Long Tan Restaurant

I have been living in the Slope for a few years, and have been ordering food from Long Tan since day one. I've dined in too, although not as much. Back when times were good we'd order from LT once a week, nowadays we generally order in 2-3 times a month, and it's usually from Long Tan. Dollars are a precious commodity nowadays, and if I'm going to spend extra money ordering in then I want to know that I will be getting a delicious meal that will arrive usually within 15 minutes, even if I'm ordering at 11.45pm, with plenty of leftovers for lunch! I've never had a bad meal, and, when I've dined in, never had a bad cocktail nor had to wait for a table, even for 6 people. The chef is inventive and makes a better Massaman Lamb Curry than most of the Thai restaurants in the area (including my other favourite, Mango Thai). My foodie friends, picky friends, vegetarian friends and gourmet chef step-father want to live in my neighbourhood because of Long Tan. What more could you possibly ask for? Reasonable prices? Check. Attentive service? Check. And if you're extra lucky, you'll be greeted by the lovely maitre d' Pedro who will remember you and always make you feel welcome.

Pros: Consistently great food delivered quickly up until midnight

Cons: None. I haven't a bad word to say about the place.

Posted 04/16/09

i have been coming here for the past two years, and i have yet to be disappointed. their noodle dishes are great, curry is really decent, and i've consistently had great service and food here. i actually recently tried the kangaroo salad...it was pretty good, if you're the adventurous type, try it. the atmosphere is casual and unpretentious, also really good place to bring a date, as its dimly let and relatively quiet. staff is courteous and will try to accomodate you, and its a great value. hard to find a solid restaurant like this.

Pros: food, value, atmosphere, staff

Cons: can't think of any

Posted 11/29/08

My kids love it, I love it, my friends love it. Whether in a large group, a family, or by yourself at the bar-a great place. I love the chil atmosphere, and the hot scene at night. Kids like to watch the food being cooked, and the servers are kind and patient. Great bar staff too!

Pros: Great for everyone, excellent bar scene, good with kids

Cons: food can be spicier

Posted 04/22/08

I came to Long Tan with some family members, 5 in total on Friday night to have dinner. As we were being seated I noticed the table had only 4 chairs, so I asked the manager how are 5 people to fit in such a small table. I also noticed there were 2 other tables available that seated 6 which he said had to be reserved (were not), mind you I called earlier and asked if a reservation is needed, I had a response of "no". We asked the manager to please seat us comfortably at the table for 6, but the only result he could come up with is to seat us at a big table which we might have to share with others. My family and I looked at each other and immediately said "no way", we did not come to share a school table and left. I have never had that kind of experience at any restaurant, and at another establishment the manager would probably seat us at the table for 6. For this reason I would not recommend going to this restaurant even though the food might be good(and I say MIGHT) the rudeness of the staff and manager is reason enough not to find out.

Posted 03/24/08

long tan is what every neighborhood needs .here you get treated with great courtesy by the friendly staff while dining on the most delicious food. there are many stand outs on the menu,the pad thai is as one would expect in a thai restaurant spot on.many great appetizers from the veg rolls to the grilled kangaroo and the crab and mango roll is just perfect . their specials are always a rift on traditional thai and great new american cooking,lately i have fallen for the red curry of duck a heaping bowl of duck confit ,duck breast and veggies in a rich red coconut curry i defy anyone to be able to put their spoon or chopstick down until every last morsel is gone.my friends had a party for 30 people here in the red room and we had a blast great drinks great music and the whole thing went off without a hitch.
i love this place just try it.

Pros: great staff ,good space and cheap

Cons: others also know about it

Posted 03/19/08

I like Long Tan for the ambience, cocktails and the crab mango summer rolls. The bld. orange cosmos and the antioxidant martinis are my favorities; but for good authentic Thai (or even good Thai), you would be better off elsewhere. They overuse tofu in most dishes (even non-vegetarian) and the curries are watery. While the menu has several creative dishes that you might not find in your "average" Thai place, I found the basic Thai fare of curry and pad thai to be rather bland and lacking flavor. Great service, beautiful place, good vibe, average food.

Pros: Great ambience, service, cocktails

Cons: Food average

Posted 07/25/07

Very nice place and great service, but their menu needs serious reconsiderment as I often feel it's quite akward.

