Deliciously good authentic Palestinian food. I highly recommend this place if you're ever in the neighborhood and are looking for something different to eat. The restaurant is filled with art on the walls, the menus are made of wood, the outside ambiance has a lot of greenery and it's very welcoming. Service is great. Inside dining isn't so big.. As for the food, we ordered BBQ chicken, which was served with fries, babaganoush, hummus, small salad, & pickles. We also ordered chicken kebab which came with everything I just mentioned and rice. The rice is so fluffy and soft. The chicken taste very good and tender. It had that charcoal flavor to it, the fries, amazing. The serving portion is just right, you get a little bit of everything. Overall great restaurant read more

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Beware of the "surcharge" that is added to your bill and about which the server had no explanation.

Incredible food and service and atmosphere. My first time eating Palestinian food. My wife and young kids loved it as well and they are picky eaters. We will be back!!!!! read more

Ayat in Bay Ridge was jumping for a Thursday night. They have a large covered outdoor dinning area and indoor seating. Interior of Ayat had upbeat strumming of Arabic music playing. One area for seating has tables for bigger groups. Creative decor, with a mural by local artist and large installation of natural vines which cover the out door dinning structure. Five star food, I was over whelmed when I arrived with so many options. I went for the mixed sharwama platter, it was served in a traditional clay round dish. Meats were thinly sliced and served with plenty of rice and perfect pita, made fresh on site. Platter comes with hummus and baba ghanosh. You must order first and then find a table. Table service was not available when we arrived. read more

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Palestine restaurant with a casual atmosphere. They have a garage door storefront which create a breezy and airy environment. You place your order at the stand in the back of the restaurant and then grab a table. We ordered the mezze platter, the mix shawarma platter, and the vegan platter to share amongst three people. We had plenty of leftovers and probably would have been content with two platters. Everything was good. I think they cooked on the healthier side. I didn't feel like everything was doused in salt and butter. Even after eating a hefty portion, I didn't feel lethargic afterwards. It certainly felt like a family operated business. No particular item stood out as a must order yet I wouldn't discourage ordering anything. I think the preparation would suit most palates and they have intriguing items for seemingly any dietary restriction. We had some coffee after our meal. It's pretty strong and I'm expecting not to sleep tonight. read more

Food was so yummy and perfect. The meats were cooked so well and the waitresses were kind and quick. Would definitely recommend this place to everyone!! read more

Ayat NYC - Arabic Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Amazing restaurant with wonderful food and great service. Happy to have this location close to home.

A very interesting experience! I obviously don't know what authentic Pakistani cuisine seem like, but my friend who is Pakistani thinks it's authentic, so that's always a good sign! For 4 of us, we got the Mezze, the mixed shawarma plate, the 6 layer chicken dish which I forgot what it's called, and Kibbeh. I highly recommend the Mezze and Mixed Shawarma plate, both were fantastic, our Pakistani friend really enjoyed it as well. The Kibbeh was served cold (2x, we asked the server to reheat it 2x which was disappointing), and the 6 layer Maklouba was just ok. Overall, it was a fun experience, definitely one of the restaurants you want to try when you're in the neighborhood, but could be far for those who live in Manhattan. 7/10 would come back again! read more

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Came here on a rainy friday night and got seated fairly quickly. Great atmosphere with live music and a packed house. The staff is very friendly. We ordered the Maklouba (enough for 2 people). It takes 45 minutes for it to arrive and well worth the wait! The cauliflower, chicken, potatoes, carrots, eggplants and rice were all steaming and full of flavor. We were so full by the end! I'll definitely come back and try more of the menu! read more

Ayat NYC - MAKLOUBA - Arabic Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Came here on a whim, and boy was it a great decision! An absolute must in Bay Ridge if you're looking for Palestinian cuisine! Shared two huge platters among a party of 4--mixed grill platter (hummus, baba ganoush, salad, chicken kebab, lamb kefta, lamb chop) and fattat lahma (6 layer dish consisting of meat, chickpeas, mint yogurt, rice, almonds, toasted pita chips). The mixed grill platter was juicy and delicious--only complaint was that the lamb kefta could've used more spice. And the fattat lahma was so rich and balanced (fell in love with the almonds alone). And we decided to end dinner by getting dessert to-go. We ordered kanafe and baklava. The kanafe was a bit more on the savory side and more chewy in terms of texture compared to past ones we've had. Meanwhile the baklava completely nailed the ratio of filling to pastry. So so yummy. 4.5 overall for Ayat! Will definitely be back to try their other platters!! read more

