Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Al Badawi

    3.9 (148 reviews)
    Open • 10:30 am - 10:00 pm
    Updated 2 months ago

    Order Al Badawi Takeout or Delivery

    Al Badawi Photos

    Business Info

    AL BADAWI ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - Al Badawi

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Fattat jaj!! Very good
    Annie B.

    Food/drinks: delicious!!!! And very pretty Favorites were the cold appetizer tray with the dips (bread came out warm and delicious) + layered chicken dish Atmosphere: loud but sooo lively! I had so much fun eating here with a large group! They also do birthdays the best and at happy birthday from the speaker! Service: very busy when we went so service was just okay! Price: seems expensive at first but it's actually to match the portion! Most dishes are huge and meant for sharing!!

    Hummus
    Melody M.

    Great Palestinian spot with helpful service and lively ambiance. Food offers many different options for all interests, overall meat heavy (which we loved). We got 4 dishes to share with 4 people. We had bigger eyes than stomachs because we couldn't finish and took leftovers home. The only downside to the food was that the meat was fried/ cooked too hard in the Fattat Lahma and felt hard to bite through. I think it's because we came late and maybe the food had been cooked longer? Not sure. Nonetheless, all the other dishes, pistachio flatbread, chicken kebab and hummus were great. We brought our own wine and the restaurant provided us with glasses. Great service and food.

    Muhammara
    Austin K.

    Started with the muhammara and this version wasn't to my taste, a bit too heavy. Their complimentary pita bread was hot and pillows. The main dishes were great. The mansef and lamb ouzi were both good, although I liked the mansef flavor more while the ouzi has a roasted texture that is more familiar. The ouzi could be a bit too aromatic strangely. They also gave us complimentary pistachio baklava that was warm and a perfect level of sweetness! I wish it was crispier but I loved the nuttiness. The menu is almost the same as ayat.

    Mezze Filistini and Wara Dawali with warm Pita Bread
    Shantal H.

    My husband, cousin, and I came here on a Saturday evening. My cousin has been itching to go for a while, so we booked a reservation on the Resy app. The restaurant is on the corner of 89th and 2nd Ave in the UES. It was packed at 8:40pm, which gave me confidence that we were going to have a great meal! For starters, we ordered the Mezze Filistini, which is a mixed platter of hummus and other dips. Delicious!!! We also ordered the Wara Diwali, which are the stuffed grape leaves. Also very tasty. We unfortunately did not realize the portions were going to be so huge before ordering entrees, nor did we think about it being family style sharing. We should have ordered 1 MAYBE 2 entrees at most. Instead, we each got something: my cousin got the mixed Shawarma and cheese flatbread, I got the branzino fish platter, and my husband got the lamb chops. My branzino was just OK. It didn't look like the pictures and it needed more lemon and salt to cut the fishy taste. The rice and pickled veggies served with it were good. The other two entrees were amazing. I think if we had gotten a flatbread and maybe one of the meat dishes, I would have been happier. Still had a nice time and would go back. Oh and btw- it is BYOB, so make sure you bring your wine bottles. We ended up buying a bottle at a small store next door and the price was double than normal!

    mocktails $12 each
    Elena W.

    I saw an influencer make a video about this restaurant and so I came to try it recently. My boyfriend and I were at the restaurant at 7PM waiting for one of our other friends to join us (we were early for our 7:15 reservation). We had checked in with the restaurant and since it was so busy inside, I opted to wait outside and just read the other Yelp reviews about this place. I noticed a couple reviews that spoke about subpar service. I was thinking oof, sure hope this doesn't happen to me. I jinxed it lol My friend finally arrived at 7:15 so I told the staff that we our party was all here. They said they were still getting our table ready and that they would find us when it's time for us to be seated. We waited outside the restaurant for a while and I checked in with the staff again to see what was taking so long. I couldn't find the original guy that I was talking to, so I talked to a different staff member. He asked me if I had a reservation, to which I responded yes, he asked me what time, I said 7:15 (it was 7:40 when I was talking with him), he looked at his watch and told me that I'm too late and that they wouldn't be able to seat us. I was like...I've been here since 7 dude........ A woman staff member overheard this exchange and had seen that I had been waiting for a while and she apologized to me on his behalf. I really should have just left the restaurant since they don't charge for missed reservations but whatever they finally had a table for us. Pretty much everyone gets the Mezze Filistini app that comes with free pita. This place doesn't serve alcohol, which isn't a problem for me since I prefer to get mocktails anyway. I got the lamb kebab mashawy as my main entree and...omg...the lamb was mad overcooked like hard as a rock. I let my boyfriend and my other friend try the lamb and we all agreed it was so bad. Basically inedible due to how tough the meat was. They both got chicken mashawies and at least theirs was not overcooked. Overall unpleasant experience from the rude staff and mid food, also for pretty high prices. I will not be coming back and would not recommend this restaurant. I'm giving 2 stars instead of 1 because I think it could have been worse, it's just a little better than very bad imo

