Khâluna — Restaurant in Minneapolis

Overall, our experience at the restaurant was ok. It was not a place that really stood out or that I would remember positively. My girlfriends and I went to the restaurant to celebrate a birthday. We called 30 minutes before we got to the restaurant to ask if we could bring our own cakes. The lady on the phone said that we could, and it would cost $5. We brought the cake to the restaurant just to be told that outside food was not allowed. This led the manager to talk to us. It began our experience at the restaurant with a bad taste in our mouths.

If the staff that we talked to did not know the updated information, then it is not our fault, as customers, who did our due diligence to call and ask first.

The manager did not apologize for the inconvenience and their poor training for their staff. Instead, his tone of voice and how he spoke to us made it sound like our fault, even when we did what we were supposed to do as customers. We felt that this was unfair treatment.

On top of the no apology and condescending tone of voice from the manager, we did not receive a solution from the restaurant. My friend had to come up with her own solution was to have the cake at our table and not in their ktichen, and there was no compensation for the staff's misinformation. If we had known that no outside food was not allowed, we wouldn't have taken the time and effort to buy and bring the cake.

Therefore, our initially greeting to the restaurant was to this. Meanwhile, they took a long time to get a table of four ready. Our RSVP was at 8 p.m., and everyone was on time. But we didn't get out of the restaurant until it was 11 pm because the service was slow and poor.

The food had to be ordered all at the same time, meaning that the apps and the main dishes needed to be ordered at the same time. We couldn't order the apps by itself and then order the food later. We would have been able to order the apps first, ate it , and then we wouldn't have ordered so many main dishes because we were full from the apps. Yet, that was not an option because the server would not let us order one thing at a time. The food took its time coming out slowly. In sections. So the apps came out first, then the main dishes. The duck fried rice was dry. It was hard to eat and not flavorful.

The apps were quite decent and tasty. But when it came to the main dishes, it needed to be worked out. One of the dishes was noodles and shrimp. We all agreed that the noodles was under cooked. It seemed like they used undercooked/chewy spaghetti noodles with Tom Yum asian spices and threw in some shrimps and called it a dish. It was supbar. Then the Rainbow Rice was just a simple poke salad but without the fish. It was too simple, especially for the price that you're paying and lack flavor. The sauces were watered down.

In all, if you're looking for authentic Laos/Asian foods, this restaurant is not the restaurant to go to. There are a lot of mixed/fusion/almost experimental dishes that do not seem to make sense on the menu.

I would say that our server was decent and doing the best she could provide for us even though her manager was not polite of the situation.

Because it was a new restaurant, the atmosphere was nice. The lighting was good for pictures. Service and menu could improve. It was not worth the price that you'll have to pay. Also, they charge $10 for valet, when there was plenty of street parking. It felt that it was unnecessary to have an extra burden on...

Very poor service. Our server didn’t understand the menu, didn’t know which items contained shellfish, and was often confused and unhelpful.

After taking our drink order, she returned 2 min later not remembering she had just left our table and asked us what we wanted to order to drink. We had to remind her that we just ordered from her.

I am allergic to shellfish (anaphylaxis) and the online menu did not specify that you do not have two fryers and thus almost the entire menu was noted to be subject to cross contamination. The in person menu labels items that are cross contaminated. I checked again online and this was not noted. One of the only 5 or so items available (pork belly dish) was sold out and not available. We asked for help with the menu and if there are any other options and the server left to try to get more info. Upon returning, she didn’t even remember that the reason she just left was to talk to the chef or someone else to get more info and simply said she didn’t know when prompted.

She suggested the duck laab, which we had to inform her contained shellfish. She disagreed and said it didn’t (despite it being labeled as such on the menu) and left again to ask only to return to say it did.

The massaman curry dish was not labeled with any asterisk or comment about it containing shellfish. I ordered this dish in the context of us speaking with the server about which items did not contain shellfish.

After we were served the food and I had been eating the curry dish, she came to the table and asked if we were aware that it contained shellfish. I said the menu didn’t label it as containing it and she then seemed confused and said that she thinks that it does and said that she assumed I wasn’t the one that was going to eat it. She didn’t inform us that it contained shellfish and didn’t ask if I was aware. I was also the one ordering it so I’m confused why she thought I wouldn’t be eating it.

I subsequently had an allergic reaction.

What concerns me is that the server had no understanding of the menu and didn’t understand how to get the information she needed (even when she recognized she didn’t know something).

I’m also frustrated that your online menu doesn’t specify the cross contamination issue which leaves 75% menu inedible to anyone allergic to shellfish.

What is even more confusing is that whoever drafted this menu took the time and effort to label each item that could be subject to cross contamination, but somehow neglected to label a dish that contains shellfish within one of the other labeled ingredients. The curry paste was not specified as containing shellfish or shrimp paste. I double checked this on the online menu and there is no indication.

I will not ever return and can never sincerely recommend anyone dine here. This situation demonstrates operational errors from numerous angles and is unsafe.

I hope this prompts a change in the labeling of the menu and a re education of your staff.

Edit: I also gave them this info directly and no one from this organization has responded or acknowledged the issue. Wouldn’t be surprised if this happened to...

Delicious Laotian food and vibrant cocktails in a serene and upscale atmosphere—overall a positive, memorable experience but with some room for improvement. Staff were friendly, welcoming, attentive and charismatic but to the point of being inauthentic at times, and much of the menu is overpriced. I wish more attention was given to showcasing Laotian culture; it didn’t feel like our server was knowledgable enough to hold a conversation about the food beyond likes and dislikes, and the decor was pretty but devoid of any real reference to South East Asia. I left feeling like I hadn’t learned as much as I wanted to and instead like I had just overpaid for an experience that I could find cheaper and more authentic elsewhere.

That said, the experience was still very positive and, on its own, the food was delicious and gets five stars out of five. As a Bengali, I felt compelled to get the yellow curry which listed “Bengali” flavors in its description and it was actually surprisingly spot on! Rich, well-flavored with turmeric and other spices, and a little sweet. It actually sparked some nostalgia. The red curry was also top notch. The chicken thighs were crisped up on one side and very flavorful. It would have been nice if the curries had come with a bit more rice since there wasn’t enough to soak up the family-style portions.

As a side note, when I asked if I could get salad instead of rice, the server flatly said it was not possible, even though the siin waan came with a side of mixed greens. In that instance I found service to not be as accommodating as I would have liked. There was also a moment where I had to ask for silverware because it was forgotten. However, they were mindful enough to ask about allergies at the start of our meal, and many of the menu items have a gluten free option.

Speaking of the basil wings, those are the appetizer to get, along with the siin waan: dried ginger sesame beef with tomato jeow, which is like a Lao version of salsa but with fish sauce and chilis. The beef was chewy, juicy, and delicious as an appetizer. The rainbow rice also hit the spot, especially with the fresh lime and dressing it came with, which I wish I could recall the name of.

As for cocktails, the Balinese Fruited Tonic was my favorite—fruity but not overly so, light and well-balanced. The Evening Sit Down Vision was unique and memorable too, featuring peachy and smoky flavors.

Overall, I’m grateful Khâluna is here on Lyndale, adding to the South East Asian representation in the Eat Street area. I can't quite give it five stars, but was happy with my experience. I hope to be back to try more of their menu someday as the food speaks for itself, but it would need to be for a special occasion where I feel like paying $9 for a...