Decided to grab some lunch and returned to Al Aqsa, which had a line out the door when I stopped by Saturday afternoon. There was a steady line and while most people ordered takeout, I noticed the tables in the back were all occupied as well. I ordered a za'atar and cheese manakeesh ($4) again, a small ful medames ($8), a small chicken shawarma plate ($14), and fresh taboon bread ($2.75) and the total came out to $29. All this food fed three people comfortably, though I would definitely order an extra taboon bread next time as we could not get enough of how fluffy and soft the bread was. The ful medames was so warming and cozy and the chicken shawarma came with rice, salad, pickles, and three different sauces (we especially loved the toum and the hot sauce). read more

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i love you, al aqsa. a must stop every single time i am in new york city and i mean every single time. transports you to jerusalem with their falafel, which they generously feed you in line. their freshly baked breads compliment all their foods. i love the fried kibbeh, and i always get the four pieces promising i'll save more for later and i don't even make it out the shop with any left. i got their chicken shawarma plate this last time, coming back for dinner, and they teased about my multiple visits in one day but i couldn't resist. the nostalgic taste, the quality of the ingredients, and the family atmosphere are addictive. read more

Al Aqsa Bakery & Restaurant - Kibbeh (Build Your Plate) | كبة (اختر عدد القطع) - Bakeries Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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Great chicken shawarma wrap with fries that taste like mcdonalds crispy and long and very good seasoning. Chicken has minimal flavor but the pairing of sauce on the side was really delicious. Comes with pickled vegetables and a big olive. read more

Al Aqsa Bakery & Restaurant - Chicken Shawarma Laffa | شاورما دجاج لفة - Bakeries Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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It was our first time here and they were super busy. We stood inside to look at the menu and the owner is very friendly and let us know if we wanted to order, to go to the cashier. We ordered a large mixed platter, falafel and hummus combo and kibble to go. It was quite a long wait but they had a lot of orders and people were coming by to pick up their items. We got our food and went home. When we opened our mixed platter, we were a bit disappointed because there were no sauces. The sauces or condiments would have definitely tied the meal together. I'm not sure if we were supposed to order it on the side or tell the cashier staff that we wanted sauce, but it would have been nice for them to ask if we wanted any. The meat was a little dry but that might have been because we drove an hour home. Falafel was really good and the highlight of the order. The kibble was fine. Overall, I think we'd definitely give Al Aqsa another try if we're in the area and dine in instead. read more

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I got the chicken shawarma and a side of fries--both of which were bursting with flavor! Their hummus is amazing too! read more

Al Aqsa Bakery & Restaurant - Hummus - Bakeries Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Absolutely delicious. I tried the veggie platter, which came with falafel, hummus, greens, pickled veggies, and pita. Everything had tons of flavor - the crispy and comforting falafel, creamy dips, tart pickles and fluffy bread. All the items tasted fresh and high quality. Can't wait to go back! read more

Our experience at Al Aqsa was so delightful and emblematic of Palestinian hospitality. We were greeted warmly by Mohammed and Mahmoud, and offered free samples of falafel (best falafel of my life) and hummus. We had the chicken shawarma over rice, and it was delectably seasoned and tender. The atmosphere is homey and feels like you are in someone's kitchen. We asked for recommendations for nearby pastries afterwards and got a wonderful piece of advice. Overall a must-try if you are in Bay Ridge, not only for the phenomenal food but also for a beautiful experience of Palestinian kindness. read more

Very high quality hummus, felafel, grape leaves and babaganouj. Worth going out of your way for.

Amazing service, calm and kind environment - but the thing to come for is the FALAFEL. As we were waiting they handed us a few pieces fresh out of the fryer. Best I've ever had. The hummus and pickled vegetables are also fantastic, and my partner said the shwarma was perfect. read more

Best hummus in NYC hands down ! Such a kind staff and owner. Everything I had was delicious but that hummus damn near brought a tear to my eye read more

I just came to his establishment today . What a beautiful soul! Thank you for the falafel. His hummus is so creamy. Nothing like I ever had. There is so much love and passion in every bite of his food. Thank you for sharing your culture! read more

Some of the best hummus and falafel you can get with the best ingredients and toppings!! Delicious food, worth the visit

Amazing food and great people, the falafel and hummus cannot be beat!! Highly recommend

