Lemon Leaf — Restaurant in Town of North Hempstead

I hate to be critical but I must and it's partially my fault. I should've seen all the signs upon sitting down in an empty restaurant at 5:30pm on a Saturday afternoon.

I immediately had to use the wash room and the hallway floor to the bathroom is so greasy I almost fell. Secondly the bathroom is so dimly lit. You can't see within your own reach, perhaps invest in a lightbulb and lastly, the owner of the restaurant is standing by the kitchen entrance, which is a shared hallway into the bathroom, with a fly swatter, swatting at flies.

Now onto the food! Let me start it's more Chinese on the menu than Thai. Our two entrees, first garlic chicken is really stir fried chicken with a bowl of rice and second entree is drunken noodle but its just ordinary beef cheung fun. Our spring roll appetizer was so unappealing, they’re simply put onto an oversized plate which immediately turn my appetite away. Lemon Leaf is really chinese food disguised as Thai dishes. Both dishes bland and my drunken noodle was more sweet than spicy as advertised.

The Zagat survey on the wall may have been true in 2009 but still hanging on the wall 14 years later doesn't represent the true taste and quality of a restaurant.

Bottom line is I'm willing to give any restaurant a fair chance however, I would be hard pressed for a return visit. There are several authentic Thai restaurants around the area and much better overall experience for about same cost.

My reasoning for two stars solely based on my waitress doing all she could to mask the inadequacies of this dimly lit and patron less...

HORRIBLEEEEEEEEE customer service when trying to order over the phone. Was trying to tell the woman on the phone how my sister wanted something prepared (which they have MANY times before), and she said they can’t do it. All I said was if they can’t do it that way how else could it be made and the person on the phone was extremely rude and disrespectful to me. I’m a customer and should not have been spoken to that way. I asked to have a sauce left off a certain dish and she said they can’t make it without the sauce. I explained how it had been done before and if they could just try and make it that way since my sister is gluten free that it would be helpful. She said that they have to make it with the soy sauce. She explains that the “sauce” she keeps referring to that they can’t leave out is just salt and pepper. I told her that it’s not a sauce it’s just a spice and that’s fine to leave in there but hush leave out the soy sauce. When I said “ I don’t know why this is getting so difficult to order” and she responded with, “because YOU’RE so difficult”!! That is not how you talk to a customer that’s trying to order from you. She kept talking over me as I’m trying to ask a question calmly to her. She was snippy and rude . Just because you’re in a mood doesn’t mean you take it out on your customers. You just just lost a few customers. Thank you! I’ll be taking my money...

Thai isn't my favorite food, but once in a while I will crave the combination of flavors that Thai food provides.

My favorite dish is gai pat prik king, which is Chicken with String Beans with chili paste and basil. My wife likes the Chicken Massamum which is a hearty chicken and potatoes curry with coconut milk. The Massamum is good as well, but I prefer the version a SriPriPrai up the road on Hillside Avenue in Williston Park since they use chunks of chicken and not the sliced as presented here.

The Tom Yam Goong soup is decent, with a nice balanced sour to spicy flavor, but with only two shrimps - c'mon, it feels a little cheap.

The place is usually empty, but that isn't a sign that food is bad its just that most people order delivery or takeout for some reason. If you are fan of pink and wood decor then this is the place for you! The service is usually very friendly and its a good place to go if you are...