Their curries are not as good and creamy as they should be. And has a very weird spice added to them, anise perhaps? (I can tell, I am thai currylover, have had it hundreds of times)

All in all, Worth a visit, but the menu needs improvement!

Pros: Good atmoshphere

Cons: Menu/cooking could be better

Posted 07/04/07

wow,how great is this thai food.just moved to brooklyn from manhattan and was poking around the neighborhood for some fun spots. well i have found my favourite .thai food all too often is a sweet , slightly predictable and sometimes a big let down. but not here at Long Tan, the menu carries a lot of the usual favourites and does them all well ,however the chef here has come up with some real winners that you will not find at any other thai restaurant ,the slow cooked pork chop stands out as one of the best chops i have ever eaten anywhere,the special wild mushroom dumplings are another stand out ,and the house made sausages are to die for.this is not your ordinary thai restaurant its very modern and stylish,comfortable and the staff and the music are a notch above all other park slope spots.all in all the whole experience is a great treat .what a great date spot.and get this the prices are amazing toooooo.

Pros: outstanding food ambience and service

Cons: none

Posted 01/01/07

when long tan opened almost 6 years ago i thought 'trendy and who needs this manhattan style restaurant' well it is a manhattan style restaurant and so what ! it is the best thai food in the neighborhood for many reasons the food is always spot on ,the tamarind duck entree is outstanding,and the house made sausages are like a trip to thailand i have never seen this dish except in thailand and here it is as i ate it in thailand.the fish special on a recent visit to long tan ,a trout dish was something that really stood out.the servers here are all neighborhood people and make me feel at home and pampered everytime.they know the food and really seem to love what they are doing.the bar at long tan has got to be the best place for top quality drinks around and the bar food specials are amazing ,hangar steak with mash potatoes and crispy onion rings for $10 many nights i have taken advantage of this great deal.
my girlfriend held our birthday party here in the red room in back of the bar we had such a great time that i would like to bring it to peoples attention,we worked out the details with Rory the owner ,who made the whole experience such fun and we really apreciated how easy it all was,am sure from previous experiences of having parties at my apartment that we could not have done it as cheaply as they dit it,and all with no clean up afterwards.
at last we have a restaurant that really serves brooklynites sophisticated needs.

Pros: great food

Cons: not much parking locally

Posted 11/20/06

I was a regular here when it first opened but hadn't been in a while (I moved 15 blocks away into Sunset Park). I decided to take a friend here who was visiting from out of town and we had a great time. We got there at 12:30 (they're open till 1am on weekends!) and found the staff to be friendly and helpful for such a late hour.

We tried the sausage appetizer and kangaroo salad to start and both were awesome. Especially the sausages, which come with several condiments on the side and fresh lettuce leaf wraps. For our main courses, we shared the tamarine duck breast and the slow cooked pork chop. Both were outstanding.

My friend and I were also really impressed by the cocktail list - great mojitos!! The evening ended on a romantic note and we never felt rushed our hurried through out meal, which I really appreciated. Long Tan is just another example of why 5th Ave. is Brooklyn's #1 resaturant area.

Pros: service, food, cocktails

Posted 11/12/06

Brooklyn's 5th Ave and Smith St both have a couple of very authentic, high quality Thai restaurants; these may be noisy, not the most comfortable places, but the food always satisfies. Long Tan, on the other hand, is neither that authentic (It's very westernized Thai) nor is it always satisfying. There are some excellent dishes at Long Tan: flaky and subtle curry puffs, spicy Asian slaw, lean and flavorful kangaroo teriyaki, 2 flavor fish are some of the standouts. There are some dishes which hold a lot of promise, but are not quite there, like their Pad Thai which is made correctly with the intensely tasty dried shrimp, but is a little too sweet. And then there're the disasters: no one I know has ever been able to go through a whole serving of the hot and sour soup here, it's way too sour and way too hot, there's no balance of flavors and it pretty much kills your taste buds for the rest of the meal; the shrimp dumplings are tiny, overly deep fried bits with a bland and mushy filling; the green papaya and green beans salad comes swimming in a tart dressing and that's basically all you can taste.
Long Tan is the most comfortable of the local Thai spots, a good place for a leisurely dinner, and they make some interesting cocktails. The service is also normally very efficient and pleasant. I just wish they'd get their menu right.

