LaGana — Restaurant in Raleigh

I got nothing to say but dang….. most of everyone is probably coming for the burger. It was just phenomenal. Easily the best burger in Raleigh right now. Hands down. Mic drop.

Don’t sleep on the sides. Super veg heavy which was awesome to see. Honestly for Mr. Thick we thought it was a giant slice of zucchini deep fried. Mr. thick was just wow. Do not sleep on this. Highlight for sure. The zucchini noodles (boko boko) were just wow. Nice acid as well as crunch. The Tarheal tostones were just wild. I really do not like pimento cheese but this was really good. Not overly dressed or wet or bland. Seasoned just the right amount and the cheese hit right. A+.

Next was the burger. Got nothing to say but Raleigh hold my drink. Best burger in Raleigh right now. Please for the love of everyone don’t tell anyone. I want to able to eat here after this places blows up.

For dessert the chocolate cake…. Really special. Some really fun crunches inside that leave you asking what was that. The guy making this cake has been doing it for 40 years. It was sold out earlier in the day and I was super sad but there was some more when we came in. Get it!!!

I would put this in the new top restaurant in Raleigh. Easily deserves best a James beard award for best new chef or best chef southeast. This place is honestly Michelin start worthy. Simple some right really really well and elevated with local ingredients and executed perfectly. To me that is Michelin start worthy!

Go eat here and support this place but please don’t over run them on a weeknight so we can...

I'm so sorry I haven't written this review sooner. I haven't had a better burger. Luie (I'm sorry if i spelled your name wrong) is a Chef that really cares about his food. I just wanted to try their regular burger, cause I wanted to know how they treat their burgers. And DAMNIT its so good. If you've seen The Menu, their burger tastes like what it looks like in the movie. Its perfect. After I ate it, i knew i needed to order the other burger on the menu. It was his take on the vietnamese Banh Mi. I asked Chef if I should microwave it or just air fry it, and he said, "Its actually pretty good cold too" I took it home, and ate it later that night and he was correct. The man really knows his food.

Anyway the service was great, My wife has a soy allergy, so couldn't have the desert she wanted or the fries, so Louie took it upon himself to give us something thats not on the menu and started talking about possibly considering making stuff with out soy. Good luck man theres not a lot that doesn't have Soy Bean Lecinthin or whatever, but I appreciate the notion. He was so nice.

The atomosphere was very chill. In the sense that you felt the vibe of the restaurant was just a nice hang out with friends and the Chef. The way were talked to felt like we've been friends with chefs for a while. It was pleasant. There were other guests that also talked about how they come by every week. Some people had beer, others had wine. It was...

My lady and I had the pleasure of visiting LaGana on the spur of the moment on a Saturday night around 6pm. We had heard about it and wanted to check it out. We are sure glad we did. We were welcomed by Luis the minute we walked through the door and chose to sit at the bar so we could be close to the action. We did not even need a menu. We were guided every step of the way by Luis. He asked us what we liked and he made his recommendations; my lady had an amazing beef burger and I had the Shroom Roll. We also went for the Yucca fries. We enjoyed every bite. My lady said the burger was the best she had ever had, and I found the Shroom roll to be so flavorful it left me wanting to just order another, but I held back. We enjoyed the yucca fries which were even better than I remember from my own time in the Dominican Republic. We loved the unique atmosphere of the restaurant, the opportunity to get recommendations from the chef/owner Luis, and the quick turnaround on our orders. We followed this incredible meal with a special dessert and were so impressed with everything, that when Luis mentioned they would have cakes available for Thanksgiving, we immediately placed an order. This restaurant sits high on my list of special meals and dining experiences and I will be looking for the next opportunity to visit…maybe this...