Wow, shockingly good! I tried the Za'atar Chicken Malawach and it was delicious! Portions are quite large- at least for the Chicken Malawach. The wrap was overflowing and it was very filling. Cute fast casual spot in downtown Ithaca. Wait was pretty short for our food. The malawach is buttery flaky slightly crisp perfection. I would eat these plain. I will definitely be returning for the malawach! read more

Lev Kitchen - Za'atar Chicken Malawach - Middle Eastern Near Me - Ithaca, New York

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I was looking for lunch options during a recent Ithaca trip, and Lev Kitchen popped up on Yelp with positive reviews. I visited during an afternoon weekday when the restaurant was not busy, and I had a solid lunch experience. The service was no-frills but efficient: you order at the counter, find an open table, and then your food is brought out to you. I ordered the za'atar chicken malawach wrap, and the char on the flatbread was impressive. It was a flavorful sandwich that mixed various components including schug, aioli, and tender meat. I would be open to trying other menu items during a future visit! read more

I found the flavors here interesting and captivating. Yemeni flatbread sandwiches are the big hit here. I had mine with chicken and my guest had the other with gourmet mushrooms. It went super well with a local Ithaca beer. They have wines available as well. Ambiance is a little blah. Place is low key where you order your food upfront and they bring it to your table. There is extra seating upstairs. I will be coming back! read more

Food was great and the staff were incredible. Great spot, can't recommend enough! Mushrooms were incredible and loved the fresh grape juice!!! read more

After realizing that downtown is basically a ghost town on Monday evenings, my friends and I had to scramble for a backup dinner plan. Enter Lev Kitchen, our unexpected savior. I'll be honest -- I wasn't initially thrilled about it, but as fate (and hunger) would have it, LK proved me wrong. * Za'atar Chicken Malawach ($14) The guy at the counter recommended this, and I have to hand it to him -- he was absolutely right. This thing slapped. The chicken was tender, the flatbread was buttery, and every bite was the perfect mix of flaky, juicy, and flavorful. A true underdog win. 10/10, would trust the counter guy's recommendations again. * Cardamom Latte I was excited about this one, but unfortunately, it didn't quite do it for me. The cardamom flavor was there, but the tiny bits at the bottom threw me off. I don't know if that's part of the experience, but I prefer my lattes without sediment. 3/5. * Cardamom Cookie w/ Jam A good cookie, but I wanted more cardamom. Like, turn up the spice, make me feel something. The jam was nice, though. 2/5 Lev Kitchen came through when we needed it most, and while not everything was a hit, that Za'atar Chicken Malawach alone has earned this place a spot on my "would return" list. Moral of the story: trust the counter guy. read more

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Fast food-ish ambiance, you order up at the counter and they bring it to you. The star here is malawach, the bread used for the sandwiches/wraps. Its soft and flaky. I got a veggie one, mamalawech, that comes with lots of veggies, dressing and cheese (I added an egg). I also ordered their fries but thats definitely a dish to share, its a whole tray of seasoned fries. Everything was fresh and tasty. I'll be coming back to try other dishes when I'm in town. read more

Lev Kitchen - Mamalawech with egg - Middle Eastern Near Me - Ithaca, New York

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I am absolutely blown away by this chicken wrap. The bread is like a pita but layered like a croissant. I'm in love. The chicken is freshly grilled and has a nice char and smoky quality. Could not recommend more. read more

Lev Kitchen - Middle Eastern Near Me - Ithaca, New York

I had the fried mushroom malawach and OMG it's THE BEST. (No cheese to be vegan.) My meat eater boyfriend loved it and our local friend orders it all the time. I will 100% order this again when I'm in the area. The crunch of the mushroom pairs perfectly with the soft, but crispy malawach wrap and is balanced with the creamy slaw. I will be dreaming about this wrap... I was satisfied with the amount of food I got for the price. There are dining areas in the bottom and top level. There are games available to play and I enjoyed the trivia with my friends. read more

