Thali Bistro- Sri Lankan Restaurant in Grand Haven, MI
I ate Thali Bistro last night and I enjoyed it so much that I am going to start a food blog to chronicle my culinary adventures. My wife and I love tasting new cuisines, so we thought we would try out food from Sri Lanka. I am going to write a full review on a blog sometime, and I will post a link to it when I'm finished. I will give a full description of each part of the meal. I'll give some highlights here.
The food was terrific! We tried out all sorts of appetizers, including lentil dumplings, three chutneys, and two different types of bread. We also had monsoon juice, which was lemonade spiked with ginger. These were all new tastes for us and they were all very good. For our entres I had stewed lamb, which was very tender and had a great gravy. Rebecca had roasted chicken that was marinated in spices and was also very tender. Each meal came with a salad, rice pilaf, and lentil dal. They were all very fresh and very good.
The service was great and we even got to talk with the owner a bit. She was very nice and we are hoping that this place does really well.
The restaurant itself was very modern inside, with lime green walls and some interesting wall hangings.
Overall this was a great experience. We will definately be going back there sometime. If anyone knows of other ethnic restaurants in West Michigan I would love to hear about them.
Adventurous Mark
Jan 03, 2007 08:17PM
I forgot to include the address, so here it is:
Thali Bistro
211 N. 7th
Grand Haven, MI
616-844-3040
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Thanks for posting this, AM. I, too, love this place--both the food and charming ambience work. I can only speak for vegetarian items--they are limited but excellent.
I don't know if the menu has changed since my visit but the Wild Mushrooms in Tropical Flavors I had for dinner was terrific as was the Spicy Aloo Wrap filled with potatoes, lentils and sauteed spinach. West Michigan is lucky to have this place--I hope more people find it.
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No problem. I was so impressed that I just had to tell people about it. I would like to review it on other sites but I haven't found any that list this restaurant.
I learned from talking to the owner that she changes the menu quite frequently. That is why the menus are all printed on regular paper, because they change all the time. There were quite a few vegitarian dishes that sounded good to me too. This is a kind of food that you don't really need meat to enjoy, but we did have meat dishes that were also really good.
The owner (wish I knew her name) also said that it was really busy over the summer, she had tables and chairs set up outside for all the people, so I am hoping to visit again this summer. Sounds like a fun time.
One more thing. One the Fine Living Channel there is going to be a show that features Thali, on January 17 at 3:30 am EST. We are having some friends tape it for us.
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I ate at Thali Bistro this past summer (2006) and had a wonderful meal. The food, service, and ambience were all great. It felt more like a place you would find in Chicago or downtown NYC than something you'd find in West Michigan. I would highly recommend the place and hope that lots of people go so that it will still be in business next summer when I'm back in the area.
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The best dining experience in West Michigan. We love the dosas and the wild boar. The chutney apps are also amazing. Thali Bistro has raised the bar for area dining. The menus, taste, service, we can't say enough! We will be back again and again!
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This place is amazing. My friends and I go there at least once a week for lunch. We have tried everything on the lunch menu and it is all great. I would recommend the Jack fruit when she has it in. The spicey chick peas we had today really knocked us out. The owners name is Dillani, not sure about the spelling. But she is always so friendly and explains all the dishes and ingredients. Her enthusiasm is aparent in the quality of her food and her free and laid back attitude. I hope others discover this place. It is a gem.
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Thali Bistro, UNFORTUNATELY, is NO LONGER OPEN.
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That really sucks! I was wondering if they were still in business but wasn't sure, thanks for the news, even if it does suck.
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