Restaurants in Lackawanna

The expansive menu of Kabab & Curry caters to a wide range of culinary preferences by presenting a variety of vegetarian dishes and allowing guests to customize the spiciness of their dishes by choosing mild, medium, spicy, or "I Promised Myself I Wouldn't Cry." The welcoming staff prides itself on cooking fine Indian and Pakistani dishes in addition to providing attentively affable customer care amid an environment that exudes a warmth to match the eatery’s cuisine. Since the crafting of curry incorporates myriad spices, the eatery boasts a curry unique to its establishment that can be prepared with meat or vegetarian ingredients. Traditional tandoori dishes as well as chicken, lamb, beef, and seafood entrees fill out the bulk of the menu, and a selection of lentil crêpes, naan, and savory soups longs for the chance to win Best Supporting Actor or Dish. The restaurant also performs catering services, a more responsible way to deliver its cuisine than putting the building on a flatbed truck every time it gets an order.

Amaretto Bistro produces a menu of Italian-centric dishes that feature rich and simple ingredients. Housemade venison link sausage and mussels seasoned with white wine and butter serve as preludes to Amaretto's entrees, which include fresh pastas, seafood, and steak such as the bone-in rib eye with radish-chive compound butter. For lighter fare, the kitchen churns out goat-cheese salad tossed with green-apple and raspberry-chianti vinaigrette.

When diners step into The Pomegranate and see kebabs, rice, and flatbreads decorating the menu, they might expect a typical Mediterranean meal. But the scent in the air should soon convince them otherwise. In the kitchen, chefs surprise nostrils and taste buds with Persian cooking's subtle combinations of herbs and mild spices, such as dried lime, rose water, pomegranate paste, and mint, combined according to secret family recipes in order to create a delicate, full flavor that dances across the palate. Their stews—including the signature chicken stew with walnut and pomegranate—simmer for hours, and house marinades result in tender, tongue-mesmerizing kebabs from fresh chicken, beef, and lamb. Yet not all the magic happens out of sight. The chefs grill their meats over an open flame before diners' eyes, hypnotizing, beckoning, and grabbing their attention without using cartoon hands made out of smoke. To maintain its authenticity, The Pomegranate imports its basmati rice and stocks the kitchen with fresh and healthy ingredients, which it transforms into meals for meat lovers and vegetarians alike.

With its wood-fired brick oven, mural of a seaside Italian village, and traditional recipes passed down through generations, Carmine’s Italiano re-creates the charm of Sicilian dining. Familiar staples such as baked lasagna and stuffed eggplant parmesan benefit from Old-World flair: handmade meatballs, mediterranean olives, and rich italian cheeses. At the same time, the Cajun pan-seared sirloin and barbecue-chicken pizza pay tribute to the restaurant’s American home so that chefs don’t have to stab a flag into each plate of spaghetti.

While sinking into a medley of shrimp, clams, and scallops or surprising tongues with the chicken Bryan’s sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese, guests absorb the comfort of their surroundings. Blue-padded chairs, sandy walls, and crisp white tablecloths contribute to a family-friendly ambiance, whereas private parties and wedding receptions benefit from the curtained skylights of a special dining area. Rectangular planters blossom with leafy greens around the room’s half walls, adding a splash of color to the space’s earth and wood tones.

Chefs at ¡Toro! Tapas Bar infuse their genre-defying tapas with creative fusion cuisine such as bison quesadillas and saffron lobster. Waiters transport small- to medium-size plates to glossy red tables, where diners share bites family style, as mixologists behind a dramatically backlit bar fill goblets with more than 100 wines. High ceilings with exposed girders soar above the space, and terra cotta walls bear abstract paintings that, if stared at long enough, reveal a 3-D image of which diner will pick up the bill.

Proprietor Nick Kotrides’s open-kitchen concept offers Empire Grill patrons a low-flying bird’s-eye view of chefs plating hand-cut 12-ounce steaks and Cajun shrimp alfredo. Modern light fixtures and floor-to-ceiling windows keep the two-story diner bright and welcoming, and semicircle booths surround a stocked bar. Flat-screen high-definition televisions and free WiFi let patrons tweet their most up-to-date thoughts on big games and sated stomachs inhibiting their ability to digest the importance of big games.