Lemongrass Asian Bistro Sushi — Restaurant in Boca Raton

First impressions are lasting impressions.

We had high hopes that we found a new restaurant on our way to a different restaurant, but we unfortunately had a less than mediocre dining experience leaving us feeling like we should have kept walking to the Japanese restaurant we know and love just around the corner instead of trying Lemongrass Asian Bistro.

Normally, when I order a lychee martini in town it is so wonderful and refreshing! The Lemongrass Bistro's lychee martini with their well vodka, which was Smirnoff, was served warm as though the lychee juice was simply poured into the martini glass with the smallest amount of vodka somewhere in the glass. My husband ordered a greyhound and his was slightly better since his drink had ice cubes, but he also wondered if there was any vodka in his drink. When the bill came, my drink with the well vodka was $15.00, and my husband's, (also Smirnoff), was $10.00. When I asked our server about the pricing difference he said he'd ask the manager, and when he returned he said that was the pricing. Hmm...

But what was worse, we didn't receive our dinner until an hour later after ordering our food. My husband had the Duck Noodle Soup which was served lukewarm and was overwhelmed by the single flavor of star anise. There was no other flavor than star anise which isn't a savory flavor since it is a sweet, licorice flavor. But when you wait for an hour for your food you are afraid to send anything back! I ordered the Kapow stir fry dish with shrimp. My food was served to me lukewarm and there was no garlic or basil taste whatsoever which was why I ordered it in the first place. I could have made better tasting food at home. Disappointing to say the least!

Our server did apologize for the extremely long wait time in getting our food. We were seated in between two other tables for 2 that endured the extreme wait time as well. One man next to us with his 4 year old child finally asked the server if he could bring bread or something out for his son to tide him over. It was ridiculous.

We enjoy going to restaurants and we pay the high prices to enjoy exceptional flavors and food you usually wouldn't be able to create yourself at home, but our experience at Lemongrass Asian Bistro was the opposite. It left me wondering was their chef out of town? Who was at the helm last night? Why was the food so bland, savorless, uninspiring and served lukewarm? Why did we have to wait an hour for our dinners? Why did my husband and I wonder if the bartender forgot to put vodka in our cocktails? Why was my drink served to me at room temperature?

The food and experience at Lemongrass Asian Bistro in general was definitely not worth the $120.00 we spent. I feel cheated of a nice dinner and date night out...

I've lived in the area for m21 years, and used to frequent Lemongrass once to twice a week. For some reason, they fell off my restaurant rotation, and this recent visit was a welcome one. Everything I remembered about their food and service was still in place. The food is outstanding, well made, hot dishes served hot, and generous portions. My husband and I went for happy hour, and they were not crowded. YUI was our server, and she was on point, and attentive, and good humored. Since we had not been there for awhile, we realized that the interior layout of tables had changed, with most of the tables being booths, and they wore not on top of each other. That was a welcome change. It also appeared that they might be enclosing or climate controlling their outdoor seating area, which is an excellent idea, considering the 95 degree days we are having more frequently. But there was something off with the interior, and I could not tell what it was other than the lighting was bad, and the high ceilings seemed even higher than before, and the walls were some unappealing color, with fake grass or plants on some of the walls, that did nothing for the vibe. Maybe it's a work in progress, and if so, I hope they move in the right direction. We had popcorn shrimp pad thai (and the shrimp were large), spicy tuna roll, prepared beautifully, buns stuff with generous portion of pork, chicken satay, seaweed salad, and more, and each dish had its own distinctive tastes, and we enjoyed them all. Martinis were $8 on HH, and you can't complain about that. Our interest in returning is strong, and anticipate doing so soon. Parking in the area is a challenge, especially in season and any night. I believe they still have valet parking, which is needed. Worth a visit, whether you're visiting the...

Lemongrass Asian Bistro is an EXCELLENT Thai/Japanese/Vietnamese restaurant in the heart of Boca Raton. If you’re craving any type of Asian food, this should be one of your first stops! Despite being in a super busy area, parking is super easy - just valet by the front door and it’s only $5 to park! We were very impressed with the massive menu - so many good things, it was so hard to choose! Plus, tons of seating both indoors and outdoors. They have tons of different shareables, sushi rolls, sashimi, Thai entrees, and more! We ended up getting the Wok Charred Edamame, Thai Steamed Dumplings, Pineapple Sesame Chicken, and Southern Thai Massaman Lamb Shank with Roti - and then a Thai tea to drink! To start, the Thai tea was AWESOME - exactly what Thai tea should taste like!! The edamame was the BEST edamame we have ever eaten! Must try!! The dumplings were great - just good, solid dumplings (steamed was better than I imagine fried being FYI), and the Pineapple Sesame Chicken was so good! So much flavor - great option!! The lamb was really great as well. If you like lamb (literally fall-off-the-bone and cooked so well it isn’t gamey at all), and you like Thai curry, this is another thing you should try. However, I think MANY more things from their menu would be excellent as well! We should have tried more. So many amazing appetizers, bao buns, noodles, sushi, curries, and other entrees! What an excellent restaurant! I wish we had...