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    Ayat

    4.1 (155 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 10:00 pm

    Order Ayat Takeout or Delivery

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    AYAT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Ayat

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    Reviews With Photos

    Kelsey C.

    We were lucky to walk in here on a Friday evening and be seated within minutes without a reservation! We were recommended this spot by a bartender a few doors down, and I'm glad he put this restaurant on our radar! Important to note: the portions are huge. You can easily order a few things and split them at the table, or prepare to have a lot of leftovers. We ordered the beef shawarma plate, falafel appetizer, and chicken shawarma wrap. Two of us could easily have split an entree because of the large portions. The pricing is very fair and competitive for the quantity. Our food took roughly 30 minutes, which is expected on a busy Friday night at prime dinner hours. Both of the entrees were great, but I would pass on the falafel appetizer if I were to go back. I personally normally love falafel, but I did not like this one at all, so I couldn't finish it. Service was nice, even though it was a bit crowded. If given the option, I would suggest sitting outside as the inside was a bit crowded and the tables are close to one another.

    Chicken Shaw Platter
    Alyssa H.

    The food is incredible, the vibe is nice but casual, and the service was good too. I went for my birthday and was looking for something inexpensive and casual but nice enough to be celebratory. This was the perfect spot.

    Inside - pretty cool
    Peter C.

    Ayat is a Palestinian cuisine restaurant located in the East Village. It was my first time trying this cuisine and as I was curious. I got chicken shawarma platter which can also be served as a sandwich. The sauce was good, but the chicken was dry. Given how busy they were service was attentive.

    Appetizer mix
    Itzak H.

    Absolutely amazing Palestinian food with something for everyone. The restaurant gets busy for dinner so make sure to call ahead. The kitchen was surpassingly quick for how full the place was and the food did not disappoint. The only regret I have was not coming hungrier for all the amazing food we ordered. The place is nice and intimate with the tables pretty close together. And the wait staff is accommodating and kind to everyone. I highly recommend trying everything you can and maybe going for the platters if you're a large group. Do beware the portions are large and you can easily get full in just the appetizers. Just make sure to leave room for the knefe at the end!

    Lamb Kebab Lg
    Jason D.

    In NYC for 48 hours and I was invited to Ayat. This place phenomenal the ambiance is very calming to be in the heart of NYC. This was my very first time trying Palestinian food so I entered with an open mind and empty stomach. The food was magical! The lamb was tender, the halloumi was savory and slightly sweet at the same time. This meal was a perfect 10/10 for me. The staff, the time is took for our food to come out, the flavors all a 10. I'll be thinking about this place until I'm able to get back to their tables.

    Joann S.

    service was good. not too busy on a friday brunch. food was great and a decent portion.

    Michael C.

    This review is based solely on the ambiance, server, and knafeh. WOW to all of them. The knafeh was absolutely delicious and I will be craving it. Staff were super friendly and welcoming. The ambiance was such a nice relaxing vibe. Need to come back soon to try the rest of the menu.

    Caroline W.

    Really enjoyed the dips Unfortunately got the meat platter and it was dry so would not get that Salad was decent and had good flavor to it Lots of seating options and staff were nice

    Mezze Filistini, Pita Bread
    Sylvia T.

    I honestly really liked it. The pita was fluffy and good but nothing crazy but UNLIMITED so ++++++. The mezze platter was great loved the variety and I think recently I've just become a big fan of dips. My favorites were the yogurt dip and the red muhammarah dip. The hummus was also good. Mixed shawarma platter was good as well just kinda like good halal. The flavors were great and textures on the meat were also good. Happy with the variety of protein carbs and veggies. No real complaints. I did try my friends plates and they got the fattat jaj. Next time I would get fattat jaj instead I think it was similar but more unique, cooler dish. I really liked the crunch pita crisps in it and that it could be eaten like a dip. Inside it's decently big lots of seating. Very beautiful interior and decor. Service was also fast and great!

