Ordered: Mint Lemonade (~$9)…read moreHummus (~$12) Baba Ganouj (~$12) Grilled Eggplant (~$12) 5pc Falafel (~$12) Tabouleh (~$12) Fatoush (~$12) Grape Leaves (~$12) Zikrayat Mix Grill (~$35): with chicken kebab, beef kebab, lamb kofta and lamb chops with rice, grilled tomato & pepper, spiced bread, and yogurt sauce Aya's take: Zikrayat recently rebranded and changed managers, so I found myself back here for a family dinner. We ordered a bunch of appetizers to share and Mix Grill entrees for our party of 7. I would say it's a pretty simple and standard order. No deviations, substitutions, or anything out of the ordinary. Despite that, our drinks took ~20 minutes, the appetizers took 30+ minutes, and our entrees 30+ minutes after that. The Mint Lemonade was so small and tasted artificial. For ~$9, I expect more. The only appetizers worth trying are the Hummus Baba Ganouj, and Falafel. Everything else sadly missed the mark. The Fatoush & Tabouleh were promising but pretty sad. It lacked dressing (lemon and olive oil), flavor, and there were way too many unnecessary lettuce leaves on or around the bowl. I did enjoy the Zikrayat Mix Grill. The meats were tender, well-seasoned, and juicy, the rice was light and fragrant, and it was filling. I found the appetizers to be overpriced and along with the extremely slow service, I didn't leave feeling like it was worth it. I don't think I'll be back.

Went for Ramadan buffet, nice people, great display; so many different choices of food. They know…read morehow to cook meat tenderly! Seems like a great place to smoke hookah and chill later on in the night. Glad we spend Iftar there 2 different times. We will return again next year.

So yummy! Definitely underrated. The chicken kebab is so good, the chicken is flavorful and brown…read morerice was perfectly seasoned. They gave a fair amount of sauce and veggies. I ordered through the phone for pick up and the hostess was so friendly, I got my food within 20 minutes. The food was so good I ordered the next day and got a combo for 2, the chicken and kofta kebab. So delicious and I will 100% be returning!!!

I'll start by saying that I love everything about this restaurant. From the food, the general…read moreatmosphere, and the impeccable service. The owner and staff couldn't be nicer people. They care about their patrons and do everything in their power to make you feel welcome. The decor is simple and uncluttered. Just the right amount of art and adornments, without feeling suffocated. My waiter, Khalil, is a fine gentleman and very personable. He would be welcome at my table anytime. Now for the food: We had the appetizer combo, which consisted of a spinach dish, hummus and pitas, and samosas. Best hummus I've ever had. Spinach was spicy and delicious. Samosa was excellent. For the main course we ordered a kebab platter for 4 people. Three kabobs of your choice, served with white or green (dill) rice. The kabobs here are the best I've ever had (I've been here many times, but this is my first review). This is one of my favorite restaurants in the five boroughs. Check it out. You won't be disappointed.

Didn't have a reservation, but was able to get a table for a party of two on a Friday evening. It…read moredid get more busy as the evening went on so making a reservation is recommended. There's so many options (vegetarian, meat) - something for everyone on the menu. Our hostess was also very nice as she also provided some recommendations since this was my first time being here. The food portion sizes (even the dips) are huge. There was also unlimited pita bread for the table. Would definitely come back next time to try other items on the menu.

What an amazing experience!!! The service was great, the food was so good, and the ambiance was…read morephenomenal. Anytime I have a more than great experience I feel compelled to rave about it. The menu here is so extensive and may be overwhelming, I do recommend everything we ordered: falafel, grilled halloumi, tabouli salad, hummus beiruty, fatayer sbanek w jabne (spinach pies), frozen jellab, frozen mint lemonade, lahme bi ajin (flatbread), shish tawook platter. We split all of this amongst four people and we were stuffed. Our bill was around $260 without tip so I think it was well worth it. If you enjoy Lebanese food, this is a MUST try!

