Tag Archives: Lido Italian Restaurant and Bar

Gwyneth Paltrow and Mark Ruffalo seen dining at Lido Harlem?



If you walked by the corner of Frederick Douglass Blvd. and 117th Street tonight (October 12), you may have noticed Gwyneth Paltrow and Mark Ruffalo were dining at Lido Italian Restaurant and Bar in Harlem? Well, sort of. They were actually in character for their upcoming movie called Thanks for Sharing. The entire scene was a dining out scene at Lido Harlem. Hope they mention their location in the script!

This is such a big compliment for Lido Harlem. They haven’t even been open for a year and now they have big name movie stars filming in their restaurant. The film scouts clearly liked the design and layout of the restaurant or they would not have chosen it. When you take pictures of Lido, it is very photogenic. The place comes out vibrant in pictures.

I had a quick exchange with Mark Ruffalo as I stopped him to take a photo. I told him the food at Lido Harlem is excellent. He said, “yeah, I’ll have to tell my wife about it.” You do that Mark! There is some great dining out places in Harlem and Lido Harlem is one of them!

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Live music is the next dish served up at Lido Harlem Monday nights

Along with their excellent food, Lido Italian Restaurant and Bar is serving up something new on their menu, live music! Stop by this coming Monday, September 12 and see their first musical act, Mavis Swan Poole. Learn more about Swan Poole’s music here.

See you at Lido Harlem, located at 2168 Frederick Douglass Blvd., on Monday!

What’s open in Harlem, post Hurricane Irene?


If you are wondering what is open today in terms of dining, post Hurricane Irene, we have received word that Slyvia’s Restaurant is open for lunch, Lido Italian Restaurant and Bar is open for dinner and Les Ambassades on Frederick Douglass Bvld is open as well. Also, Harlem Tavern is opening at 3 p.m. today. Chez Lucienne is open now.

Slyvia’s is located at 328 Lenox Avenue aka Malcolm X Blvd., New York, NY 10027.

Lido Harlem is located at 2168 8th Avenue aka Frederick Douglass Blvd, New York, NY 10026.

Les Ambassades is located at 2200 FDB.

Harlem Tavern is located on the northwest corner of 116th Street and FDB.

Chez Lucienne is located at 308 Lenox Ave.

Regarding yoga, Bikram Yoga East Harlem, located at 4 East 116th Street is open for 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. classed today. Also, Book Culture bookstore sent email saying they’re open today. It’s located at 536 West 112th Street and 2915 Broadway.

As more information becomes available, HarlemGal Inc. will pass the information along. And of course, if you know of places that are open today, August 28, please share the information here for other locals to learn about.

Have a great day in Harlem.

UPDATE: The owners of Kidberry and Land Yoga say they will be open tomorrow, August 29!

What have you eaten at Cedric French Bistro and Bar in Harlem?

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Cedric French Bistro and Bar in Harlem turns one week old today and so far the feedback has been positive – at least online from what I have seen. Have you been to Cedric Bistro located at 119th Street and St. Nicholas Ave? If so, tell us what you had for dinner or lunch!

I went with four women this past Thursday and we had a nice time. We ordered a bottle of red wine and started with the Thai mussels with ginger and lemon grass. For our main course, we had grilled salmon, organic roasted chicken, pan seared duck breast, another order of mussels and had plenty of bread and fries to nimble on. We did not have dessert because we were actually full from the main dishes. All these dishes were very good and recommended, service met and, at times exceeded, our expectation and the ambiance was classy.

After we were finished with dinner, we talked about the state of Cedric Bistro among other fabulous dining places in Harlem, such as Red Rooster, Lido Harlem, Settepani, 5 and Diamond, etc., and we all mutually agreed Cedric Bistro deserves a thumbs up. It will do well in Harlem and from our experience on dining there on day four of opening-Cedric French Bistro and Bar is here to stay! Go and experience the place for yourself and tell us what you think!

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Harlem happy hours happening everywhere: Chocolat, Lido Harlem & Milk Burger

It is hump day and you’re not sure where to go for happy hour in Harlem. Here are a few choices for your consideration and recommended in order!

