Lis Bar

I totally get that the pandemic has been rough on the restaurant industry. It's been rough on a lot of businesses. I've had to start cutting back on luxuries and that includes dining out. My wife and I have been going to Lis for almost a year now and since the pandemic, visiting Lis means eating outside and a very limited menu. Just recently it seems Lis has been implementing a 20% "living wage" surcharge on each bill. Now, they don't tell you about it, or post it anywhere. In fact, when you close out your bill and add a gratuity, they won't even mention it. So you can imagine my surprise getting my bill via square and email showing that on top of the 15% tip I left I was charged another 20%. We were with another group and they were charged $30 and we were charged $14. So on top of us both leaving a tip we were charged $44. I'm not sure how long Lis is going to be in business alienating their customers like this. Long story short, if you go to Lis expect a food truck menu at restaurant prices. Oh, and a 20% charge for dessert. Update: In response to the owners reply below, It’s so sad that he’s “forced” to pay his staff minimum wage. Basically, it seems he’d rather keep them at minimum wage to maximize his profits by selling frozen farmed Indian shrimp kebabs from shoprite for $15 a whack. Another point he’s missing is that I’m not opposed to the living wage, just that the staff hid the fact. They were cagey about giving a receipt which makes sense since I paid an extra 15% gratuity. As for the signs, there weren’t any when I was there (with a party of six that didn’t see any either). Just reinforces my points. This is the kind of place that just should be avoided in my opinion. Actually don't know what's worse, the food, the prices or having to listen to the owner whine how hard things are for him.

Once you enter this unassuming bar in an empty area of Kingston just yards from a commercial rail line, you are instantly transported to a warm cozy wonderful bar/eatery that can easily be at home on the West side of Manhattan. Delightfully different takes on classic cocktails along with sumptuous small plate choices made our night memorable. The service was excellent with friendly and skilled staff.