Le Souk--CLOSED

I got to hear-drop on a conversation between two waitress talking about their new much improved website and I couldn't help myself but to ask for the URL: thus, i'm sharing it with you... www afridom net/lesouk-harem/ i love le souk-harem! try the chicken tanjine(?)

I will miss this place. They always had a great vibe. The DJs with some of the best music, great food, fast and long lasting hookah, and a friendly staff and crowd. Everything came together in a large space that felt incredibly unique to New York. Le Souk will be remembered as a landmark that changed the neighborhood. Whenever I think of hookah, I think Le Souk. Whenever I think belly dancing, I think of Le Souk. Whenever I think of the Alphabet City or even the Lower East side, I think of Le Souk. For me, Le Souk was the place to go for great food, belly dancing, and hookah. They will surely be missed.

I attended as part of a group of about 20 this past weekend. We were seated in a back area which looked similar to a turkish prison and smelled of mold and mildew. We were told because of the group size we would have to order from a price-fix menu at $45 which is understandable; however 1 person in the group has food alergies and when asked the manager for a regular menu was told NO! The food was flat out disgusting - I was really surprised I didnt get sick from it. The main course - chicken breast looked and tasted like some cross between cat food and canned chicken. Dessert was never served and instead a check was brought to the table. Waitstaff barely spoke English and the service was poor. The entire place was filthy - the bathroom looked like it hadn't been cleaned in a week. Overall a terrible experience- i would never go back and neither should anyone else

I took my husband and some friends here for my husband's bday party tonight. When we walked in I was disappointed at how small the place was, as well as at the odor of cheap floor cleaner. The food was great and the waitress fiendly. However, I had to ask twice before someone brought a new coal for our houka pipe *shouldn't have had to ask at all); to top it off, there was NO BELLY DANCER---the very reason I had chosen the place. THe unapologetic manager told me she ust wasn't showing up. To top off a night of disappointment, when we ordered dessert, they had RUN OUT OF COFFEE. Can you imagine a Middle Eastern restaurant without coffee????? Embarrassing, to say the least, for the hostess of a party....

I went to Le Souk on Saturday night with friends to celebrate a birthday. Even though we had an 8:00 reservation, and there were many tables available, we were told to wait at the bar until our table became available! They finally sat us down after 8:30 PM because we threatened to go somewhere else. One of the reasons we went to this restaurant was for the entertainment. They claim on their website to have belly dancers that perform at 8:30 PM. At the restaurant, we were told that the belly dancers performed at 9PM, but when they hadn't come on by 10:30, we decided to leave. Here's where it gets worse ---- a friend had purchsed a gift certificate that we intended to use that night; however, the waitress told us they don't accept gift certificates on the weekend. We told them we were never told that and asked where it said the gift certificates were not valid on the weekend. At that point, the waitress had the manager come over to explain to us that they make it very clear gif... Read more

My friend had a "going away" party. We had about 21-25 people that day. When we showed up at the restaurant, there was this girl sitting by the entrance and informed us that the restaurant is under "renovation" and sent all of us their joined restaurant Horus Cafe 2 blocks away (this place should be called "Horrible Cafe" ). We later found out from our party organizer that Le Souk did not called her about this until 3 hours before the reservation. Which puts me into suspicion that they probably got "shut down" by the cit due to some sort of violation. When we finally got through all the trouble going to the other location, we were greeted by a rude manager who insisted that we must wait at the bar until most of our party arrived. First of all, the bar was hardly a bar. it was only a 3 feet by 3 feet area. All of us were already annoying by the fact that we had to change location unannounced, and now we were forced to cramp at the bar even though we clear saw our tables are alrea... Read more

I don't know of too many places that has a great vibe like Le Souk does. I used to go a lot, years ago and I went recently and still had a great time. I have read some reviews about people having a hard time getting in. Although this may be true to some extent I think it is important to dress nice, look good and have a good crowd with you. I think this goes for most places... So the neighborhood is not the most pleasant, but that shouldn't stop anyone from coming to eat here and having a great experience! My advice for those having trouble getting in is, don't be cheap (I know times are hard, but...), make reservations, eat some tasty food then stay and have drinks the rest of the night while listening to great music and watching the belly dancers.

