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Lali Restaurant
Rating Details »
Category: Latin American [Edit]
Neighborhood: Hell's Kitchen630 10th Ave
(between 44th St & 45th St)
New York, NY 10036
(212) 664-1507
- Nearest Transit:
-
8th Ave-42nd St (A, C, E, 1, 2, 3, S, 7, N, Q, R, W)
- Hours:
Mon-Fri. 7:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
- Parking:
- Street
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Price Range:
-
$
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- None
9 reviews for Lali Restaurant
I HATE it when I discover a place that's right in front of my face when I could've been enjoying it for months!!! Years even!!
Lali is in between my apartment and where I do laundry, so I've walked by sooo many times and peeked inside almost bumping into people because I'm not looking straight. I've been tempted to stop by and grab something to eat from the little 10 seater hole in the wall.. but like the flake that I am I forget about it one block later.
Tonight though, it was a mental note to try it out. 'I'm going to eat Dominican food after I do laundry... Huh, I wonder what's on tv... NO! Dominican food first!!'
I stepped inside and took a look at the menu. One thing I miss from living in Philly is the oxtail stews available on every block. So guess what I got today when I saw the Tuesday specials?! The $8 oxtail stew with white rice and red beans to go. Ready AND paid for in 30 seconds badabing!
Kay, so it's no life changing oxtail. There's about 75% rice and beans and the rest is oxtail, but eh.. $8 right?! And I wouldn't stop by Lali if I didn't live in the hood, but to all the Hells Kitchen residents - it hits the spot and it's faaaast and they speak English AND they didn't look at me like an outsider freak (being brown helps, I'm sure). It's cash only but who cares when they deliver.
I was in the neighborhood visiting my uncle and I saw Lali which looks like your typical yummy, hole-in-the-wall Spanish (Caribbean not Spain) restaurant. Very basic, counter with stools, tight quarters, decent pricing, little English is spoken but awesome food!
But still, I didn't want to take a chance, so I Yelped "Lali". Lo and Behold, 4.5 stars. Wow. But I still needed to curb my enthusiasm.
It was off-peak hours, around 3pm. The lady said the rice will be ready in a few minutes. I was hoping for Rabo (Ox-tail stew) but they only had the Beef Stew and the Roast Chicken. So I settled for both as we had enough people to share the 2 dishes. Ordered both with white rice and red beans to go.
The lady that served me was very nice and accommodating. At these kind of places, don't expect perfect English to be spoken, just enough to get your order placed. I think if they spoke very good English, then I would probably go elsewhere. Hahaha.
The food was delicious. No nonsense. Tasty, tender meats. Good beans and freshly cooked rice. Generous portion. Under $20 for both dishes. Good deal.
The place is tight. Not good for groups for sure. Go in 2's or sit by the counter. Take it to go. Anyway, I am a fan. Will be back if I am in the area.
Lali might not look like much from the outside, but what they lack in the "pretty" department, they more than make up for with some kick-ass flavour.
Speaking Spanish is not a requirement here, but it might help because being able to even say something as simple as: "dame eso" could get you what you see your neighbor at the counter eating rather than say a plate of lechuga y pollo sin salsa.
My good buddy is Colombian and my Cuban grandma taught be a thing or two, so he and I knew our way around. Not to mention, he grew up around the corner. We sat down and ordered a beef stew with rice and beans, a cubano sandwich and a couple Cokes. We cleaned our plates and walked out of there with $6 bucks change from a $20...I'd say that's pretty damn good.
Update! Another visit to Lali's and some additional feedback...
I entered Lali's for the first time today and was pleasantly surprised. Super nice lady behind the counter. I like the diner-style set up with stools at the counter. It looks like they have some amazing juices which I'll have to try one of these days but today it was a beef empanada ($2)...AMAZING.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
10/20/2009
I didn't actually enter Lali's so I cannot speak to ambiance or service (the boyfriend picked up… Read more »
Love this place! tastes like homemade latin food. I usually get the daily specials to go (pollo asado with rice and beans for $6, or beef stew for $7) There are so many other delicious options like yuca con mojo, tostones, empanadas, etc. Prices are so great and you get a good sized portion. Super friendly staff, feels like my childhood days growing up in Latin America. I wish they would deliver so that I could order it for lunch when I'm at work! So glad it's around the corner from my apt.
I don't speak a single word of Spanish. The Dominican women behind the counter, their aprons on, their hands digging into the pots overflowing plates of beans, rice and stew, they knew. It was obvious.
A woman put the platter in front of me and raised an eyebrow.
I smiled.
She didn't.
Well, I didn't mind. I sat at the counter and attacked my plate like I had never seen food before.
The rice and beans melted in my mouth. The beef stew fell apart before I could touch it. The baked chicken was the juiciest I've ever had. The flavors were brilliant, succulent and satisfying.
Ten minutes later, my friends nudged their leftovers around their plate, held their stomachs and groaned.
Not me. I scraped off every last grain of rice and licked my lips.
I didn't need to speak a word of Spanish. It didn't matter. The Dominican ladies and I exchanged smiles. They knew what I meant. It was obvious.
I loved this place!!! All they had left was res guisada. So I had that with white rice and avocado. The res guisada was excellent and tender. The best res guisada I've EVER had. I loved it!!! They had no more habichuelas guisadas thats why I gave this place 4 stars. You need to speak and understand spanish when you come here. The staff is very friendly. You feel like your in your grandmas kitchen when you come here you feel so at home. This place closes at 3pm. The best time to come here is before the lunch crowd comes at noon. I hope to go back when I'm in Hells kitchen again.
This place is a rare gem! The food is always super fresh and really tasty. Inexpensive too. The staff is friendly, and the restaurant is CLEAN. I've never left hungry! Well worth the trip to the city from Queens.
I predict this place will become the next hot restaurant among Yelpers in HK. Yelp is about finding and sharing hidden gems and this place certainly qualifies.
Lali's no-frills home-cooking style is indicative of its target clientle -- blue collar midtown workers looking for an authentic traditional Dominican lunch. First of all, it's ONLY open monday - saturday, until 3pm. That's right, lunch and breakfast only (and somehow they cover rent? impressive..) This place is the opposite of touristy -- very little english is spoken although I had no problem conversing with the staff in english. The restaurant is very narrow with just a few tables and a row of stools at the counter.
In terms of food, there are three or four choices depending on the weekday. The dishes are pre made and served in a no-frills homecooked meal style -- there's no consideration for aesthetics, the food is just sort of plopped on a plate and thrown in front of you. And when they run out of a dish, there's no more. Try the tamarind juice too -- it was delicious. They also have a side of avocado for 50c or so extra that seems popular.
A more thorough review (not written by me) can be found here: http://www.nycnosh.com...
