Terrible experience... will never attempt to dine here again. After arriving for a 7:30 reservation, my friend and I waited at least 10 minutes for the hostess or waiter to help us. The hostess finally checked us in for our reservation but then made us stand outside (in below freezing temperatures) to wait until our table was ready. Several other parties arrived after us and were swiftly checked in and seated before us. After waiting 30 minutes and hearing nothing more from the hostess, we left. read more

I tried the "salata tahina" ($11.00) and the chicken shawarma platter ($15.00). the salata tahina was not my favorite because the tahini dressing overpowered the cucumber and tomatoes. i could only taste the tahini throughout this entire dish. however the chicken shawarma platter is pretty solid! but for the price idk if i would come back because i've tried better chicken shawarma dishes elsewhere. read more

Ayat - Middle Eastern Near Me - New York, New York

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Came to Ayat for dinner with a friend on a Wednesday. We went around 5:30pm so it was relatively quiet. The service was quick and the staff was friendly. We started off with some fresh baked bread (which kept coming throughout our meal), olive oil, and zaatar. We were in the mood for a spread and so we got the Mezze Filistini for the appetizer. It is a mix platter with hummus, baba ghanoush, muhammarah, tabbouleh, salata tahina & labneh. Everything, paired with the fresh bread, was incredibly delicious. We got a little carried away and may have filled up too much on the appetizers. We shared two main dishes: Kefta Bi Tahina as well as Maklouba. Both were amazing but my favorite was the Kefta Bi Tahina. This food tastes amazing as leftovers as well. Would highly recommend! read more

Ayat - Middle Eastern Near Me - New York, New York

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Food was absolutely delicious. We had mansaf and fattah. The freshly baked pita was a highlight! The service was great and the ambiance was a delight. read more

What a wonderful dining experience! The pita bread is fresh the hummus is flavorful, and the staff is very friendly and welcoming. read more

Ayat - Wonderful appetizers- hummus and falafel. - Middle Eastern Near Me - New York, New York

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Very rude host had a restaurant full of tables and told me "we have no space" even though there was a lot of space. Then I said there is not wait and he said maybe. So he was turning me away based on the way I look I guess. read more

This is an incredible restaurant with amazing food. I had the vegan plate and it was some of the best food I've had all around. Incredible falafel. And I'm not sure how they make these things taste as good as they do but wow you've gotta go. Free Palestine. read more

I had the Fattat Lahma. It was very good.the service was fast. Everyone in my group enjoyed their meals. read more

Ayat - Fattat Lahma - Middle Eastern Near Me - New York, New York

Food was excellent. Absolutely loved the meal here, amazing quality and execution. Price was shockingly low for how good the food was. Definitely want to come back and try all the dishes we didn't get to order. Hummus was good, labneh was AMAZING, literally scraped the plate. Zahir (fried cauliflower) was delicious, maybe a tiny bit too sweet but was fixed by adding hummus / tahini on top. The falafel was super fluffy and crispy. Fried halloumi was good but pretty standard and maybe a little too salty, kind of wish we ordered the Salata Tahina to go with it. Super satisfying meal overall, great budget option when you're not in the mood to spend the money on ilili lol read more

I've been here several times and yet it's never enough. The food and service have consistently been EXCELLENT. Their food is absolutely cravable. I enjoy sitting here as it's a calm and soothing atmosphere. They are always really great with my kids and very accommodating. I can't recommend them enough read more

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Delicious food and beautiful restaurant! The brick oven bread was absolutely delicious and their mint lemonade is constantly on my mind I would love to go back. It is a little pricey but totally worth it. I would 100% return. read more

I had a group lunch here, so I was lucky enough to try multiple dishes and starters and I can guarantee you that every bite was like a dance of flavors in my mouth. The waitress (can't remember her name) was patient and helpful with us, as she gave us enough time to order in addition to giving us some recommendations. read more

There's very few places that blow you away and ayat is one of them! We ordered the appetizer platter and fatejaj and the dips were all super fresh and paired perfectly with the warm pita bread. The chicken and rice on the fatejaj were perfectly seasoned and absolutely delightful. The portions are large and for two people we had leftovers on top of being super affordable! I dream about this food sometimes and can't wait to be back!! read more

