I've heard of good reviews from someone I know, so decided to check it out for myself when I was in the 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. read more

Zyara Restaurant - Chips & Dip - Halal Near Me - Astoria, New York

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MUST TRY!! If you like 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! read more

Super busy on a Saturday noon. Wish they opened the outdoor seating too. We were all waiting for the limited seats indoors to open up. They're also understaffed. But, the food was delicious. You can also definitely share a mixed grill platter between two people. No need to get the specific mixed grill platter for 2. read more

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The best beef sharawama I ever had. I ordered via Urber eats so my food wasn't as hot, but still really good. The sharawama was so tasty and the beef was tender. Next time I'll try the chicken sharawama. read more

Zyara Restaurant - Beef Shawarma Arabic Sandwich - Halal Near Me - Astoria, New York

Solid 4 for sure! We came in and it smelled amazing. Our surprise bag pick up was after 5PM so I was there after work. The thing I wanted most we didn't get, I love their rice. We got a large wrap with Two sauces ... my favorite is the white so I asked for it. Definitely a whole meal in a wrap. The place was packed when we walked in for pickup. Their menu is massive. I would try it again because I need to taste that rice! And some falafel would be nice too .. read more

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5 Stars for the food, 1 for the failed delivery/ordering process. Have lived in the neighborhood for years & there's so many places to try, glad to support a business in the Little Egypt area. Mayor-elect Zohran's list of favorite restaurants got me here (his usual order is Lamb Adana Sandwich). My second try ordering was in-person ( - if you haven't visited Astoria's 31st Avenue Open Streets, it's a nice experience in the morning). Went on a Saturday around 2pm and it was busy! The 3-4 tables were full of families & groups (also a larger dining area in an enclosed section in the back) & customers waiting in the front for their orders. 4 ordering kiosks were up front and a counter for cash at the back. I got the $14 Beef Shwarma Sandwich (laffa bread option). It comes with tomato, onion, pickles, tahini & 2 containers of sauce (maybe harissa? and a pink mayo-like one). I was told that the wait is 15-25 minutes (& it's written on their receipts apparently). This is a good time to walk down the block & buy some baklava & Dubai Chocolate from Al-Sham Bakery FYI. I picked up my sandwich under 15-25 minutes later. The sandwich was delicious! Get the laffa bread as the bread option. It's griddled sealed shut around the fillings! The meat was tasty and nicely shaved. Overall the flavors are mild (& not overly salty) but it's the 2 sauces that made everything taste even better. The pickles add a nice tang. There's ($1.50) options to add extra sides into the sandwich. But I couldn't convince them to give me a cup of tabbouleh or rice instead of inside of the sandwich. All of their side's & vegetables look amazing, will try them next time. Ambiance: You're greeted by an enormously long (& very clean) counter filled with bowls of fresh toppings salads, & sauces. Even though the place could be a quick casual gyro-type of spot, the walls were filled with decorations, paintings, ambient lighting, a kind of brown fall theme. The tables in the back looked cozy, and those customers' platters of food were even more beautiful. 5 Stars for Zyara's branding on allll their items: skinny sandwich bags, sticker seal, sauce containers, flat vellum to-go bag - felt like a SoHo/Meatpacking District package of a cozy sandwich. The 1-star delivery ordering: Zyara isn't active on Uber Eats, their Grub Hub menu didn't have the lamb options (originally wanted a Lamb Kofta Platter). Called their number and couldn't tell if it was a call center, their worker sounding like AI, or a call center worker trying to sound like AI/a robot. They were no help in figuring out the names of the lamb platters & mixed up what I said with another item. Also confusion about an add-on for a sandwich or ordering it as a full side (The woman also broke her robotic AI Voice a few times during the call, of is this really sophisticated AI?) After all that, I couldn't place the delivery for later in the evening. 2nd Try: Did call back later in the day & tried again. The person also doesn't ask for your address only "You'll received a text with a link to pay, and then we can send the order to the kitchen." I offered my building & delivery information twice & hung up to pay the link. Finally! - but the link was broken. :( It was send automatically again but still didn't lead me to any page. I guess just go into order or dine-in. The Laffa bread stays fresher that way anyway. Maybe they're busy enough that they don't need to do delivery - or do it well. read more

