Le Toukouleur

This place is dreadfully slow The food is okay sometimes but Geezus it shouldn’t take this long.

Great place! Delicious food and great service!

I have been waiting over an hour for an order I placed on
and I’ve called to confirm that the order was en route… and still nothing.
If you decide to call, you must wait for the person answering the phone to finish their conversation with whomever is in the room before they actually address you. Then they will rush you off the phone to get back to their conversation. And yet… my food is still. not. here.
I so hope it’s worth it.

I really wanted to like this neighborhood place more than I did. The brunch menu is short and basic– think french toast, multiple incarnations of eggs benedict, and a few sandwiches. The restaurant was empty when we got there yet they were out of a couple key menu items– including smoked salmon and the turkey sausage. We got our food quickly and had nothing to complain about but also nothing to sing about.
Decided to give Toukouleur a try for dinner because the the menu seemed more interesting and extensive. We split a bottle of white and ordered mussels, vegetable ragout, and seafood bouillabaisse. The ragout was meh, the mussels had a tasty curry flavor to the broth, and the bouillabaisse was a rich cornucopia of the sea. However, the main complaint for the mussels and bouillabaisse alike was too much salt! To me it masked some of the good flavors they had going on in the dishes, but maybe it’s to other peoples’ taste.
Service was attentive, if not extremely personable. When we asked for some bread to soak up the bouillabaisse broth we got toasted slices of baguette with crushed garlic and oil on top, a yummy surprise.

worst experience i’ve ever had at a restaurant.
over an hour for appetizers, over two hours for entrees.
the waiter appeared to be making circles around our table as he repeatedly check on everyone else over the more-​than 2 hour period we were there. there were people at 4 other tables– all of whom complained (and got free wine and salads– which didn’t really make up for the terrible service), and one of which actually left before eating because they couldn’t wait any longer.
and then the food wasn’t even worth the wait. beef stew was all tomato paste, stuffed fish was burnt, duck was chewy. the salmon wasn’t bad but wasn’t as described in the menu (probably because at that point, they just wanted to throw together whatever they could and end what had been a horrible night for both patrons and employees).
also, how come the waiter, hostess, and random-​other-​guy weren’t helping the lone chef in the kitchen instead of having a glass of wine and playing with their cell phones?
i like supporting places in my hood, but from now on it’s sud and do or dine.

I got a
gift certificate but I was actually very excited about the menu. We got there and it’s above space unfortunately it was freezing, I had to keep my coat on and so did a few other people. Service was great though– they were very nice and food came out hot and in timely manner. The hubby had the tiboudjeun/​fish dish and absolutely loved and devoured it. I had the grilled lamb and it just didn’t taste right to me. I couldn’t place my finger on it. I also didn’t like the cut of lamb I got, it was super thin, a tad bland and mostly bone. I tried the hubby’s dish and I thought it was good but I have had better. All in all, will give them another go, but it was just ok for me.

I got take out and it was… okay.
The ratatouille had far more rice than was necessary (probably 4 servings worth, seriously) and far too few vegetables, though it tasted okay. The calamari appetizer was tiny for the price – 8 pieces, maybe? The plantain salad was pretty meh. Nothing was great or something that I would want to eat again.

Lovely staff, great service, and delicious food! The music and décor sets the mood for a flavorful meal. Definitely a hidden gem in Brooklyn.

Took my friend here for her bday and we had a great time. We order the Fish and the Steak and we loved it. The portion were big and the flavors were very unique. As a starter we had the shrimps with Avocado and tasted delicious. The waitress took really good care of us and make sure to take her time to explain everything. The chef even came by the table and asked us how we liked it the food. The only reason i m taking one star off is that the decoration was not classic at all and had a cheap feel to it. I will definitely be back for the food!

Went in for lunch on a weekday. Price was amazing for the amount of food. At $ 8.99, I did not expect a full plate, let alone enough food to last 3 meals! I got the Mafe and added chicken, and my sister got the Curry. This was originally lamb, but she was able to substitute chicken without a problem.
Service was very attentive and the waitress was extremely helpful in making food and drink recommendations. Overall this seems like a well-​run, welcoming family business. I’d definitely recommend it, and will be back for dinner!

I was very excited to see this restaurant re-​open after what seemed like a 1 or 2 year hiatus. I was very excited to try their brunch after I had gotten a brunch menu from a waiter while walking my dog. The next several attempts at brunching there turned into a group of my out-​of-​neighborhood friends and I meeting outside and looking for another place as Toukouleur wasn’t actually open for brunch. It was a bummer and I would definitely suggest that a business offer what they advertise, but when I finally got to go with some friends for dinner we were very pleased.
The meals took a very long time to come out, but we were prepared for it as we had read some other reviews, but just as the others had promised it was definitely worth the wait. We were the most pleased with the fish dishes, the whole fish is highly recommended. The ambiance wasn’t as cute or well thought out as I think they could achieve, but it was a nice, clean, relaxing spot to have dinner with friends.

I bought a deal here and took my fiancé and mother. It was a great evening — very chill place with good music and comfortable couches. We all enjoyed our food a lot! I had the Tjeboujeun (I think?), which was a really delicious broiled fish with a spiced tomato sauce. The vegetables were tasty because of the sauce but a bid flabby and flaccid from a long cooking. The rice was excellent. My fiancé had the mussels, which were DELICIOUS (the only reason I didn’t get them was that he did and I hate ordering the same thing). My mom really enjoyed her Mafe (beef stew with peanut butter). We shared the zonzon appetizer, a shrimp and avocado item. I loved the homemade chips and chunks of avocado. For dessert we split the crème caramel, which was very rich and drizzled with excellent caramel sauce. Our server was fun and as attentive as she could have been, considering that she was the only waitress. Two other people stopped by to ask us how we were enjoying our evening. Our waitress even made coffee for just us! My only quibbles were that the food was a bit slow (we were catching up so it was fine for us), my vegetables were way over-​cooked, and the coffee — admittedly made just for us — was unexpectedly pricey.
But what makes up for those minor issues is that they gave us a card for a 25% discount on certain nights! I hope this place fills up – it brings some very interesting flavors to the Bedford dining row. We’ll be back for us!