Ayat - Middle Eastern Near Me - New York, New York

Great food, great size, great price, great service, and will definitely be coming back. The Mezze sampler was delicious and the fattat jaj was well worth it! read more

Ayat - Fattat Jaj - Middle Eastern Near Me - New York, New York

Get the three items in the photos and you won't be disappointed. The outdoor seating is cute and the service was very attentive. The ambience has some pretty woke art especially with everything going on right now in Palestine. Highly recommend. read more

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loved the food be sure to make reservations since the line gets long for waitlist i tried to make a review earlier but yelp prevented me so i lost the pics saved to the drafts. personally feel we should be able to post food reviews regardless anyways i got the yogurt marinated lamb with a bed of rice for 2 people but in reality it was for 4 ppl huge portions and i loved it ambiance is nice can get crowded since the min sometimes waits inside and they need a better system. overall i'll come back here really good eats read more

Everything delicious!! Palestinian food is a must try. Highly recommend. Hoping they open another store in the upper east side

our party of 3 shared some amazing dishes. the Grilled Halloumi & Watermelon salad, the falafel, Fattat Lahma and Wara Dawali They were all fabulous and complimentary of each other. The service and hospitality were top notch. i'm so grateful for our experience! read more

My son chose Ayat to have his birthday dinner of 12 people. As I am in Florida I wanted to order him and his friends dessert and pay in advance as a surprise. I had the pleasure of speaking with Eli who not only kept in constant communication with me but sent me videos and pictures! They even put birthday candles on the kenafah! The best customer service I have ever experienced! My son and his friends enjoyed every dish they ordered, especially the mansaf, makkoubah, and kenafah. He said everything was so fresh and delicious. The portions were very generous, that they all were able to take some leftovers home. I am so grateful for Eli and the rest of the staff for being so attentive and making his birthday a one to remember. I am excited for my next trip to NY so I can try out this amazing place for myself! read more

I've had Middle Eastern foods and this place is one of the best. Food is tasty, satisfying, and large. I have no complaints with the service and the ambiance was just right for this kind of joint. Lucky that it's in my neighborhood! read more

Horrible service, the server was so rude and unhelpful I asked for three different meals in which they just didn't have and he wouldn't help to let me know what did have at the moment. He forgot to place an entree in all together mind you it's just my girlfriend and I at the table. They comped the one meal in half and gave us free dessert after I voiced my complaints about this after waiting nearly 40 min to find out he just didn't put it in. I wouldn't recommend at all the meat was mid and rice bland read more

Loved loved loved the falafel and hummus! coming from ab arab, this really felt like home cooking. I had been craving a good palestinian meal, and we got that! The drinks, the mezze, and everything else was just too good. Can't wait to go back. read more

Simply incredible food. Nothing I've had at any of the locations has fallen short of "great", but my favorites are the mezze filistini (great for sharing with a group), the beef shawarma sandwich, and the limonana. The art scattered around the building is very powerful and the staff are always so kind and helpful. Could not recommend more. read more

Ayat - mezze filistini - Middle Eastern Near Me - New York, New York

A friend and I went here a couple weeks ago and I just couldn't not write about how amazing the Mezze Filistini and lamb was. I still think about it and tell everyone I know to go! Will be going back so soon. read more

I was visiting my daughter in NYC and we went to try this place out. It was wonderful, the food was outstanding including the free pita bread. The service was great - they fixed a mistake in my order and didn't even charge me! I enjoyed the busy atmosphere and the feel of the place too. We will definitely come back! read more

Service is lacking but I can't deny the food is so good here. The large dip platter is nice for bigger parties but I think entrees are definitely much better than their appetizers. Recommend coming here on a weekday, even during dinner it's much more calm. read more

my friends and i enjoyed this place SO much. aside from it being so gorgeous on the outside and the inside, the food is incredible. we got the vegan platter and a few appetizers. we were all so full at the end but didn't want to stop eating lol. there was super fast and friendly service too excited to come back soon! read more

