Kathryn L.
Yelp
Black-Owned Business
2 stars due to the Owner's effort trying to smooth out my frustration for waiting over 55 minutes for our order. An order that consisted of the Appetizer Sweet & Spicy Oyster Mushrooms, Seafood Rasta Pasta, the Creole Mac & Cheese & Smoky Collard Greens.
Let's not blame the Pandemic for the extremely long wait. Let's not blame the Pandemic for the kitchen's small size. Let's not blame the Pandemic for overpriced food that supersedes portions. Just a few of the excuses we got in response to the unprecedented wait time inquiry.
Why did my order take almost an hour & close to $45?
One - Too many chefs in the kitchen, yet not enough output.
Two - Delivery orders took a precedent over in-house or to-go orders. I watched the POS machine spit out orders that the Owner/Front Line employee personally navigated down the "wait" line as opposed to first come first serve.
Three - Only one Server on the floor. When we arrived, it was three tables with 2 or fewer people. Almost 30 minutes later, another party of 1 came in, got seated, waited almost 10 minutes before the Server made her way over.
Four - At the 45 minutes mark, I inquired about the "All Sales Final" signage above the counter/register. The Owner gave me excuses & reasons on why the best Vegan restaurant in the Southeast (I believe he stated "worldwide") is backed up. I opted not to exude any energy on bantering his thought process.
Five - I was told another 15 minutes - 58 minutes since I placed my order, my name was called & was told to check my order. Too bad I wasn't able to checkmate, return my order & get a refund.
The Sweet & Spicy Oyster Mushrooms was tossed together from what looked like old grease & leftover batter - nowhere near the $14 value/portion.
The Seafood Rasta Pasta should be ashamed of itself for charging $22. Just by looking at the picture, the Pasta is far from "Hearty" as indicated on the menu. The five Konjac (Vegan version of Shrimp) some barely cooked, the overcooked pasta & minimal sauce was a huge waste all around.
The same unfortunate sentiments for the Creole Mac & Cheese - sprinkling Old Bay on top of runny, undercooked M&C does not constitute Creole cooking. Not to mention the up-charge of $2 if you select the Creole M&C as one of the sides. The Collard Greens lacked all sorts of a "Smoky" presence & taste. $18 for two small sides of nothing.
I don't recommend Life Bistro. The food concept is positive, yet the presentation, price point & portions are negative. The wait time & lack of customer check-ins/updates is downright unprofessional & inconsiderate.
Absolutely nowhere near one of the best Vegan Food/Fine Dining restaurants in the city, state, or otherwise. However, the strip plaza establishment gives off a cool dining vibe upon entry. After that, all bets are off.