Walking through the city in East Village, and ran into this little Mediterrane Restaurant…read moreLook pretty cool from the outside, so we walked in and gave it a shot. The ambulance was very nice and modern clean establishment. Service was great very tentative to all our needs And the food was very yummy. So delicious that the next time we're in the city. It is a must that we stop at this restaurant again. If you're looking for a great Middle Eastern food in the city, this would be a place to get your fix

First of all I've been talking up Au Za'atar since my first visit, have sent many friends their way…read moreand have gone a few times since my first meal. My most recent visit this month changed all that. I went with my son because we were in town. As it was the first place we knew we wanted to eat, I made a reservation well in advance and we showed up on time. It was noisier than usual and pretty hectic. We ordered a few appetizers and meals and a drink. No one ever checked in on us or refilled our water. I flagged someone down for to go containers as we wanted to save room for dessert and a second drink. They brought the containers and then we proceeded to sit again with no one checking in. We had been there for approximately 40-45 minutes total and were still waiting on someone to come back with the dessert menu when the host came to our table and said "there's a party with a reservation who needs tho is table so could you please leave soon?" Never has this happened to me. How insulting. When I expressed confusion stating we hadn't even received a check so why would we leave, rather than offer a proper apology and/or a "can we get you anything else?" She just said "oh that's not what I was told." And then a server brought us a check. I asked him if 45 minutes was the usual amount of time they give customers with dinner reservations and he said "I'm not sure. We're just really busy and probably overbooked." Again, no offer to make it right. Initially I wasn't going to leave this review. I reached out directly to the restaurant via email to tell them about the humiliating experience of being asked to leave when we weren't even done. Instead of offering to make it right (anything would have been appreciated - a dessert on the house next time - just some token indicating they valued me as a customer) they just explained that there was confusion and that they've talked to their staff so it doesn't happen to anyone in the future. Both the experience and the response put a horrible taste in my mouth and sadly I will probably not be back.

A group of us were here for brunch on a Saturday and we had such a great experience…read more It's a huge beautiful space with both indoor and outdoor seating and we chose to sit indoors. The staff was extremely warm, kind and welcoming and a special shoutout to Irem who was amazing, gave us some great recommendations and took care of us throughout. I went for the $39 prix fixe brunch which is honestly such a great deal and comes with quite a spread. I had the muhammara, hummus, shakshuka and dessert and thoroughly enjoyed my coffee too. We also ordered the tuna Niçoise salad, which is by far the best I have had ever. One of my friends was accidentally served the wrong order and they immediately replaced it with the right one and made her meal completely complimentary, which was such a nice gesture and something we really appreciated. We also loved that nobody was rushing us and we could just sit, chat and enjoy our brunch. Great food, beautiful ambiance, wonderful hospitality and even the restrooms were spotless and very well maintained. Overall such a positive experience and easily a 5/5 for me.

We went for Mother's Day brunch. When we arrived a few minutes early we did have to wait a bit. The…read morerestaurant had two floors, nicely decorated and cozy. We were lead upstairs to a table. There were 7 of us The seating was cozy but not cramped. We started with 7 family style small dishes: Hummus with Falafel Pops (chickpea purée, tahini, falafel, olive oil), Spring Burrata (roasted cherry tomatoes, toast, basil oil), Hamachi Crudo (passionfruit vinaigrette, citrus zest, cucumber, mint, sesame tuile), Scallops (carrot puree, serrano pepper, brown butter sauce), Tenderloin Skewer (zaatar chimichurri, fresh herb salad), and Shiitake Stuffed Grape Leaves (tomato coulis, yogurt foam, herbs). Everything was delicious. The hummus was well seasoned the falafel had a nice crunch. It went well with the warm puffy gyro bread that came to the table. The burrata was wasm and creamy. I love the vinaigrette on the fish. I ended up eating most of it. The scallops were the sweetest, most tender ones I have ever had. The tenderloin skewers were tender and well seasoned. I liked the grape leaves but the rice consistency was very soft almost mushy and you can barely tell there were mushrooms. There was barely any mushrooms flavor. Next we all chose an entree. I got the duck breast, my husband and daughter each had the beef tenderloin. The duck breast was smaller than i expected. The skin was nicely seared and very crispy but boy did it give my jaw a workout. It was done medium rare. It was juicy but tough. The small beef tenderloin was tender and smoky. The waiter poured the sauce over the tenderloin for added flavor. Finally dessert was a fruit plate with ice cream and pudding. The fruit was fresh and the flavors of the ice cream and pudding unique. It was a nice end to a good brunch. The price was a little expensive at $85 a person.

Ate there multiple times. The food is always fresh and tasty. Falafel is perfect - crunchy on the…read moreoutside and soft on the inside. Nice soup. Grilled eggplant was a throwback to my childhood, but better. Nice selection of deserts. Friendly accommodating staff, even if you show up with no reservation. Relaxing atmosphere.

I've walked by Hummus Kitchen in Hell's Kitchen dozens of times and somehow never gave it much…read morethought. We finally decided to try it tonight...and what a great find! The food was incredibly flavorful and beautifully presented. The Mashwiya, a smoky eggplant spread, was delicious. Mom's Meatballs were fabulous...so tender and full of flavor. And the charred eggplant was a true melt-in-your-mouth experience. It's a small, cozy spot that's easy to overlook, but definitely shouldn't be. A real neighborhood gem that we're very happy to have discovered. We'll be back soon to try more from the menu!