This is a cute little neighborhood restaurant/​date spot. I have some sort of affinity with restaurants that have couches in it. I guess it makes me feel more like I am at home. The open kitchen is also a positive note.
We ordered mussels, Mafe beef, and the Yassa fish. The food was well prepared and was seasoned to perfection. The waiter brought each dish at the right time. We did not feel rushed, and we had enough time to enjoy each dish.

My husband and I came here on a Saturday night with a Groupon. Everyone was friendly and the food was delicious. We felt personally taken care of. The waiter recommended some dishes to us, and checked back eagerly to see if we liked them. It’s a friendly and a good value and the street it’s on has a lot of interesting new places on it. Highly recommended

First off I bought a groupon for this place. It said the location is on 1116 bedford ave but its really on 160 Quincy st lol. When we got there the place was empty it was a little after 5pm. The waiter seated us, party of two reservations for 5pm, I don’t know why we had to make reservations for a empty place lol. Okay so service– the waiter was nice, talkative, I guess he was bored. Now we have another couple coming in full house lol. So for apps we ordered the beef patties, very delicious! We had two small glasses of wine okay so we ordered our dinner I ordered the TK steak and my girlfriend ordered the stuffed chicken. So my food came out first the other couple one of their foods came out so they mixed our order up, two plates came out one for each party BIG mistake I hate cold food and my baby hates eating without me so I had to wait until they bought her food out; it was only right! Eventually it did, and the food was relatively great for the wait! They gave us a complimentary appetizer and a glass of juice with their apologies. So my ratings I would rate it 3.5 stars only because of the wait their food was 3stars service 2stars and 4stars for the accessible bathroom. With a little better management and marketing this place could be a hit considering the location.

4.5 stars. Delicious food. Had the mussels appetizer (ZonZon) & lamb entrée with plantains & couscous (Senegalese Dibi). Lovely girlfriend had the rabbit. Portion size was generous. Food took a while but was worth the wait. Nice atmosphere with sofas as some of seating & solid music plus open kitchen. Used the Groupon deal. Best Groupon we’ve had to date.

I’ve been here twice since Le Toukouleur re-​opened. And having been a patron at the original several years ago, I’m happy to know a solid, neighborhood spot is back.
The first time I went for dinner with my boyfriend. It was a Friday night, and the place was packed. Many people, like ourselves, seemed to have the Group On dinner deal. The service was painstakingly slow and the single waitress truly seemed overwhelmed and stressed.
With that said, the food was delicious! We had the mussels for an appetizer. My goodness, those mussels were some of the best I’ve had. I seriously wanted to drink up the broth like a soup, but I made do with some sturdy mussel shells.
For my main course I had the braised stuffed fish on a bed of vegetables and rice. First let me say, both my dish and my boyfriend’s were served kinda warm. Definitely not hot. The fish was still very tasty, but I couldn’t help acknowledge that it would have been all the more delicious it it hadn’t been sitting out for a while before being served. My boyfriend had the steak. I sampled his dish and while tasty, it was noticeably warm.
My boyfriend and I returned to Le Touk with another Group On, this time for brunch. I had the poached salmon with home fries and salad. Delicious! The salmon was perfect, the homefries were nice and spicy– I truly appreciated the boldness the chef took by making the fries kinda hot, but still very well-​flavored. My boyfriend had the steak sandwich– had a bite, very tasty.
This time around we had great, personable service. Though of course, we were also one of few patron’s on the Saturday late morning we were there.
I will be back to Le Touk, but I will also give it some time to work out some kinks.

I think this place has a lot of potential but quite a way to go…
The restaurant itself is cute… small… charming. I like the open kitchen a lot and the friendly staff.
After we ordered, it took about 50 minutes for our appetizers to come… and they werent particularly complicated ones (muscles and fries) plus when our fries came, the owner (i think?) came by the table to ask how everything was… we mentioned we were missing the sauces for the fries and she insisted there were no sauces for the fries… but we all looked at each other and knew we had read about the sauces… because thats what really got us to want the dish. She looked at us like we were delusional and then the waitress came up behind her and said «here are your sauces for the fries!». The owner then responded «the fries come with sauces?»
Okay, I know you are the owner and not the head chef, but you would think she would have a better handle on what was on her menu? Its not like it was a special…
So anyhow, after that it took a little under and hour before our entrees came out. One of which the waitress accidentally ordered incorrectly… but they rushed the right order so I have no issue with that… Its a new restaurant and still needs to get its act together.
After dinner, the waitress came to take the plates away… at which a utensil was dropped on the floor… she then (rather than pick it up) progressed to kicking the utensil across the floor all the way back to the kitchen… making screechy noises all the way ‘home’. Uhm… kinda dirty and kind of weird?
But the food was pretty good… the portions are kind of smaller than what I would have expected… especially the lamb… it was like 4 scrawny little cuts… kind of sad… sad… but the beef short ribs were amazing. And so was the branzino.
So I think I’ll be back… maybe a few months down the line. Hopefully they will have more of their act together by then. Im definitely keeping high hopes for this place.

I’ve been here twice since they re-​opened and each time was a hit. The lamb is so good!!! Great addition to the neighborhood (and SO close to my apartment too!)

This place is under new management. The serve French African Fusion. I had the Leg of lamb with couscous, it was amazing! Highly recommended