4.5 Stars...Rounding up to Five Stars!…read more What a beautiful restaurant! I had read so many raving articles about Ayat, and have been wanting to go for the longest time. They have branches all over NY but when they opened one in Astoria, Queens, we finally went! Ayat is a little pricier than some restaurants in the area but you're paying for a quality meal, and it was so worth it...really!! Shout-out to our server Tyler, who was great in every way! He provided us with everything we needed before we even asked. Thanks so much, Tyler! Menu shared by 6ppl: -- 2 orders of Salata Filistini Salad ($9): very small portion. We actually wanted to try their Watermelon Feta Salad but it's no longer on their menu. This Salata Filstini Salad was a poor replacement and nothing special. Skip this and try another salad. -- Meze Filistini (6 spreads & fresh pita) $32.75: Excellent! All 6 spreads were delicious with the warm, fresh pita. All 6 spreads were fresh & tasty. You can tell they used quality ingredients. -- Lamb Chops w.rice, salad & tahini sauce (4 chops/$39.50): Excellent dish! The lamb chops were prepared perfectly and the Tahiti sauce really complimented the lamb. Get this!! -- 2 orders of Mixed Grill w.rice, salad & yogurt sauce ($37): Fantastic platter with one lamb chops, Beef Kebab, Kofta Kebab and Chicken Kebab. The chicken was a tad bit overcooked and dry, but the other meats were perfect. Recommended! -- Fattat Lahma (6 layer dish: meat, rice, chickpeas, garlic, tahini, crispy pita; garnished w.almond slices & mint) $31: This was an excellent dish. Someone had warned me that this tends to be dry, and to order this with extra yogurt sauce...great advice! We indeed ordered this with extra yogurt sauce, and honestly could have used even more! Haha But this was a great dish! I would get this again. -- 2 orders of Knafa $15: This was slightly different from any Knafa I've ever had. It was very loose and dry but really tasty nonetheless! This was a large portion, but was perfect for 3 people sharing. All in all, this was a great meal. The freshness and quality of each dish really shined. I would definitely return to try other dishes and repeat some of the dishes we had tonight. Recommended!!

Decided to go here for a special occasion lunch and boy were we disappointed!…read moreI could go to Shahs Halal or my local Greek restaurant for better quality and tasting food for 1/2 the price. For apps we got the dip spread and cigar rolls with beef. Tasty enough but nothing special. Took 15 minutes before we got some more pita to share between the four of us. For entree we got the mixed shawarma with fries. Big portion, fries were ok, meet slightly dry and the white sauce the gave us tasted like yogurt sauce that was watered down and had oil added to it, no good ! The biggest disappointment was the mixed grill. 1 tiny piece of lamb and 2 pieces each of chick, beef and kofta. Flavorless meat , flavorless rice and the meat was sooooooo dry. Kept chewing and chewing because scared to swallow and choke. I want to cry just thinking about how much better food we can get from a local place and we drove all the way from long island to try this place. I'm not even joking, I gave the meat to my dog for breakfast as to not waste food and even he didn't want it. That is the attached picture . Sooooo disappointed. Bathroom is dirty and not let clean. Not enough staff to ask for help or utensils or even the check. Lacking customer service skills.

I've heard of good reviews from someone I know, so decided to check it out for myself when I was in…read morethe area. I walked in with a friend. We saw a few people seated, but was able to find a spot quickly. My friend and I decided to share a shawarma platter because we both weren't too hungry. Before we got our platter, we were treated with chips & dip. The chip itself was deep fried & oily, but tasted so crunchy & good. The dip was slightly on the spicy side, but nothing we both couldn't handle. Soon after, we got our MIXED SHAWARMA PLATTER. We opted for a cucumber/tomato salad & baba ganosh as our 2 sides. I would suggest these two options as the salad balances out the meat & the dip give a good neutral balance. Since they only give one pita for the dish, we had to split it in half for us to share. From the shawarma meats, to the salad, to the baba ganoush - everything was flavored so well! We were both nodding while eating it because it was so good. When you put everything into the pita and eat it, it's mixes well and I devoured my portion very quickly. I really did enjoy the food here.

MUST TRY!! If you…read morelike Mediterranean and Middle Eastern foods, you are going to LOVE Zyara! The people, the food, the energy and FEEL of the place - the workers are friendly and ready to give you a GREAT experience! We walked into a packed restaurant (barely any standing room to wait or order) and the kitchen was moving and shaking to fill orders faster than anything I've seen in a long time. The food is on display - it is ALL fresh and refilled (often)... people are waiting patiently for these high quality dishes! I ordered the lamb and chicken kabobs with some rice and a couple smaller salads. We also had some hummus and bread - OMG, the creamiest humus I've ever had topped with some type of pickled garnish, PERFECTLY delicious! When the food came, I was overwhelmed with flavor and tender, juicy meats that were perfectly seasoned cooked on the outside (char but no burn) while keeping the juices flowing! Everything was absolutely fantastic, zero disappointments!

Very laid back atmosphere. Not a fancy place. Located across the street from the botanical garden…read more Food here is tasty and totally hits right. Ordered the big plate chicken that comes with homemade noodles. The chicken is flavorful and the noodles are the perfect accompaniment. Love the texture of the noodles. Nice and chewy. We loved the lamb skewers. Generous portion for $4.99. Tasted like quality meat with the perfect combo of lean and fat. The baked buns are actually meat pies baked with phyllo dough. I love phyllo dough and the filling was very tasty but would have preferred more filling as it washer dough heavy. I love milk tea so I had to order the Nurlan milk tea. Huge portion. Literally came in a bowl. Found it tasteless. Service here is friendly and fast.