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I came here because of Mamdani! I saw a video of him raving about this place, so I had to try it for myself! I've only done takeout from here and they do deliver to Jackson Heights, which is nice. I ordered a few things from here which I really liked. Chicken shawarma: I also tried it with the special bread instead of the usual pita. Came with lots of chicken . 10 out of 10. Eggplant: 8 out of 10. I think it's a great dip and goes well with pita. The price point isn't bad either. Thanks Zohran for recommending this place! read more

Zyara Restaurant - Chicken Shawarma Arabic Sandwich - Halal Near Me - Astoria, New York

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Yes. Yes. Always yes to this spot. It's always packed, understandably! Every bite tastes delicious and it is always a family favorite when we are in Astoria! The flavors are unbeatable and the service is on point, highly recommend. read more

Zyara Restaurant - Halal Near Me - Astoria, New York

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Came here for a quick bite later in the evening. The place was packed but the servers were attentive and kind. The shawarma was finished so I ordered the chicken kebab platter with Jerusalem salad and hummus. The chicken was flavorful and fresh off the grill. The salad wasn't my favorite. The vegetables were a little mushy and waterlogged for my liking. The hummus was delicious. They weren't able to offer water because they ran out and the bathroom was far from clean. I wouldn't give up on Zyara just yet, but maybe I would try earlier in the day to see if the overall experience is better. read more

Zyara Restaurant - Chicken Kebab Plate with Jerusalem salad and Hummus - Halal Near Me - Astoria, New York

Really enjoyed the food here. The flavors were fresh, and the portions were just right. I just wish the meat was seasoned a little more. The atmosphere felt lively but not too loud, which made it a nice spot for dinner with friends or family. The service was attentive without being overbearing, and everything came out in good time. Definitely a place I'd come back to when I'm craving Mediterranean read more

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We got adana Kebab which was delicious, would highly recommend it. Next we got a lamb shwarma which was also good. Place was full and alive. There is good seating inside staff was nice, it was a while untill we got our order but in the meantime they served us some fried chips with a dip which was yummy! Will definitely drop by again to try out ither stuff on their menu!! Yummy read more

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Hands down. The best Jordanian food around. The Shawarma here is insane. Freshly made bread everyday. Meats are tender and delicious and authentic. The vibe is there. The taste is out of this world good. Gotta go gotta go gotta go. read more

Delicious food, great service, & welcoming place with amazing music. What more can you ask for? This place is always packed whether it comes to take out or in-person dining, even on a cold and snowy night! It's also the perfect place to grab an authentic meal with your family & friends. I got the chicken shawarma platter which includes pita & garlic sauce as well as 2 items from the sides or salads portion of the menu. I went with a side of fries & coleslaw! Chicken was flavorful and the garlic sauce made the dish even more flavorful. Fries were crispy and fluffy at the same time?! Coleslaw slapped. I got their mixed lemonade too which was refreshing and the perfect sip for a little break in between bites! I've gotten their chicken shawarma supreme sandwich too in the past (not pictured) but it was crispy and juicy. Highly recommend this too. Will be coming back!!! read more

Zyara Restaurant - Chicken Shawarma Plate (side of fries & coleslaw) - Halal Near Me - Astoria, New York

I visited on Saturday for iftar with my mother and was genuinely appalled by the treatment we received. The back dining area was completely empty. A woman standing at the entrance informed us that we could not sit there because it was "reserved." I politely explained that I was fasting and intended to eat quickly and leave. Instead of responding with professionalism, she began shouting--raising her voice aggressively and repeating, "I SAID YOU CAN'T SIT THERE." When I calmly asked why she was yelling, she escalated further and declared, "I'm the owner and I said so," as if ownership excuses hostility and a complete lack of manners. Her behavior was shockingly disrespectful and unnecessarily confrontational. When I turned to speak with Amir--someone I recognize from previous visits and who has always been courteous--she interrupted and stated, "I'm the boss here and he won't talk to anyone without my permission." This was not firmness. It was arrogance. It was not policy enforcement. It was humiliation. I have dined all over the world and have never encountered such an astonishingly low standard of hospitality. Authority without grace is simply poor leadership, and customer service delivered through shouting is not service at all. Deeply disappointing and entirely unacceptable read more

The sandwiches are the Taco Bell of the Middle East. Plus, I placed a $2 tip that was doubled to $4.

Just fine. I had a veggie combo that came with falafel and rice. I chose the Turkish eggplant, Jerusalem salad, and laffa as the sides. I found the laffa to be a bit dry and tough. The falafel was tasty, and the rice had a pronounced tomato flavor. The Jerusalem salad was super simple, but fresh. And the Turkish eggplant was interesting, with plenty of richness from olive oil and a touch of sweetness. Price was reasonable at $20 for a generous portion. It's not bad, but I wasn't terribly impressed either. read more

Beautiful spot. Really helpful staff. Delicious pastry and coffee. Great place overall.

