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    Ayat

    4.1 (148 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 11:00 pm
    Updated 3 months ago

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    AYAT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed

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    Appetizer mix
    Itzak H.

    Absolutely amazing Palestinian food with something for everyone. The restaurant gets busy for dinner so make sure to call ahead. The kitchen was surpassingly quick for how full the place was and the food did not disappoint. The only regret I have was not coming hungrier for all the amazing food we ordered. The place is nice and intimate with the tables pretty close together. And the wait staff is accommodating and kind to everyone. I highly recommend trying everything you can and maybe going for the platters if you're a large group. Do beware the portions are large and you can easily get full in just the appetizers. Just make sure to leave room for the knefe at the end!

    Inside - pretty cool
    Peter C.

    Ayat is a Palestinian cuisine restaurant located in the East Village. It was my first time trying this cuisine and as I was curious. I got chicken shawarma platter which can also be served as a sandwich. The sauce was good, but the chicken was dry. Given how busy they were service was attentive.

    Michael C.

    This review is based solely on the ambiance, server, and knafeh. WOW to all of them. The knafeh was absolutely delicious and I will be craving it. Staff were super friendly and welcoming. The ambiance was such a nice relaxing vibe. Need to come back soon to try the rest of the menu.

    Food was pretty solid but vastly overpriced for the amount that you get, especially the dips . Complementary fresh pita was a pleasant surprise even though we had to request it. Service was also incredibly slow and our dinner lasted over two hours.

    Caroline W.

    Really enjoyed the dips Unfortunately got the meat platter and it was dry so would not get that Salad was decent and had good flavor to it Lots of seating options and staff were nice

    Mezze Filistini, Pita Bread
    Sylvia T.

    I honestly really liked it. The pita was fluffy and good but nothing crazy but UNLIMITED so ++++++. The mezze platter was great loved the variety and I think recently I've just become a big fan of dips. My favorites were the yogurt dip and the red muhammarah dip. The hummus was also good. Mixed shawarma platter was good as well just kinda like good halal. The flavors were great and textures on the meat were also good. Happy with the variety of protein carbs and veggies. No real complaints. I did try my friends plates and they got the fattat jaj. Next time I would get fattat jaj instead I think it was similar but more unique, cooler dish. I really liked the crunch pita crisps in it and that it could be eaten like a dip. Inside it's decently big lots of seating. Very beautiful interior and decor. Service was also fast and great!

    Falafel Platter
    Emma C.

    Ayat is a delicious spot in EV with large entrees, great vibes, and cute decor. If trying to go on a weekend expect a wait but it's worth the wait! Platters are generous in size and could be shared. We will be back!

    Eileen Q.

    Food was super delicious and the Mezze Filistini and Fattat Jaj were especially AMAZING. I loved the variety in spreads! The Fattat Jaj was so creamy and the chicken was very tender.

    Hot appetizer platter
    Michelle C.

    I'm not sure what's been happening here as I've been before and had a great experience with delicious food, but I went recently and experienced very slow service. We had a reservation which was not kept (had to wait over 15 minutes) and ordered our food (and drinks) an hour after our reservation time. The food also took a very long time, even the pita, and we had to flag someone down to ask for water, refills, boxes, and the check. It felt like they forgot about our table. Every step of the meal was extremely prolonged. FYI No alcohol on the menu, but I believe it's BYOB. I did enjoy the pistachio pizza, falafel, and free pita but the mixed shawarma platter wasn't as great as it used to be. Meat was dry and not very flavorful, wish they offered a spicy sauce. The portions are large but still too expensive. Nothing else was very memorable. Maybe they are having a hard time keeping up with the popularity and finding good waitstaff. Hope it gets better again!

    Vegetarian platter
    Ashwini A.