Those of you who know me on Facebook are a witness to my many execursions to Lido Harlem. I am always there and have more reasons to be there now given their happy hour specials. I recently learned from Susannah that from 5:30 – 7:30 every day, seven days a week, Lido Harlem is offering 1/2 price beer & wine, $5 well drinks and $5 Lido specialty cocktails. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights Lido is now offering a late night happy hour starting at 10 p.m. to close. I believe they are offering a late night menu as well! If Lido’s happy hour is anything like their food, it will be consistently good.

Chocolat has the best schedule for happy hour in my view. It starts at 5 p.m. and lasts until 8 p.m. If you can’t make a happy hour that ends at 7:30 rush on over to Chocolat on Frederick Douglass Blvd and 120th. They offer a selection of flavored martinis for $5 and small plates ranging from $5 to $8. I have had all the small plates and they were all quite good.

And last, the much talked about burger joint in East Harlem has a happy hour. If you want to be one of the first to check out Milk Burger’s happy hour, head on over soon and early or on your day off. They start at 3 p.m. Yuck. Clearly, they want people to drink early. I hope they change that time. It’s hard enough to make it to happy hour at 5 p.m. I recommend this place (see details below) because it is on the rise and experience it now while it is still relatively a new place in East Harlem.

Have a great time at happy hour. See you around in Harlem!

Weekend Harlem Must Dos, Lido sidewalk cafe, Urban Garden Center sale and Marcus & Macy’s

There are three Harlem must dos I am recommending for this weekend. Try them out and let me know what you think!

On Friday, July 29, swing by Lido Italian Restaurant and Bar. Their sidewalk seating is in full swing. They have plenty of tables outside for Harlemites to sit and dine on. While you’re there, check out some of their summer cocktails. Here are three to consider!

20110729-124324.jpgTry Serena’s Sangria. It is made with a white wine base, passion fruit, sliced plums, and Spanish brandy. It’s hard to drink just one. Try the pitcher for $25.

Next, Lido Lemonade with lemon juice, vodka, and Licor 43 infused with thyme. The glass is garnished with a sprig of thyme.And if you need a carbonated fix, try Fiore Spumante (Italian for Sparkling Flower). It’s gin and St Germaine with champagne and a raspberry to garnish.  Also, Lido is now open Mondays and offering
$14 prix fix lunch with free wifi and complimentary iced coffee or tea!

On Saturday, July 31, head on over to Urban Garden Center in Spanish Harlem. They have a sale! They are offering 30 percent off on all in stock inventory. It ends on July 31 so drop by 116th and Park Avenue, take advantage of the sale and say hi to Dimitri, chief designer at Urban Garden Center!

And on July 31, spend Sunday afternoon with Marcus Samuelsson and the Macy’s Food Truck. Macy’s Food Truck is parking itself on 126th Street and Riverside Drive with our fellow Harlemite during Harlem Week. From noon to 4:00 p.m., Red Rooster Harlem owner and Chef Marcus Samuelsson will be on board cooking and serving catfish sandwiches with fried caper slaw and sweet potato fries!

There ya have it! Weekend Harlem must dos!

Come to Land Yoga Harlem Grand Opening Celebration, discounts to be offered

Land Yoga in Harlem at 2110 Frederick Douglass Blvd has been open for about a month and like most new businesses in Harlem, it hasn’t had a slow day since. Their schedule is in full swing, students are showing up in large numbers in LED classes and specialty teachers are in place, such as a health and wellness counselor. With these building blocks in place, it is now time to celebrate with a grand opening celebration. Land Yoga Harlem invites you to their grand opening this Saturday, July 23 from 4-7:00 pm. Lots of cool stuff are planned. Here is the lowdown:

