Lali Guras
“Ordered beef momos and followed the suggestions to get the chicken thali.”
“And everything at Lali Guras is insanely cheap – we had two veg thalis, one soup, one potato dish, and some momos, and the bill came to $26.”
“It's a very small place so if you're into take out, this is a good place to have on yoru list.”
Lali Guras
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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This place has a cozy, diner-y feel, and is cheap and really tasty. They give you free "refills" on the veggie parts of the thali as well.
Driving through the streets of Queens, New York resembled upper Nepal more than ever before. We had waited an hour on the runway for the gate to be cleared, just the third flight in after the reopening of the airport.
The driver couldn't make it down the small side street off Broadway, so I did the last block on foot. I walked in the middle of the unplowed road and into this small store. It resembles a takeout Chinese operation that has been only slightly retrofitted to meet its new clientele. I stamped my inadequate sneakers to try and remove the snow, and ordered a plate of momo.
The atmosphere is communal, both by choice and necessity. Every other person in the restaurant was Nepali. They didn't seem to know each other, but the small tables were filled in by different people. Containers of chili were passed down, along with sections of a locally printed Nepalese newspaper.
My momo came, steaming and full of tender meat. Nearly everyone else had the thali. You see "thali" on menus around town, but a key part of the word has been lost to American dining practices. Here someone comes around with bowls of the main dishes, and you are allowed free refills of what you like.
Thalis aren't just American bento boxes, they are a way to sample a full meal and have seconds and thirds of the good stuff. It's just like going to someone's home, which Lali Guras pretty much is.
Lali Guras was a very good, very affordable home style Nepalese hole in the wall restaurant. There was only space to seat 12 and the ceiling was leaking water from the ac, but the food was great and so was the service.
We got the goat thali ($9) and the pork thali ($8) and both were huge and full of delicious foods. Each dish came with a generous scoop of rice, curried vegetables, some sort of split pea dish, chilies, assorted pickled veggies, and the meat dish. To top it off, they came around giving everyone more of the sides to go with their dishes. If you wanted more of anything (besides the meats) you simply had to ask.
We also had fried and steamed momos, which were the best momos I have ever had.
Go to Lali Guras, eat, you will not be dissapointed.
Deliciously memorable! For take out orders, prepare yourself 15-20 minutes. It will be worth every minute. The spice is really hot! I know, I needed a whole mango lassi to remove the heat. The level of flavor is off the charts. I love this place. I would go often, but I rarely get a table. Maybe I just do not go at the right time. I love how unassuming this restaurant is–situated in at the corner with an old sign. You wouldn't have known the great meals that come out of here. It is not an intimate ambience, more like a cafeteria, but when it is cold out, it might be great to eat in. I love ordering out from here…especially when I have a momo craving. I haven't tried their challis.
I love the simple and homey atmosphere of this restaurant. Their food is amazingly cheap and delicious. The broth of their noodles is the best I've had in a Himalaya restaurant.
To be adventurous, we went for Nepalese on this evening. We were hungry, but not majorly, so we wanted something that could hold us over for a bit. All reviews pointed to this spot and its wonderful assortment of authentic Nepalese food. As advised, we ordered the Thali and the samee bajee. Filling, spicy, tasty, quick, and cheap! There is no need to use any bigger words to describe this food and this spot. It was interesting to watch the different styles that people ate, some used utensils, some used hands, some used bread.
The thali is a huge platter that can be shared between at least 2 people. You got meat, rice, pickled veggies, and beans. There was everything you could ask for in a complete meal. Tasty meats that fall off the bone, and balance it out with some sauteed veggies and it was glorious. Come enjoy some authentic food, try out something different, you won't regret your decision.
I'm up to trying different types of food & my friend told me about this place so I give it a try. Its my first time trying nepalese food & didn't really know what to expect.
When we got there I observed that the place is so aromatic from the herbs they use for cooking. It has this strong smell. Not really the type of smell that I want but I just thought I might like it since they have good ratings. Place is small with a few seating.
I got the mango lassi $2.50 for drink. For food we got the beef momo $5 & the chicken thali $8. Surprisingly I love it! It was delicious. The beef momo is semilar to a fried dumplings. Its crispy outside with that tender juicy ground beef inside. They have this hot sauce thats perfectly good for this! The huge place of chicken thali is everything! It has 3 different types of food, its this beans soup, the curry chicken & curry potatoes with big portion of rice. Omg! Its very tasty & flavorful!
Food can be shared for 2 to 3 people. They offer free refills on everything! Rice & those 3 sides!
Service is great! Very attentive. Food is cheap. We paid less than $20 for everything.
While doing this review I'm still thinking how good the food is! I wanna go back right now! Yup, thats how good it is.
Like Ashlee Simpson once said:
"you make me wanna Lali, in the kitchen, on my knees,
I want some curry, preferably Nepalese,
by chefs from Kathmandu, cuz with curry I'm a purist,
you make me wanna, you make me want Lali Guras."
What to get: Chicken Thali
What else: Just get the damn Chicken Thali okay?
Fascinating fact: Sexy Mexican singer Thali-a is named after this dish. And is quite a dish herself.
If this was a candy store which gave spiritual teachings, then it'd be Lolly Guru.
On my most recent Queens food tour, my food tour friend had already passed out from too much food, but I was not willing to give up the ghost just yet. So I made my way to the interestingly named Lali Guras which inspired (obviously) the famous Ashlee Simpson song.
If this were a dim, dingy structure where a car is stored, it'd be a Low-lit Garage.
The service was okay. They're a tiny little kitchen and were all over the place. I think I got slightly overcharged but I didn't say anything about it. I just wanted to get to the car and eat my f***ing Chicken Thali yo.
And if the employees kept saying "Are You Gonna Go My Way" or "I Want To Get Away, Yeah!" or "So Many Tears We've Cry-hyed…" then it would be a "Lenny Chorus." But what I really wanna know is…
What is Chicken Thali?
Basically it's a collection of different dishes, sort of like a mini buffet. Spicy lentils, delicious greens, yummy soup… an array of Nepalese fantasticness. And at the center of it all is the Chicken. It's a browny-yellow brilliantly made curry that is not too spicy, but not at all short on flavour. It rocked my world. I'd definitely order it extra spicy next time.
If this were the place where all those poor creatures that walk off cliffs in that weird old video game, then it would be "Lemmings Graveyard." What? Was it a stretch? Wanna see something else stretch?
This was my very first experience of Nepalese food and it was a wonderful one. It's slightly similar to Indian and Pakistani (moreso the former), but it has Bangladeshi elements too. It's its own thing, if I'm allowed to use it's and its next to each other.
And if it were the rear-end of a music video girl who refuses to "twerk" or shake it or move it in any way, then it would be a Lazy Girl-ass. But honestly that would make a nice change.