    SERVICE - located in alphabet city - expect a long wait especially during busier times. we got seated within a few minutes and the waiter took out order soon after but the food took almost an entire hour to be served - staff are polite but not overly friendly - indoor and outdoor seating available - good for smaller groups of 2-4 people - ambiance good for a semi casual meal - from what we saw the staff were going through takeout orders faster than dining in MENU - Palestinian comfort food - vegan and vegetarian options available - average price FOOD - vegetarian platter (7/10): wara dawli (grape leaves), mujadara (lentils and rice), zahir (fried cauliflower), falafel, and beitenjan (eggplant) with side salad and pickled vegetables. This is a great way to get to try multiple of the hot appetizers. The portion is very generous and can easily feed two people. I liked getting to taste each item individually and pairing some of them together. My favorites were the cauliflower and the mujadara. - mezze filistini (10/10): mixed platter of hummus, baba ghanoush, muhammara, tabbouleh, salata tahini, and labneh. This is similar to the vegetarian platter but comes with all of the cold dips. It is also served with complimentary pita bread for dipping. I could have easily just ordered this and been satisfied. My favorites were the hummus and the muhammara but honestly everything was very flavorful and fresh. Highly recommend ordering this one to share. WOULD I GO BACK? Yes! Although it was a long wait, I enjoyed the food.

    Mezze Filistini
    Julia M.

    REALLY great food. Yes the service is a bit chaotic and sometimes the staff seem confused on who is doing what, but our server was so sweet. Everything we got was delicious, starting with the mint tea and the amazingly fluffy pita. The mezze platter was tasty, with standouts being the muhammara and hummus. The baba ganoush was a little too tart. The halloumi and eggplant platter had some of the best eggplant my mom and I have ever had, and the halloumi was perfectly crisp. The baklava sundae was so yummy but the ice cream was quite hard so we had to let it defrost for a bit. You get SO much food and we walked away with plenty of leftovers that were still great the next day. Highly recommend!

    Free bread. Great for their mezze
    Glenn C.

    Short notes: General NYC location review now that I've been to all of them- Al Badawi (Brooklyn Heights,) Ayat (original/Bay Ridge,) Ayat (here,) Al Badawi (Upper East Side,) Ayat (Industry City.) Recommendations in general- Mezze fillistini, zahir, maklouba, ouzi, mansaf, musakhan, mix shawarma sandwich. I went to the East Village location of this miniature Palestinian chain a couple of months ago with one of my groups. They used to be quite different than their sister spot Al Badawi, focusing more on the mezze, which is my preference, but now the menus are pretty similar. The temperature inside was a tad warm, with there being a lack of good air conditioning, and the service was fine. It did seem like the portion sizes were, though, a bit bigger here (at least in terms of mezze) compared to the UES Al Badawi location. As per the other location, they give you some tasty pita along with olive oil (with some olives,) and za'atar. The bread goes well with the spice mix, but I would recommend saving it for the mezzes. The Mezze Filistini for $32.75, consisting of a mix platter of hummus, baba ghanoush, muhammarah, tabbouleh, salata tahina, and labneh, was my favorite thing here by a mile as per always. The best things were their excellent muhammarah, which is a delightful mixture of red pepper and walnuts, which was delightfully earthy with some nuttiness, as well as the labneh, which was thick and slightly sour but not too much so. The hummus was above average with an excellent texture, while the baba/eggplant was nice and smoky. The salata tahina was refreshing with some light nuttiness also, while the tabbouleh was my least favorite, though that is more because I'm never been a fan of that salad. The Zahir for $13, consisting of fried cauliflower served on a tahini bed topped with olive oil and drizzled with pomegranate molasses, was also tasty. I would complain about the fact that they changed the presentation, with the cauliflower also not being as roasted as before, but it was still tasty, with the cauliflower having a good texture, the dish having some good sourness/sweetness, and the nuttiness from the tahini helped mix all the flavors. A newer option here was the pretty good Hot Appetizer Mix for $38.62 with falafel, wara dawali, malfouf, cheese rolls, kibbeh, fried halloumi cheese, and kousa mahshi. The wara, or warak dawali, was my preference, with nice warm and flavorful grape leaves with a nice texture, along with a good kibbeh which had a good texture and was nicely meaty. The malfouf was similar to the wara, though made with cabbage leaves, and is a bit more sour, with another pretty sour dish being the kousa mahshi. The fried halloumi was also nice, along with the other cheese. The falafel was just alright, being less flavorful than a handful of spots even in the area, which comes back to the fact that the majority of the sandwiches and mashawy are my least favorite dishes here. The dish overall was good, but I definitely preferred the cold appetizer mix heavily as I liked the textures more, and I found the flavors less similar. Our host (regrettably) ordered one of my least favorite dishes here, which is the Fattat Lahma for $29, which consisted of a 6-layer dish of meat, rice, chickpeas, garlic tahini, crispy pita, slivered almonds, and mint. The fattat (or fattet) is on the drier end, and she eventually asked for some extra tahini due to this, which helped, but it wasn't a good sign that this was needed. The meat inside was fine, and the dish had good texture, but as always, I just wasn't a big fan of it. Outside of the fattat, I had a good time here. The cold mezze are still the star here, and it's hard for me not to write this place highly just because of that one dish. I prefer a few other locations as said, but I'd still go back here.