The restaurant is located in astoria on steinway Ave. Closer to the Grand central hwy. The food is simple menu and the service is fast. There is more seating in the back of the store. Nice atmosphere, great for family dinner. And price is reasonable. The meat on the sandwiches are well seasoned. read more

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It's a long overdue review! I'm sitting in my draft by accident! We found this shawarma place on Steinway while looking for another restaurant. The portion is small for the platter but delicious! We had the mixed grill. Lidi the waitress helped us choose some dishes. The food was amazing here. The meat was tasty due to the way they marinated and seasoned it prior to grilling. I also liked the small appetizers and salad we picked with it. The dining area is in the back and the front is the counter to order for to-go. It's not a big place but quite a well known place for good shawarma so people come and go. Must-try! Recommended! read more

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When Mamdani mentioned all the places he loves to eat at, I knew I had to take my friends on a Zohran food tour around Astoria. I've been coming to Zyara since college, so it's no surprise that the lamb adana laffa was fkn GAS. BUSSIN TO THE GODS. You MUST get it with the laffa. That is what makes this shawarma so fkn good. And the lamb not being gamey? Yeah, Zyara knows ball. We all immediately went non-verbal after taking that first bite. Just thoroughly enjoying that shawarma coupled with the SAUCE?? THE SAUCE??? Honestly, this shawarma had me thanking whatever is up there to have been born and bred in Astoria, Mamdanistan. read more

The sandwiches are amazinggg! We went back three times this week because we couldn't get enough. Lamb chops were so good too!

Food is decent, sauces are wack, many other better restaurants around locally with better tasting sauces Placed an order on Uber Eats, after 35 mins they canceled the order, why accept the order just to cancel it! Many other times the orders are incorrect read more

Excellent food - really tastes authentic. The service was also quick with friendly staff. The mint lemonade also tasted very fresh. Highly recommend for authentic cuisine! read more

Zyara Restaurant - Chicken Shawarma Over Hummus Plate - Halal Near Me - Astoria, New York

I've never experienced service like this before. I don't like their shawarma or lamb, so I usually stick to the chicken kebab -- which is honestly amazing every time. That's the one thing that keeps me coming back. Unfortunately, the service is horrible. The woman at the front is very mean and extremely dismissive. I'm not sure if it's because they're always busy, but the attitude really makes the experience frustrating. To be honest, the service is the main reason I don't dine in anymore.( I've encountered this multiple times.) The lemonade is also too sour for my taste, and they're very stingy with the garlic sauce. If we're paying around $20 for a wrap, we should at least be able to get more than one small serving of sauce. I will say, though, the back of the restaurant is beautiful. It's just disappointing that the service takes away from what could otherwise be a great experience. read more

Zyara is one of my all time favorite places for Shawarma. Their Zyara garlic sauce is to die for and I would literally put it on everything if I could. I only recently dined in for the first time and despite being packed, the service was still pretty good. There isn't too much seating in general but they largely run on takeout anyway. Highly recommend! read more

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Worst service ever, Ramadan has began and they don't even have dates, that staff is not even attending to the tables timely.

First time trying Zyara. Was a little overwhelmed in here but I was tempted by the window display where you can see all the sides they prepared. The guy working the front was very friendly and helped explain the menu and answer my questions. I love Mediterranean and pita hummus, so I was going for this but got a chicken shawarma plate to try the chicken and some fries and hummus. Plate comes with 2 sides. Wish you could add more than 2, but I got the fries and hummus, which were good, and asked for some little salad on the side. The chicken comes with a garlic whip on top, and the plate came with 2 sauces, orange one was tasty. There's indoor seating and a back patio. I ordered takeout, but there's dine in options. Another customer out front told me this was the best place, and she grew up in Dubai so that must mean some thing. The food was fresh and good, a little more pricey, compared to the other Middle Eastern places I know in the area. But the pita was good, soft and chewy. I didn't have it right away. Actually, I saved it for the next day, but it was still good the next day. Love a good pita and hummus, so I might come back for that. Overall good fresh food, nice service, but a little pricey. Ambience is fun and bright and busy. read more