This place is way to fun, for those that wrote negative comments I would find that weird when every time I've gone only but the best times;))) IT'S HARD TO GET IN IF: YOU LOOK BUSTED/HAVE A BUSTED LOOKING GIRLSFRIEND OF BOYFRIEND/SNEAKERS ON/ IF YOU LOOK BROKE HAHA WALK AROUND WITH A SAUSAGE CREW (WAY TO MANY GUYS) So with that said before you leave your house LOOK IN THE MIRROR !!!!! WOULD YOU GO OUT WITH YOURSELF SOBER???? OR DO YOU NEED A DRINK???? Le Souk keeping it real:))) and the bouncers Love them

I dont care what any other review says. You have to go there to experience it and judge for yourself. But in my opinion EVERY single time i go, whether its a monday night, wed night, or sunday night..i Always have a blast..Great great music...cool down to earth friendly people. Drinks could be a lil better but hey alcohol is alcohol. the decor is fab..i love the whole arabic loungy type look. It has two floors...the bottom is usually a house/ravey type vibe and the top has your arabic/hip hop/ pop /old school house spinning. And everyone i have brought gets hooked..must be for a reason ;-)

If you want an experience typifying the demise of this neighborhood-ie, you are a meathead/floozie-Le Souk is for you. Met at the door by a thoroughly ridiculous wannabe w/ a clipboard, who turned me away apparently b/c I didn't comport w/ her B&T notion of coolness. I tried to explain that I used to come here 8 yrs ago when the place was actually cool-needless to say, this was unavailing. Sigh. It's a horror show now - stay away.

Yes its true, Le Souk does not have a very discriminating door policy.. but perhaps they should. Yes its important to let cute girls into your club.. but who are the cute girls supposed to talk to when all the men are unattractive, creepy, old or just plain weird? This spot has good music, great potential, and perhaps was a hot spot several years ago, but sadly the clientele has gone downhill. If you are going to have a velvet rope and a bouncer outside your club why not utilize them?

First of all I will say the food wasn't bad. The service though was awful. It took over an hour to get our food and it took 20 minutes to get seated even with reservations. I was concerned with the cleanliness of the place, not being able to see my food in the dim lights. Well my fears were confirmed when I saw a large rodent on my way to the bathroom. A couple on their way back saw it too and turned the other way towards the exit. I was so disgusted after that it ruined my evening. I didn't wanna go back to my table and ruin a birthday dinner so I said nothing. I have never written a review before but having a rodent come running towards me at a restaurant is worth sharing. This place is probably full of them for that thing to come out while such a large crowd was there.

Great food, great music, and great vibes. Tough to get in if you don't know someone or if you don't make reservations early but it's definitely worth it. I smoked hookahs, got libated, and had a great time.

I called Le Souk to inquire about bringing some friends there for my birthday. The person who answered the phone was completely stuck up. She was talking down to me as if I was a moron. I did not appreciate her condescending tone and asked to speak to a manager... turns out, she was the manager. I don't have time for places as SNOTTY as Le Souk.

We Got to Le Souk at 8:30 pm and the Restaurant is Full with Happy Party goers . The Staff at the door did a good job getting every one in after check in New years Eve Tickets and our ID's . The music was very good on each floor of the Restaurant there was some big world famous name DJ playing there . My party knew the names I am not familiar with DJ names But the Music was Great . Every one had very good and The Vibe was Amazing .Thank you Le Souk For Ringing 2009 in Happy Mood .

As Moroccan food lovers we were interested to see if Le Souk lived up to its reputation. We were not disappointed! We waited about 5mins to be seated and were given a nice table by the Bar. The restaurant itself is buzzing.. not in a bad way but in a bustling, alive kind of way. Our waiters were great! they were polite, funny and attentive without being in our faces. The food was great! The Couscous, made table side, was spectacular. Beware it is a little expensive $19 for Couscous and Meats BUT it is totally worth it!! Our mains were nice.. maybe not quite as amazing as the Couscous but still delicious. I had the Chicken Bastilla which was delicious.. the 'pastry' was really light and wasn't dripping in oil like at other places.. My Fiance had a Paella which although was very nice it wasn't as good as the Moroccan fare.. The only thing that stopped me from giving Le Souk a 5 star rating was the awful bathrooms! The woman's bathroom was gross! It really needed a good clean and genera... Read more

Food and ambiance were fantastic! Took family from out of town. Everybody loved it. Would definitely go back.

