Leilani Restaurant & Ashanti Lounge Bar in Wandsworth

my boyfriend and I really enjoyed dinner out at Leilani Restaurant!!!! the food was great! tasty fish and delicious dessert!!! Lovely music likewise the owner !!! we had such a pleasant night !!! WE REALLY RECOMMEND THIS PLACE!!!

I ordered a Groupon for an African and Caribbean restaurant called Leilani Restaurant & Ashanti Lounge Bar in South West London. The table was reserved for Wednesday, 08th of March 2023 at 6:15PM. Although my Groupon confirmed my reservation I called three times on the morning of the reservation and the phone continued to ring or went to the answer machine with no possibility to leave a message. We arrived at 6:10PM and the restaurant was shut, light off, no activity inside and the “closed” signed faced the window. We waited approximately 5-10 minutes in the rain, pressing the door buzzer and attempted to call the restaurant and with no luck. As we walked toward to high street to find an alternative restaurant I decide to make a final phone call and waitress/owner picked up and stated that the restaurant was closed because she “thought” our reservation was later. She reassured me that she had now opened it. We made our way back to the restaurant and were seated without an apology. She handed us the menu which contained a limited selection of what was promised on the Groupon advert, my friend is a vegan and we selected this specific restaurant for the vegan “Rastafarian roots”. The waitress/owner said that she does not have vegetables in her kitchen and African and Caribbean people do not eat vegetables. I reminded her of the vegetarian selection on Groupon and informed her that in 2023 restaurants should have a couple of vegetarian options to accommodate customers with that dietary requirement. The waitress/owner rudely pointed out that the Groupon said it “may” include the listed dishes rather than taking accountability to ensure that her Groupon advert is up to date and accurate. The waitress/owner made no attempt find a vegetarian solution, I had to symmetrically comb through the limited menu and ask whether she could remove the meat, the waitress/owner’s default answer was either “no” without an explanation or “no that isn’t included in the Groupon”. After approximately 15 minutes of battling she agreed to serve the fufu and egusi without meat for my friend as a main dish. After a long wait, the vegetarian starter arrived; it was literally melted cheese and sliced toasted bread, a slice of square Hovis or Kings Mill style bread that child could make in a toaster, very disappointing. My meat starter (chicken wings) took so long I requested for it to come with our main dish. Approximately one hour later, our mains dishes arrived and to their credit my friend actual enjoyed her vegetarian fufu and egusi. My curried goat portion was tiny, the curry was the equivalent of 2 spoons of sauce, and 85% of my plate was filled with dry rice. The waitress/owner defended her small portion and said “this is the portion size you get with Groupon!” I was flabbergasted as the point of Groupon is that the price is discounted without downgrading the quality. I was so angry I wanted to leave, so I asked for a take away box. The waitress/owner said “we do give takeaway boxes for Groupon customers” and I would have to pay an additional £0.50p for a polystyrene container. I have never had to pay for a takeaway box at a restaurant and considering the shambolic service we received imposing an additional cost is unacceptable. I told her that I will not pay money towards a container out of principle and I am fully prepared to use the serviette tissues to wrap my food in. The waitress/owner started ranting that she is just following orders and she would give me the container for free if it was up to her and started blaming her imaginary boss despite it being clear that she is the boss. She then said that her boss is watching her on CCTV and she will get in trouble if she is caught giving me the £0.50p polystyrene container for free. The CCTV camera she was pointing to wasn’t even connected, and despite the wires dangling unconnected she maintained that the CCTV camera is active and her “boss” is watching. After a further 10 minutes of arguing in a circle, she said that the government forces her to charge £0.50p for the container along with plastic bags. After refuting this claim she got angry and said she will give me the £0.50p container out of her salary! This was one of the worse dining experience to memory; I could not genuinely find a reason to visit Leilani Restaurant & Ashanti Lounge. Putting the shambolic and rude customer service aside the owner doesn’t reinvest back into the business. There was stale rice on the dining table, the walls have water stains from an active leak, they have covered a hole in the wall with a sheet of material so the restaurant is cold & drafty, and the toilets had no toilet paper and barely any soap in the dispenser.

My husband and I visited the restaurant this evening. All of the food is cooked fresh to order, so be prepared to wait a little while for it to arrive. We had the squid and salt fish fritters to start. Curry goat & jollof rice, tilapia & plantain for mains. Sticky toffee pudding and apple crumble for dessert. The food is worth the wait! The gap between courses give you time for a chat and to appreciate the eclectic decor. There was a steady flow of customers, the music was good, really lovely vibes. Definitely worth a visit!

Thoroughly enjoyed a lovely meal using a voucher for three courses and a drink. Our server was attentive, efficient and friendly. The starter of BBQ chicken wings was particularly good but all three courses were tasty and plentiful. My husband really enjoyed his steak and triple cooked chips. I tried curried goat for the first time and it was delicious. We were really impressed with the food and swift service. Thankyou- we will be back!

My daughter and I had a Groupon for a 3 course meal with soft drinks at half the menu prices. I had a starter of jerk chicken wings, a main of Steak with pepper sauce and chips served with a side salad and half a grilled beefsteak tomato, and a dessert of apple crumble. My daughter had the suya peppered beef starter, beer battered fish and chips for her main and a brownie for her dessert. As it was so cold outside, we asked if it would be possible to have hot drinks as our soft drink option and Marsha was happy to allow me to have a cup of tea and my daughter to have a hot chocolate. The food arrived freshly cooked, piping hot and was delicious. Marsha provide good service throughout the 3 courses, so we tipped her. I have another booking for next week and I am looking forward to returning to Leilani to try other delicious items on their menu.