Bang! - Restaurant in Charlottesville - 213 2nd St SW, USA

For shame, y'all. I thought bang was something special a year ago. Like, don't get me wrong, there's things done right. The physical location is cool. Pretty. Staff has good vibes. Food is mostly good, specifically the buns. I can tell there's some space cadets in the front and back of house, but as a former kitchen space cadet I can forgive that- up to a point. This point specifically. Y'all are putting a sweet, zero acidity dressing on raw, unmassaged kale with barely half a radish, a few pieces of cucumber, and toasted whatnot and charging 11 dollars for it. What a joke. Even if y'all prepared the kale properly (I'm not convinced it was washed and sanitized) and hand massaged it with some lemon and vinegar and oil and spices, this pittance wouldn't nearly amount to 11 dollars- but I guess y'all have gotta pay the rent somehow. Also, the picture is post my fixing it. Quite good. Kale, acid, oil, salt. It could not be more simple. Try it and tell me I'm wrong.

It was my first time here and it was AMAZING!! I love the idea of small plates and sharing them with friends. Every single thing we got was amazing. I will for sure be back. Only thing, I wish they would have atleast forewarned me that refills of sodas aren't free lol ♡

Every time I've come here it's been nice, but not amazing-- nothing to support the idea this is the most spectacular restaurant I've ever eaten at. I'd never even wanted to pen a review until just tonight, when I was wanting to give it another go for dinner after a workout class that let out at 8. I open the door at 8:15 to ask to be seated (just myself, table of 1), to be met with apologies that they stopped seating tables at 8. My last Google search says they close at 9 pm. Having served tables before, I absolutely never want to be the person to inconvenience the restaurant staff, and I was debating even trying to come to the restaurant not wanting to be "that person." I eventually convinced myself to go ahead and come on in to eat; 40 minutes til close is ample time for me to enjoy my entire meal and leave at 9. But alas, it was not to be on this particular evening. I understand that it is rough for restaurants to not have customers come in on certain nights, but I think it's equally as rough to be the customer expecting certain things to be true of a business, such as their stated business hours. Just my two cents on this chilly January night, with an empty stomach.

Went during restaurant week and had to wait for more than an hour to get seated. It was so full. The food here is really good, no wonder there's a long wait time. I loved lamb noodles the most and the mushroom bun had a very interesting taste to it. The beef empanadas should also be mentioned since it was a delight with the sauce. I do want to give a shout out to Liam who was our server and was excellent at it.

The BBQ beef empanadas were amazing. Great service and the other vegan plates were delicious - specifically the crispy potato saag aloo. Bang was banging!

Food was good and my drink was great! Very nice atmosphere.

We had a great night here! We ordered the cauliflower, oyster mushroom, pork with noodle, and two buns. They all went beyond my expectations with an interesting combination of ingredients. I gave it 4 out of 5 because the service was a bit slow - we were left there waiting for a long time to pay check, though understandably it was a busy night for them. Make sure to go before 7pm to get a table without wait!

This is an awesome spot within walking distance to my old apartment! Beautiful downtown location in what seems to be a remodeled historical home! Very quaint! Upon entering the area we were greeted with a sign at the front which explained dining instructions, takeout instructions, as well as opening hours! (Pictured) We of course opted to sit outside on their front porch to look at all the beautiful plants and spring scenery! We were seated, and greeted by a sweet server who told us about the menu and how to work it! I came into this knowing we would order several small plates to share so here we go! Caesar Kale Salad- this was very crunchy, fresh, and cool on a warmer day! It was beautifully plated and seasoned nicely. It was a little on the sweeter side for my liking but I enjoyed it anyways! (Love a good starter salad) Drunken Noodles- These also had a wonderful flavor and were mixed with yummy veggies and mushrooms and a hint of spice amidst the sweet sauce! House Pickles- I love pickles! Almost everywhere I go if it's on the menu, I'll try them! These are the sweeter type, not dill, tad bit of a spice, and very crunchy and delicious! Chicken Buns- These are the BEST!!! The buns were so soft and doughy and the chicken was deliciously moist with a wonderful spicy Mayo! I could have eaten about three of those in addition to the other things we ordered! What can I say? I love chicken and this hits all the spots for me!!! Braised Short-Rib Dumplings- These were to die for and they certainly didn't hold back on the meat for all you meat lovers! They were literally packed with the tenderest rib meat with just the right spices! The miso mayo was a favorite and complimented the dish very well! Crab Pot Stickers- Came out beautiful as did the rest! The post sticker had a nice crispy shell that wasn't greasy at all. The filling was a nice blended filling with a delicates crab and seafood taste (according to my husband, I'm not the seafood lover). They looked awesome and as was everything, BEAUTIFUL! Water was brought out complimentary and we ordered two sprites which were served in cans with glasses of ice. I noticed they had many drinks, sake, beer, so I wanted to try out something non-alcoholic (daiquiri, special soda, mock tail) because I no longer drink, but unfortunately the basic sodas and water were my options. This will not hold me back from visiting in the future! We would like to return for dessert, and some other offerings!