Pros: service, comfortable space, some great dishes

Cons: some really poor dishes, expensive

Posted 08/13/06

My girlfriend dragged me here last Saturday for our "date night." It was very busy when we got there but the host had us sat after a 10 minute wait. We ordered a mojito and a mango martini and they were delicious. The menu is not traditional Thai but most of our food was great. We loved the curry puffs, the short ribs special, and the snapper. The mango summer rolls were only OK. The place was jammed but our server was professional and friendly. The music was a bit loud but the song selection was great, so we blew off desert and had another round of drinks at the bar. They don't have DJ's anymore but one of the waiters is a DJ and his mix CD's are played on the weekends. All in all, we plan to go back.

Pros: drinks & music, food, good service

Cons: busy, noisy, crowded

Posted 02/03/06

I live nearby and frequent all the Thai restaurants in the area. While Long Tan has the greatest bar (the drinks are awesome, especially the plum wine sangria, and they have a second happy hour 11pm-1am!), I have to say the food is disappointing. Everything is more expensive than other thai-owned restaurants nearby, but blander, less creative, with less fresh ingredients. Don't be fooled by the creativity of the menu, most of the food is just not good. Also, Long Tan is the kind of place where "trendy"="servers who are too cool for school." I don't like it when servers don't really know anything, and are kind of rude and inattentive. The decor really is beautiful inside, but if you want good Thai food go elsewhere. Stick to the bar at Long Tan.

Pros: great drinks, beautiful decor

Cons: lousy service, lousy food

Posted 01/25/06

This wasn't the expected menu comprised only of pad thai and tom yum soup, but I thought that was what made the place so special. I ordered tamarind duck and my wife ordered noodles with ground beef, and we were both delighted by the way the dishes evoked Thai flavors in unexpected ways. Instead of being "pan-Asian," I thought it was simply a creative take on Thai cuisine... and I'd much rather have innovation with traditional Thai spices than another unremarkable noodle dish. Plus, when our entrees were held up in the kitchen on a busy Saturday night, the owner sent over complimentary summer rolls to hold us over! Our waitress was sweet and accomodating, not overbearing. The music does get a little loud at times, but it just made me want to lean closer to my beautiful wife, and as I did, I got a whiff of corriander.

Pros: friendly staff, casual, comfortable, nuanced menu

Posted 05/24/05

but I wouldn't wanna live there. I liked the food at this quasi-thai restaurant. It was nice and fresh, but I can't give it high scores on being authentic thai. The food was very good, but not very thai. If you'd like to have a nice light meal with an asian accent, Long Tan is a good place on the slope.

Pros: fresh, tasty, atmosphere

Cons: not real Thai

Posted 05/16/05

wow! how have i missed this one ,tried Long Tan last week for the first time and now know what the NY TIMES and many more in the neighborhood already knew. this restaurant reminds me why i love brooklyn ,the food is great the ambience is fun and the service is very friendly and get this the prices make most restaurants look like rip off joints.do yourself a favor and have dinner here and see if you dont agree with me.

Pros: great thai food, value, fun

Cons: crowded

Posted 03/23/05

this restaurant keeps getting better ,the curries and the daily specials seem to have taken a major leap in the right direction.i love the ambience the owner and the staff work over time to make your dining experience a great one.my girlfriend and i think that this is the best thai food in brooklyn and we should know we have tried all the available thai restaurants,the food is spicy enough without hurting anyone but if pain is your thing then mention to your waiter that you like things hot and the long tan kitchen will do the rest .just remember to order the house cocktails such as the ginger kamikaze or the moscow mule to add to your experience .

Pros: Good Food, inexpensive, Fun Staff

Cons: Very busy on Weekends

Posted 12/06/04

Based on the reviews on this site, I was looking forward to my meal. However, the beef satay was tough and tasted more like char than the (not) 'spicy' peanut sauce. And, the chicken and coconut soup came with mushrooms (not listed on the menu), which I am allergic to. When I sent the soup back, I was given the same soup, reheated, with the mushrooms merely picked out--meaning still in the broth. The waitress was MIA for most of our meal. With the very few people in the restaurant, I expected to see her more than once every half hour. She must have been having a bad night, b/c she was also brusque. However, the manager (owner?) was very helpful when I asked for directions, and the drinks were very good (and strong). Still, I was let down, and my boyfriend hated it. We will not be going back.