This was my first time at Le Souk and I had a great time. When my friends and I arrived we were greeted by a pleasant and beautiful hostess. We then had cocktails at the bar and I had a champagne cocktail that was great. The food was excellent full of flavor and aroma's from the middle east. Our waitress was so great she was prompt and very friendly. On top of the fact that our dinner experience was amazing the restaurant then turned in to a lounge where the music was fantastic and we had a great time. I am definitely going back and bringing more friends.

Le Souk is my favorite place to go to when I lived in New York .Good clients , Good Food , Good Drinks and always good selection of music. I have been away from New York about 3 years now living in Dubai and trust me when I tell you there is nothing like Le Souk in Dubai a lot of restaurant tries to create the same vibe no one get it yet . From the Food quality to the decor and the Music . But they are not there yet . When I went to Le Souk on Friday Night The food is Very good , The music and is Vibe of the place is Excellent .The Hosts is warm and nice But our waitress is very rude and greedy we were party of 8 and the tips is add to our bill and she asked for more tips which I never seen in my life all over the world . on the top of it here service is so bad and slow . I love Le Souk any time I am in New York I love to take my family and Friends there for Dinner and Drinks We enjoy ourselves very Much. But this time I had a very bad experience with the waitress on our table . H... Read more

A few friends and I came to Le Souk last night , after having it been highly recommended by a co-worker of mine. We made a reservation, which I suggest doing because it seems to be quite busy on the weekends. From the second I walked in, I felt as though I was in Casablanca once again! The music, the decor, the ambiance was all so alluring. We were warmly welcomed by the host as she sat us for our table in the back terrace of the restaurant. We ordered a pitcher of sangria and the waitress was very knowledgeable in terms of the menu and recommended some great items. I had the "a bu-n awash" (a boneless chicken dish), my husband had a lamb fillet, and our other guest who is vegetarian ordered a beautiful layered napoleon vegetable plate. The food was excellent and the service was superb as well. We finished dinner with some traditional Moroccan mint tea and had a belly dancer perform, which my guests enjoyed very much. I closed my eyes and felt as though I was once again in Casablanca.... Read more

scientifically if you see large difference in rating and opinion it mean there is something wrong, at the same time you should think one hundreds thousands time before take decision.smart reader know which is which and who is who.i wrote this because what i have seen in the eyes of the man who invite us to this place make me write her. every day he execuse to me of what happen there.i am still thinking of why they dont like people to come again!!!!!!!!!!.

I had reservation on Monday nite for a table in the Rock and pop Music .I Was there 20 Minutes early so I had couple of Drinks at the Bar while my table will be ready . 30 Minutes later all my Gusts showed up so I went to speak to the Manger to sit down he was so nice to me apologizing because he had a problem with my table and he asked me to be kind and wait few more minutes and he got us around of drinks.While i was waiting i saw a crazy looking guy siting on my table not eating or drinking and making a big seen and he wants to keep my table for himself and his group. Finally he got to Move then our Nite start beautifully we had a great time. My group enjoyed our nite at Le Souk we Had Great Bottle of Champagne and A lots of Stolichnaya Bottles . The Music is Great and the DJ is friendly . i forget about the wait earlier in the nite and the crazy person that he was on the table for more than 3 hours giving every one a hard time . i feel sorry for the manger of Le Souk for puttin... Read more

we are six, i call them earlier to make reservation. i asked them on the phone do you have belly dancer and the answer is yes. went there and we spend hours and they ask you to leave the table for coming clients after we rushed to pay incredable costy worthless bills, and the bad things is that the dancer come only for 15 minutes HUH!!! i talk to manager about this inappropriate behavior and he insisted on that,this restaurant didnot deserve 10 cent to spend on it.

We just went here This weekend on a trip to NY. Let me just say once we discovered this place, we were there 3 Nights in a row!!! The DJ s are Amazing, They play a lot of middle-eastern songs, mixing them live with drums and percussion. It's hypnotizing. The place is spacious, Low key, and romantic. I loved it. The service is ok .