Al-Aqsa is hands down an absolute staple in my diet. This small unassuming little Palestinian spot serves the juiciest, most delicious chicken shawarma you will get your hands on in Bay Ridge. The garlic sauce? Absolute perfection. Beautifully tangy, perfect texture, just the right amount of pungent. What's not to love? Everyone who works here is an absolute delight, you are always greeted with a small piece of falafel dumped in a little bit of hummus, and topped with sumac. I just know I'm gonna get a piece of falafel as I wait for my gorgeous shawarma to be wrapped. The place screams Palestinian pride, I'm not gonna lie. It's been a source of comfort coming here after every Friday prayer. Their hummus is creamy and dreamy. I always get mine topped with Shatta, which is a wonderful topping - appropriately spicy, and tangy. The portions are pretty generous, the hummus lasts me a couple of days. It's amazing as a side to kebab, or just on its own with warm toasted pita. This place is nothing short of a Palestinian institution on fifth Avenue, if you are in the neighborhood, please stop by here and sample some of their food. You will not be disappointed. read more

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What a treat! Met some people for dinner here and were blown away by how delicious everything was. Had chicken and vegetarian dishes and everything was 10/10. It's rare today to go into a restaurant and feel like they are genuinely happy that you are there. They were extremely friendly. We also appreciated the good political vibes in the restaurant. We ate ourselves silly and still had food to take home! read more

I can't stop thinking about that hummus, the olive oil they use is immaculate. Huge selection on drinks as well. Tho small it's amazing what they can pull out the hat. Friendly counter staff and everyone around treats this restaurant with the respect it earned. 10/10 read more

So disappointed and disgusted with the boos making food and his sweating dripping on the food and he don't even care

Went here with a Lebanese friend of mine who wanted to gather a group together for Eid to introduce us to some legit and authentic Palestinian food. I have to say I was impressed. For the price of one dish at a sit down restaurant for each person, we had so much shawarma, hummus, home made bread, and other dishes that we almost couldn't finish it all. So the general rule for ethnic food is that the more divey a place is, the more authentic it is, which this place definitely fits the bill. It's got that authentic/homey vibe. I would definitely recommend. This place puts Mamoun's to shame. read more

The food here is delicious and cheap. The wraps are must orders. I get mine with chicken shawarma. The shawarma is tender, juicy; the pickles are crunchy, adds great texture and balance to the meat; and the bread looks to be freshly baked on premises. It's also served with a generous amount of garlic whip both as part of the wrap and on the side in case you want more - and you will want more because the garlic whip is the best part. All of this is only $10. read more

I had food delivered. Firstly did not receive two of my meals. Did not get any bread including the bread I ordered. Had two items I didn't order. The chicken kebab platter did not have any shawarma. The only positive thing is that the food is delicious and mitigated my annoyance enough. I'll definitely try again as I'm not seeing any other reviews mentioning the same problem so I'll put it down to just bad luck. read more

As someone who's only really had halal carts for middle eastern food, this is one of my favorite restaurants now, not favorite middle eastern, but of ALL restaurants. You can really tell the owner puts love in his food and lives his craft. I really think all muslim people are actually some of the kindest folks walking this planet. Place was super clean to eat in, super kind owner, and awesome food. Cannot ask for more. read more

I found this place by chance. I went inside right before closing and he made me the best lamb pita sandwich ever!! Real lamb not that processed bs you find at other places. I've been coming back ever since. He recommended the breakfast so I'm going to try to make it there earlier. read more

Based on the reviews I've read about Al Aqsa Bakery & Restaurant, I decided to give it a try. I ordered the Falafel Pita sandwich and it tasted great. Fresh ingredients and the falafel was moist and tasty. The place is small with limited seating area. They were busy and it's worth the wait. One of the best falafel places in Brooklyn. I live in Maryland and nothing compares to New York. The employees are friendly and courteous. The place lookalike a hole in the wall, but don't let this fool you. I enclosed some photos to prove it. I've been in places with great atmosphere and the food and service could be disappointing. read more

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Literally the best chicken shawarma I've ever had in my life. Also the Palestinian soda was delicious! The service was great. The staff was kind. Will be making the hour trek from Manhattan to come back. The food is worth it! read more

Wow! This is a new-to-me favorite. They get busy in there so be prepared for a little wait. I've been twice now, and both times was very happy with the care put into the food. Their chicken gyro wrap is a great to-go grab. The chicken was flavorful and juicy. Their pickles are so good as well. I will be back. I'm trying to be on first name basis , ya dig? read more

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Absolutely disgusting We ordered takeout from this restaurant and found an acrylic nail in our food. I have never in my life seen such a thing!!! And have never been more disgusted! This was from the schwarma platter and sad to say that I had already eaten the schwarma sandwich read more

Al Aqsa Bakery & Restaurant - Bakeries Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

- large, filling portions - fry sauce was good - chicken schwarma laffa was good - I liked the addition of the grilled vegetables I would have like more of them tho read more

