Lali Restaurant
“Every day their lunch menu changes, but you can always get their staple, baked chicken or beef stew, which is always a good choice.”
“I ordered the Saturday special – baked chicken with rice and beans for $8 and it felt like literally a pound of food.”
“I always get it with yellow rice (savory and tossed with lentils), beans (saucy, flavorful pinto beans), and request for avocado.”
Lali Restaurant
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
8 reviews
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Still can't find better Roast Pork and Rice in Midtown. Right when I walked in I felt like I was at grandmas. The pork is tender and juicy and the rice… I could eat the rice by itself everyday. Salad is an option but why get salad when they serve rice that good!!
The sweet plantains are also a must!!
Whenever I visit my good friend in New York, he knows what I'm in the mood for eating: Solid food at rockbottom prices. With the unfortunate closing of Prosperity Dumpling for health code violations (*tear*), my friend and I had our work cut out for us to find a worthy replacement. He thought Lali Restaurant might be it. Sorry to say, it wasn't.
Not that the food was bad, it just wasn't anything special. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that we went on a Saturday, a day on which the featured specials are quite lacking. And while the meal was filling, when it came to culinary creativity, I was quite underwhelmed.
Moreover, when I wasn't ready to order right away, the service members took that as their cue to help other customers…for about 10 minutes after I gave the indication that I was finally ready.
Perhaps I'll give Lali another chance when I'm in the City, but it's going to take some convincing.
Lali Restaurant is a Hell's Kitchen gem for sure. The owners are super friendly and there's a lot of locals here who seem to be regulars.
EVERYONE seemed to be getting the baked chicken, which is on their menu everyday. $8 for chicken, lots of rice (either red or white), beans, and avocado and/or sweet plantains. I'll definitely have to try this next time.
I got the beef stew and the portion was generous for $10. Very homey and authentic taste, and like most their other meals – carbs on carbs on carbs. The beef wasn't as tender as I had expected. I'll opt for something else next time, but I don't regret trying it.
Hole in the wall type joint serving legit food. For $10 for lunch, you get a plateful of goodness. It's counter seating only.
The hen stew (5/5) – so much flavor and so filling with rice and beans.
Overall value and flavor is off the charts.
A great, cheap eat in the theatre district which is usually plagued with high prices and clogged with tourists. Keep in mind, the place is tiny – only a few small tables by the kitchen and about 10 counter spots. Doesn't appear to have a bathroom either. We were served immediately, and the food is fresh and dishes rotate by the day (roast chicken and beef stew stays same day to day). Platters are $9 – includes flavorful soupy beans, plenty of yellow rice, and a meat of choice. We had the pepper steak which was tender and well seasoned, as well as the roast chicken which was very good and a good size thigh-and-leg portion. We were also given a side of sweet fried plantains… Yum yum! The platter was a LOT of food – full past dinner, lol. Overall, a good, simple no-frills spot to get delicious and authentic Dominican food.
Lali Restaurant serves up some flavorful, hearty fare that creeps up in my subconscious when I am craving comfort food. Good thing they have odd hours that revolve around lunch time; otherwise I would definitely gain a few inches around my waist from eating their delicious food.
They always have the beef stew and 1/4 chicken leg on the menu, but I would recommend trying a "daily special" listed on the chalkboard instead. My favorite is the shredded beef (ropa vieja), which can be found on Fridays – it is saucy, chewy (in a good, lean beef kind of way), decadent, and if you are lucky, will find whole green olives in the shredded protein. I always get it with yellow rice (savory and tossed with lentils), beans (saucy, flavorful pinto beans), and request for avocado. Although I don't care for plantains, you can request them as well. Wow, I am salivating as I type this!
A big hearty plate will cost around $10, but the servings are so abundant that it takes care of both lunch and dinner for me. For this area of Manhattan, this is ridiculously affordable!
A few tips:
– Cash only
– No AC in the summer
– Come during off peak times – the place is a tiny hole in the wall and it will be jammed packed during lunch hour
– They close at 4pm Monday-Saturday, closed on Sundays
– They do serve a deliciously artery-clogging Dominican breakfast as well. Yum!
Enjoy the amazing food as well as the guaranteed food coma bliss after!
Baked chicken lunch special ($8) was excellent. Perfectly tender chicken and a huge amount of yellow rice, beans, and plantains.
Friendly and lightning-fast service. There are a lot of seats at the counter but only maybe one table in the back.
Glad there are still places like this holding on in HK.
It's incredible how such a simple dish can be so tasty. I was in Lali's on a Thursday so I had the Thursday special. The Pig knuckles, beans and rice. There was nothing left on the plate except for the bones. If I were a child, I would be licking the plate. And it wasn't a large plate. Amazing how a small plate can be so tasty and so filling at the same time. If you're in the neighborhood, you need to try this place. Kali is behind the counter. Sit near the front. There's no air conditioning in the back and be kind a hot.