Fish was fresh and fantastic, the varied cigars, including lamb and chicken were a great change of pace. Wait staff was attentive and friendly; room set the mood for great girls night out, and would be good date place too. Martini was great; short list of specialty drinks too for some fun. Front of house lacked personality, and yes, door staff were lame but tolerable. Not sure where the highly negative reviews came from; saw two limo pull up filled with polyester-clad sneaker-wearing helmet heads which was certain to cause most ultra-exclusive wannabe restaurant/lounges to cringe, so... you figure it out.

Let me say this, the food and waiter service was OK. We did feel rushed, but that's understandable. After we ate, we went downstairs to finish our hooka and ordered some drinks. We left our stuff on a couch to dance for about 1/2 a song, came back it was gone! We asked the bouncers, they calmly said it was upstairs. When we got our stuff back (2 jackets and 1 purse), my girls' wallet was missing from her purse. Everything else was in tact. They put on a show -- trying to find it -- looking at the surveillance camera; looking under the couch where we were sitting -- but it was very obvious what happened. I was pleading with the manager (Sam) and the bouncers -- telling them to keep the cash and just return the wallet -- no questions asked. They had us hanging around for about 2 hours back and forth. It seems that everyone involved (management and bouncers) were in on the scam. They ruined our night and we now have to recover most of our documents. The next day, we got a ca... Read more

I called to Make a reservation on Saturday nit for my Friends just got to town for a weekend in New York and i like to treat them for a new Experience . Though when i called they told me there is no room on Saturday unless we go go there at 7:30 pm so we did .When we got There our table was ready for us so we sit down to oder our dinner and Drinks all our gusts enjoyed The Food and Drinks then when we we getting our desserts the Belly dancer came out and my gusts danced with her we enjoyed our dinner before the place got swamped with a lot of people none stop it was a good idea to go there early .

I have lived in Manhattan in 15 years and I have never written a review for a restaurant. But, then again, I have never had such a horrible experience in a restaurant in all these years! The service at Le Souk is horrendous, the food terrible, and the patrons even worse (unless you like the Bridge and Tunnel crowd). We went on a Saturday night - despite having reservations, we had to wait an hour and a half to be seated. The meal took another two hours to be served and we were so crowded around the table, that I actually had to put my plate on my lap in order to eat. The staff is extremely rude and inattentive and didn't seem to care about providing us with any service. The crowd is extremely cheesy and even ruder than the staff. To top it off, there were so many people by midnight that had there been a fire, we would all have died instantly - there was no escaping! There are a million great restaurants in Manhattan - do not torture yourself by going here unless you want rude s... Read more

I love the look and feel of this restaurant. It's small Rooms, intimate and they serve a "mean" couscous -- delicious! I don't know if it's just my luck, but every time I've been there, the place was too crowded, which made it extra special and romantic for us. Of course, you MUST finish your meal with a potent cup of Moroccan mint tea.

A great experience..but come early My girlfriend and I went there on a Saturday night after reading several reviews about it. The service was ok . just get there early. We sat down around 7:00 pm to an almost empty restaurant. Around 8:00 pm just as we were finishing the place started to become crowded...overly crowded. There isn't a large wait staff either so they were running all over the place. The food was good as well no complaints there. The restaurants atmosphere was also nice giving a warm almost romantic feeling. Key Tip: They do accept Amex for payments

Had dinner here last night with 3 friends. Everything was great. We had Shrimp and Mezza for appetizers and both were incredibly tasty and beautifully plated. For entrees we had the pastilla, couscous Mix grill, couscous with chicken and shrimp with Scallops. Everything again was delicious. The couscous was so tasty and the almonds, raisins and chick peas were a nice touch to this dish. Unfortunately we had no room for dessert. The only negative is that the place itself is rather small rooms so the tables are basically on top of one another. But if you can live with that, the food is great.

Being a frequent Restaurant goer I have some expectations. I like the Restaurant decor to be up to par, the people are good looking, and the music fun. Le Souk had that and some. I went their with a mixed group, about 3 guys and 4 girls. We didn't make reservation, but did get a table at the door. The hostess was in normal hostess mood. Snotty but accommodating. The decor itself was beautiful and the waitresses even more so. We had a fantastic time, the music was great, and the service fantastic. I would go back any time. For a place to be located in such a desolate area yet be that good of a Restaurant, I think that deserves some stars if not all of them

AVOID THIS PLACE at all cost.. THEY ARE CRIMINALS. Do not be tempted by the crowd, expensive drinks or loud music. The bouncers are running a scam to literally STEAL from customers. We saw first hand how one of the bouncers took a purse from under our table while we were dancing, left the bar with it, went to the lobby of the building just outside. Had we not followed him out we may never have seen the bag again or it may have been returned missing valuable items. Just getting the bag back was a fiasco in itself. DO NOT SUPPORT THIS PLACE. SHADY PRACTICES. You have been warned.

