Chef Luis

Great experience here! Staff was friendly and accommodating ! Food was tasty only complaint I would have is that the portions are fairly small! Other than that I would recommend! Food is very tasty, fresh and the interior is very nice and clean.

I had a great experience here and was treated to the meal by the owner. The staff is friendly and very helpful. Their signature Calamari appetizer was wonderful, large portion with delicious marinara sauce. Desert was good as well. Definitely A+ in my book.

I love Chef Luis’. I truly love his bacon wrapped scallops, but everything is always delicious. My friends loved their meal here too.

Chef Luis has been a staple in New Canaan for many years now. The restaurant is consistent and they have a really nice bar with sports playing and a lively crowd. The tacos are authentic and delicious they also serve more American fare which is delicious. They offer many gluten free options!

Chef Luis is a real human being. Hard working and dedicated to his craft. We’ve been going there since he opened and we have ever been disappointed. Great service and delicious food.

My boyfriend and I went there on a whim and had an awful experience. The waitstaff (we sat at the bar) was slow and inattentive. Everyone was constantly trying to get their attention. We had flys buzzing around us the whole time which didn’t help the situation. The tacos are TINY. Paying $ 5-​$ 7 per taco as their «bar special» is an absolute rip off. We were overcharged by $ 17 on our bill, so read that carefully too. Will never go back.

We’ve been coming here for a long time and this restaurant has definitely had its ups and downs. I would say that this restaurant is definitely more reasonable than it used to be – it was absolutely packed. Good selection of wines. Great olive oils and herb dip for their bread. By far the best things on the menu are the picadilla salad, pork tacos and churrasco steak.

Great restaurant. Something for everyone. Calamari perfect — I hate heavy batter and these were light with a nice spicy sauce. Halibut cooked perfect. Many dishes have a nice spicy note so if you are not into spicy let them know.

Not cheap but very tasty, especially the Tacos. Great service, friendly and efficient

Food is usually good but WAY OVERPRICED for what you get. Just recently visited a few days ago and ordered the Pan seared scallop dinner. $ 28 got me 5 scallops, and they were all medium to small size.
I get this is New Canaan but my money is better spent at Cava. At least you can leave there full.

Somewhat overpriced for the quality of the food, even allowing for the fact that this is New Canaan. Our party found the service during the meal, however, to be attentive. We made reservations for six and they had us down for a party of two which could have been a disaster. Fortunately our reservation was a little earlier than peak dinner time and they were able to accommodate us.

Service is horrible. Nice menu but it’s hit or miss on when you will get your food. Their takeout business is awful. They lose your order & clueless.

Excellent — we are going back with the hubbies this weekend. One of the best steaks I’ve ever had! Very cordial service, even a bottle of wine on the house when the owner learned it was my birthday!

We visited Chef Luis for lunch today and had an excellent experience. We didn’t have to wait for anything; bread and water came quickly. My water glass was refilled many times without having to ask. My steak frites with truffle fries was outstanding and my guest reported that her chicken was fantastic. Our server was very attentive and we found all of the staff to be friendly. We will be returning! It was quite the busy place for a Wednesday lunch in January.

Bar none, one of the worst dining experiences ever. An extremely un-​engaged staff, that wander aimlessly around. Had to ask three times for bread. The waitress finally came and took my empty glass, but never asked me if I would like a refill. We waited almost an hour for an arugala salad and caeser salad, while everyone around us (who came in after) was served and finished with their meals. One of the salads still came out wrong. I finally got up and complained to the hostess, where nothing was done. Not even an apology. It was absolutely horrendous.
And, the kicker is that it wasn’t even busy. Truthfully, I have given them many chances, and they are ALWAYS on the slow side. This time I felt they were very cavalier and kind of disrespectful. I will never go back. So sad really.

Hot or Cold.
I am a huge fan of Chef Luis the person. His warm manner and character gives the establishment it’s warmth. Without him– this place would have shut down years ago. Depending on the night, server, if food was delivered on time, etc– could all factor in your experience. I have had instances where the food was amazing and memorable (some of the best Calamari I have ever had) and other times when Luis himself has come out and apologized, comped the meal and poured free alcohol afterwards (and we later find out fired a cook that night as well).
I want to give Chef Luis 5 stars. At times he has thoroughly earned it. However, because of the Russian roulette style of eating — I can not justify anything higher than a generous 3 stars.
Train a service staff that doesn’t seem bothered by the fact that they are wait staff, a kitchen that is consistent, and create a board with your meals and cross them off when they are sold out as opposed to subbing in lower quality food that takes a regular to say «this is not the quality you’re capable of» for them to stop serving it.

Long story short: very bad service, inattentive wait staff, small portions, brought the wrong food out for one of us and brought another one of us something that we had specifically mentioned she was allergic to.
It took an absurd amount of time to get our food and when they brought the wrong entrée out for me, they didn’t bring the correct entrée out until well after everyone else in our party had finished eating.
And come on, if someone says they are very allergic to something you’d think that the people working there would make some effort to avoid to using that ingredient. I mean, they said they would, we had a whole conversation about it when we ordered, but then again we also wouldn’t have expected them to bring the wrong food out for one of us.
They comped us a free dessert, but I don’t think that was enough to make up for the poor service and, frankly, sub-​par food.
There was a time when this place was great but these days it has gone downhill quickly. Definitely won’t be dining here again and if you have allergies to any type of food I would strongly suggest staying away.

How is it possible that this place is getting 3 stars?
It is without a doubt the best food in New Canaan (and I am a huge fan of Thali, Chings and Bistro).

I cannot understand how this place can be given a one star review. I’ve been going here for years, and can honestly say I have yet to find a better chicken/​cheese quesadilla elsewhere. They are unbelievable here. Their salads are also great (I’ve tried three different ones: Luis, Bonnie and Sheila, and Picadilla). Before I had to be gluten free, I used to get the salmon dish with the teriyaki glaze– definitely cannot go wrong with this. More recently, they actually brought out gluten free bread for me (the first restaurant to do this!). Definitely has to be one of my favorite places in New Canaan!

I ate at Chef Luis for dinner and became violently ill within 2 hours of my meal. Spent the entire evening sick as a dog with the classic symptoms of staphylococcal food poisoning.
I will never, ever go back to this restaurant again.