    Hot appetizer platter
    Michelle C.

    I'm not sure what's been happening here as I've been before and had a great experience with delicious food, but I went recently and experienced very slow service. We had a reservation which was not kept (had to wait over 15 minutes) and ordered our food (and drinks) an hour after our reservation time. The food also took a very long time, even the pita, and we had to flag someone down to ask for water, refills, boxes, and the check. It felt like they forgot about our table. Every step of the meal was extremely prolonged. FYI No alcohol on the menu, but I believe it's BYOB. I did enjoy the pistachio pizza, falafel, and free pita but the mixed shawarma platter wasn't as great as it used to be. Meat was dry and not very flavorful, wish they offered a spicy sauce. The portions are large but still too expensive. Nothing else was very memorable. Maybe they are having a hard time keeping up with the popularity and finding good waitstaff. Hope it gets better again!

    Eileen Q.

    Food was super delicious and the Mezze Filistini and Fattat Jaj were especially AMAZING. I loved the variety in spreads! The Fattat Jaj was so creamy and the chicken was very tender.

    Mezze Filistini
    Julia M.

    REALLY great food. Yes the service is a bit chaotic and sometimes the staff seem confused on who is doing what, but our server was so sweet. Everything we got was delicious, starting with the mint tea and the amazingly fluffy pita. The mezze platter was tasty, with standouts being the muhammara and hummus. The baba ganoush was a little too tart. The halloumi and eggplant platter had some of the best eggplant my mom and I have ever had, and the halloumi was perfectly crisp. The baklava sundae was so yummy but the ice cream was quite hard so we had to let it defrost for a bit. You get SO much food and we walked away with plenty of leftovers that were still great the next day. Highly recommend!

    Vegetarian platter
    Ashwini A.

    SERVICE - located in alphabet city - expect a long wait especially during busier times. we got seated within a few minutes and the waiter took out order soon after but the food took almost an entire hour to be served - staff are polite but not overly friendly - indoor and outdoor seating available - good for smaller groups of 2-4 people - ambiance good for a semi casual meal - from what we saw the staff were going through takeout orders faster than dining in MENU - Palestinian comfort food - vegan and vegetarian options available - average price FOOD - vegetarian platter (7/10): wara dawli (grape leaves), mujadara (lentils and rice), zahir (fried cauliflower), falafel, and beitenjan (eggplant) with side salad and pickled vegetables. This is a great way to get to try multiple of the hot appetizers. The portion is very generous and can easily feed two people. I liked getting to taste each item individually and pairing some of them together. My favorites were the cauliflower and the mujadara. - mezze filistini (10/10): mixed platter of hummus, baba ghanoush, muhammara, tabbouleh, salata tahini, and labneh. This is similar to the vegetarian platter but comes with all of the cold dips. It is also served with complimentary pita bread for dipping. I could have easily just ordered this and been satisfied. My favorites were the hummus and the muhammara but honestly everything was very flavorful and fresh. Highly recommend ordering this one to share. WOULD I GO BACK? Yes! Although it was a long wait, I enjoyed the food.

    Free bread. Great for their mezze

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    1 year ago

    Great tasting food in the right prices and amazing serving portions. Would definitely go again

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    Amazing all the way around. I loved the hummus, and maklooba. The bread was fresh as was everything else.

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    Everything delicious!! Palestinian food is a must try. Highly recommend. Hoping they open another store in the upper east side

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    Page 3 of 4

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    Amavi

    Amavi

    3.8
    (61 reviews)
    1.7 mi

    Stopped by Amavi for happy hour after work and was pleasantly surprised. The space is absolutely…read moregorgeous with a sexy, upscale vibe that's perfect for date night or cocktails with friends. The best part was the happy hour. Both food and drinks were included, and everything we tried was delicious. The cocktails were well crafted, the small plates were flavorful, and the pricing was incredibly reasonable for such an elevated experience. Amavi is definitely a hidden gem and one I'll be adding to my regular happy hour rotation.