I also had a birthday gathering here three weeks ago and was sorely disappointed with the food, service, and general experience. I have lived in NYC for the last 4 years and frequented Le Souk during various seasons. At first it was a novelty and fun - but now it is a waste of time (bad music, company, and food). The crowd has morphed from Metropolitans who enjoy exotic, cultured venues to another ho-hum bar that claims an ethnic twist. Current patrons hale from the club scene and all that that encompasses - far less interesting. The dim lighting no longer contributes to an "opium den" feeling, rather it makes you question what you are eating and if the glasswear you are drinking from is clean. Sadly, Le Souk's hey-day has come and gone. Time to shut down and revamp.

There are not even enough words to describe the horrible experience I had at Le Souk this weekend. In fact there is not enough space on here to tell you everything that went wrong so I will give you an abridged version that will braely touch the surface of this awful experience. I have been to Le Souk several times and always enjoyed myself, but I had never actually had a sit down dinner there...my boyfriend decided for my 26th birthday to invite some friends and have dinner...he called and made reservations on friday for 8:30...despite reciting his name and spelling it for the girl, she could still not get the name straight so he ended up booking the reservation under a completely butchered version of his name...he called saturday to confirm and was told "you dont have a reservation" not under his real name or his butchered name...so he made another reservation and was told that they were experiencing computer issues. The reservation was made for 11 people... on the way to Le Souk 3 ... Read more

Hopping from club to club I know the last stop on my list. Meat Packing is too pretentious at times with it?s Kiss n Fly, One, G-Spa and all of that. Chelsea is rough Bridge n Tunnel crowds at Slate, Duvet and all that. Oh, and I can?t forget about Club Row! Home, Guest House, Suzie?s, Marquee and all of that pop-fizzle-fizzle. Midtown is up there Azza & Dior!!!! But no matter what, I am always thinking about Le Souk around 2am. I always come out with a bunch of girls and if I loose them by the end of the night I know I can find them at Le Souk or even better, I find people I haven?t seen in years. The music is great. The staff is cool. The music is great. The staff is cool. The music is great. And the drinks are just like I like ?em. Like any other place in New York you will receive a little static from the doorman if you?re poorly dressed and without girls. This is a good thing because I hate going to clubs that don?t care about who they let in. I would recommend to everyone to... Read more

Wonderful ambiance and courteous staff. I left my expensive leather jacket on the top floor and it was put into lost property the next morning. Not many establishments have this to their credit. Awesome Club!

Most times and most places change is for the good but this place the change in the area is for the worse. We used to go here every Thursday and had a blast. Slowly the staff was changed and everything is different. They are trying to curtail their operations for the neighborhood. THE DRINKS are too Strong , THE FOOD is very good and the MUSIC JUST Normal. THE GUYS AT THE DOOR NEED TO BE better Trained. I own my own bar/restaurant and I got lot's of my ideas from this place. I think now the staff worry about the dollars and not the service that's why I think they won't be around much longer. I liked the Staff was working at Le Souk In 2002 and 2003 Back then was the nicest restaurants in the city. CHIC, great food, unbelievable ambiance and the service is 2nd to none. It use to be My home 3 to 4 time a week .Now is money Hungary staff they are only at Le souk for The money to catch up with there bills .all of the them they are There because the GREEN BUCK . The should be working in a ... Read more

I love le souk, my husband and I are regulars here, and we always get the hooka!!!! You should check it out on sat night, if you can get in!!!!

My friend decided to host a get together at Le souk and decided to get "Bottle Service" and drink tickets. First off we waited an hour before they decided to seat us. They than squished us in between another party. The Matre De spilled my wifes cocktail on her and also the waiters are rude and pushy. One bus boy accused me of pushing him. I found that ironic since I was being pushed the whole night by waiters and bus boys. I would not go here on the weekend with a group ever again.

