The Shady Lady

I would like to start by saying that I was looking forward to going to Shady Lady for the first time on September 21, 2024. However, I was very disappointed with the experience. My boyfriend and I were seated at 5:15pm. We ordered a drink each (happy hour 4pm-7pm) as well as an appetizer of chips and guacamole. We waited 20 minutes for our drinks to arrive at the table. The place was not busy whatsoever, but I notice there was only one server. Once our drinks arrived we finished the drinks very quickly because we noticed that there was more ice than the actual drink. The chips and guacamole did not come out as yet. The server asked us if we wanted to order food. We told her we were not ready as we wanted to have the appetizer first. As we ordered a second drink each. The chips and guacamole came out and I was shocked to see that it was over burnt with a small side of guacamole which did not balance out the amount of chips given. Since we saw that the server also took very long to check on us we no longer wanted to eat there. We finished our drinks and asked for the bill. Now the other issue was that we were over charged for the margaritas (3 margaritas at $10 each, when happy hour is $7). When we pointed that out to the server she apologized, but it wasn’t genuine. She made us wait another 15 minutes before she came back with the handheld point of sale system to charge us before stating she will remove a drink from the check (my Bloody Mary which was $10) in order to replace her overcharging for the margaritas. She easily could have made us pay prior when we addressed the bill issue, but we noticed she felt the need to make us wait only to come back with the handheld point of sale system to have me pay then and there. She never gave me an updated receipt. This place is not worth the drinks or appetizers. Do not waste your money at this place it’s not what you think. You will be disappointed and leave hungry! HORRIBLE SERVICE! I would recommend going to “La Tiendita” which is down the block from this place. My boyfriend and I ended up there after and wished we had gone there to begin with. The service was great. The drinks/food were delicious.

Severely disappointed with this place. They have the prices of a luxury brunch spot in manhattan, but their food tastes like it was served at an average diner. At first I wasn’t that mad at the prices because I thought the portions were going to be huge, but they were actually kind of small compared to what you would expect, and there was very little thought paid to plating which only worsened the meager look. The staff took forever, but I can excuse this because we did come during prime hours. While the food was decent, it was no better than what you could make at home or get at a deli. The pancakes were okay, the avocado toast was soggy, and the only thing i truly enjoyed was the sausage and biscuit. Overall, I was left hungry and sad.

This is a tricky place to review. On the one hand, the food was excellent, and I really liked the overall relaxed vibe of the place. Pricing is reasonable ($30 bottomless, brunch on the weekend), and staff was cool and friendly. My issue was the cleanliness of the glasses and the drinks themselves. When our group of 7 got our waters in the beginning, two of our waters had lipstick marks, and we sent them back. The staff was very cool about it and got us new glasses and straws right away. Then came the drinks. I got sangria which I normally love, but my glass tasted like dish soap, mixed with sangria. I was 2 for 2 unlucky with my glasses. I thought I was bugging, but when I had my friends try my drink, they tasted the same thing. Maybe it was the preservatives in the actual drink, but I just kept swinging and missing on drinks. Overall I really like the place and I want to go back, but I’m not sure if I would go there for brunch again. The mimosas were fine, but the sangria just tasted so funky to me, and that leaves me in a weird place to review this spot. Until I have another experience here, I’m sticking to 3 stars on the premise that I would try this spot again. I would love to give this place 4+ stars but the glasses not being clean really bugged me out. And even though the staff was nice, the service for bottomless was pretty slow. I had finished my dinner and I only had 1 drink. I hope when I come back my next experience changes my mind. The chicken and waffles though–pretty damn good! Honestly, a saving Grace.