Lungi South Indian & Sri Lankan Restaurant
South Indian restaurant · Upper East Side ·
Coastal Indian specialties, dosas, hoppers, and seafood.
Coastal Indian specialties, dosas, hoppers, and seafood.
"Thanks to Lungi, the Upper East Side is one of the few Manhattan neighborhoods where you can get a textbook perfect masala dosa, or crispy fluffy hoppers. Coastal Indian specialties—Kerala beef chukka, mutton stew—sit comfortably next to Sri Lankan ones, like lamprais, string hoppers, and dungeness crab roast. The U-shaped restaurant is a good place for drinks and snacks, but we especially like Lungi for a dosa brunch in the glassed-in back patio." - molly fitzpatrick, bryan kim, neha talreja, carina finn koeppicus, sonal shah
"Lungi used to be Imli, an Indian generalist on the Upper East Side. Then it buckled down and started specializing in coastal South Indian and Sri Lankan food. In a neighborhood where good dosas and hoppers aren’t exactly abundant (Manhattan has only one other Sri Lankan spot), this sharper focus makes Lungi exciting. The main reason to visit this clove-scented restaurant, where pots and pans clang in the open kitchen, is for its excellent dosas and hoppers. For the textbook-perfect, crisp-brown masala dosa alone, Lungi is a welcome addition to the top half of Manhattan. photo credit: Lungi photo credit: Lungi photo credit: Sonal Shah Pause Unmute Portions are generous, and the menu covers slightly more culinary ground than it needs to—the flip side of which is that the spicing, particularly in the karis, can be a little heavy-handed. (You may find more finesse in the South Indian dishes at Kanyakumari, for example, or some of the Sri Lankan lunch plates on Staten Island.) But the regional specialties from Lungi's "short eats" section are great drinking snacks—like chicken 65 encased in a shocking red batter that’ll have you taking gulps of beer, and chunks of Kerala-style beef tossed with coconut and curry leaves. Lungi's main U-shaped dining room wraps around a stairwell, which can feel a little disjointed. So try to get a seat in the covered back patio for a smoother experience (unless they're hosting a large gathering there)—and use the butler bell on your table if you urgently need another Taj Mahal to go with your fried anchovies. Food Rundown Banana Leaf Special Meal Only available at Sunday brunch, the $45 banana leaf set is a ton of food for one person, with something like 11 sides (think coconutty avial, peppery rasam, mutton curry) to go with a mound each of plain rice and biryani. It’s a good deal and a nice sampler, even though the gravies can get a little same-y. Both the vegetarian and non-veg versions are a massive meal—though sharing is discouraged, we wouldn’t recommend ordering more than one of these per table. photo credit: Sonal Shah Lamb Lamprais Careful when opening this banana leaf parcel—the meat and rice inside are steaming hot. This is a full meal, complete with vegetables and sambol, and while it’s not the best version of lamprais we’ve ever had, it’s definitely very exciting to have it available on the UES. photo credit: Alex Staniloff Kothu Roti Another Sri Lankan staple we’re happy to have in the neighborhood, though the chopped roti and filling could use a lighter hand with the gravy—it’s a little too mushy. Eggplant Moju Eggplant and cinnamon were made to be together—add in a ton of shallot and curry leaves, and this is a very satisfying sweet and tangy four-way. The lamprais also includes a little of this dish. photo credit: Sonal Shah Hopper While egg hoppers and string hoppers are available, we'd stick to the perfect plain ones: crisp on one curved side and soft on the other. Use them to scoop up a fiery Sri Lankan prawn curry in coconut milk, bits of garlicky pol sambol, and other gravies and condiments. photo credit: Alex Staniloff" - Sonal Shah
"For a South Indian lunch thali on the Upper East Side, Lungi is the spot. Try to sit in the covered back patio, which is a little less cramped than the rest of the U-shaped restaurant. In this spiffed-up cafeteria-like spot, vegetarian, seafood, and meat thalis are $20-$26—portions are huge, and it also comes with rice and several sides. The dosas are solid too, and for something even bigger, try the Sri Lankan lamprais—a complete lunch in a banana leaf." - willa moore, bryan kim, molly fitzpatrick, will hartman, sonal shah
"On the Upper East Side, pair pani puri or fish fry with cans of Rupee. Founded in 2020, the growing Indian American beer brand is crafted to be served with “Indian, spicy, and world” cuisine, speaking to diners’ increasingly globalized palates." - Bettina Makalintal
"The dosas are the main reason to come to this South Indian/Sri Lankan restaurant any day of the week, but at Sunday brunch there’s also a $45 banana leaf set. Both vegetarian and non-vegetarian versions are a massive amount of food, with around 11 sides to go with a mound of plain rice and a mound of biryani. The specifics vary, but you’ll always get things like coconutty avial, a peppery rasam, sambar with drumsticks, and snacky sides, like fried chicken or cauliflower “65,” encased in shocking red batter. Sharing a set is discouraged, but just order one for someone at the table, and other things—like that textbook-perfect masala dosa—for others." - will hartman, sonal shah, willa moore