    We came here to celebrate a birthday... after perusing their website and IG we decided this was a…read moregreat place to celebrate a birthday.... Well we were kinda right. Amavi is a great place to celebrate a birthday if you like a loud, DJ spinning, hookah smoking, over priced Mediterranean restaurant, this is the place for you. Now, this isn't to say this isn't a good place but be prepared. The food is decent, nothing to run and tell anyone about, except their Bronzino was absolutely delish! I wish everything else was at the level of this dish. Here is a run down of everything we ordered and ranked.... 1= fire the chef, 10 = Michelin Star Grilled Octopus :6 Caramelized onion Hummus :7 Sautéed Tiger Prawns :7 Tuna Crudo: 10 Bronzino: 10 Salmon: 8 Lamb Chops: 7 Mashed Potato: 8 Asparagus : 7 Lobster Aribbatta: 5 Hazelnut bar: 0 Dubai Chocolate Cheesecake: 0 Whatever you do, don't order desert. They are not worth it. So if you're looking for a lively and loud space with decent food.... Walk on over! Enjoy

    Photos
    Dining
    Dining
    Mid Course - included in Prix Fixe (~$140)
    Mid Course - included in Prix Fixe (~$140)
    Mid Course - included in Prix Fixe (~$140)

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    Mid Course - included in Prix Fixe (~$140)
    Xing Fu Tang - 5th Avenue

    Xing Fu Tang - 5th Avenue

    4.3
    (105 reviews)
    1.6 mi
    $

    this is my favorite bubble tea spot in new york city. the warm boba really stands out. it has an…read moreincredible gooey, chewy texture that really sets it apart. i got the brown sugar boba, which is a pretty standard flavor. i was able to adjust the sweetness. it was a good size and very refreshing on a hot day. the service is very fast and the staff was really nice. someone else had taken my order, and the staff was happy to remake mine. it wasn't too busy inside lots of seating available. overall, i definitely recommend checking out this location.

    This is my favorite xing fu tang purely based on the layout it actually has the feel of a café…read moresince it is bigger and actual seating. The counter has a bar feel with bar seating. There are tvs playing Asian music videos and music playing. Usually xing fu locations only have standing room only. This puts this location on another lvl then the rest. I tried some unique drinks 1st was the strawberry Boba strawberry milk tea. The strawberry taste was distinct yet balanced and not overly sweet. Also there was not an overly artificial taste. As with all locations the Boba is the star. The strawberry Boba has a nice sweet chew that had great texture and bounce. The green tea was strong tea flavor without being bitter it was not overly sweet I will definitely recommend this location specifically because of the seating and ambiance Service was quick and packaging was efficient

    Photos
    Store
    Store
    Dalgona Coffee
    Dalgona Coffee
    Boba milk tea

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    Boba milk tea
    Keki Modern Cakes

    Keki Modern Cakes

    4.4
    (558 reviews)
    1.6 mi
    $$

    Initially thought they were temporarily closed for renovations but they are indeed permanently…read moreclosed. A real bummer as I loved all their cakes.

    Wow, this little shop is unassuming, it definitely catches the eye, especially for someone like me…read morewho loves Asian pastries. I've never tried a Japanese cheesecake before and was extremely excited to be able to pick up some treats for my coworkers as well as my partner's birthday cake from Keki. Ordering is fairly straightforward and done with a simple machine outfront. Once your order is ready one of the staff members hands it to you through a window; there is no inside area accessible to customers but our food came quickly and we took it back to the office. The cheesecake was fantastic. I read a bit about the background of the shop online and how the owner really cares about using high-quality ingredients, specifically dairy. It was justas described, light and bouncy. I enjoyed how it was not overly sweet and found that it was all too easy to devour the entire cake over the course of two days. Despite it not having much weight to it, it traveled surprisingly well as I took it home on my three train commute! Similar to what others have said, the real highlight of the shop, in my opinion, are their cream puffs. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but the outer layer was thin yet had a nice little crunch to it. We tried the classic milk, cookies & cream pistachio and ube flavors. Our favorite was the pistachio by far, which had such a unique yet decadent flavor and our second favorite was the milk cream puff. There's not much else I can say other than you really have to go here and try the desserts yourself. If you're a fan of Japanese desserts that are rich yet not too sweet, you'll be a fan of Keki.