    Limonana
    Lee C.

    I found this gem on yelp which just opened in Oct. I'm so happy to have a Palestinian restaurant in the neighborhood. Let me begin by saying the food was amazing! We ordered the Raman special. They give you so much food for just $45. We also ordered the spicy chicken kabob platter which came with rice, salad and pickles. The Limonana is to die for!! So so fresh! The service was amazing, everyone's so nice and attentive. As for the ambiance, I love how open the space is and how you have straight access to the kitchen and the Palestinian history on the menus and murals!! Just great food and service! Will be back for sure!

    Hummus

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    Amavi - Mid Course - included in Prix Fixe (~$140)

    Amavi

    3.8(58 reviews)
    1.7 miMidtown East

    Service could've been a little quicker. This is an upscale Mediterranean restaurant that is…read moreintimate perfect for celebrations. We celebrated a birthday here and everything felt elevated. Standouts: branzino cooked to perfection, dangerously good pita (we ordered extra), and the shrimp skewer. The hanger steak and lobster arrabbiata (could've been spicier) were also hits. Chicken skewer? Just okay. We had thLychee martinis & Dreams of Amalfi Hazelnut bar, crème brûlée (we topped itwith melted chocolate from the cheesecake), and Dubai chocolate cheesecake On the pricier side, but worth it for the ambiance, service, and flavors. Perfect spot for date nights, birthdays & special moments.

    We came here to celebrate a birthday... after perusing their website and IG we decided this was a…read moregreat place to celebrate a birthday.... Well we were kinda right. Amavi is a great place to celebrate a birthday if you like a loud, DJ spinning, hookah smoking, over priced Mediterranean restaurant, this is the place for you. Now, this isn't to say this isn't a good place but be prepared. The food is decent, nothing to run and tell anyone about, except their Bronzino was absolutely delish! I wish everything else was at the level of this dish. Here is a run down of everything we ordered and ranked.... 1= fire the chef, 10 = Michelin Star Grilled Octopus :6 Caramelized onion Hummus :7 Sautéed Tiger Prawns :7 Tuna Crudo: 10 Bronzino: 10 Salmon: 8 Lamb Chops: 7 Mashed Potato: 8 Asparagus : 7 Lobster Aribbatta: 5 Hazelnut bar: 0 Dubai Chocolate Cheesecake: 0 Whatever you do, don't order desert. They are not worth it. So if you're looking for a lively and loud space with decent food.... Walk on over! Enjoy

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    Amavi - Dining

    Dining

    Amavi - Mid Course - included in Prix Fixe (~$140)

    Mid Course - included in Prix Fixe (~$140)

    Amavi - Main Course - included in Prix Fixe (~$140)

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    Main Course - included in Prix Fixe (~$140)

    Keki Modern Cakes - Bouncy cheesecake

    Keki Modern Cakes

    4.4(560 reviews)
    1.6 miMidtown East
    $$

    Wow, this little shop is unassuming, it definitely catches the eye, especially for someone like me…read morewho loves Asian pastries. I've never tried a Japanese cheesecake before and was extremely excited to be able to pick up some treats for my coworkers as well as my partner's birthday cake from Keki. Ordering is fairly straightforward and done with a simple machine outfront. Once your order is ready one of the staff members hands it to you through a window; there is no inside area accessible to customers but our food came quickly and we took it back to the office. The cheesecake was fantastic. I read a bit about the background of the shop online and how the owner really cares about using high-quality ingredients, specifically dairy. It was justas described, light and bouncy. I enjoyed how it was not overly sweet and found that it was all too easy to devour the entire cake over the course of two days. Despite it not having much weight to it, it traveled surprisingly well as I took it home on my three train commute! Similar to what others have said, the real highlight of the shop, in my opinion, are their cream puffs. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but the outer layer was thin yet had a nice little crunch to it. We tried the classic milk, cookies & cream pistachio and ube flavors. Our favorite was the pistachio by far, which had such a unique yet decadent flavor and our second favorite was the milk cream puff. There's not much else I can say other than you really have to go here and try the desserts yourself. If you're a fan of Japanese desserts that are rich yet not too sweet, you'll be a fan of Keki.