Ayat NYC - FATTAT LAHMA - Arabic Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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Phenomenal meal. Mansaf here is as homemmade as you can get and done right. Kofta was also delicious. Portions are enormous. Come with a group or expect to take leftovers home (my preference). Highly recommend Ayat read more

Ayat NYC - Mansaf - Arabic Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Ayat is by far one of the best middle eastern/halal restaurants in the bay ridge area. - Their menu is engraved on wood boards which is pretty cool. - You order at the cashier, pay there, and then they will bring the food to you - There is indoor and outdoor seating - can get pretty busy The Mixed Shawarma and beef shawarma are so amazing. The mixed shawarma has both beef and chicken if you want more of a variety but the chicken can be a little bit dry. The platters come with a large assortment of things including beef/chicken/both, rice, hummus, cucumber salad and more. It is so flavorful and inexpensive! One platter can be enough for 2 people. Ayat is a must try! read more

Believe the hype. There are a wealth of Mid-Eastern and Mediterranean spots around town but none like Ayat, who specifically bill themselves as Palestinian street food. Each dish is layered with flavor such as the Msakhan, a roasted chicken dish served with res wine stewed onions, toasted almonds, fresh parsley, and a freshly made flatbread called taboon, which lends a dense chew to the dish that rounds it out beautifully. The shawarmas are plentiful and sliced right from the spit. Tender meats spiced properly with plenty of sumac (among others). The portions are substantial and the food is blissfully consistent. Everything is tasty and made to order! read more

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Really freaking good food. I don't remember the official names of the dishes we ordered but honestly everything is so good here. I've been here twice already and can't wait to go back. The cauliflower appetizer was yummy, the steak kebob was great, the dips sampler was awesome. The one thing I didn't like here and wish they had a better one was pita. Tastes cold and stale, not my favorite. Otherwise this place is something special. We got a dish with rice, meat, almonds, tahini, I can't remember the name but omg was it tasty and huge! I definitely recommend and would come back, maybe bring my own pita this time (jk). read more

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I've had the Fattat Lahma, Beef Kebab, Chicken Kebab, and Kibbeh and they all taste amazing! I think the Beef Kebab tastes the best though. The workers are also very friendly and went out of their way to provide a table for us! The restaurant is also very pretty and clean. read more

Ayat NYC - Fattat Lahma - Arabic Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

I had the most wonderful experience dining here! On a cold snowy night our large party warmed up to some delicious kababs and lamb shank over rice dishes. The food was phenomenal and perfectly cooked tender, juicy, and flavorful. Our waitress from Georgia provided the best service we've ever received! She was extremely helpful and provided above and beyond service. She would be super mindful of our requests with lots of flexibility and customizability options (we wanted to try so much and she was able to provide mixed meat options for us to receive an extensive food variety experience), provided honest and helpful recommendations, and was readily available without any delay if any needs came up. The dining area is beautifully lit with a tree in the center of the room creating a very unique natural atmosphere. By far one of the best experiences I've had at a restaurant after a long day of travel in a cold climate while supporting an amazing community! 11/10 would come here again! read more

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Really good food, we had the Mansaf (lamb), chicken schwarma, falafels, and various spreads, hummus, babaganoush etc.. in a bohemian cafe setting. We discovered there is no table service after sitting for a while, so you just order in the back with them, get your own drinks from the cold case and they'll bring the food out to your table. With these prices, it would be great if they could use real plates & cutlery and less disposables (paper plates, plastic cutlery). Nice fresh pitas, the place is always busy.. read more

Food 4.0/5.0 Service 2.5/5.0 Value 3.0/5.0 Decor 3.0/5.0 Overall 4.0/5.0 Very good Palestinian food. Service is a bit hit or miss but it's almost like a self-serve spot anyway. Coming back. read more

Very very good experience!! The decor is adorable and the food is amazing!! Best shawarma I've had in the states hands down. It's one layer of crispy and toasty pita on the outside and then chalk full of juicy meats and fresh toppings on the inside. Me and my friend didn't even want to eat too much so we split a chicken shawarma (which is $10) but the thing was HUGE!! Well over a foot long!! The reason I can't give 5 stars is because the ordering set up is a little confusing. You go up to the cashier, order, pay, but then the waiters walk around with the food not knowing who to give it to. It doesn't bother me as long as I get my food in a timely manor (which I did) but I can see how it can turn chaotic. But nonetheless I will definitely be back!! read more