Lev Kitchen - Middle Eastern Near Me - Ithaca, New York

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Nov, 2024. Ithaca, NY. Our adult daughter was attending a small meeting in Ithaca, and the local organizers arranged catering from Lev Kitchen. Our daughter raved about the food, so we just had to check it out. The restaurant was convenient to our hotel in the Ithaca Commons. First, a little background about the restaurant (from their website). Lev Kitchen is a casual restaurant inspired by a flatbread called Malawach and the amalgamation of cuisines and cultures from the Levant. You ask .. what is a Malawach and where is the Levant? Malawach is a crispy, flaky flatbread that originated in Spain amongst the Jewish community. After being forced out of Spain in the 13th-14th century, Jews brought the bread to Yemen where it further developed before being brought to Israel by Yemeni Jews in the 1950s. The Levant is a historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean including southern Turkey, Syria, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Cyprus, and Iraq. The restaurant also prides itself as being a sustainable restaurant, with science-based menu design and a commitment to finding the best ingredients and purchasing them directly from the source, preferably locally. We were intrigued. We ordered, and shared, two Malawach wraps, both of which were excellent. The Halloumi Malawach ($12.50) featured seared halloumi cheese, blueberry jam, spicy greens, and Marcona almonds, while the Sweet and Spicy Malawach ($14.25) had a generous portion of Za'atar*-roasted chicken, blueberry jam, red Schug*, walnuts, scallions, and greens mix. [*Za'atar (blend of wild thyme, sesame seeds, and sumac). *Red Schug (smoky, earthy, warm spice hot sauce)]. The restaurant also offers salads, sides, soups, and sweets -- for our next visit! Service was fine. We ordered at the counter for take out. We were called by name when our names were called. The restaurant itself was small and pleasant. Others have reported that there's also outside and upstairs seating but we didn't notice either. read more

Lev Kitchen - Nov, 2024. - Middle Eastern Near Me - Ithaca, New York

I dream of malawach. I want to eat all of the malawach. I don't want to share it ever with anyone, ever. It tastes like, pie dough naan... but flakier. Richer. More delicious. More... umami. If that word even makes sense for this - but yes. In my book- yes. Maaaalaaawach. For life. I want to make pot pies with it. I want to put peaches and cherries in it and make those little hand pies over the fire with it. I want to eat it with eggs and with hummus and with curry and rice. It's so good - they sell it by the bag now. So you AND I. CAN DO THESE THINGS. I love lev kitchen... I love their chicken malawach. I love their falafel. I love their fattoush salad. I love their kennebeck fries. I sneak their food into the cinemapolis theatre because I want to eat it forever. (I also get a red bean donut from the bakery nearby and the Jamaica tea and popcorn at the theatre- like a true food lush- and eat all of it all) I love lev kitchen and you will, too. Eat. The. Malawach. read more

Good, but not excellent. We ordered take out, and the ordering experience was very easy. The food was ready exactly when it was supposed to be (which was relatively quickly). The primary focus of the restaurant seems to be their malawach wraps, which is a reference to the flaky flatbread that serves as a foundation to their wraps. We ordered a "mamalawach" wrap, and it was nicely presented and flavorful but not a life changing experience. We also ordered a few different salads and were surprised to find that all of them were fairly similar. Each of the beet salad, the fatoush salad, and the roasted vegetable salad were all essentially variations on some sort of beet salad. That's not necessarily a problem, and is likely only something we noticed based on ordering a few different salads. It just wasn't what we expected based on the descriptions in the menu. I'll also note that the restaurant's web site comments on their mission of being a sustainable restaurant featuring sustainable ingredients directly sourced from like-minded producers. That's an excellent goal, and I'm happy to hear it's something they focus on. read more

I ordered the falafel pita sandwich and my husband got the sausage and lamb pita sandwich. Since my husband's was so much more expensive than mine, we unwrapped them expecting mine to be the small one and his to be the big one. But it actually turned out the other way around, with my sandwich being noticeably bigger than his. Both sandwiches were super tasty though! They serve a variety of wines/ciders, and let me taste the 2 ciders before deciding on one. There is outdoor seating and indoor seating, but the door between the indoors and outdoors is a garage door, so the indoor seating is pretty much outdoor seating too. So make sure you dress appropriately! read more

On a quick visit to Ithaca, we discovered Lev Kitchen. It is a small, quiet restaurant specializing in middle eastern food. I had the felafel. It was excellent. We tried both flavors of kombucha and each found a favorite. On the way out I grabbed some deserts for later. They were all delicious. This was a wonderful find and somewhere we intend to visit again. read more

This food is mouth watering! Your service is fast and it's a chill spot to sit in and eat. The menus are easy to read to find what you are looking for. read more

