(keep reading to learn what happened)
Season: 3 | View All Season 3 Episodes
Original Episode Air Date: March 4, 2010
Lido di Manhattan Address: 1550 Rosecrans Ave Manhattan Beach, CA 90266

Episode Recap
Lido di Manhattan was a Manhattan, California restaurant featured on Season 3 of Kitchen Nightmares.
Though the Lido Kitchen Nightmares episode aired on March 4, 2010, the actual filming and visit from Gordon Ramsay took place much earlier in July 2009.
It was Kitchen Nightmares Season 3 Episode 5.
In this episode of Kitchen Nightmares Chef Gordon Ramsay takes us to Lido di Manhattan, in Manhattan Beach, California.
Soon after his arrival, we meet the owner, Lisa Hemmat, a 28 year old USC graduate, who purchased the restaurant when she was 23.
At first the restaurant was successful, but now the restaurant lays empty most nights and may not be open for much longer.
These troubles are why the Lido di Manhattan Kitchen Nightmares episode exists.
When Gordon Ramsay arrives he observes a full parking lot and wonders why the restaurant is struggling.
Gordon meets Lisa and is astounded at how young she is.
Lisa discloses to Gordon that she has not changed anything since she purchased the restaurant five years ago, not even the decor or the menu.
Gordon then sits down to order off the menu, he orders the baked eggplant roll, ahi tuna tower, and the chicken tortellini salad.
The eggplant roll arrives and Gordon instantly spits it out of his mouth on the first taste, claiming that the eggplant is microwaved but somehow still crunchy and raw.
The tuna tower arrives next and it’s really not much better.
Despite the restaurant claiming that the tuna is fresh, Gordon can tell that it was definitely frozen – he ain’t falling for that stuff.
Last to arrive is the tortellini pasta salad and Gordon is informed that it is not homemade.
Upon tasting it Gordon finds that it is rubbery.
Never one to beat around the bush, Gordon Ramsay then confronts the staff members and tells them that their food is horrible.
Beyond the horrible food, the restaurant’s bar manager is also Lisa’s romantic flame.
Damien, her boyfriend, was originally a server but was eventually promoted to bar manager, which obviously causes some drama and conflict.
Later that evening Gordon arrives for an evening dinner service and finds out that the computers they are using are very outdated and can’t keep up with the job, as they are over 30 years old, causing missed tickets and orders that are never made by the kitchen.
If and when the customers do get their food they aren’t too happy with it and immediately send it back with complaints.
Gordon then inspects the walk-in and freezer and finds out that the tuna he ate earlier was made days ago.
Gordon also finds an incredible amount of dust above the food cooking areas in the kitchen.
Gordon is so disgusted and concerned for the customers health and safety that he demands Lisa to shut down the kitchen and stop sending food out.
It does seem a bit contrived given that dust seems a lot less bad than what we’ve seen on other Kitchen Nightmares restaurants…but I guess Gordon just has high standards.
After the dust incident, an upset Lisa runs to the bathroom to cry and isn’t seen for the rest of the night.
Gordon then gives her an assignment of five major things to change within the restaurant.
Gordon then comes in to observe how the restaurant operates during a dinner rush, and Gordon informs Lisa that she did well in the kitchen that night, but warns her that her two chefs are lazy and may bring her down.
The chefs names are Luis and Arturo Martinez and both of them have worked at the restaurant for over 18 years.
That night Gordon and his team give the restaurant a makeover, opening up the restaurant by removing the dividing wall.
New seating was also added along with new china, curtains, and lighting.
Gordon rebranded the restaurant as a wine bar which will lead to a new type of clientele.
Gordon also has a new halo POS system installed and the staff samples the new menu designed by Gordon and they all love it.
The restaurants don’t have to pay for anything for the renovations, so it’s likely that the new POS came from a sponsor of the show.
The night of the relaunch, Lisa is in the front of the restaurant, as tickets are piling up quickly with customers waiting up to 30 minutes for their food.
Gordon observes that the kitchen is not communicating properly, and it takes an hour for the food to start leaving the kitchen, but it is sent back for various reasons.
After a chaotic night, they somehow managed to turn it around, and the relaunch night was a total success.
So was the Kitchen Nightmares Lido di Manhattan episode a success? Keep reading our update to learn what happened next and if this Manhattan, CA restaurant is still open in 2023 and beyond.
Lido di Manhattan Update - What Happened Next?
Now that we’ve recapped what happened on the Lido Kitchen Nightmares episode, let’s answer your most burning question.
But first – a small spoiler alert.