Ayat NYC - The shawarma halves were huge, they were the length of the plate!! We also got the salata tahina and a few kibbehs - Arabic Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Food is good, but their prices are super inconsistent. For example, if you order online it's cheaper, but they stop allowing online orders after 9 PM. So I walked in and placed a to go order. The stuff I ordered was all $2-3 more (for no reason, I got the same exact items). They also charged me a customer "assistance fee" even though all they did was punch my order into their computer. Oh, and they forgot to put silverware in my bag, so if anything they failed at their "customer assistance." Nickel and dimming customers is not the way to get people to return. read more

Ayat NYC - Online prices - Arabic Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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Cute place with nice workers but the beef shawarma made me very nauseous even hours later. Update: lowered rating because it's the next day and I still have a stomach ache and fatigue. A friend of mine also told me they tried the hummus at Ayat and said it tasted spoiled. As a food handler you should practice with more caution regarding how you are preparing food and what ingredients you use. Being careless with quality gets people sick. read more

Ayat NYC - Arabic Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Food Review: We had lots of appetizers...grape leaves, lebne, cauliflower and meat pie. All excellent. Our main dish of lamb chops came with hummus, babaganoush, salad and rice. These sides were delicious and very welcome since I can never decide! The lamb was perfectly flavored, but a bit overdone. Safety review: The owner had no mask on. The cooks wore theirs below the nose. The place was packed! We asked that tables be brought outdoors where there is a tiny platform. Suggestion: The owner should take safety more seriously. Wary customers might consider takeout. But the food can't be beat. read more

I trekked in from Manhattan to try this place. Very disappointed. The service was slow even though we were there off hours. The restroom had no soap for customers (and employees) to wash with. Sometimes the food makes up for this but in this case it did not. The hot items were cold and the cold items were warm. And as I was sitting there I saw the owner/manager toss some paper onto the street, in front of his own place. Not a good sign. There are plenty of places for good mid-eastern food. Try hummus and Pita Co. or Hummus Kitchen. read more

Great food and extremely kind staff. Came here for Iftar and boy was it busy. Would recommend coming here early during those times to get a table but the owner/manager was fantastic at finding us a table. We ordered the mezze mix, the mixed grill and the maklouba. All were pretty great and the mezze was fresh and delicious. It's really difficult finding a kebab grill that is clean and actually has quality meat and Ayat delivers. Would definitely come again and again. read more

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Absolutely delicious food. The portions are immense and the prices reasonable. Definitely recommend the mixed shawarma. read more

Ayat NYC - Mix Shawarma - Arabic Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

We are so appreciative to Ayat's management!! We received an order that had an issue. They assured us that the next time we ordered they would replace what we received. Management said they would hold our receipt. We mostly eat home, so 3 months passed. They still had our receipt and remembered us!! They truly care about their business & patrons!! Their food is delicious!!! And great management!!!! A valued business that will always have our support!!! More restaurants should be like them!!! read more

The food here was excellent. This restaurant makes one of the best shawarmas in NYC. Everything we ordered was delicious. The service was great, the environment was friendly and fun. Can't wait to go back. read more

The space is decorated including an outdoor area - but it borders an unseemly italian dining operation with lurking degenerates claiming their corner for harassing privileges. I had heard that this was a spot for Palestinian food but the kebab was dry. And again, the aesthetics are nice including the wooden menus but the prices there did not include a huge 15% increase that was indicated by a sign at the register that wasn't immediately visible. Hidden fees even the 4% surcharge ones put me off. read more

The beef was not good Other things was good because I was hungry I prefer you to try Coca Cola and rice read more

Ayat NYC - Arabic Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

The Palestinian food is banging. The servings are huge and a plus is watching granny whip up some homemade bread through a glass. The hummus, bread, chicken and rice were amazing - prices were decent for the amount of food. read more

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Best vegan entree in bay ridge!!!!!!!!!!! We got the falafel platter and everything was a showstopper. It comes with roasted cauliflower, eggplant, hummus, baba ghanoush, rice, and pita bread. Perfection. Will become a core memory, so so good. read more