This is a relatively new spot that opened right at the heart of the Ithaca Commons. The first time I came here I ordered their Halva. It was disappointing but while I was waiting for it I noticed that every sandwich they made was made fresh on the spot. Next time I came I ordered two malawach, the mushroom one and the chicken one. The bread is like a pliable, flaky, deliciously savoury roti. The mushroom one had a truffle flavour. I love mushrooms so I liked it a lot, but when I bit into the chicken one I was seriously blown away. Will return again to try the halloumi one and their apps. While they're a more casual eatery, since they make their food on the spot, expect to wait 20+ minutes for your food. read more

Lev Kitchen - Za'atar Chicken Malawach. - Middle Eastern Near Me - Ithaca, New York

I ate at Lev when I visited Cornell with my son. We split a shakshuka sandwich and a mushroom schnitzel sandwich. The bread is malawach which is a deep fried bread from Yemenite Jewish cuisine. The sandwiches were delicious and appeared to be made to order. I wish Lev would open a branch in NYC! read more

The portion sizes were small, but the food was flavorful. I definitely should have ordered the malawach. However, the salad did not disappoint. Food came out fast and there were great decorations inside the restaurant. Service was accommodating. read more

Lev Kitchen - Salad - Middle Eastern Near Me - Ithaca, New York

My husband and I shared: - Za'atar Chicken Malawach - Haloumi Malawach - Mushroom Schnitzel The Haloumi Malawach was definitely my favorite. The cheese was delicious and paired perfectly with the sweet spread. I wouldn't get the mushrooms again. I love mushrooms but they didn't really have any flavor. There were several other menu items I wanted to try so I'd gladly come back. read more

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It's a beautiful day when the food taste like the picture & description. With that said the sweet & spicy chicken definitely delivered. While running storm in New York I stopped by this place & wished I could transport the entire place back home. Good vibe, food, and desserts. Went for two days in a row. Although I couldn't transport the store home being I left that machine at home I was able to take some of the oatmeal cherry cookies with me. I'll take the wins I can. Service was great & staff efficiently explained everything on the menu. read more

Fantastic food. My husband thinks this is the best falafel he has ever had. I wouldn't go that far but it is at the top! Very friendly service and nice location. Overall a fantastic place for a quick meal. read more

This is a cute, small, and friendly restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating near the hotel I was staying. I tried the Za'atar Chicken Malawach and was blown away by how savory and yummy it tasted. It came out freshly cooked and piping hot. The chicken was super soft and the sauce mixed in with the hummus was a extremely satisfying. The wrap was delicious and had a slight flakiness while being chewy. The wrap was very filling and there was a good balance of protein. read more

Lev Kitchen - Za'atar Chicken Malawah - Middle Eastern Near Me - Ithaca, New York

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Delicious! Had the blt-it was amazing ! Great bacon, with lots of greens and heirloom tomatoes

Visiting the finger lakes from Philly. We were looking for a bite while we were in Ithaca and came across Lev Kitchen and we are so glad we did! I got the Kennebec fries. They were nice and crispy and the perfect blend of sweet and spicy! Seriously! Wasn't expecting them to be THAT GOOD! My partner got a mushroom malawach wrap and he said that was amazing too. We also got two desserts: an apple/pistachio tart which was to die for and the lemongrass malabi. Everything was so good and the staff were very kind and a great atmosphere! Highly recommend! read more

Lev Kitchen - Kennebec Fries - Middle Eastern Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Best Mediterranean food up here. So many great options and everything was delicious. Helpful staff.

Bring your own fork/knife and water bottle. They need to do something immediately about their cheap/dirty cutlery, which you take from containers (also a gross practice) near the front. The cutlery and some of the metal glasses in which you get tap water from the counter were visibly dirty. How clean, then, could plates, etc. be? I've seen other Yelpers comment on this and I'm surprised that it hasn't been resolved. They should fix this, and when they bring your food just bring a set of, *clean* cutlery wrapped in a napkin. It's so basic. if you go in and care about that, I encourage you to say something. That said.. I believe that the food has improved since I first visited about a year ago. Great vegetarian options, very good flavors and genuine authentic fresh falafel made with fresh chickpeas and not a mix.. recommend trying that! We enjoyed the salad and the fried mushrooms as well. I think they are doing well and trying to bring to Ithaca a locally-sourced innovative & unique take on Middle-eastern food, and succeeding. read more

Service was slow and waiters were rude. Food was alright but we had to a while to get the food.

