Henry at Life Hotel

The food is so unique and delicious! Like nothing I've ever eaten before. The staff is so knowledgeable about the menu. It was a little pricey for the small portions but I have already been twice since the restaurant opened a month ago so it's definitely worth it for a special occasion or date night!

Awesome food. Enjoyed our experience. Loved the downstairs bar for a cocktail while waiting for a table. Very friendly bar keeps and loved watching them make cocktails.

Reservation delayed by 45 mins. Hostess rude and useless.

Nicely spiced and fairly priced.
Get the clams! The food (and drinks!) were nicely spiced. We were made to feel like royalty.

Had an amazing experience with a group of friends, everything from the drinks to the entree were on point

We came here to check out JJs new restaurant and we loved it. It was my wife’s birthday and our first anniversary combined. It was definitely a special evening with unique food and fantastic service. We even got to say hi to JJ at the end of the night and that was cool. What a fun night.

Table-side wedding

Great location. Great music. Food was fantastic and large portions although a bit pricey. Service was slow, but I would def come back!

The Piri Piri clams were the best. Also, the afropot with all seafood was delicious. My only concern is where the restaurant is located. It has more of a downtown vibe.

We received wonderful service especially after our arrival way delayed more than two hrs.

Great flavors. Tamarind jerk chicken, lamb kebabs and many more fabulous tastes. Diverse, great vibe, background music. I’ve been telling all my friends. Will definitely returm

Good ideas, bad execution food is not tasty and all came out cold

Absolutely delicious and inventive food. The music, ambience and service were fantastic. Did not disappoint!

This was “everyday dining,” but we were treated like it was a birthday/anniversary/won-the-lottery celebration! This is the most equally enjoyable and inventive food and cocktails with the absolute sweetest staff on earth! This was a dreamlike experience. We can’t wait to dream it again.

This is going to be a great restaurant. Wonderful food, period. Two big gripes, though. Small tables that don’t fit the many simultaneous plates made eating and sharing no fun. More importantly, the runners who brought the food didn’t speak English well, and spent no time explaining the dishes. They just rattled off the names and ran off. We didn’t no about the sauce and vegetables under the fish until we finished it. Again, though, these feel like growing pains that JJ and company can solve. Go, Henry!

we had High Hopes but we're very sorry to say that unfortunately the food and the service we're probably a little bit to Green for our party of eight to really enjoy themselves.

Went here for my anniversary after hearing about this restaurant in Eaterny. The restaurant softly lit, music was old hip hop which was fitting for the pan African fusion experience. Although pricy the food was excellent we ordered the Afropot, Beef ribs, dumplings and the roti. For $75 the ribs should come with a vegetable to balance the heaviness of the meat. Due to the price I would only come once in a while. The service started off well but as the night progressed the service was delayed and we ended up getting the wrong dessert twice and there was a long delay to get our check. The desserts were average at best with the foie gras rice crispy tasted like a rice cake and the choco flan needs more chocolate flavor. Also the waitstaff attire lacked uniformity it was hard to know who is a waiter or bus person.

Unfortunately our meal was a disappointment. It was overpriced and the food was just not that good.

Nice spot in the center of Manhattan.

Perfect Birthday dinner for my husband! Food was beyond amazing! We had the tuna tar tar and dumplings appetizers and for entrees the ribs, whole fish and scallops. Music play list was on POINT! Service was genuinely attentive. Will for sure return!

Really slow service. Chicken was not fully cooked through. This place is a major step down from the food we loved at JJs previous uptown Harlem spot (Cecil’s).

Great food, great service!

It’s s small unassuming space.
The menu is limited but exiting. I would say the African part of the menu is hinted at, as opposed to featuring. It is fusion. The flavors are well thought out and good. I was looking for some heat but it was more subtle.
Had the Roti, Piri piri clams, Kebob and Jerk Chicken. All well prepared and flavorful. The jerk was very balanced and tasty.