Pros: good drinks

Cons: , sub par food, open kitchen

Posted 09/29/04

I had my eyes on this place, promising myself I will one day 'give it a try.' And I hate to say this but I doubt I'll ever go back. The food is very average...the Thai fusion stuff is a bit too sweet, every thing they serve is too sweet here. The only thing I moderately enjoyed was their Grilled Chicken special with Edamame Puree. I had never had Edamame pureed before but I thought it was innovative and tasty (could've used a bit more salt). Anyways, if you're in the neighborhood to eat good food, I wouldn't waste my time trying to find something, rather go across the street to Tamari.
The decor is night tho...but they REALLY need to clean that vent in the ceiling...its quite un-appetizing, and kills your effort to make this place look sleek and modern.

Posted 09/26/04

Last Friday, a group of us stumbled into this place and had a great time. The DJ was playing great stuff and mixing like a champ. The drinks were original and refreshing and when the kitchen closed, the bartender invited us to relax in the garden.

My girlfriend and I were curious about the menu and returned Wednesday for dinner. The lobster rolls were awesome! Mai fun noodles were not so great but we really enjoyed the moo shoo pancakes and the coffee cheese cake. Also impressed with our waiter, who was super friendly and professional.

All in all, fun bar for the weekends and the menu is a great value. We'll be back!!

Pros: Cheap, Garden, Weekend DJ's

Posted 05/11/04

While waiting for a table
These jerks blew me and my friends off for almost an hour. (a smaller group of three). When we finally asked what was going on, the host interupted me to usher in the third (larger) group of hipper and thinner people, only to get back to me with a vague 'another 10 minutes'.

I have eaten here before, and the food is blase to say the least. If you want mediocre Thai, stop in here only when the place is slow, because when it gets busy, they treat customers like cattle.

Cons: poor service, rude wait staff

Posted 01/25/04

This spot NEVER disappoints! The food is always excellent, the service is generally solid and most certainly non-intrusive. The house-cocktails are interesting-and-stiff. Their Mojito is definitely the best I've had in Brooklyn, if not in all of NYC. It is crisp, clean and minty- unlike many mojitos that conjure thoughts of spiked-Country-Time-Lemonade. Hang-and-drink in the slightly minimalist bar/lounge area or eat in the dining room or Zen-like-garden.

The menu: a perfect blend of more traditional dishes and nouveau-Thai, all excellent values (though a recent price hike has changed that slightly). I haven't had a dish there that wasn't intensely flavored, just as any quality Thai should be. The currys are marvelous; order the red curry with duck- sort of Long Tan's take on a curried duck-confit. The grilled version with tamarind sauce (using duck breast this time) is tender-peppery-sweet-tangy. Now if only they would bring back those Juniors pork-rice-garlic sausages

Pros: Great Food, Great Drinks, Great Atmosphere

Cons: Recent Price Hike, Crowded Fri/Sat Night

Posted 09/20/03

This is my first review on Citysearch, and I'm only writing it because the last reviewer (brooklynguy) has no idea what he's talking about. I live close and have been hanging out at Long Tan for almost a year. The late weekend bartender is such a sweetheart. He always makes me and my friends feel welcome, and makes fantastic drinks. (Sometimes I even have to tell him to make them weaker.) Plus, it hasn't been crowded on the weekends for months, so what is he talking about? (I'm not complaining--I hate standing it a crowded bar.) And what is a "different crowd?" Maybe brooklynguy should move back to the upper east side so he can be with his own kind.

Pros: great drinks, not too crowded, DJ on weekends

Posted 07/29/03

I usually hit Long Tan's bar with friends early in the week. It's a great spot where grown-ups can linger over cocktails, joke with the bartender and listen to slightly offbeat music that is never too loud. After a couple of drinks, the apps--I like the lobster/mango summer roll and the cripsy squid--go down great. Come in more than once or twice and the bartenders and manager/owner remember your name and what you had last time.