    Fattat Jaj
    Vanessa T.

    Met my friend for dinner which turned out to be a great 3 hour experience This lovely restaurant is a BYOB and we brought two bottles of wine along with the amazing food we ate! The hummus was delicious! And I loved our platter unfortunately I am not sure how to pronounce it fully. We enjoyed the food and were enjoying our wine all to ourselves. The service staff were attentive but also spacious and I hope to be back again soon! The server who sat me in the beginning did mention he HIGHLY recommended making a reservation on the weekends due to the high volume of people dining in!

    Dolonchapa C.

    What an amazing place! I got a reservation a few days back through Resy. But they were full and highly recommend a reservation. Service is fast and efficient. Couldn't recommend this place more! FYI credit card payments incur a service charge of 4% I had seen the portion sizes from a food influencer before so knew to order the right amount. Their portions are huge so don't be fooled :) They started us off with some complimentary pita (flatbread?) with some olives, olive oil and zaatar. That bread was soft and impeccably made. You see they making the bread actually through their semi open kitchen We also ordered the meat triangle thing called Ikras Lahma - it's just the one piece but that's a big triangle. Only small thing - it would be the perfect dish if it came with like a yogurt based. Cooling sauce. The meat was warm and aromatic enveloped in that warm hug of a bread. Was missing something yogurt-y I guess. But their pickled veg was a great idea too We got the cheese and mixed shawarma flatbread. Had one piece each then boxed the four others. It was the same delicious bread loaded woth cheeses and their beauti Ft Tully shawarma meat (beef and chicken). Beware it's a full sized pizza type thing We shared the mansaf as well - this was a gigantic lamb shank made with subtle but punchy (yeah I know) spices. It was understated but overwhelming - I know I'm saying mixed tings but it was a beautiful l dish. It comes on a bed of saffron rice on a thin piece of flatbread similar to the Indian roomali roti) and with a side of a yogurt peppery sauce, highly recommend this dish but we had to box some of the meat too. Finally we ended our meal with the cardamom coffee which gets served in beautiful cups. Think cardamom (not the artificial flavor crap) in Turkish or Bosnian coffee Finally finally we couldn't resist or wrong the Knafa as it's my favorite dessert and it was amazing too. Huge portion again so order wisely. I have had better kunefes but this was pretty damn good too!

    Forum S.

    I was really excited to try this new local spot but was sadly disappointed. Service: Our server was really rude. He made us feel like we were wasting his time just because we didn't know what we wanted to eat within the first 2 minutes of being seated. When we did order, he gave us a hard time about the amount of food we had ordered. They rarely gave back to fill our water glasses even after we asked multiple times. I haven't had such rude service in a really long time. Food: The food felt average at best. Everything felt underseasoned and their bread was slightly raw (see picture). I really liked the concept of their Mezzo platter - we got so many different things and I thought it would have been fun to try it all. Unfortunately, most of the items were disappointing. Price: I think for the quality of service and food, everything felt overpriced. Ambiance: They have nice outdoor seating and inside feels like a small intimate set up.

    Free bread
    Glenn C.