This place has been on my list for some time. After seeing a street food video in Beirut, I did a quick search for the famous "ka'ak bread" in NYC, and this was one of the few places offering it. The bread did not disappoint. We shared a sandwich with eljeh, a simple scrambled egg dish mixed with a healthy dose of parsley. Even without any sauce, this sandwich was a huge treat. And make sure you bring a very large bag if you're planning to take home their gargantuan Jerusalem bagels! read more

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Absolutely love this spot; you must visit if you're in Brooklyn! This place makes you feel like you're back home, with many Middle Eastern/Palestinian food options like shawarma and falafel. The staff are very friendly and welcoming, and the food is absolutely delicious. My friend and I shared a chicken shawrma and a falafel sandwich and both were a 10/10. There's some seating inside but many people also grab food and to go! I would definitely recommend this place to support a local small business and to try some fire Palestinian food :) read more

Al Aqsa Bakery & Restaurant - Decor - Bakeries Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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Lamb shawarma was so delicious!!! Very nice people working there, too. Was a treat to eat at their little tables outside!

Great Palestinian food. Friendly service. Everything looked and tasted well. Never disappoints.

When I look back at my 30 some odd years on this planet, most of my fondest memories end with late night/early morning shawarma. I went to Al Aqsa because I had it bookmarked and I just happened to randomly be in the area at 9:30 on a weekday morning, and they were open. Should I have eaten a lamb shawarma pita so early in the morning? Probably not. But did I regret it? Absolutely not. The lady at the register was so sweet. I was confused by a lot of the pastries/baked items she was putting out, and she explained them all to me. In addition to the lamb shwarma, I got a za'atar pita (very good and full of sesame goodness, but a bit salty), a few spinach pastries, a date bread ring (not that good), and a pack of fresh pitas. Everything was very reasonably priced. The lamb shawarma is what dreams are made of. The ingredients are fresh. The pitas are really good. Will definitely be back! read more

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I feel conflicted about writing this review. Part of me doesn't want to write it, because then my secret place will no longer be a secret. But the other part doesn't think it's fair to keep this gem hidden. The food here is incredible, the foul, hummus, salads, falafel, I just can't stop eating it even when I'm beyond full. More memorable is the owner, Mahmoud. He's so passionate about the food, and so warm and welcoming, that it only makes me want to come back more and more. read more

best falafel ever!!!! amazing host. home cooking. absolutely best hummus ever. I will drive from Pennsylvania to have their food. thank you!!!! read more

The best and supper kind staff ! I went once got an excellent falafel sandwich and few others and حمدلله quality ! Highly recommend this Palestine establishment! It's a really a "take-out" read more

Best falafel I've ever had, I love this place! I wish I lived closer so I could go everyday. Also, the owner is the sweetest guy. Highly recommend Al Aqsa, I can't wait to go again! read more

Came here on the recommendation of a friend and was absolutely delighted by the food and friendly service. After taking my order, was given a delicious fresh falafel with some hummus while I waited, and after ordering a pack of pitas, we were given some palestinian olive oil and za'atar to try. We got takeout but the food was so good that halfway through eating it we came back to order more hummus and and toum to go. We ended up also ordering grape leaves and baba ganoush and were given some chicken and sesame sticks while we waited again. Everything we ordered was fresh and delicious; lamb shawarma was perfectly seasoned and tender, the hummus was beautifully creamy, the toum was tangy and pungent, the falafel was crispy and delicious, cannot reccomend enough. A love letter to palestinian food. read more

I've been in Yelp retirement for awhile. And I guess it took a global crisis to bring me out of it. That, and some truly transcendant hummus. I even created a listing so I could post this. And I guess I'm selfish because I want people to support this eatery in every way realistically possible; so it's still standing when this is all over. Now as I said, am crazy about the hummus here. And if you like yours velvety, silky, and earthy, like I do, you will be, too. The crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, aromatic falafel is also among the best I've tried in NYC. The chicken shawarma is lovely, too, though I prefer it on top of hummus vs. in a laffa wrap. As a bonus, they make their pita and various other Middle Eastern breads in-house. I can enthusiastically vouch for the former. In fact, I have a stash in my freezer as I write this. All the better to accompany the takeout hummus that I can't seem to get enough of. If you're lucky enough to live in the vicinity of all this deliciousness, run, don't walk. Keeping a healthy 6ft distance from those around you, of course;. Or call for delivery, which I *think* they offer. Just know you'll be ruined for Sabra hummus forever. read more

Al Aqsa Bakery & Restaurant - Hummus remember this. - Bakeries Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Great food! Best falafel in Brooklyn, really. But if they have the lamb Shawarma, get the lamb Shawarma!

The vibe & decor are incredibly cool, and the staff are great. The food is to die for -- their shawarmas (all of them) are so so delicious. A+, love this place. read more