A Bronx couple says they were berated and asked to leave a Mott Haven restaurant simply for being gay. 

Nelson Ayala and Jamel Brown Jr. are married and say they were asked to leave by an employee at La Isla Cuchifrito Restaurant after holding each other affectionately. 

"Now that we have to go somewhere and be kicked out because of our sexual preference is just mind-blowing,” said Brown Jr. 

They say although the female employee asked them to leave the restaurant, none of the other employees enforced it. 

They say they canceled their order and left to call the authorities, which led to an apology. 

"Who I love shouldn't define where I shop or eat at. I came here to get service, not to get judged,” said Ayala. 

Contacted by News 12 for comment, the restaurant said that "in no way do they condone the comments made by their former employee." The statement says that the employee has since been terminated and that the restaurant wants to "offer the couple their sincerest apology and a free meal."