I invited 2 friends who were visiting to dinner in a Friday. It was easy to get a reservation & the 2 young ladies on the front were nice & made me choose btw 2 available tables. Well the place was full & very loud. Our server was a bit distracted. Before my friends arrive i gave him my credit card to make sure I will take care of the bill. It took him a while to bring a drink I ordered. Then we ordered 3 appetizers. We only got 2. Then realized we didn't get the 3rd so he brought it with the main . And to sort of apologize he brought 2 glasses of wine for free which was nice. When I asked for the bill, he put the bill in the middle of the table & forgot that I gave him my credit card until I reminded him. It kind of pissed me off. Anyway, reg the food : average & menu has limited options. Very loud if u want to have a decent conversation with friends you haven't seen for a long time, be prepared to speak on top of your lungs all the time. read more

"Had dinner last night with two friends and it was a pure delight. Service was attentive and friendly, food was flavorful and fresh, and the atmosphere was festive. Mezze spread, grilled octopus, ground lamb koftas, short ribs, halibut, doughnuts, and flourless chocolate cake - all GREAT!!!! Highly recommended. " read more

Awesome middle eastern food at the right price! We had octopus, several dips and flatbread. Decor is so cute and service was great. Thanks Chef! read more

This review is only for drinks at the bar only..... We just bought our first apartment right down the street and wanted to celebrate. It was a hot Saturday afternoon and the restaurant was dead. We wanted some cold drinks so decided to try Bustan. We were told by the hostess that we were not allowed to sit at a table (though only one table in the whole front area was actually occupied) so we settled at the bar. Once at the bar it took about 20 minutes to get any menus. Bartender was busy on her cell phone than talking to colleagues. We ordered two cocktails which came promptly and were good. During the time it took us to finish one round we has witnessed a manager loudly scolding a server, than same manager doing the same to the bartender. Adding to the fun we were told we had to move to the end of the bar (to open up seating for larger groups who may to sit there)(did i mention there were two other customers in the whole restaurant?). It goes without saying we did not stay for a second round nor will be we be returning. read more

Their lamb kebab pita is the bomb! Seriously the best lamb kebab I've ever had. Their pita is so chewy and doughy, and the lamb is nicely marinated with lots of herbs - full of flavor. I would go back every weekend if I can. read more

Food was good though heavy on the onions and peppers (I had the Vegetarian Terracotta). We had reservations, which was good because it was super crowded, but our issue was that the tables were too close together. We felt that we were in the middle of the conversations of the tables on either side - uncomfortable enough, but awful when the professor next to us had downright uncomfortable comments about women and transgenders. Uggh. Probably won't be back. read more

Outstanding food worthy of five stars, but the waiters are all complete dicks. Totally unhelpful, constantly trying to upsell in an aggressive and hostile manner, and extremely argumentative. I've been here three times but after last night, never again. If the owners know what's good for them, they'll get friendlier waitstaff. read more

Great place for brunch. The reviews about the food are spot on. The Shakshouka was amazing. Not light eating -- I was full for the rest of the day -- but delicious and well worth the calories. Service was good, too. read more

Food is hit and miss, service is painfully slow. Even the deserts took 30 minutes. Hummus Tzatziki & Babaganooj were good. The calamari was two large calamari with a very large piece of feta in between, all broiled together and awful. felafel were good. Israeli salad was clearly old--soggy with a tang. The $35 fish pushed by the waiter was over-cooked and tough. For $50/person and only one of us ordered a main dish as the main dish, we won't be back anytime soon which is a shame since the Upper Westside is saturated with Italian and Japanese restaurants and is badly in need of other cuisines. read more

Let me start by saying that this restaurant has great food and I've been going to the restaurant itself for years. That said, don't ever order delivery from them. EVERY SINGLE TIME they screw it up and blame seamless. I've had them not listen to instructions, forget items, send completely wrong items for example I ordered a chicken pita and ended up with lamb which I don't eat. I've also had them them tell me they were closed for a private event (but never shut down seamless), are out of an item, or like today they told me they changed the menu and took the item off (still available online though...so wtf). They guy on the phone tried to tell me I had to get the refund myself, that's not how this works buddy. After speaking to a manager he agreed to refund me (still waiting) and that they would "take a look at their delivery" I think if you can't handle it, and mess literally every order up, stop doing delivery. Or if you want to blame it on seamless again, stop using them as a delivery platform. So disappointing every single time. read more

Oh goodness, just had brunch there. The food was quite nice and the garden is very pretty. However as we were paying we spotted a mouse just outside the kitchen playing on the patio. We informed our waiter but he didn't seem terribly dismayed. Maybe they are used to this? Needless to say I would be less keen to return now I see that there is a mouse problem on the patio and nobody sees it as being a big deal. read more

Casual, laid back, modern go-to for dinner. All the dishes I have tried here are fantastic. I love the catch of the day in a spicy rec sauce over couscous and chickpea, Short ribs and the hummus and spicy feta are a great start over cocktails. read more