I have been meaning to go here for quite some time. Finally visited last weekend. It is definitely…read morea great spot for hanging out with friends. It is a huge place with plenty of seating, and the decor is also. Food was fresh and tasted pretty good. Good variety of Cocktails and drinks to choose from as well. Hookah could've been better but that's mostly because my standards for Hookah are very high.

It started out great, we barely made the happy hour and our server was nice enough to still honor…read moreit. We were seated on the upper level which looks really nice by the middle tables sharing the space with other people. I noticed they had a booth available and asked our server if it was possible to switch which she was nice enough to agree and helped us moved. Food and drinks were great. Hookah was good and I loved that it's kept being refill without being asked! Since they weren't super busy and had mostly large groups coming in, we were enjoying ourselves relaxing. This changed when I believe our server left or changed shift. There was this black girl who kept going around and kept looking at our booth clearly wanting us to leave. She ruined it for us. I understand if they need the booth but didn't seem like it so found it very annoying her behavior, forcing us to leave. The first girls were super friendly and amazing but not her.

Amazing food, amazing staff, very quick accommodating and generous. The bacalhau and all chicken…read moredishes are great. Drinks too. Interiors are most beautiful in the uws.

Shalel has a subterranean, dimly lit, moody atmosphere that feels intimate without being overly…read moreformal. There's low sofa-style seating throughout, which adds to the cozy, tucked-away feel. Definitely a good date-night spot or somewhere to take out-of-towners when you want to impress. They have a balanced menu of large and small dishes. I ordered the halloumi and cauliflower, and while it was tasty, I was a little disappointed by the portion for $22 It was mostly cauliflower with barely any halloumi, so I didn't think the price quite matched what was served. I also offer a side of pita, not realizing most of the small plates come with pita. Since I was still hungry after the cauliflower, I also ordered the gambas al ajillo, which were delicious. I didn't try the larger dishes this time but the person I was dining with ordered the steak kebab and really enjoyed it. I also love that they have an all-night breakfast section on the menu. There's truly no wrong time for shakshuka. Next time, I'd love to try one of their sandwiches or pitas. Service was also great in a very understated way. They're attentive and present without hovering, which I really appreciated in a space that feels designed for conversation and privacy. Overall, a really cool atmosphere with an interesting menu and plenty I'd like to come back and try.

I've been coming to this place for so many years. I've never left them a review but this time when…read moreI was in the city, I decided that I had to give him a good review as they deserve. The ambience of the place is very clean. They have seating inside and out. Service was nice, quick and easy very friendly people, especially for being in the city And the shawarma sandwich is probably the best shawarma sandwich you'll indulging while you're in the city You won't be disappointed

I haven't been here since the 1980s. So, I had the traditional falafel with hummus added and a Diet…read moreCoke for $11 -paradise !! Ate in a nice outside area that's in the street and consumed it like it was crack. Everything was fresh-tomatoes, lettuce, onion, tahini, hummus, the falafel was fried beautifully crunchy, but soft on the inside. Beautifully hot. And..get the hot sauce on the side- homemade and incredibly great. I would recommend this 1,000,000% to anyone.

Starting coming here many decades ago. So great to see it is still here. And food and mint tea…read morestill great. Had the Bastilla for first time in decades and still great. As well the eggplants. So happy they haven't changed the place and the ambiance is still the same as when my sister brought me to it over 30 years ago.

We were seated and then waited for very very long to order - not good…read more Once we ordered, the food came very fast - very good. Food was delicious - very good. High prices given the portion size, location, table size and furniture - not good.

It was our first time in a few years to have Middle Eastern cuisine for dinner…read more Zizi was already bustling when we arrived, but our table was already waiting for us. Soon after we sat down, we were offered a sweet vodka shot while perusing the menu. To start, we opted to try a couple of Israeli beers, Malka and Efes. It suited well with our appetizers of grilled bone marrow served with toasted brioche and falafel. We then ordered the chicken shawarma and overnight lamb. All the dishes are delicious and perfect for sharing. The service was a bit slow that night, but shout out to Morgan; she saved the night. She kept checking on us, offered us another shot, and complemented us with the decadent dessert: Motek is an eggplant. Overall, we had a lovely dinner here. And I would not hesitate to recommend this place to family and friends.

Came here for an early dinner and some drinks with friends and family. They did not disappoint! The…read moredrinks were pretty good, but the food was even better. Everyone loved the pesto halloumi, the hummus, and the special Buratta. The service was great! It was a small restaurant but very mighty.

Afternoon Birthday Lunch 6/7/2026 We were seated as soon as…read morewe arrived( even without a reservation) We had the sweetest waitress. She was very helpful describing the dishes and even told us what ingredients were in the dishes. She made delicious and tasty menu suggestions. She refilled water glasses and checked in from time to time. Our dilemma was what to get Mr Picky for his birthday dessert. We ended up with a milk custard type dessert with crushed pistachios and sweet syrup. Perfect palatte cleanser after this delicious meal. Our starters were Kebbe as well as the shrimp appetizers. Both were very fresh, tasty, and delicious. Entrees we ordered the lambchops and tuna over salad. Now these were both amazing in flavor, and cooked to perfection. This restaurant is now in our after church rotation. If you are ever in the area...pop in here and let your taste buds enjoy the deliciousness.

Had dinner at Balade yesterday after a really long time because Fattoush (across the street) was…read moreclosed for a private party. The food here has only gotten worse since my last review, and the prices are now 2X. Additionally portion sizes are smaller than ever. We had the loubieh, hummus beiruty, eggplant entree (I forget the exact name), and the grape leaves. It was all average at best, bordering terrible. The best thing was the rice and the pita bread. I definitely won't return.