Let me just start off by saying this place isnt bad. The atmosphere and decorations are great. The food was great, but everything else was close to miserable. My friend had a bday party reserved at 9:30 and we didnt get seated until almost 11 and had no apology! For a small place like this, they need to either be stricter with party timelines or not accept reservations at all. Also, the layout is horrific and there is almost nowhere to stand. I was so rudely slammed into to by every single person who not only came in but worked there, that i was ready to leave. The bathrooms are really dark and once again, when a line forms there is nowhere to stand but at the bar or almost in the kitchen where everyone shoves you out of the way. The club downstairs is no better!

This place should be shut down! It smells really bad, the service is awful and people are nasty. Do you know that they pour house cheap liquor in bottles of top shelf liquor like Patron, Grey Goose and Johnny Walker Black, etc. Their hookas are not neat and its dangerous for intoxication to breathe the smoke coming out which is filtered by dirty water... The kitchen is disgusting...they prepare the food with little friends running around. I saw little friends crawling on their walls!!! Theirs sodas are not fizzy. And on top of everything...the owners are not paying their employees and are horrible people with their staff. Don't encourage their business because they are thieves and not good people...

This place is horrible. Went there for my 25th birthday. Huge attitude at the door for bad food and a cramped place. Waiter was rude...brought the wrong food to the table and then fought about what we had ordered. Then to top it off, charged my friend's debit card $300 and have not replaced the money. If there is a manager who ever reads these things he should be embarrassed to work for a place like this.

This is an excellent restaurant! The food was wonderful and the service was great! My party of 10+ ppl came late, so they gave away our table, but they got another one ready within 15 minutes the hosts and waiters/ waitresses were very patient, friendly and accommodating. Almost everyone ordered something different, and we all enjoyed our dishes. They were just the right size, and when we finished, we weren't stuffed beyond belief (but we weren't hungry either). The drinks were a bit pricey ($10), but it's still average price for what you would get at any other restaurant. Overall, it was a great experience!

Dinner was OK, the belly dancer was great, but they overcharged my Visa $100. When I called three times over a month about the discrepancy, manager Pat White never took any steps to help verfy my claim. Condescending and totally unprofessional is what he was. A lot of sure, we'll get on it, but nothing. There are too many places in NY to go and not have to check your account to see if you've been ripped off. BOO to Le Souk!

This place has it all and then some.... You can have dinner here and later dance on the same table and have a hooka placed where your desert used to be.... Place gets a little crowed at times but that too is great... Live drums along with beats hitting frm the DJ make a great combo... downstairs ultra house without the deadbeat dancer zombies... Le Souk is a landmark for clubbing weekdays...Sundays are the hot nights I heard Mondays are too... Love it... and I have promoted ever club in meat packing and 27 28 whatever you call that area on 10th ave.... they have more and then some... check it out just be cool and dress cool its not about the bottles unless you want the table...

Tried this place last weekend.It has every condiment for a great NYC cool spot. Atmosphere was amazing, great choice of music and food was yummy.Service was very attentive , polite and helpful.The Calamari and sardine were amazing, sangria to die for , Halibut is my Choice , shrimp was a little salty,overall very pleased with the taste and richness of the food.... will come back!!

Dear Le Souk. Ok. It's Sunday night. 2am. How effin busy do you think you are? You're not. Got it? I showed up with 10 guys for my buddy's bachelor party knowing that 10 guys without girls is frowned upon. HOWEVER, it's still Sunday night and anyone with any sense of business would grasp the concept that guys celebrating a bachelor party spend money on shots and more shots and, well, more shots. Instead, the black vampire (he has fangs) with the effin stupid ring-claws insisted that we buy 2 bottles at $300 each. This demand not only left us disinterested in the place but it effectively dissolved the opportunity for the bar to make money ON A DEAD-ASS SUNDAY NIGHT! I could understand if this was a Friday or Saturday, but it was Sunday. Get over yourself. Needless to say, we won't be back. Your un-dead doorman is a tool. You should replace him with someone more business savvy.

This place used to be cool. Now its all greasy men and trashy girls. What happened to this place?? The people that work there are rude, the food tastes 10 days old and the people that work the place look like wannabe Uncle Jesse's. Better back in the day, wouldn't recommend, especially on the weeknights, crowd is nasty.