Lungi Bar & Restaurant

Review summary

1. M

   Michael

   VIP

   New York City

   52 reviews

   3.0

   52 reviews

   Dined on December 7, 2024

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

   Phenomenal flavor-bombs and meticulous cocktails. Service, however, is seriously lacking an undercuts, what should be a very enjoyable dining experience. Perhaps they are short of staff or just in need of some training but you shouldn’t have to wait 10 minutes to get water after sitting down or wave your hands in the air because nobody is paying you any attention whatsoever. A restaurant by definition should provide a level of service and hospitality, not simply food; that is what separates it from a cafeteria.
   

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2. R

   Rekha

   VIP

   San Francisco

   7 reviews

   5.0

   7 reviews

   Dined on December 1, 2024

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

   We love this restaurant and have been there twice in two weeks. Food is very flavorful and fresh, can be spicy for some. Service is outstanding. Mr Satish takes very good care of the guests.
   

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3. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   VIP

   New York City

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on December 1, 2024

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

   Amazing Authentic Food. One of our favorites and now a regular
   

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4. C

   Charvaka

   Dallas

   4 reviews

   4.0

   4 reviews

   Dined on December 1, 2024

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

   We had their weekend special of Thali served on a banana leaf. The meal was excellent and had delicious variety of items. However, the service staff was very confused and took more than 1.5 hours to get the correct order.
   

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5. N

   Nancie

   VIP

   New York City

   22 reviews

   4.0

   22 reviews

   Dined on December 1, 2024

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

   My family enjoyed the food very much. However It was too spicy for me. When we ordered, I asked if food was very spicy and was told medium spicy. And, we were seated by the glass door and it was very cold. I asked them to raise the heat but clearly they did not. I had to eat with my coat on-not the best way to dine. Besides that, the service was attentive.
   

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6. S

   Sumita

   VIP

   New York City

   7 reviews

   4.0

   7 reviews

   Dined on November 24, 2024

   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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7. j

   jane

   Washington DC

   7 reviews

   4.0

   7 reviews

   Dined on November 24, 2024

   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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8. S

   Sue

   VIP

   San Francisco

   4 reviews

   5.0

   4 reviews

   Dined on November 22, 2024

   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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9. B

   Bhaya

   New York City

   3 reviews

   5.0

   3 reviews

   Dined on November 20, 2024

   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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10. A

    Adam

    VIP

    New York City

    13 reviews

    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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