There was no where else we wanted to go after the Paris bombing. The restaurant was packed, service was on point, a whole dorado fed two.all of the food seemed particularly delicious. I don't normally order dessert but this was the time for it and the sticky toffee pudding was superb. The sweetness of the dates nicely balanced by frisky ice cream and lovely sponge cake. read more

Bustan is a fantastic restaurant. The staff are friendly and passionate about their food, the atmosphere is chic, and the food is delicious. The fresh baked pita and hummus is awesome and the French toast with havlah is amazing. I just moved to the UWS and this is already one of my "regulars" read more

We are so glad we finally tried Bustan, food was delicious, so many flavors. Nice wine list although a little pricey. The $50 wine from the Loire region we tried was excellent (white). All the food was incredible: hummous, falafel basket, beet salad, greek salad. There were 4 of us, we shared all that and then 2 entries: halibut and the lamb terracotta - both very good. And let us not forget the bread and olives! All in all an excellent meal plus everyone was extremely nice - always a plus! Cant wait to try the lunch/brunch! read more

Been here 10 or so times and all incredible meals. Lamb, humus and fish dishes all rock. Service is terrific. Looks vet there cocktails as well. read more

I took my Dutch friends here for a farewell brunch before they left NY. I wanted them to try Bustan's Shakshouka. I love their green shakshouka with spinach and truffle oil. When I made the reservation, I told them this was a "farewell NY" meal and when we finished, the manager sent over a complimentary amazing dessert. Ice cream with dates and shaved halvah. OMG fabulous. Nice gesture which I really appreciated. The garden patio was delightful, one of my fav places to eat in the neighborhood. Head there while the weather is still good! read more

Came here on Friday night with a 7:30 reservation. Place was very busy. The inside is fun, and more intimate than the pictures online make it seem. We shared the 3 mazzetim options of shrimp kadaif (deep fried), calamari a la plancha, moroccan cigars. The shrimp and calamari were tasty, but we decided if we came back we would only reorder the cigars. For the entree we split the lamb terracota which is their signature dish. It had lots of flavor, would get it again. Wine was good! Overall, a great date night spot. read more

We've been here for dinner and really loved it. Brunch, however was another story. The potato pancake was literally soggy. There's nothing redeemable about a potato pancake that waters down the entire plate. Also, they have changed the menu from the one online so my friend, who came looking forward to her long contemplated entree, was told it's not on the menu anymore. Service was very good as was the ambiance, but brunch stunk! read more

Restaurant failed to honor a reservation made via Open Table despite having a confirmation number and all members of the party of four arriving together on time. Shame. read more

By far one of the best restaurants I have been to in NYC in the past 15 years. The food is fresh, rich in flavour & served with complimentary warm rosemary bread. I have been here a few times & in addition to their delicious menu they have 'specials'; very seasonal, superb presentation & very well thought through. A Middle Eastern delight on the UWS. Truly Scrumptious! read more

Had the pre fix menu and it was AWESOME and very reasonably priced. Will definitely return on the next visit.

Food is absolutely amazing. Great for dinner or brunch. When its nice out the garden is great. One of the better spots on the UWS

This is not about the food which we never got to taste. Made a reservation during the week for a party of 2 indoors, not in the garden. Arrived on Sat. evening when it was very busy. They had written the reservation for a party of 4. There were never to have been 4 of us, so it was clearly their mistake. Rather than seating the two of us at the table for four which was reserved, they led us to a table on the outskirts of the garden, which does have a roof over most of it. As my friend went to say we had specified 'indoors', it started to rain very heavily which it continued to do for three hours, by the way. The seats along the outside of the garden were pelted with rain. No sitting there. They offered us seats at the bar or finally brought out an old round table, placed at the entrance to the open-door kitchen. This was to have been a birthday celebration so we refused it and left. The manager (?), owner(?), Omer, apologized, but clearly was unwilling to do anything about their error. If you make a reservation, better have them read it back to you to be sure they got it right. Ate at Polpette, next door, since it was raining too hard to go anywhere else. Friendly staff and good salads and pasta. read more

Food OK, but on a hot, humid night, the AC failed to cool the back of the restaurant sufficiently for dining comfort. Noise level precluded audible conversation. Despite good food and pleasant service, we could not wait to leave because of the thoroughly unpleasant ambiance. read more

We wandered in here for a drink while we waited for our table at Jacob's Pickle...and never left, Despite it being a busy Saturday night, we were seated at the chef's table and ended up with an extraordinary meal. The chef and owner were delightful and extremely attentive. They sent over several free dishes that added to the already amazing (and admittedly a little excessive) spread we had already ordered. As mentioned by many, the bread is to die for, warm and crusty flatbread with a delicious salty rosemary topping. This was accompanied by some of the best hummus, bean and other dips I have had anywhere. I think we then had every app (or close - the doggie bad home was rather large due to this over-ordering), and everything was extremely fresh with high quality ingredients, as well as creative and delicious. Although mediteranian-inspired, this is not your usual hummus and kebab place...it takes the basics of this region and adds a unique and inventive spin that will leave you wanting more. read more