  • There will be yoga demonstrators doing yoga in front of the building!
  • Packets of material will be available that includes schedule, regular and one day only party rates, and information on wellness practitioners: Ed Genece, Serena Dawn, and Candice Taylor!
  • All retail will be 10% during the party!
  • Free reiki or wellness treatments and henna will be offered!
  • The yoga room will be decorated in a moody world theme with flowers and candles by Franz James Floral and accented with music design by DJ David Chang.
  • There will be a sampling of all natural, no cal sokenbicha tea by Anita Bryant.
  • Food and Drink will be provided by 5 and Diamond, 67 Orange, bier international, Harlem Tavern, Lido Italian Restaurant and Bar, Nectar, Red Rooster Harlem, Society, and Zoma.
  • Land Yoga will announce one day discounts, which can be added to any existing package.
  • A PERKS program will be launched, which will offer gift cards from bier international, Lido, and Society for 3, 6, and 12 month Land memberships. 3, 6, and 12 month members also get in-house perks such as 5%, 10%, and 20% off wellness services and retail discounts too!
  • Also, Land Yoga will introduce a Friday night interactive workshop series, a workshop on Mindful Eating hosted by wellness guru Candice Taylor and based off the book Savor, which is sold at Land Yoga.
  • Special guests include the local Daily Troop. They will be in attendance in uniform. Land Yoga is a site sponsor for the local Daisy troop.
  • And most importantly, Land Yoga will be raising money for a local food bank.

So a lot is happening for Land Yoga’s celebration. Come out Saturday afternoon and have some fun with us. I will be there as well as some of my fellow yoga classmates! Hope to see you there!

Lido Harlem joining sidewalk seating club soon?

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Back in May, I told you about how Lido Italian Restaurant and Bar was petitioning Community Board 10 to receive approval for sidewalk seating. It appears they have received the green light based on these photos! Walking by the Harlem establishment, located on the southeast corner of Frederick Douglass Blvd and 117th, last night there was white metal fences on display perfectly lined up outside the Italian eatery. The way the fences were placed it’s an obvious signal that Lido Harlem are joining the sidewalk seating club very soon, which includes bier international, 5 and Diamond, Harlem Tavern, Les Ambassades Red Rooster Harlem, Settepani, Nectar, Chez Lucienne and more! Maybe they will open the sidewalk seating to patrons this weekend?

This is good news. Harlemites have another place to hang while dining that offers outdoor seating! Congrats to Susannah, her business partner, chef and their entire team! Way to go!

Next time I stop by Lido Harlem for dinner, this chica wants the seat right outside on the sidewalk. Can’t wait!

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Petition signing for Lido Harlem sidewalk seating

May 24, 2011 @ 8:57
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By HarlemGal
We were at Lido Italian Restaurant and Bar a few days ago enjoying their Happy Hour along with some crostino. While there we were approached about signing a petition for Lido Harlem on Frederick Douglass Blvd to receive approval from Community Board 10 on sidewalk seating. Apparently during the last community board meeting Lido’s request for sidewalk seating did not make the agenda in time so they were not able to participate in the discussion or get approval. That’s the lowdown we heard. If anyone has any other information, please chime in.

Either way, we signed the petition. Our thoughts were why not have one more place with outdoor/sidewalk seating on Frederick Douglass Blvd.

If you’re interested in signing the petition, go by Lido located at 2168 Frederick Douglass Blvd. Also, while you’re there don’t hesitate to try their Happy Hour along with crostino. Try Salt Cod, Potato, Lemon or Rock Shrimp and Sea Salt. It’s delicious. Plus wine and beer are half off and Happy Hour lasts until 7:30 pm! Sign, eat and drink away!

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Lunch time at Harlem’s bier international and Lido Italian Restaurant and Bar

Apr 15, 2011 @ 10:30
By HarlemGal
We received friendly word from owners that it is now lunch time at bier international and Lido Italian Restaurant and Bar in Harlem. Both establishments, located on Frederick Douglass Blvd, started offering lunch this past week.

Bier international started serving lunch on April 12 that includes items such as, Moroccan Chicken Salad, Southwestern Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad and Salad Nicoise.

Lunch at Lido is offered Tuesday through Friday from 11:30 AM to 4 PM. Their menu includes a wide variety of Italian dishes.

Finding a place to lunch in Harlem during the week should be no problem at all! We now have to more options to choose from.

Have a great weekend!