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I think it's a good sign when you're the minority in a local restaurant. We ordered the chicken schwarma platter and mixed schwarma platter, each comes with two sides. Got different salads, falafel and babaganoush. It was all really delicious. Such nice presentation and platter too. we kept looking at other people's dishes too. They all looked amazing! When you go in the restaurant, you walk past the grill and drinks to the back where the seating was. Took a moment because it was busy but it was great service throughout the meal. It's a rectangular space so it can seem narrow but it goes back about 6 large tables. Definitely would come back! read more

Zyara Restaurant - Chicken Shawarma Plate and Mixed Shawarma Plate - Halal Near Me - Astoria, New York

been to astoria twice now and while it's not as big as bay ridge, it's a poppin neighborhood with lots of fab arab food. zyara is delicious and love that you can order things the "arabic" way without lettuce and tomato in your shawarma (pls stop doing that ppl). both times i went, it was bustling. first time was to go and second time we dined in. the mint lemonade is sooo refreshing and i took all that fresh mint home haha. the servers are quick and minimal because they got a lot of people to help out. i hope they expand because the layout is so narrow for how packed it gets. read more

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Talk about delicious. Came in last night for a beef shawarma and it was probably one of the best I've had so far. Just the right amount of spices juicy and warm. It came with two sauces on the side. Def wanting to try more things from here. read more

Food was acceptable, prices are a little high. But if we talk service I'd give it a 0 stars, the guy took my order and he didn't ask if it's to stay or to go, he charged me +$15 for a sandwich ! I waited for around 25 minutes for my sandwich! And he told me I can not stay, he called me N'gga motherf'cker and said fuck you when I was talking to him! He had the same argument with another lady in front of me. Here's a video of him and here's the date and time, check the restaurant cameras to see the whole situation. read more

The establishment is clean, the staff very friendly and lively. The ambient has some culture elements which felt cozy. It seems to be packed at all times, especially towards the weekends and evenings. By far one of the better Palestinian / Middle Eastern foods in the area. They are always busy, and if you need to order take out order ahead sometimes 20-25 min you'll have to wait My favorite is their Falafel and Shawarma sandwich with Laffa bread!!! read more

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My fav shawarma spot eva bc she so saucy and delicious The staff is sweet and it can get really packed with a long line but it's worth it imo and if you happen to be there when it's less busy the service is usually really quick! My only request is if they can add more seating and maybe a smaller portion option (half size order?) for when you want a less expensive snack instead of a whole meal read more

Zyara Restaurant - Inside - Halal Near Me - Astoria, New York

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NEVER AGAIN!!! Was eating an arugula salad with brown raisins and was about to bite into the salad and saw a brown ROACH with legs in the salad! I showed it to the workers and they didn't seem surprised and threw out the roach right away. I used to come here often and now will never return. I feel physically sick, can't even imagine the amount of germs I just consumed. I didn't even see them throw out the rest of the arugula salad my portion came from. Disgusting!!! They said I didn't have to pay for my meal which I barely ate anyway.. except having eaten most of the salad with the roach ... why would I pay for a roach? Now I feel sick ... never again. read more

I had such a great meal! This is my second time here and if you are trying to go for an authentic Middle Eastern cuisine, then check this hidden gem out. My favorite was the mixed grill. read more

I've been here many times, but food quality is going down. They're too busy can't keep up with efficiency of same food quality. Sometimes your sandwich is soggy and sometimes is good but most cases it is shitty. read more

There was a bit of a wait, but worth the wait. It was a party of 5 , plus my 2 year old. The service was great, staff were helpful. Seating was good. The back seems like an outdoor seating, but not really. The food was great. My parents, as well as my mother in law like it. So no complaints or have anything bad to say read more

The food was 10/10. The service by the owner (woman at register) is something else. For now the food outweighs the service for me. She is very rude. Wanted to sit in but decided not to because she lacks communication skills. Ordered to go instead. Restaurant is cute but can't comment on ambiance. read more

10/10 great drinks and service! Shout out to Anwar great guy :)))))) will come again inshaAllah

Probably one of the best restaurants in Astoria. The food is beyond amazing and for what you were getting of the price is really reasonable. You can tell they take great pride and making sure you get a consistent experience every time you're in. I would highly recommend the falafel and always get the coleslaw when it's available. My partner and I order from there all the time and never regret it. They do a really good job packaging takeout orders so the food still is warm and fresh when you get home. The inside is very modest, but super clean. The workers are very friendly and given the rising costs of things in Astoria this place is top-notch. read more