Loved the malawach. The only reason this is 3 stars is that one of the cooks handles the wraps without gloves / with bare hands... :( wonderful food but pls wear gloves! read more

Delicious! Maybe the best pita ever! The chicken pita sandwich was so delish! And a great selection of wines and ciders

Amazing wraps (that dough: divine!) with broad range of options for us vegetarians. Prompt service. Only negative: dining area a bit grimy.

If you're driving by or within 50 miles of Ithaca, eat a Malawach wrapped sandwich from Lev. I've never had that before, and can't find any other place that uses the Malawach as a 3/4 wrap, with its pastry puff consistency, filled with aromatic, spiced ingredients. I had the Za'atar chicken, with superb seasoning and sauces - including red and green Schug. Excellent. Maybe in the sharing of food there is peace between cultures, a Jewish customer, a Lebanese restaurant, a Yemen style bread. Plus - Lev is focused on food and food service sustainability and supporting local finger lakes region suppliers. https://www.levkitchen.com/the-mission Eat at Lev. read more

Lev Kitchen - Za'atar Chicken - Middle Eastern Near Me - Ithaca, New York

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The food, and the service were great. Delicious food, amazing flavor. We'll be back. Also loved the music.

Wow! On a cold, snowy night, we decided to shuffle into town for a movie (at Cinemapolis). Always on the lookout for healthier fare, we saw Lev's. Now, it's not fancy; there's no trendy lighting scheme or themed decor; there are no real waitrons : it's pretty much all about the food. Sure, we sat by the door and the occasional blast of cold December air on spartan furniture... but when that first wonderful aroma of our meal graced our face holes, all was forgotten. Their signature bread delighted in its freshly warm mastitude, magnificent in flaky wonderment, the filling danced a flamenco palmas to our eager tummies and curled up nicely like a basket of kittens. I think my wife saw her God. I heard Linda Ronstadt singing Moroccan folk tunes. Perfect dinner experience! read more

Unreal food, excellent service. They've got Aurora brewery! I will be back here at least once a week. Great to eat in and the wraps are perfect to go. Best I've had in town in a while! read more

Lev Kitchen - Middle Eastern Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Everything was perfect. Service was really nice. The restaurant was clean. I loved the 90s music. Zaatar spice never disappoints

Good service, great food. I got the Falafel and the fries (no cheese) and they were both top notch. read more

Lev Kitchen - Falafel sandwich - Middle Eastern Near Me - Ithaca, New York

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This was a really good Mediterranean place near Cornell. We all tried the zaatar chicken sandwich. Food took a while to come but that's how I knew it was going to be fresh. The chicken was well seasoned and flavorful. The sandwich was stuffed and was enough for two people with a side salad. read more

Lev Kitchen is a MUST have spot in Ithaca!! they make the most delish and unique flavors all while being true to their style. Definitely my favorite restaurant in the commons!! They have breakfast, lunch, dinner, desserts, and more. My fav breaky is the egg, mushroom, kale malawhach, it's next level!! read more

This place has amazing food. The mamalwach is just a thick wrap and the flavors they pack into them are amazing. It's definitely not winning awards for service or atmosphere, but try them for the food alone and you'll be happy! read more

Tried this place for the first time with two friends for dinner. The food was delicious- my friend and I had the mamalawach and my other friend had the merguez malawach. The wrap itself was the perfect amount of flaky, crispy, and chewy. It had great flavor, and I liked it more than typical pita bread. The filling in the sandwich was also tasty. My only issue was that the serving size was pretty small. I usually have leftovers when I dine out or at least feel very full after I finish an entree, but I ate this whole sandwich and was still a little hungry. I think this is an ideal spot for lunch, but for dinner I wish the sandwich was served with a side salad or something else. I heard good things about the loaded fries, so I'll have to come back and try those next time. As a side note, the menu is pretty limited and mostly has sandwiches and salads. As someone who looks out for gluten free people(my mom is gluten free), this place would probably not be the best option for people with gluten allergies because the only option would be the salad(and the fries if they are GF, too). It's great to see a reasonably priced restaurant in the Commons that college students can actually afford. Also, there aren't too many Mediterranean places in Ithaca, so this is a nice new addition. read more

Lev Kitchen - Mamalawach(sorry it's half eaten, I was too excited to try it before I remembered to take the picture) - Middle Eastern Near Me - Ithaca, New York

I think this may be the best sandwich I've ever eaten. I got the za'atar malawich chicken and it is delicious. Lots of flavor, very soft bread and plenty of veggies. The cider was honestly lousy. read more

Lev Kitchen - Cider and malawich. - Middle Eastern Near Me - Ithaca, New York