Ayat - Middle Eastern Near Me - New York, New York

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One of the worst middle eastern meals I have ever had. Not only did I get food poisoning from the food, the staff was rude as well. I am never coming back here again and will tell all my friends and family to AVOID THIS RESTAURANT AT ALL COST read more

It was a pleasure to dine at Ayat. Our reservation was for a Saturday evening at the LES location. We were seated immediately despite the restaurant being very busy. We enjoyed the lemon and mint mocktail with the Mezze Filistini platter and stuffed grape leaves to start. Each dip on the mezze was flavorful and delicious with the fresh pita. Star of the show being the Muhammara. For entrees we got the lamb ouzi royale which was perfection. Great spice profile in that lamb. Fell right off the bone. The rice underneath was a highlight for me. I recommend this restaurant for all - especially a group of four so you can try a bit of everything. Portions are generous. Given volume as of late, service felt a little rushed like they were trying to turn tables quickly so if you're looking for a long date night with a slow movement through dinner, this wouldn't be my recommendation. Still great for dates, just bring expectations of a less drawn-out dinner. Shukran and compliments to the kitchen! read more

Ayat - Mezze Filistini and Wara Dawali (stuffed grape leaves) - Middle Eastern Near Me - New York, New York

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Great food the seats at the door can be a cold and windy, it's better if there's more heater or sth, they were just open prob run down on staff, a dish wasn't delivered but it's ok they are doing a good job otherwise read more

First time trying Palestinian food and was so surprised how much I liked it! Also the first/second time trying hummus so my expectations were exceeded. I really liked how the pita bread just kept coming once I was done and it is wood fire oven baked almost right in front of you (depending where you sit). The fattat jaj was delicious it had rice, yogurt, chicken, pita chips, chickpeas, and almonds which is everything I enjoy eating so this was the perfect dish. The service was great, I came during lunch time and I was the only one dining for majority of my meal so the food came out super quick. The inside it so nice and clean too. read more

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I was there a few days ago. It was the worst experience. That's the one in the East Village. I've been to the one on third Avenue, Brooklyn, at least three or four times that is excellent but the one in East Village I would not recommend to anyone. read more

Order take out. Told it's kinda busy, so come in 15 minutes. Arrived 20 minutes later, told wait another 15 minutes. Waited 20 minutes standing by the order station. Told it's being prepared.....I'm still waiting here an hour since I called in, 40 minutes since I paid and nothing....so I figured I'd write this appropriate review read more

It was all amazing, the mezze platter was the fav. Phenomenalllll. The stuffed squash was a close second. read more

The flavors were simply amazing. Everything in the plate was seasoned and cooked to perfection. The pita, the salad, the rice, the chicken, the potatoes all perfectly prepared. HIGHLY recommend! read more

I would recommend making a reservation to dine at Ayat. We shared the mixed appetizer platter which consists of hummus, baba ghanoush, muhammarah, tabbouleh, salata tahina and labneh. All components were delicious with their fresh pita. My friends ordered one of the wood fired pizzas and the espresso martini, both of which they recommended. I ordered the chicken shawarma platter which was as expected nothing special. The restaurant was extremely busy so service and the pita refill were slow. Of note there is only one restroom so the line was long but overall dining here was a good experience. read more

Super yummy food and kind folks working here! Reasonably priced and beautiful decor! Would recommend!

I really wanted to like this spot because its close to my apt and the menu had a lot of options I love but the food here was embarrassing. The labneh was not thick like its supposed to be and tasted like a bowl of yogurt. The lamb was overcooked and the chicken was dry. Even worse, the prices are so expensive! Only good thing was the pita bread... In reading these reviews it must be the owners and their friends giving the 5 stars because my experience was horrible. Ironically enough, the hostess was friendly and cheerful and that is the one complaint I read in the other reviews! read more

Absolutely delicious. Ordered maklouba, msakhan, spicy kefta, hot appetizer platter and baba ghanoush family style for 5 people. Everything was soooo yummy and we had tons of food left over. Somehow the bill was only $150. The alphabet city location is roomy and beautiful. We had so much fun would recommend! And you can BYO without a fee! read more

lots of vegan and vegetarian options! kind and attentive staff. also food was delicious i am excited to return read more

Ayat - Middle Eastern Near Me - New York, New York