    I went here months ago with a group having been both to their other location in Cobble Hill/Downtown Brooklyn right by me as well as their original spot Ayat. This was the first location where I could see the shrinkflation but that appears to be the same in all locations now unfortunately. I partially prefer the design of their Cobble Hill location but it still looks nice. The staff was fine like the other spot though it took longer to get things here. As per the other place, they give you bread along with olive oil (with olives) as well as za'atar. It's always tasty regardless of spot. The best thing here and still the most recommended by a mile would be the Mezze Filistini consisting of a platter of hummus, baba ghanoush, muhammarah, tabbouleh, salata tahuna & labneh. The portion has shrunk but it's still excellent with particularly good muhammarah/muhamarra and baba among other things. The Zahir Ma Laban or fried cauliflower on tahini with pomegranate molasses is also a tasty appetizer. The cauliflower was well roasted as per the other spots with enough molasses for some sourness and sweetness and some richness from the tahini. For main dishes, the Ouzi Lamb with traditional rice, minced meat, peas, carrots, onions, herbs & spices made with generous sized pieces of succulent chunks of roasted lamb and garnished with fresh parsley and roasted slivered almonds is definitely a lot smaller than it is used to be. The flavor is still outstanding and the lamb is perfectly cooked but it's harder to recommend. The Fattat Jaj with 6 layer dish of chicken, rice, chickpeas, garlic tahini, crispy pita, slivered almonds, & mint is also solid. Also tasty from the larger platters are the Maklouba or Msakhan which are other traditional Palestinian chicken dishes. if you want a meat platter, the Beef or Mix Shawarma is a better choice than the kabobs which tend to be a bit dry. The platters come with rice., lettuce, and pickles are solid. The Kefta/Kufta is also pretty solid though a bit dry for the price point. We also had Kanafe for dessert. This was a very solid version without too much sweetness compared to other spots and plenty of pistachios. I would recommend this as well. I'd still recommend this spot heavily even with the smaller portion sizes. The flavors are overall excellent though I'd stick with the mezze as noted as well as the larger plates than the kebabs you'd try in other similar Levant spots. Upper 3/low 4.

    Peta W.

    I loved the outside seating with sun beaming. Initially popped in for brunch and chose a seat outdoors. Immediately got menus but no one came around for 15 mins to take our orders. We decided to not just walk out on the table. My parter flagged her down and she finally came over. We decided only to get a latte and mint tea and not stay for food. Personally I didn't think I'll go back. Ambiance/ view won with lively crowd, inattentive service, mediocre latte.

    Kefta Kebab
    Lauren B.

    The food was pretty good, I've had better Palestinian/middle eastern. I ordered the beef kefta kebab platter, and sampled the dip sampler platter, pita bread, and the chicken shawarma plate. The meat was a bit dry and tough (both the beef and chicken). The flavor was good but a bit lackluster. The dip sampler was probably my favorite. The pita bread was yummy. Service was interesting, it might have been our server's first day.

    issa vibe
    Jenny L.

    Great food all around with interior vibes being laid back. The food was delicious. Muhammara was on point. The salmon kabob plate could be shared with 2-3 people if you're ordering appetizers. Hummus and insalata were honestly just okay, and I might not order the mezze again because the yogurt/labneh, baba, and muhammara were the stand outs. The desserts were pretty good, the baklava being the favorite. I think service could be a little better. Meaning the waitress could have been friendly and acknowledge us, but I think the gentleman working the night we came who was the general manager, he was very accomodating and a 10/10 professional picking up the slack and asking if we needed anything. Great service.

    Lamb Shank
    Melissa S.

    Great ambience paired with truly top-notch ingredients -- and let's talk about that olive oil... OMG. Authentic Palestinian cuisine done right, with stellar service to match (shout-out to Bertin, the manager, for making the experience even better). The lamb shank was solid and comforting, but whatever you do, don't skip the pistachio cheese flatbread -- it's the kind of dish you keep thinking about long after the meal is over.