Incredible Uyghur food not just for Flushing standards but for the entire city as a whole…read more Everything here is halal so that's a nice plus. Went with a group on a Thursday evening, and the place is fairly small with about 10 or so tables. There was only one server but since there was only one other occupied table, this wasn't an issue. Service was prompt and friendly and our server was willing to explain things to some in our group who weren't very familiar with Uyghur cuisine. The space also had nice vibes, clean with understated and tasteful decor on the walls. We had to get the special laghman because this spot is known for that, and you get the option of either lamb or beef. We ordered both varieties and they were both delicious. The meat was tender and they're loaded with fresh vegetables, with the mushrooms being a highlight. The sauce in particular was incredibly rich and savory and I was tempted to get an additional order of noodles on the side just to enjoy the sauce some more. It was that good. Others in our group ordered the stir fried noodles which I got to try; it wasn't saucy like the laghman but it was equally delicious. We also ordered the lamb dumplings, which was probably the weakest dish of the night. They weren't bad, and for $15 you get a large plate of them, meant to be shared or enjoyed as an entree. It's just that for the area you can get better dumplings for a cheaper price. I probably wouldn't order these again when I return, but the chili oil and black vinegar elevated them a bit. But the real highlight of the night had to be the lamb kebabs, spelled kawap here, served on skewers. They are $5 a pop, so they're not exactly cheap but they are worth every penny. Grilled and seasoned to perfection with tender meat, I genuinely think these are the best lamb kebabs I've had in the city, and I've had a lot from dining at many Middle Eastern restaurants. These blow them all away. If you visit, make sure to get one or two skewers for yourself along with your entree. Finally we had some milk tea, served in a bowl and not a cup like you might expect. It was rich, decadent, a little salty, and a great way to end a great meal. All in all, loved my experience here and I'm eager to go back.

Superb Georgian food that appeals to every palate. This kosher restaurant has a slightly upscale…read morefeeling with service that makes you feel as if you were invited into their home. The restaurant was spacious enough to accommodate our party of 13 people, with room left for couples, families and another group of diners.

Happy to have tried something new but wasn't my thing. Expensive and I thought the food was…read moreunderwhelming. Marani sampler - 2/5 - 3 different phkali spreads (spinach, eggplant, and green bean). Bland. I like the spinach one the best. It would be nice if it came with bread or chips, but we got bread on the side and that was $5 extra. Lamb kebab - 2/5 - Tough texture. Expected it to be juicier? Khinkali - 3/5 - Thick shell. I always take note of broth inside of a soup dumpling. Wasn't super flavorful but decent.

Most welcoming neighborhood spot serving consistently delicious food is also a worthwhile…read moredestination. Just go.

I came to dinner with my aunt and uncle and we ate falafel and I ate the shrimp with veggies. He…read morealso made us a specialty dessert which reminds me of home. Sami is the best cook in the world.

Amazing service, delicious food, beautiful atmosphere! They serve authentic Middle Eastern food and…read morethe ambience makes you feel like you are in Palestine. Highly recommend you try!

5 Stars - The best hummus and mint lemonade in Jersey!…read more If you are in Paterson, Al-Basha is an absolute must. We had an incredible spread, but let's talk about that Signature Mint Lemonade first. It's iconic for a reason, bright green, perfectly frozen/blended, and so refreshing that it balances out the rich meal perfectly. We ordered the Falafel Platter, and you can tell they do it the right way here. The falafel was crispy on the outside, light and green on the inside, and not oily at all. When you pair it with their Hummus (which is hands down the creamiest I've ever had, especially with the warm meat and pine nuts on top), it's perfection. The Mix Mashawi (grill platter) was also fantastic, tender lamb and chicken that actually tasted like they came off a real charcoal grill. Great portions, authentic vibes, and the service was super welcoming. I'll be craving that mint drink until I come back!

Levant is one of my favorite new spots, and a great addition to the neighborhood. The feteer game…read moreis stronger than ever. First off the place is so cute, it's a long narrow restaurant with a good amount of seating, and you can watch them make and bake the feteer fresh to order. The people are so nice there and the food was DELICIOUS I do recommend setting aside some time or calling ahead if you can since it can take around 20 minutes to assemble this delicious creation. Get the mixed meat one and you will not be disappointed. The melty, gooey cheese runs throughout the large hefty chunks of meat sandwiched within this rich, delicious bread that keeps it all together. I ate the whole thing myself in a day. Don't forget to throw on the hot and white sauce on it too!

Came here for my birthday dinner celebration with friends. We ordered a few platters with rice &…read moremeats with hummus, eggplant,fries & a shawarma feteer. The platters were all delicious and the servings are big. It was my first time trying fetter and I heard that this place has the best and it did not disappoint! Excellent hospitality and ambient, you feel right at home here and are treated as so. Once the weather gets warmer we will definitely return to sit in the back courtyard that I didn't even know they had. Another gem in this area, so much rich culture.