Lungi Bar & Restaurant

Review summary

1. S

   Sumita

   New York City

   7 reviews

   vip
   4.0

   7 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 2

   Great food. Food took a long time to arrive. Our first hopper arrived cold -- it clearly had been forgotten for a while. We had ordered three hoppers and the remaining two showed up later. So not happy with service or speed, but food was very tasty
   

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2. j

   jane

   Washington DC

   7 reviews

   4.0

   7 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 4

   This new restaurant on the East Side has a mix of Indian and Sri Lankan dishes. On a Sunday brunch, we tried dishes from South India—dosas filled with potato curry, a dosa with lamb curry, and for the appetizers, small pieces of chicken coated in a spicy red crust and served with a delicious sauce. My ears were ringing after consuming a few pieces. We also tried a typical Sri Lankan “short eat” — Fish cutlets. These are mashed tuna fish and potato balls coated with crumbs and deep fried. We lived in Sri Lanka for 7 years and I was hoping the Sunday brunch Banana Leaf special would be Lamprais, but it turned out to be a number of curries and rice served on a banana leaf but not cooked wrapped in the leaf. Highly recommend this restaurant particularly for the Sri Lanka dishes. Saves. Trip to Staten Island.
   

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3. S

   Sue

   San Francisco

   4 reviews

   vip
   5.0

   4 reviews

   Dined 5 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Expensive, but excellent food and service. Commitment to Sri Lanka and southern Indian preparations.
   

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4. B

   Bhaya

   New York City

   3 reviews

   5.0

   3 reviews

   Dined 7 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Delicious South Indian flavors. Perfectly cooked. The short rib was outstanding. As was the kingfish fry appetizer. We’ll be back. Highly recommended.
   

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5. A

   Adam

   New York City

   13 reviews

   vip
   3.0

   13 reviews

   Dined on November 18, 2024

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 4

   Food was delicious. Service was bad enough that I'll be pretty hesitant to return (and I'm someone who really cares a lot about finding interesting food in a neighborhood where interesting options are somewhat limited). 20+ minutes after seating, we still didn't have water and hadn't heard from a waiter. Our neighboring table showed us that we could push the call button on the plastic signs on our table. We did that several times on two separate signs, but it didn't seem to have any effect, despite staff walking back and forth past us many times. The signs are A) cheesy and B) poorly designed so you can't tell whether your call/button press has been registered. When we asked to see a menu, the guy pointed to the QR code on the table and walked away (though the guests at tables around us had printed menus) Overall, interactions with the servers felt commercial. For example, no small amount of disappointment signaled when two people in our group didn't want to try an alternative drink after the restaurant turned out to be out of the one they ordered. Much of the food was excellent - loved the squid appetizer, the chicken string hopper biryani, the shredded roti dish, and a couple others. Two fish dishes were good though not as good as the rest. But they service literally made me uncomfortable so not sure if I'll give them a second chance.
   

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6. NS

   NitinS

   New York City

   7 reviews

   vip
   4.0

   7 reviews

   Dined on November 17, 2024

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 4

   Great food with authentic flavors served in a friendly setting with modern decor. We had the Calamari (check your spice tolerance), mutton roll (lamb not goat meat), trotters, and jackfruit. All very well executed. The hoppers could have been softer (bit dry in the center). Service was friendly.
   

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7. L

   Laura

   New York City

   7 reviews

   4.0

   7 reviews

   Dined on November 15, 2024

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   The bartender was so sweet and welcoming. I would come back to see him . Wonderful man from Hungary . The g food was delicious Would definitely come back Good cocktails
   

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8. V

   Vimmi

   New York City

   35 reviews

   vip
   5.0

   35 reviews

   Dined on November 4, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Five stars across the board. Must try the hoppers and king fish fry!!
   

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9. A

   Anjali

   New York City

   37 reviews

   5.0

   37 reviews

   Dined on November 4, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   What an experience trying authentic Sri Lankan dishes in NYC. There aren’t many restaurants that offer this cuisine in Manhattan, and this one is right in our neighborhood. The manager, Satish, was so helpful because we didn’t know where to start. Can’t wait to go back and try some more of his recommendations and probably repeat some from this meal. Favorites were - Guntur Chili Mushroom, Chicken Ambur Biryani, and the Veg Kothu Roti.
   

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10. s

    sandeep

    New York City

    95 reviews

    3.0

    95 reviews

    Dined on October 27, 2024

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4

    Service was attentive, waiter was knowledgeable about the menu. Egg and string hoppers were very good as was the mutton liver fry and tawa fish. Mutton biryani was also flavorful. Cauliflower 65 was a miss as was the avial dish. Duck chettinad was full of bones and fish curry was average. Good beer/cocktail selection. Glad we tried it.
    

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