Of all the restaurants that have been on Kitchen Nightmares, I would say that Lido di Manhattan is one of, if not the, most succesful.
Given that introduction, you can probably guess the answer to the first question…
Is Lido still open after Kitchen Nightmares?
As of 2022 Lido di Manhattan is still open and serving customers.
What’s more, Lisa has expanded the services to include catering and private dining.
You can learn more on the Lido di Manhattan website.
It has a four star rating on Yelp, a 4.5 star rating on Google Reviews, and a four star rating on TripAdvisor.
Those are pretty good ratings, which suggests that customers generally like the restaurant.
Here’s an example of a recent Yelp review that was written after the Kitchen Nightmares Lido restaurant episode…
I’ve come here for a few work events and dinners and we love this spot! A close colleague of mine has become a regular here in part because the staff are extremely friendly, professional, and always take great care of us, which I can definitely attest to.
We usually opt for the spicy vodka pasta, which we’d highly recommend, but this time I switched it up and got the fresh crab & angel hair pasta and was NOT disappointed. We also ordered the tomato soup as a starter this time, and all agreed it was delicious!
What happened after the Lido Kitchen Nightmares episode?
After the Lido Kitchen Nightmares episode aired, Gordon went back and revisited the restaurant about a year later in the Revisited #5 episode from season 4, which aired in March 2011.
This is the same episode where he visited Le Bistro and Anna Vincenzo’s.
In the visit, we find out that Lido di Manhattan’s business is up by more than 20%.
What’s more, Lisa also fired Damien as the bar manager.
They also added some new dishes that were inspired by Gordon.
You can watch it in this YouTube video – the Lido revisit part happens around the 8:00 mark (though there’s a long recap before that):
Brennan Taylor visits Lido di Manhattan
If you want another view at what Lido di Manhattan is up to after Kitchen Nightmares, popular food YouTuber Brennen Taylor filmed a video where he visited the restaurant in 2019.
This video also includes an interview with Lisa, including some of her behind-the-scenes thoughts on the Lido Gordon Ramsay visit from the original filming.
What happened to Lisa from Lido di Manhattan?
As of 2022, Lisa Hemmat is still he owner of Lido di Manhattan.
In 2017, she also opened a second restaurant with her partner called Playa Hermosa Fish and Oyster.
It’s located in Hermosa Beach, California and has generally good reviews on Yelp.
If you want to connect with Lisa Hemmat, you can follow her on Instagram.
She has a kid and a dog and generally seems happy – congratulations to her on all her success.
Final thoughts on Lido Manhattan Beach
As I mentioned earlier, the Lido Kitchen Nightmares episode is one of the most succesful from the entire show.
Not only is Lido di Manhattan still open, but it’s thriving and expanding.
What’s more, Lisa has opened another restaurant that also seems to be doing well.
You can’t ask for much more, so congratulations to Lisa, Gordon, and everyone else involved in making Lido di Manhattan a success!
If you want to see updates for other nearby California Kitchen Nightmares episodes, you can check out our updates for Zayna Flaming Grill in Redondo Beach, Nino’s restaurant in Long Beach, and Burger Kitchen in Los Angeles proper.
More Information
https://www.yelp.com/biz/lido-di-manhattan-manhattan-beachhttps://www.facebook.com/LidoManhattanBeach/
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Last updated: 2022-10-02 08:14
An outstanding success story!
I forgot to add: Lisa is HOT!
Definitely is beautiful.
Gordon seemed truly proud when he revisited Lisa. She had embraced his mentorship and went with it. Some of these restaurants are too far gone to save but she simply needed the training.
Absolutely.
One place that deserves to still be open, yes all she needed was bringing down off that princess train and slightly humiliated but look what has happened now, turned herself right round and probably given Gordon some fond memories of why he did the show to begin with and of course made her parents proud that she no longer relies on them 100% all the time. So well done staff at Lido and keep doing what you’re doing.
Really proud of you at Lido Lisa and her hard working staff. Good job being done to be proud of. All the best for the future
Helen & Colin (Cheshire, UK)
Well done Lisa !
You are an example of true strength and the intelligence to adapt and change.
With the Olde Stone Mill from Season 1 now marked as “Closed” this restaurant is now the oldest Kitchen Nightmares restaurant still operating.
Yes that’s correct. I would say Lido di Manhattan is one of the most successful Kitchen Nightmares episodes overall.
Interestingly, Le Bistro (which aired right after Lido di Manhattan in Season 3) is also still open:
https://realitytvupdates.com/kitchen-nightmares/le-bistro/