    Just got some tarts here so my review isn't reflecting what they're known for or typically have. I…read moreliked these ok because it was creamy and light, not too sweet either, but it may be the crust part that I wasn't as much of a fan of. There are lots of other tart places that do something sinilar and didn't really think these were that memorable. But read this keeping in mind I didn't try to cake items so that product may be better if all you're looking for is a light fluffy dessert that's not too sweet. Try something else here! Just did take out option here so not much to ambiance or service from my experience to speak on.

    Photos
    Keki Modern Cakes - Bouncy cheesecake

    Bouncy cheesecake

    Keki Modern Cakes
    Keki Modern Cakes

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    Prince Tea House

    Prince Tea House

    4.2(228 reviews)
    1.6 miKoreatown, Midtown West
    $$

    I am a frequent Prince Tea House goer, but I've never been to the KTown location which has always…read morebeen on my bucket list because of the nice wall decors! And I commonly see the upstairs for private events like baby showers, bridal showers, or birthday parties on social media. After dinner with my friends, I was looking for dessert and I was glad to see this location closes relatively late on a weekday night at 11 pm. Upon walking in, I was greeted by a waiter who led us to one of the purple velvet chair booths that was perfect for two people and another waiter brought us a pitcher of water almost immediately. The menu is on a QR code already on the table and we were given ample of time to decide. My friend and I both already knew what we wanted to order. I got the purple Yam Souffle which takes 25 minutes to make and my friend got the fried squid tails. We also got a signature Rose Green Milk Tea to share. The waitress who took our order has great memory and recalled all of our items without writing it down. She also reminded me that I could adjust the ice and sugar levels of my drink which I had completely forgotten and would have got annoyed if my drink came out 100% sweetness. Another thing is that my drink order frequently comes out wrong at other locations so I was glad she got it right! Green tea instead of black tea and with milk instead of without milk. The purple Yam Souffle is just like the other locations. Hot, soft cakey texture balanced with an ice cold red bean Ice-Cream. So delicious! The squid tails on the other hand was not what we expected. It came out burnt and hard. The outer batter was not crispy either. We informed one of the waiters and he brought it back to inform the kitchen staff. We received a new batch that was not as burnt and had more flavoring this time around. However, the squid was still hard and not like the ones we get from other locations with smaller crispier pieces. Overall, it was still a good experience and I love the decorations at this location! This might be my second favorite location after the Flushing one. Would love to come back for brunch or hi-tea. Or regular food options when I have not already eaten dinner. My usual go-tos are the twister fries, Santa Fe chicken rolls, fried salted crispy chicken, and the trio dessert combo. However, this location has a lot more variety! FYI - there are two unisex restrooms in the rear for customers to use with really cute wallpapers too.

    This is always my favorite spot to go for desserts and hangout. The interior decor is very modern,…read moresophisticated and stylish. We ordered potted rose milk tea to share, Dubai affogato and Brown Sugar Boba Mille Crêpes Cake. We came on a Friday around 4pm. Originally I wanted to try the strawberry matchamisu, however, was told that it sold out. What a bummer. The rose milk tea came with a themed pot and cups which is really cute. The rose fragrant smelled so good and the milk tea also tasted good and has a hint of rose taste. The cake was good, the boba was well cooked, chewy and flavorful! This time there was an unpleasant experience. At first when the Dubai affogato was served, we did not realize that the amount of the coffee was little until we saw another customer's dish that the volume of their coffee looked significantly more than ours. My friend brought it to the waitress attention but the waitress brushed it off and did not acknowledge our concern. When we finished and were about to leave, the same waitress came over and showed us that the container of the coffee was different and hence the volume of the coffee looked different. At this point, we did not care for it anymore. We would have been fine if the staff acknowledged our concern. We thought that maybe using standardized containers for the coffee would avoid this problem. Other than that, the food and drinks were good.

    Photos
    Prince Tea House - Inside

    Inside

    Prince Tea House - Mango Mille Crpes Cake

    Mango Mille Crpes Cake

    Prince Tea House - Too

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    Too

    Ayat - mideastern - Updated May 2026

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