Silantra Asian Street Kitchen — Restaurant in Lancaster

I come to Lancaster almost always because of shopping at the outlets and perhaps some touristy things along Rt. 30. I've been too lazy to take a detour downtown to give Silantra a try. On this day, I made it a point to check it off my list.

Service as far as placing our orders was superb. It was mid afternoon around 3 pm and many restaurants would be closed until dinner; I was so glad they have continuous service. Also, online orders via GrubHub do not inflate the menu price more than a dollar, unlike with other restaurants. You can also physically order at the "window" at the restaurant. That's a plus because I know not many restaurants do that due to the pandemic. We paid online but arrived 20 minutes early. The staff on duty said no problem, she's started my order and should take just 5 more minutes. She even offered to take my order to my car!

It's another "build-your-own" establishment. We had the steak "bing" --essentially a burrito with an Asian spin in terms of add-ons. The wrap itself is not like sushi burrito at Kondu in Harrisburg where a sheet of seaweed is used; it's not the Mexican tortilla either. They wrap it with some springy scallion "crepe" (more fitting than pancake imo) and I loved it. It kind of reminds me of the wraps we had during Chinese New Year back in Asia. They do have a bowl option which is what I normally do at Moe's and Chipotle, but I'd recommend bing here just to experience the different wrap.

We opted for coconut white rice as base. The options for add-ons are rather limited but that made ordering easy. Seaweed salad and edamame stood out during tasting in a good way. Finally for the sauce/dressing, my wife had sesame ginger and I had garlic chili aioli. Both were good. The chili aioli wasn't too spicy so don't be afraid to try it. Serving size was big and it was a bit messy to eat near the end; we literally had to stuff our face!

Overall, we got what we came for. They do create a niche and differentiate themselves somewhat from competition. I would...

The problem with this place does not reside in the service, the atmosphere, or the quality of food being made. Silantra makes very high quality fresh food. The problem is for first timers. If you are not familiar with Asian foods like Kimchi, Seaweed, etc. You'll find yourself lost as to where to start. This Asian Chipotle style restaurant has the basics down: burrito bowls, fresh and delicious wraps, multiple proteins, as well as white or brown rice. Veggies and sauces is where Silantra tries to include it's Asian flair, but the flavors themselves don't go together very well. The staff was very friendly and helped point out what x ingredient tastes like, even offering samples, but for a new customer, you might find yourself getting contradicting flavors and essentially ruining your burrito. If you compare to Chipotle, you know that all the ingredients offered will go together - like how hot sauce or corn (as an example) can go on pretty much any Chipotle burrito. At Silantra, you might find yourself putting kimchi and coconut curry sauce on your burrito and totally messing it up (according to your taste). On the contrary, the sides are great and balanced - the shrimp chips specifically tasted great and also had a sauce that complimented it, unlike some of their burrito toppings, and that's why Silantra got a 3/5. Great food if your combinations are done right. In the future I recommend that Silantra adds pre -made combinations which include complimentary ingredients to prevent turning away first...

Silantra is a gem. I honestly think this is my favorite food in Lancaster (which has surprisingly great food for such a small town/city!). It's not like me to always order the same thing, but that's exactly what I do here - and it's fabulous. On top of the fresh, healthy, delicious, and affordable food, the owners and staff are kind and personable in an impressively genuine way. Silantra is very community minded and well engaged, and that comfortably comes across in their atmosphere (to me at least). Their fusion is so unique and i haven't seen anything like it before, but I'm sure it will take off and either copy-cats (or chains??) will be found in other regions soon. They're great, delicious, and I feel happy affordably spending my money here. As a vegetarian, I enthusiastically recommend getting half tofu/half mushroom as the "protein." In addition to the bing (burrito), the sweet potato fries are amazing with the wasabi sauce. I'm not wild about the style cheesecake, nor the yam noodles or kimchi in the bing (burrito) itself. I plan on asking if they sell their homemade kimchi on the side, though,...