    Photos
    Bouncy cheesecake
    Bouncy cheesecake
    Keki Modern Cakes
    Keki Modern Cakes

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    Prince Tea House

    Prince Tea House

    4.2
    (229 reviews)
    1.6 mi
    $$

    I am a frequent Prince Tea House goer, but I've never been to the KTown location which has always…read morebeen on my bucket list because of the nice wall decors! And I commonly see the upstairs for private events like baby showers, bridal showers, or birthday parties on social media. After dinner with my friends, I was looking for dessert and I was glad to see this location closes relatively late on a weekday night at 11 pm. Upon walking in, I was greeted by a waiter who led us to one of the purple velvet chair booths that was perfect for two people and another waiter brought us a pitcher of water almost immediately. The menu is on a QR code already on the table and we were given ample of time to decide. My friend and I both already knew what we wanted to order. I got the purple Yam Souffle which takes 25 minutes to make and my friend got the fried squid tails. We also got a signature Rose Green Milk Tea to share. The waitress who took our order has great memory and recalled all of our items without writing it down. She also reminded me that I could adjust the ice and sugar levels of my drink which I had completely forgotten and would have got annoyed if my drink came out 100% sweetness. Another thing is that my drink order frequently comes out wrong at other locations so I was glad she got it right! Green tea instead of black tea and with milk instead of without milk. The purple Yam Souffle is just like the other locations. Hot, soft cakey texture balanced with an ice cold red bean Ice-Cream. So delicious! The squid tails on the other hand was not what we expected. It came out burnt and hard. The outer batter was not crispy either. We informed one of the waiters and he brought it back to inform the kitchen staff. We received a new batch that was not as burnt and had more flavoring this time around. However, the squid was still hard and not like the ones we get from other locations with smaller crispier pieces. Overall, it was still a good experience and I love the decorations at this location! This might be my second favorite location after the Flushing one. Would love to come back for brunch or hi-tea. Or regular food options when I have not already eaten dinner. My usual go-tos are the twister fries, Santa Fe chicken rolls, fried salted crispy chicken, and the trio dessert combo. However, this location has a lot more variety! FYI - there are two unisex restrooms in the rear for customers to use with really cute wallpapers too.

    This is always my favorite spot to go for desserts and hangout. The interior decor is very modern,…read moresophisticated and stylish. We ordered potted rose milk tea to share, Dubai affogato and Brown Sugar Boba Mille Crêpes Cake. We came on a Friday around 4pm. Originally I wanted to try the strawberry matchamisu, however, was told that it sold out. What a bummer. The rose milk tea came with a themed pot and cups which is really cute. The rose fragrant smelled so good and the milk tea also tasted good and has a hint of rose taste. The cake was good, the boba was well cooked, chewy and flavorful! This time there was an unpleasant experience. At first when the Dubai affogato was served, we did not realize that the amount of the coffee was little until we saw another customer's dish that the volume of their coffee looked significantly more than ours. My friend brought it to the waitress attention but the waitress brushed it off and did not acknowledge our concern. When we finished and were about to leave, the same waitress came over and showed us that the container of the coffee was different and hence the volume of the coffee looked different. At this point, we did not care for it anymore. We would have been fine if the staff acknowledged our concern. We thought that maybe using standardized containers for the coffee would avoid this problem. Other than that, the food and drinks were good.

    Photos
    Inside
    Inside
    Mango Mille Crpes Cake
    Mango Mille Crpes Cake
    Too

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    Too

    Ayat - mideastern - Updated June 2026

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