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Lungi Bar & Restaurant, New York, NY

Lungi Bar & Restaurant

4.4
4.4
172 Reviews
$30 and under
Indian

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
  • Vegetarian-friendly
  • Good for special occasions
  • Innovative
Welcome to Lungi,

Lungi blends the cooking styles of South India and Sri Lanka and reflects the cultural upbringing of restaurateur and chef Albin Vincent who grew up in Kanyakumari, India, with deep roots in Sri Lanka. His culinary journey is rich with stories from his grandmother, an extraordinary cook who instilled his passion for food from a young age, teaching him the art of traditional Sri Lankan and Southern Indian dishes. Even though authentic South Asian fare has been in vogue in New York City for quite some time, it's been hard to find the bold, flavorful fare of Sri Lanka outside of Staten Island. Vincent, with Chef Vasantha Kumar from Tamil Nadu and Sous Chef Andrew Simethy from Kerala, offer both within a vibrant menu transporting diners into the homes and side street shacks of their native lands.

Additional information

  • Location
    1136 1st Ave, New York, NY 10065
  • Phone number
    (212) 256-0073
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Indian, Sri Lankan, South Indian
  • Hours of Operation
    Lunch Mon–Fri 12:00–15:00 Brunch Sun 12:00–15:30 Dinner Daily 17:00–22:45
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Take the 4/5/6/N/R/W to 59th St Take the Q/F to 63rd St
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    Vasantha Kumar

Featured in

Menu

View menu on restaurant's website

What 172 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.4
4.4 based on recent ratings
  • 4.6Food
  • 4.3Service
  • 4.2Ambience
  • 4.3Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

  • Manhattan

    Indian

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Lungi Bar & Restaurant offers "amazing authentic food" with a mix of Indian and Sri Lankan dishes. The "phenomenal flavor-bombs" and "meticulous cocktails" are highly praised. While some service issues were noted, the staff are described as "friendly and attentive." It's a "real gem" in NYC for flavorful, unique experiences.

172 Reviews

  1. Otaro VIP

    New York City54 reviews

    2.0

    Dined on 23 February 2025

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 2
    This place doesn't allow any BYOB even with corkage fee. Rather unusual for a neighborhood type of place. Normally place that doesn't allow any BYOB has an impressive wine list. I'm a fussy wine drinker, so I was shocked to see that their wine list had very limited (4 bottles each of white and red), very mediocre choices. Either start charging modest corkage fee or substantially improve the wine list. Food overall was tasty and unusual and interesting variety. But one dish (Attukal Paya) that was recommended was so full of fat that we couldn't eat.

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  2. Loren VIP

    New York City3 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 19 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Fantastic service and the food was wonderful. There are three steps in and they need a ramp for disabled patrons and strollers. Perfect other than that

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  3. Cheryl

    New York City13 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 11 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    If you love spicey flavoring then this is the place for you. Delicious!

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  4. Patricia

    New York City9 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on 7 February 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    It's noisy making conversation difficult but the food is outstanding.

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  5. Cathy VIP

    New York City165 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 22 January 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Interesting and excellent tasting range of veg-based and chicken, lamb, fish, even duck. Particularly loved the eggplant, cauliflower, lamb biryani. Nice looking space — quiet though was a Tuesday night and frigid out so expectedly less crowded. Attentive service

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  6. Poojitha VIP

    New York City16 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 19 January 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The food and service are both exceptional. The owners have figured out that one cannot work well without the other. The ambience is beautiful.

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  7. Martin VIP

    New York City22 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 16 January 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Sri Lankan cuisine is for the most part quite different than Indian but also very delicious. The service is friendly and professional. The portions are generous and nicely presented.

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  8. Prachee VIP

    London2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 16 January 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We were a party of 10 and were blown away by the food. Unique takes on traditional food and South Indian delicacies made our dinner remarkable. We can’t wait to go back. The doctor, ambience and the outstanding service made it even more memorable

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  9. Nitin VIP

    New York City8 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on 11 January 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Food score 4. Great food. Tried the calamari, prawns, cauliflower, and chicken from Small Plates, Veg Kothu Roti, and Hoppers with Jack Fruit Kari and Mutton Stew. Hoppers could be softer (think reducing the size should help). Service score 4. Reasonable service experience. Personally don't quite like it when the check is presented with the pre-populated tip number calcuating the tip off post-tax amount. Ambience score 4. Restroom cleanliness needs improvement.

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  10. Patricia VIP

    New York City7 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on 11 January 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 3
    The deviled paneer was excellent and curry food was good. Masala Dosa was quite large but half of it had no filling, not to mention there was a hair in my dish. Service was not good, I waited 15 minutes for a glass of wine and another 20 minutes passed after our meal so we did not order dessert.

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FAQs

Lungi Bar & Restaurant does offer delivery in partnership with Chow Now, Postmates and Uber Eats. Lungi Bar & Restaurant also offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (212) 256-0073.

Lungi Bar & Restaurant is rated 4.4 stars by 172 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Google Map for Lungi Bar & Restaurant

1136 1st Ave, New York, NY 10065

Additional information

  • Phone number
    (212) 256-0073
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Indian, Sri Lankan, South Indian
  • Hours of Operation
    Lunch Mon–Fri 12:00–15:00 Brunch Sun 12:00–15:30 Dinner Daily 17:00–22:45
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Take the 4/5/6/N/R/W to 59th St Take the Q/F to 63rd St
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    Vasantha Kumar

Featured in

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