Great business to support!! Food was so good. One of my friends got the kefta and it was the best seasoned meat I've had in NYC read more

Ayat NYC - Inside - Arabic Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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I stumbled upon this place with the help of a very helpful lunch decider. Spun the wheel, checked it out on Yelp, decided to give it a try. Everyone was super excited for Arabic food, plus the exterior made us even the more hopeful. There were so many people inside, all seated and waiting for their food. I placed my order and to my surprise, they did not have any more lamb or beef (it was only 6pm) !! So we placed 3 orders of chicken platters and falafel, which was not ideal. Maybe we should have tried other dishes but we were too sad to make other decisions. To my disappointment the food was so bland, not much flavor. The falafel and chicken were so dry and nobody even finished their food. Even the wrap was dry. I don't think I will be coming back here any time soon. read more

The place for authentic Palestinian food. I ordered a 16oz of the lebneh but wish I had more. I tried the fattat lahma this time and was not disappointed. The meat is cooked so well and compliments the dish well. My only complaint would be the limonana was too sweet for my liking but this was my first time trying it so I'm not sure if that's how it's supposed to be. read more

Ayat NYC - Arabic Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Was excited to try this place from the good reviews. The exterior is really pretty. The format of this restaurant is that you walk inside and order at the corner in the back right corner whether you are dining in or taking out. Then they will bring you your food. It is an open kitchen so you can see the chefs cook. Portions were huge. My friend's beef kebab was over cooked but my mix shawarma was cooked well. The highlights would be the zahir app (fried cauliflower), pita bread and their dessert, kanafe. However, although the food is good and their staff friendly, their service is lacking. We dined for lunch (a party of 2) and was the first of 3 tables occupied for lunch service and there was 2 ppl for front of the house. They forgot our limonana until we asked for it. When the app came, they failed to provide small plates until we were almost half way done. The utensils were plastic which was weird but who knows maybe covid? But they also failed to give us pita bread until our entrees came while the other tables received it before their entrees. Their dessert was served to us in a takeout foil container which I don't understand why but it was good so I didn't mind. We had lots of leftovers so they did provide (3) takeout containers but failed to give us a bag to take it out with us. I also don't usually look at my receipt but when I did, I noticed they added a service fee which was whatever but then there was 15% added to our entrees which doesn't even make sense since the beef kebab was $15 and my mix platter $12 and charged us the same for both... So basically, just come for takeout and skip the dining in and please check your receipts! read more

Ayat NYC - Arabic Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Heard about this place from a friend and they were not lying when they said it was good. The food was tasty and the portions were great for the price. We ordered the mix shawarma platter, chicken shawarma platter, and the grape leaves and they were all delicious. Definitely recommend the grape leaves for anyone coming here. read more

Ayat NYC - Arabic Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Warm friendly service. First time visiting a Middle Eastern restaurant. I ordered the beef shawarma . The beef was flavorful, the rice was fluffy and tasty. My son ordered the chicken shawarma and really enjoyed it. Loved the food. The portions are generous. I took half of it home and enjoyed it the next day. We ordered a slice of chocolate pistachio moose cake to go . I highly recommend this place. Don't forget to get some dessert. Will be back. read more

First off this restaurant is small but beautiful inside. I tried the chicken shawarma platter and it was really delicious. The chicken comes with a garlic sauce and a hot sauce on the side. I was really a fan of the garlic sauce. The rice was really good, and so were the hummus and baba ganoush. The portions were decent and worth the price. They accepted card payment as well. I would definitely return! read more

Ayat NYC - Arabic Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

What a beautiful ode to Palestine both through its food and thematic ambiance. I had already done my research prior to arriving and knew I wanted to try a shawarma, fries, and their mint lemonade. I didn't want to delve too deeply into the other more authentic plates that they offer, which admittedly I do regret. They offer huge portions and I everything that other patrons were ordering looked delicious. Although I played it safe with my selections, I will say that the shawarma was absolutely delicious. The meat was perfectly spiced and the side order of fries were crispy! I enjoyed everything and even bought a package of baklava! Quite delicious! Also, at every point of contact the staff was very polite. I will definitely be back to try some of their other selections. read more

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The food was delicious. I love their baba ganoush! I went back and tried their chicken shawarma and it was great! highly recommend this place. read more