Very lively restaurant, service was alternately aggressive and inattentive. We ordered a bottle of wine and most of our food had come out but no wine. We had to flag down the manager and still waited nearly 20 minutes until it came. We also were overcharged by $20 between what was on the bill and what was put on our credit cards. Very little apology, no real effort to make it right.

Seems like they are straining to keep up with all the hype placed on them.

Great music playlist, flavorful and creative food, reasonably priced. Will definitely be back!

I specifically input in my open table reservation for this restaurant that it was for my birthday but no one at the restaurant made any reference to it, which was extremely annoying. Otherwise, it’s a great dinner spot for anyone who was born in the late 70s and early 80s and can appreciate mid to late 90s hip hop and r&b.

Cute but definitely has some kinks to work out still. Cool vibe great drinks

Very good food, creative, a bit on the expensive side but that's life at the Life Hotel (or any hotel restaurant seemingly). Lots of flavor and great food preparation.

This type of restaurant should not be in a hotel, you fight with guests to use the limited bathrooms right next to the check in desk. The bar is agonizingly slow, and we were ordering glasses of wine, which I know from being a server myself should be super fast. Too many busboys and too few waiters. Our waiter also charged us double on two items, for over $100 bucks of difference. Even though the chef was there, the roti, the short rib and his signatures were so-so. I think management has to find a place where this chef can produce the magic he did in the EV, not a cheesy hotel in K-Town. Our meal was over $500, before the mistake was noticed, but this was not a $400 meal.

The best short ribs I’ve ever had!

We had such a great experience! I was with a bunch of friends and we pretty much ordered everything on the menu. With the arrival of each dish we were more and more impressed with the flavors of our food. The service was phenomenal. Our waiter was attentive, informed and just a plain ol' fun. In addition to our designated waiter the other waiters were very friendly and jubilant.

Everything was fantastic and unlike any other restaurant in k-town/nomad - awesome!

Cheff JJ truly knows his way around the kitchen!! The food was really was great!! Though I'm not familiar with African inspired food and in the past, had been hesitant to try it, I was glad the experience was worth the wait!! Aside from the Piri Piri clams and ConCon (Jollof crispy rice) which were both great. the cornmeal, crusted WHOLE fish was spot on!!! I loved that the server some over to show us how to "take the flesh" off w/o taking off the bones to enjoy the fish in it's entirety! Overall, the service, food, music and obviance was great!!! Kudos to Cheff JJ and Henry (the restaurant) !!!

Food was great, and the servers were informed on every component of each dish (we had many questions). Interesting spices, textures, and combinations...every course outdone by the one before it.

Great food, music, drinks, and service! Truly had an amazing dinning experience. Highly recommended for multiple occasions.

It is WONDERFUL to have Chef JJ Johnson dreaming up delicious meals in his own space again! We loved The Cecil and were sad when it closed ... visited Chef JJ four times during his Chefs Club residency ... always an incredible dining experience. His food is so interesting, flavorful, and creative and yet totally accessible. It appeals to foodies but will open the eyes of anyone interested in having a tasty meal in a fun, upbeat atmosphere. Expand your horizons and have FUN with Chef JJ as your culinary guide. Try anything and everything, but particular recommendations include the short rib (for two), the dumplings in Harlem Curry (I fight my boyfriend over who is going to scoop up the last of that amazing curry!), and the con-con (I don't even like eggplant very much, but Chef JJ [and Mike Solomonov at Zahav] have helped me get past that, ha ha). Yes, I am a total fan-girl at this point, but I still say kudos to the Life Hotel for bringing Chef JJ on board. We will be here regularly!

Incredible food and atmosphere. The staff is lovely and really above and beyond to make the experience spectacular! And of course, Chef JJ brings the house down with the menu...loved the Africa Pot.

Stellar dinner, service and ambiance. Loved it.

Chef Johnson and his staff are superb!! Wonderful evening...perfection on opening night.