Lani Kai

525 Broome St., SoHo, NY

5.1

map & more

Neighborhood
SoHo

Cuisine
Polynesian

Nearby
Canal Room
City Winery

646-596-8778

Official Website

By Andrew Steinthal
January 26, 2011

One step into places like Painkiller or the Hurricane Club, and it becomes immediately clear that the recent appearance of tiki bars in NYC is completely unnecessary. Still, we were intrigued by newcomer Lani Kai, which bills itself as a Polynesian/Hawaiian bar and restaurant (not a tiki bar, but, whatever, guilty by association). Usually we’d shy away from reviewing new cocktail dens, but since they offer a full slate of EATS, these guys are fair game. Just remember, this is a bar first, restaurant second. Spots like Death & Co and Employees Only have set the bar high in this department. If you’re going to serve food at a place like this, don’t make it an afterthought.

We weren’t impressed with Lani Kai at all. After two rounds of drinks and an unsatisfying sampling of food, it was off to second dinner and Bud heavies at Fanelli Cafe. The highlight of the night wasn’t anything we ate or drank, it was actually the girl sitting next to us who leaned back a little too far and had her seat fly out from under her. She was graceful and laughing about it, but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen someone more embarrassed in my life. None of the drinks we sampled were THAT good, and the food is expensive ($4-9 per slider) and not worth writing home about. There’s also something a little too polished and awkward about Lani Kai. The space is cool, but the crowd is lame, and the overall vibe of the place makes me uncomfortable. Maybe it’s the big bouncer at the door or the fact they throw a flower lei around your neck upon entry. Either way, the bottom line is that we can’t get behind this place.

Photo Credit: Daniel Krieger/Eater

Food Rundown:

Drinks
The Queen’s Park Swizzle (Aged rum, mint, demerara, lime and Angostura bitters) was the best we tried. The Black Pearl (Bourbon, Black Strap rum, demerara, aromatic) was so strong we nearly choked on it. A good thing if you’re looking to get wasted and fall out of your chair. A bad thing if you’re trying to enjoy a cocktail. And we couldn’t even finish a Crystal Skull (Jalapeno infused tequila, mezcal, dry vermouth, arrack, maraschino, absinthe and orange bitters) – the liquorice taste from the absinthe was overwhelming.

Hamachi
A perfectly fine yellowtail sashimi, served with yuzu soy and an edamame puree. Not bad, but not very exciting either.

Char Siu Baby Back Ribs
Ooof, these ribs were just not good. They sounded tasty – roasted in Chinese barbeque sauce, garnished with crushed macadamia nuts and scallion – but they kind of tasted like they came out of the microwave and were then finished with bottled BBQ sauce.

Duck Potstickers
These crispy potstickers were a good time. If I go back, I’ll get these again. The spicy soy ginger sauce was excellent.

Chicken Wings
Another dish that came up short. These tiny chicken wings didn’t do much for us. Skip.

Sliders
Here’s where we have a big bone to pick. They sell sliders as singles – ONE little slider for anywhere from four to nine bucks. The BBQ Short Rib ($5) somehow had zero flavor, the Pork Bun ($4) wasn’t from Momofuku or Ippudo and therefore is not worthy, and the Lobster Roll ($9) was soggy and smelled bad. Well, one of the two we ordered was. The other one was actually kind of good. Points off for inconsistency either way.