Lena

Excellent charcuterie. It was just enough for the five of us to each have a little appetizer. The cheeses were exceptional, The only criticism is that there could have been a little more salami — we had to fight over the small amount. The red pepper bisque soup was very good I then had the crab cakes which were great – mostly crab meat and well seasoned. My wife had the paella and loved it. Others had the guacamole and said it was good
Worth a visit when you are in Ann Arbor

I’ve only been to Lena once, for Sunday brunch, and let me tell you, it was amazing and I am coming back. The thing that bothered me was that almost nobody was there for brunch, it was so empty, we thought it was closed. But we chose to go here because we did not have time to wait in line at Afternoon Delight or the other brunch places that are super popular and okay I suppose. I knew about Lena and knew they served dinner and that it was expensive, but I didn’t know they made brunch. Basically… come here for brunch. They have creative dishes I’ve never eaten anywhere, and really good coffee. This place isn’t dirt cheap, but its not expensive either. Many upscale brunch places in Ann Arbor are the same price or more and honestly serve the typical breakfast stuff I’m not a fan of. I hate eggs and not a fan of bacon, so there goes half the menu at most places.
I got Cap’n Crunch Fried Chicken and Waffles. I basically got a more upscale version of Chicken and Waffles with salsa and syrup. It was really really good. My boyfriend got the Carribean Eggs Benedict, which he told me would make me want to eat eggs again. And we got Cuban coffee. The service was nice, it was quiet, and the food was unexpected and good. I don’t usually try new foods because my diet restrictions are kind of annoying, but I could eat here. The best part, its not expensive and the food isn’t made cheaply, and you feel like you’re eating dinner but its brunch.
I’m definitely trying lunch or dinner here on a weekday sometime.

Overpriced, mediocre Latin American food sums up Lena. Located in downtown Ann Arbor, it’s of course the buzz and the vibe that draws people in. I honestly cannot think of a better word to describe my experience after eating than «meh.»
I’ve sampled a variety of dishes here, including the queso, shrimp salad, tacos, and Cuban burger. I at least can remember the fixins’ of dishes after I eat them, but Lena’s dishes were so bland and unmemorable that I truly cannot. The prices are high for small amounts of this unmemorable food, so I likely will not be back.
The best part about Lena are the cheap, chocolate mint sticks they have in a bucket on the counter when you leave. Grab a handful — At least those make you feel like you’re making up for the exorbitantly priced food.

Lena was very average. This place looks really cool and hipster but the food does not of it justice. Of course the location is amazing, but the food is far from that. I wish I had a better experience at Lena but I am not sure I would go back.

Stopped by to check the brunch menu and it seemed very interesting. We decided to eat here and we’re very satisfied with the quality of the food and on top of that the service was excellent.

This place looks so cool. With its big ol’ sign and central location, Lena was one of the first places I noticed when I strolled down main street for the first time in Ann Arbor.
However, as with people, it is what is inside that counts. Sadly, Lena disappoints.
The service is very sub-​par. I came with a party of 12 and we were the only ones in the restaurant. Our drinks came midway through our meal, and our waiter was MIA for most of the experience. Other people I have talked to have had war stories regarding the service here as well.
Food is over priced and funky. The best way I can describe it is that they took the basics of Latin American cuisine, added a bunch of unnecessary ingredients to make it sound interesting, and then dish it out in a chaotic manner.
Everything I tasted was off and was not a pleasurable experience.
+1 star of a good choice of happy hour appetizers for $ 5. If you have a large group for happy hour, Lena will be a decent place to go to because you can order a bunch of apps for the table. Also, the restaurant will probably be empty, so you can easily get seated.

Lena screams promise with its stylish décor and nice outdoor seating, but unfortunately it heavily disappoints when it comes to the actual food. Two of us split the fish tacos and the fish special of the day, which was grilled shrimp served with dirty rice and a refreshing salad of greens and watermelon. The fish tacos were dry, bland, and definitely not worth $ 16. The shrimp dish was tasty but did not blow me away. The mojito flight, on the other hand, was pretty good. The sweet hot mojito, made with jalapenos, was shockingly spicy! The chocolate tres leches cake was a nice spin on the traditional tres leches cake and was decadent. I would come back, but probably only for drinks and apps.

I had a chance to read the reviews of this place before writing mine, it seems as though the service and high prices make this place less desirable than other places in Ann Arbor. I have to say I did not have that experience here.
Located on main st in Ann Arbor makes this place difficult to get to if you’re not walking. Find a parking garage and take the hit, free parking doesn’t exist close by.
They are a Cuban restaurant and look to have some good Cuban dishes. I opted to go for a Cuban sandwich. The sandwich I will agree is a bit steep $ 14 I believe. But the portion was absolutely massive. One side of the sandwich could feed a normal human. My appetite, however, was not normal that day. I was able to finish off the sandwich and half pound of fries they put out but felt awful afterwards. The fries were perfectly cooked and salted. The bread on the sandwich was grilled and pressed for a crunch on the outside but soft on the inside. Just the way I like it. The ham inside was lunch meat. But the pork shoulder was tasty and tender. I would get it again.
Our waiter seemed new as he was nervous and stuttered over the specials. He however was very attentive and made sure that our drinks were always filled. It was a busy time on a Thursday night as well. So maybe they are stepping up their game. Who knows.
Overall: not bad for the competition it has on main st. Plus it has café habana downstairs. What’s not to love?

