made and delicious. The DJ was great, but did manage to replay a song in the hour and a half that we were there. It was an interesting crowd on a Thursday night. A mix of men hanging out, some girls dancing on sofas in the back and all having a grand old time. I wouldn’t go here with the intentions of meeting anyone, but it has a good set up for grabbing a bite to eat and having a couple drinks. We didn’t hookah, but the bartender did seem to be enjoying herself with some. I would go back to try to the hookah and see what it’s like on a Friday or Saturday. It was eerily empty for a Thursday night in the city where you can eat, smoke hookah and drink.

well if you are in the area and must smoke hookah in the middle of the afternoon, this was not a bad place to go. No one was there so service was pretty snappy, hookah was decent, food was kind of crappy.

Never ate here, just came for the evening. Some how there was a «private party» going on, so first we weren’t allowed in, then we were… interesting. DJ was terrible, he looked like he was working hard but I’m sure that iPod play list was set up earlier in the night with 2 second fades and all… Decent hookahs though.

This place is crawling with tourists who are in the vain search of something «ethnic» and punchy before crashing in their beds and flying back to Ohidaho. The hookah was decent and priced according to what they can get. In other words really pricey compared to Astoria rates.
The hummus was absolutely divine. Lovely blend of olive oil, nuts, herbs and chick peas. The steak was a bit chewy but alas it was about 2 in the morning when I ate. You can dance up front by the door and annoy all he patrons with sticks up their butts by the bar or head towards the back lounge where you’ll be squashed by greaseballs and their too aloof and pretty arm candy. Consider yourself warned.

I’ll be harsher than David S. by giving this place one star, since this place was pretty bad but yes, it has potential. I think our dire need for food past 1:30 AM after a dinnerless evening of drinking is what made it seem better. My kebab was on the rubbery side, though the pita and veggies were surprisingly fresh, or may be it was the alcohol thinking? They have hookah, and a lot of pretty good Middle Eastern music but it is interspersed with the loud and annoying DJ yelling crap into the mic for no apparent reason. Apparently this place is better earlier on in the evening when it’s more of a restaurant. BUT the buzz kill was the mediocre and nondescript heterosexual crowd, oh lordy, it was unbelievable. Oh, and who names a restaurant/​bar serving Middle Eastern food «Le Rendez-​Vous Café»?
*Puke, puke and PUKE a little more* all over my pita.

Rendez-​vous has potential. The venue is nice: big space with pretty cool lighting and decorations. And I like the Middle-​Eastern theme and music. They have hookah and belly dancers. The food is a combination of American and Mediterranean. I had a chicken kebab sandwich ($ 7), which comes in pita bread: pretty tasty for the price if not exceptional. Kudos also for serving food late: I was there after 2am and they were still serving, unlike most of the other bars around. But god, the crowd was so uninteresting and so straight! *vomit in my mouth*

One might think from the name alone that it may suggest a French night out, however, with the hookahs, persian décor, and falafel, sharwma meat means otherwise. It is a nicely dark lit place where the nice but awfully slow service stroll around to cater to the hookah smoking groups. The food in all honesty was worse than the middle eastern halal meat carts around the city and twice as expensive. The hummus was good, but strangely tasted like something out of a plastic cup from Costcos (which is really good actually) and the plate was limited with items to dip. Since this location is not far from Times Square, expect a lot of tourists to be here during the weekends indulging on the hookahs and paying more than they should for bland food. Save your money and your appetite for other places. If you need a hookah in the Hell’s Kitchen /​Times Square area, look no further.

My friends and I went to Rendez Vous for hookah the other night. (our favorite haunt, Casbah Rouge on the Upper West Side, is sadly closed). The crowd is mostly bridge & tunnel as well as mid 40s, single businessmen. However, the DJ was pretty fun, hookah was not ashy, drinks were on par. Plenty of stray, groping hands, but the atmosphere is loud and fun.

The Chef is amazing… the food is authentic and incedibly reasonable.