    Chicken flatbread

    See all

    3 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 months ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 2
    Love this 2
    Oh no 2

    3 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 months ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    9 months ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 2

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 1

    1 month ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 6
    Thanks 3
    Love this 1
    Oh no 2

    1 year ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 2
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    11 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 1
    Love this 5
    Oh no 1

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    7 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 2

    7 months ago

    Food was good. But it did not knock me socks off. Was expensive too. I understand it's family style but it still felt pricey.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Ryna D.
    227
    3281
    6493

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    10 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 2
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    2 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    9 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1
    Photo of Sal L.
    3
    75
    6

    4 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 1

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Emily G.
    240
    12
    15

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 4

    Al Badawi Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Al Badawi

    What is the closest ferry/subway/bus?

    86th St Q Train

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    You might also consider

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Middle Eastern 6,997 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Kame - Spicy Tonkotsu * Food IG: @eat_with_lily

    Kame

    4.4(977 reviews)
    3.3 mi•Chelsea
    •$$

    We happened on this spot on the way to a show, and so happy we did. Such a cozy small dining room,…read moretastefully and simply designed. Everything was delicious! I had the classic Tonkatsu Ramen, with an egg - The pork ws seared and still so tender! The broth was very flavorful. My husband has a salmon rice bowl, and he loved it. He said the fish was cooked perfectly! We started with veggie gyoza, and they do them in a very interesting way. Very flat and all fried together. We were surprised when they brought them, but they were awesome! we were. fan of this style almost immediately! The waiter gently recommended the pork gyoza (his preference) but not everyone at the table eats meat, so we stayed with the vegetable. We really enjoyed our meal! everything was quick, the service was above and beyond, we would happily return!

    Overall: 3 stars…read more Small calm restaurant with lots of options for our vegetarian friends. As a non-vegetarian though, from my small sample size, I was not too eager to want to try more nor come back, although it doesn't taste bad. Gyudon - This bowl had more onion than beef, which is not ideal for a fulfilling main. The poached egg is impressively petite, and the bowl otherwise has a pleasant sweetness to it. Food: -1 Presentation: E Price: E Atmosphere: +1 Service: E Menu: +1 Insta/Yelp/Beli: @amei_eats Insta/TikTok: @ameizing.race

    Photos
    Kame - Inside the restaurant

    Inside the restaurant

    Kame - KAME Salad

    KAME Salad

    Kame - Takoyaki * Food IG: @eat_with_lily

    See all

    Takoyaki * Food IG: @eat_with_lily

    Witch Topokki Manhattan

    Witch Topokki Manhattan

    4.4(198 reviews)
    3.2 mi•Chelsea, Midtown West

    If you love tteokbokki, this is the place for you!! I did the AYCE lunch, and it was absolutely…read moreworth the price! For $20 per person, you get access to tons of different tteokbokki shapes, meats, vegetables, fried accoutrements, and toppings! I loved how customizable the experience was, right down to the bowls of powder that make the sauce -- you can both experiment and pick exactly what you want! This is a must-visit for me whenever I go to NYC now.

    there are few AYCE meals I like, but witch Topokki is good at offering a variety of different kinds…read moreof foods if you're not sure what to go for. They offer AYCE Topokki which is the kind of meal my partner and I decided to go for but they also have AYCE hotpot if you're not a huge fan of Topokki. This place has a bunch of Topokki galore: different flavored rice cakes with different sauces ranging from mild to spicy and even tomato broth flavorings!! We opted for tomato broth with ramen and a wide range of Topokkis...the section I want to flag is the ramen shelf. There's top ramen, Jin ramen, and just cup noodles and varieties of ramen you can put in your broth if you want to know what kind of noodles it's coming from. The service is quick and it's self serve so you get up from your table to pick what you want. There's also a fried food section if you want other types of food to eat. As pictured, there's fries, wings, and fried rice cakes. The ambiance is lively with posters of Korean idols everywhere (I'm a BTS fan, so there's V everywhere, yay :) ) and they have good fruit teas and cocktails. It's a large place with designs of witches everywhere; this WITCH Topokki. it's clever and the food is filling and warm.

    Photos
    Witch Topokki Manhattan - Veggies

    Veggies

    Witch Topokki Manhattan - Fried hard boiled eggs

    Fried hard boiled eggs

    Witch Topokki Manhattan

    See all

    Al Badawi - mideastern - Updated October 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...