Came to Lena for my bday a couple of weeks ago and have to say was sorely disappointed. The place was empty when we walked in (should have been the first clue). We started with the guacamole, which was good except it was cold… kind of like it had been sitting in the fridge… and not made fresh. Which I found quite odd since making guacamole is neither difficult nor time consuming.
Fast forward to my steak for dinner which was actually decent. My sister, however, got the shrimp salad and it was downright disgusting. No flavor, and the greens were definitely not fresh. She barely even ate half of it. My son got the kids chicken tenders and they were the worst chicken tenders I have ever tasted. The chicken was so tasteless that I didn’t even put up a fuss about him not eating his dinner because it was basically inedible.
After all this I was excited to get the donuts for dessert, but again I felt disappointed. Other than the crispy sugary outside, the donuts themselves were tasteless! I was shocked. How can anything fried be bad?
Needless to say, checked it off the list, won’t be back.

Very tasty entrees. Sampled the Beef Churrasco, braised Short Ribs and Brisket tacos. All were very good. Sort ribs were accompanied by an excellent creamy polenta and perfectly cooked Brussels Sprouts.
Both the Flan and seasonal donuts were excellent and very fresh.

Had an early dinner here recently with a friend. Absolutely LOVED the mojito flight. All were tasty and well-​mixed. My favorite was the sweet/​hot. The jalepeno flavor was good with just enough bite to make it fun.
We ordered two appetizers, the baked goat cheese and the plantain tostones. Both were very delicious. My only complaint would be that the baked goat cheese deserved to have a fresh, homemade chips with it, rather than the «grocery store» variety.
We ordered Pimentos Rellanos and Fish Tacos for entrees. Again, both were absolutely delicious! Rellanos were a bit on the small side. Most of the time a restaurant serves peppers so large you can’t finish them, but these were on the meager side. If you’re hungry, I would recommend ordering something a bit hardier.
Our server was friendly, efficient, and knowledgeable. She recommended the flight, and she was spot on!
Casual atmosphere, nearby parking, convenient location for a downtown stroll, or on the way to or from a downtown event. We will definitely be back.

I loved the braised short ribs. Everything about the dish was right on. They were tender and the portion was good.
Went here on a weekday at like 5:30 and it was almost empty. Good attention from the servers. The manager was walking around and asked us how everything was. He took a very odd request for tartar sauce and the kitchen came up with something that worked.
The seating was really interesting. I sat in one of the booths, I felt like I was in a bubble or a nest. My inner chimp wanted a better view of the other patrons.
Will return when the time is right.

My experience here was probably one of the worst I’ve had in a while.
We arrived for brunch at about 1 pm and the hostess informed us that it would be twenty minutes before we would be seated. We were a bit confused as there were 4 tables open at the time. We ended up waiting for an hour before we were seated in one of the original four tables that were open and had remained open until we were seated. We had already decided what we were all eating, we had plenty of time to read the menu in the hour while waiting to be seated. Our drinks took about 35 minutes to come out and it was about an hour before our meals came. Two of our 5 meals had been messed up (they got our eggs wrong and neglected a special request because of an allergy). Twice we actually asked one of the employees what the deal was, all of whom seemed to be confused more than anything else. There were three hostesses at the entrance who didn’t seem to do anything the entire time. It was extremely frustrating.
The décor and ambiance was pleasant, they have a large speaker instillation that works well to disperse sound and looks contemporary.
The food was above average, but not nearly what i expected from the price. My agua fresca, which was supposed to be pressed watermelon and basil turned out to just be ice water with two watermelon chunks in it along with two basil leaves. Not really something you’d feel great paying four dollars for. The portions of my ceviche were puny and the plantains seemed like they had been cooked a day or two previous to us dining there.
The only reason I give this place two stars instead of one is that they felt bad for the poor service and ended up comping our bill from 110 dollars down to 26 dollars. We all felt that was totally fair, though would have just preferred service that was a bit faster and considerate. I probably won’t be dining at this restaurant again of my own choice.

I was in town visiting daughter. Our server was top rate– very insightful and thoughtful. Made great suggestions. The appetizers came out and were great. However, when it came to the main courses, the wait was long. Our server was very very frustrated, it seemed like management and the kitchen were slow and making many
Mistakes. After apologizing, our food came out but some of the items were wrong and had to be remade. He (the server) was great, and corrected
the end, the bill was discounted about 12 percent plus a free dessert– a very professional and nice touch. I would still go back, but because of the wait it was a notch below. The food remained outstanding.

