Shish Restaurant & Lounge

First time ever to Shish. I am Lebanese, so when I saw the Groupon for Middle Eastern Food, I bought it. The food did not disappoint.  In fact, the Baba Ghanoush was as good as my Grandmothers and the Kibbi was fantastic. There was a jazz band playing, which made my night out with my daughter even more  special. We met the owner, such a personable young man. Very impressed. Wish him continued success. I will definitely spread the word!

We didn't go for the nightlife, I had a Groupon for dinner. we arrived at 6 pm on a Thursday. The place smelled of mildew and stale beer. There were a couple of bored-looking guys drinking on stools at the bar. No one greeted us or even looked up. Finally, someone seated us in the separate dining room. No one else was in there and no one else ever came while we had dinner. We were left with the menus for more than 20 minutes. I finally got up and went to the lounge on the other side of entrance to find our waiter standing behind the bar chit-chatting. The Greek salad when it finally came, was bitter. The menu is very limited. There was no lamb, at least not pieces of lamb. There WERE 4 ways to get ground lamb. I settled for the ground lamb kebab. It took forever to come, and when it finally did, it was overcooked and bland. If there was any marinade, I couldn't taste it. I couldn't tell the lamb from overcooked ground beef. The rice tasted plain and flat without any sauce, and they didn't serve any kind of bread, flatbread or otherwise. All this for New York City high prices. We skipped dessert. I left a minimal tip and vowed never to go back again. I think all the 5-star reviews here were written by cronies of the restaurant. People could disagree with me. I mean, I could be wrong, but not THAT wrong. There wasn't even one good thing about the experience, and the complete lack of other customers tells me that others agree.

FOLLOW UP TO YOUR RESPONSE

You answered me off line with a lot of reasons to explain why I had inattentive service and unpleasant food. I answered you in private that none of your "reasons" changed the fact of my bad experience. Now, your public response suggests my review had something to do with my Groupon, despite the fact that I gave very specific reasons in my review for why I was unsatisfied. I have no way to verify your claim that the restaurant is very full tonight. Perhaps you are busier on a Friday than on a Thursday. None of this changes the nature of my experience last night. I don't want to extend this conversation any further. If you wish to post more comments on Yelp to deny, spin or alter the perception I have left, you are free to do so, but any lack of response from me beyond this one will not be because you have changed my mind or changed the facts. My review stands.

New Lebanese cuisine is delicious ! Took the whole family last night and it was so good I'm back again tonight. Friday night jazz is a blast and this restaurant's new menu is a must try for anyone looking for the non-burger joint options around west hartford..