Leverett Lounge

I was completely overwhelmed by all the positive reviews, so decided to go for a dinner date with my husband. It was a Friday evening, and the place was packed. Fortunately we got our table. The place is small, and somehow looks a bit clumsy to me with so many decors. The lighting is such that the environment looks a bit depressing! The server lady was cool and happy faced. I ordered a refreshing cocktail, that was the best one in the entire dinning experience at this place. The appetizer was piggly wiggly. The dish looks good, with a small portion size. But the meat was pretty tough and chewy. It was served with some pickled vegetables, that was very good. I ordered their famous KFC. The chunks of fried chicken, tossed with some sweet and sour sauce was good. They were served with some yellow rice and bean sprout salad - those were mediocre. The worst experience was with the second entree that my husband ordered. It was the lamb with some potato. The potatoes were fairly good, but the lambs were smelly and undercooked. He had to struggle to cut the meat with the knife given. It was totally disappointing and he had to throw the second piece of meat away. We took the slice of a layered chocolate cake with chocolate ganache, that was decent. However, the entire experience was not pleasing.

Leverett Lounge is a triumph! Visiting our college boy for the weekend, when we asked where he wanted to eat, we expected burgers or tacos. Instead we had pork tenderloin that was so good my husband had a hard time sharing. The tenderloin was perfectly tender with a sauce that made each of us groan a little. My salmon with pineapple salsa was the best fish I'd had in recent memory paired with a wonderful black bean side. We were expecting the fried cheese grits to be good (Awesome!) but the risotto was the biggest surprise. I've never had a dish quite like it. Each bite was a little bit different, savory then almost sweet, tangy and tart. The saffron risotto is the dish I'll definitely order again. We also had the house made Sangria (red) that was so good we ordered 2! Our waiter was helpful and friendly with a laid back professionalism perfectly suited to an elegant meal served in a fun and funky restaurant. Leverett Lounge is the kind of place we miss in our home town of Austin, Texas. We thought the prices were justified by the delicious meals, great service and delightful atmosphere. This place is a real gem!

What a fantastic place we have found. We have family in Fayetteville and go often to visit. We found Leverett Lounge the last time we were there and it was such a great experience. We will definitely be back. The place is small and quirky and the staff is friendly. The drinks were unique and delicious and our meal was excellent. Great overall experience.