A good, but average experience. Our service was wonderful and the décor and ambiance is very cool.
The food was pretty average but good. I felt that their menu was a bit small– I wish it would’ve had more options. We ordered chips and guac and chips and goat cheese dip for the appetizer, and I ordered beef brisket tacos for my entrée. I’d recommend these, but ask for both sauces as they’re a bit bland without the extra flavor! My friends thought the fish tacos were also pretty good. Additionally, two ordered the Brussel sprouts and felt they were spicy but tasty. The portions of all of our dinners were very generous and the presentation was great.
The drinks fell flat for most of us. Most felt that they were almost watered down and the flavors weren’t anything special.
I’d recommend this restaurant for their service, ambiance, and a decent meal. It wouldn’t be the first place on Main Street Id go to, but it’s a solid option.

Review solely based on the $ 5 Happy Hour Special
My friend and I came in to try Lena’s Happy Hour and decided to go all out.
First, we ordered their Guacamole which was definitely fresh and was served with seasoned, warmed corn chips (reminded me of Dorito’s Cool Ranch). The seasoning on them was amazing and addicting enough to eat without the guacamole. Portions-​wise, the guacamole was rather on the stingier side; they provided a large amount of chips that could probably have equated to two orders of the guac.
Next, we had the Beef Brisket Tacos which came as two tacos and relatively well-​portioned. While they come with a choice creamy verde or spicy rojo sauce our waitress recommended getting both which was an excellent idea. We also had the Pulled Pork Tacos, but they were essentially the the beef.
The Cuban Sliders, which came in an order of three, were Lena’s take on the Cubanos and were my personal favorite.
Their Beef Sliders were rather disappointing; the beef was very dry and the aioli and salsa did little to compensate for it.
Lastly, my friend and I ordered the Signature Margarita and Sangria which were exceptionally outstanding. The margarita was definitely better than Tios.
Overall, for $ 35, we ordered way too much but the portions and quality were well worth the price. Service was also excellent, our waitress was kind and professional in all manners.

Fusion describes both the cuisine and the décor of this lovely restaurant. At Lena, you can find the flavors of Latin America well-​integrated with those of other cuisines. On the décor side, the mid-​century aesthetic mingles nicely with the industrial look. I love the cozy booths with the small window cut-​outs; the fireplace at the entrance; the pendant lighting over the banquette seating, and the multitude of windows.
I found the food to be interesting:
The slightly spicy plantain appetizer was creative: twice-​fried, thin slices of plantains (about the size and color of a Ritz cracker) were topped with tomato salsa, a mellow, creamy queso, and a verde sauce. The guacamole that a neighboring table ordered looked creamy and delicious.
For the main course, I selected the braised short rib since it was listed as a «best entrée». The short rib, polenta and flash-​fried kale were incredibly delicious. Both complemented the hearty flavors of the beef in its natural sauce.
For dessert, I selected the cocoa fritters. It had a cake-​like crumb with a cinnamon-​sugar coating. Each was slightly larger than a doughnut hole and was served with an orange marmalade that was spiced with cloves and allspice. Despite the lovely sauce, overall, the dessert was just okay.
Service was outstanding. The server was knowledgeable, friendly and accommodating.

It’s a cozy place on a weekday night. It kind of reminded me of a mod version of Dracula’s cave (in a good way).
They were nice enough to my friend that waited for us alone for 30 minutes, allowing her to order a bunch of happy hour items for the rest of us late comers.
They had a special of spaghetti squash soup which was pretty good, though I found mysf more fascinated with the bowl it came in. My jerk chicken salad was amazing though. Seriously. I don’t know if I’ve had chicken that good in a salad before, let alone sans greens. Beautiful.
My friends say the apple cider sangria something was amazing too.
Our waiter was nice and attentive, though he assumed my guy friend and I were together. Oh the hilarity.
Highly recommend!

I think the majority of people are reviewing this place for dinner with the claim that it’s overpriced. GO FOR HAPPY HOUR.
One of the BEST happy hour menus I have ever seen (honestly)! They have a wide selection of food, all for $ 5. Sangrias, mojitos and margaritas are also only $ 5 and Lena definitely takes them one step up with basil salt and creative flavor infusions.
The sidewalk seating was amazing during summer but indoors has a wonderful ambiance as well. This place is definitely becoming a staple for a few friends because this happy hour menu is just too good!

Really amazing place. The atmosphere is perfect for a nice dinner, lighting is elegant and staff is very attentive and fast.
We started with the plantain appetizer and if you’ve never had plantains this is the time to try it. Such an exotic flavor, absolutely delicious. We were on the fence about ordering it but we would’ve love to have seconds, thirds, FOURTHS of it.
For dinner the three of us has the Cuban sandwich, the chicken adobo, and the turkey sandwich. The turkey I had without the bread and it was unbelievable; so flavorful, both sweet and tangy and rich. Can’t say much about the other entrees because I didn’t have them, but my friends enjoyed them as much as I did.
Huge portions, served with a side of tortilla chips that are clearly not from a bag.
Lastly, we had the «bombs» and flan for dessert. To be honest the bomb wasn’t anything special, just a cinnamon donut hole, but the flan was probably the best I’ve ever had.
Overall great experience and cant wait to come back and try more!