A true neighborhood spot. Comfortable and fun without any pressure. If you go on the weekend, go early. The late bartender is lame--and he makes lousy drinks (he didn't chill the martini glass on a cosmo and barely muddled a mojito) and the place fills up with a different crowd.

Pros: tasty food, mellow vibe midweek, good prices

Cons: crowded weekends

Posted 07/24/03

This is my favorite place to hang out! I don't know what the other reviewers are talking about regarding the service. My husband and I go there almost every weekend, and we never have a bad time. Everybody says hi, from the bartenders, the waiters, the chef and the owners. And this is the only place that we don't ever get an "attitude" -- the atmosphere is always pleasant (especially the outside dining in the summer) and the crowd is never rowdy. Hey, if you think your waiter is bad, you should tell the manager or owner and not tip the waiter. And if you are wondering why nobody recognize you by now, probably you should introduce yourself and start a conversation.

Pros: great atmosphere, good food, reasonably priced

Cons: small outside dining

Posted 11/16/02

I love this restaurant! The food is great and reasonably priced-- the yellow curry is delicious and, for dessert, the mango sticky rice is the best! It's also a pleasant environment, especially the garden. The only downside is the service-- my boyfriend and I go there fairly regularly and you'd think *someone* there would recognize us by now, but they never do. Oh well, small price to pay for the great food and fun atmosphere.

Pros: Yummy food, Nice environment, Reasonably priced

Cons: Mediocre service

Posted 10/29/02

I will admit that Long Tan is visually appealing but that's about it. Me and my dinner companions waited FOREVER for our appetizers to come and when they did, they weren't hot. One server came and gave us food that turned out to be someone else's. THEN we waited for practically 40 minutes for the entrees. At no time did the waiter ever come over to apologize for the wait, nothing. The food, once it came, was mediocre at best. I will NEVER go back to this restaurant. The cheap prices don't make up for the lack of service.

Pros: cheap, pretty

Cons: horrible service, loud music

Posted 10/06/02

the owners did well when they opened this yummy place up. The bartenders are cool and the crab fritters rock!

Pros: fun bathrooms!

Posted 10/03/02

Good restaurant, bad bar. Before dinner, we had drinks at the adjacent bar and could barely hear each other. Once we were seated the atmosphere changed. Great dining room, which rivals any NYC downtown trendy spot, and fantastic food at non-NYC prices. Ecclectic menu and fabu drinks. We didn't even have to wait for a table for more than ten minutes on a Sat. night! Go, but don't tell too many people about this thai gem!

Pros: Food, Price, Location

Cons: Sound

Posted 10/03/02

Truth is, if I wanted this kind of attitude and expense, I'd just go to Manhattan. What used to be a nice neighborhood addition has turned into a "too cool for school" trendy bar. Restaurant may still be ok, but skip drinks at the bar.

Pros: location, looks

Cons: attitude, service, cost

Posted 09/22/02

Truth be told, I generally only go in here to drink with my friends. The drinks are so yummy, Long Tan has become our neighborhood hang out, whcih is something we were lacking. It's really great to go in here and be able to get a creative cheap drink (they have things like blueberry mohitos for $4), a $4 plate of veggie spring rolls, and be able to joke with the bartender.

Also, the decor is awesome and definitely caters to the many designers running around the neighborhood.

Foodwise, I've only eaten here twice and found my meal to be super yummy both times. Waits can be fairly long some days though!

Pros: Drink specials, Nice decor, Fun staff

Posted 09/17/02

Long Tan is a wonderful addition to 5th Ave. Very sleek decor and bar--only a 10 minutes wait on a Saturday night for 4 people. All of the dishes we tried were tasty. We had drinks, appetizers, entrees, and dessert--our bill came to $120. Having just moved from Manhattan to Park Slope, a bill such as this one is a WELCOME sight. A little sticky (where's the AC?), but all in all, a very good night.

Pros: nice atmosphere, good food, sleek

Cons: hot

Posted 07/21/02

Long Tan's mix of Thai Australian fusion adds the required element of cool for lower Park Slope residents. Quality food and a tasty selection of Australian wines at reasonable prices make this restaurant an ideal start point for a night out on the town.

Pros: Out Doors

Posted 05/31/02