Scheduled a 1:15 PM brunch on a Sunday and the experience was horrible from the moment we walked in the door. We checked in with the hostess but were not seated for another 20 minutes even though there was an empty table in the window (we had a reservation). Nobody came to the table for at least 15 minutes, so we took it upon ourselves to grab menus. We ordered and the appetizer (dips) came out pretty quickly but our server never came by to check in. We waited over an hour for our main meal and the server only stopped by after 45 minutes to let us know our food would be out "shortly". Rather than ask how they could help or make the experience better the kitchen just brought out more food (that we did not want). When our food finally arrived it looked like it had been sitting under the heat lamp for 10 minutes. We quickly ate and asked for the check which took about 15-20 minutes to get. I brought my credit card to the manager and told him I needed to pay immediately because we had somewhere to be. Rather than ask about my experience and ask how he could help he shrugged off my concerns as though we had merely waited 10 minutes the whole time. Also, the food is fine but not that great. Do not waste your time (3 hours of it...) here. read more

EXTREMELY Disappointing! Where do I begin. To start badly, our Waiter clearly signalled his impatience in taking our order. Bad vibes. When the food came, every single request had been 100% ignored. For example: one diner asked, since he was gluten sensitive, to have the bread covering left off his vegetable dish (more on this dish later). It arrived exactly as described on the menu, and of course the waiter never even noticed. Another asked for a salad, but without the cheese. No luck, it came with the cheese, again, not even noticed by the server. If this was the only objection, we could live with it, but there is so much more wrong with this place. Most importantly, the food was tasteless. The fish (black bass) was cooked in an acceptable way, not overdone, but was lying in a pool of what I can only describe as ketchup diluted with water. Note to kitchen: Take 2 plates, put ketchup on one and your sauce on the other. Mix them up and taste. You will be able to tell which is which because the one with flavor is the ketchup. The other, watery tasteless one is your "sauce" for fish. And now back to the vegetable dish, a large tureen of cut up bland and tasteless vegetables in a tasteless sauce covered with a pile of bread, the one we asked to leave off. Question: Is someone in the kitchen terrified of herbs, salt, or pepper? Has someone in there had a traumatic experience with garlic, onions, or spices, and vowed never to cook with them? To add insult to injury, these tasteless creations are expensive. Very expensive. And one more thing. If you have any interest in hearing the person sitting one inch away from you, good luck! Loud, annoying acoustics made conversation impossible and gave us all headaches. If you insist on eating tasteless, absurdly overpriced food served by waitstaff who pay not the slightest attention to your simple requests, this is your place. For us, this fits firmly into the "never, ever again, even if they paid me" category. A total rip off. read more

very bad. bad food..way too expensive. in the Greek salad the tomatoes were too old.the beer was tiny and over priced. the rosted chicken was bad. we will never go there again. read more

Great dinner last night --FOOD 1. mezze platter (when they say spicy feta, they mean spicy) -- bread wasn't what i expected, they called it foccaccia, it wasn't that, nor was it mediterranean as it should have been -- but still tasted great. the eggplant and the hummus -- fantastic 2. chopped salad - great 3. salmon entree - really really great though i could have done without the roasted/grilled celery 4. boyfriend's halibut, got a small bite but tasted amazing ... SERVICE . excellent super attentive friendly, hard to find service at this level at a restaurant like this THE SPACE in which we sat outside which was lovely, a really nice inviting garden. but my boyfriend's chair, in the corner, could only go back so far, as it was blocked by a little stone garden wall. That left us very cramped. we managed to squeeze in though, but then the bright heating element was then facing me.that was not so terribly bad, but a suggestion: the lights could be kept out of sight, and the seating could be arranged more comfortably. definitely recommend though. read more

We didn't actually get to eat here, but I thought our experience might be useful to others. We arrived at 6:30 on a Monday night and although only one table was occupied (we didn't know there were additional tables in the garden), we were told we'd have to wait or eat at the bar. I pointed out that the place was practically empty, and was told the other tables had reservations later. How much later? Around eight o'clock. We promised we would be finished before then, so finally the hoity-toity hostess showed us to a tiny table crammed against the wall next to the bathrooms. She told us it would be quiet there. Except for the toilets flushing, I suppose. Anyway, when I opened the menu and saw the prices I told my wife there was no way we're going to pay $11-$18 for hummus and $15-$18 for "small plates," and so forth, while I'm sitting in a dark corridor by the bathrooms. We left. Fortunately there are many good restaurants on this stretch of Amsterdam, and we found a place that wanted our business only two doors down. read more

trendy, mediocre, blah...small portions, lackluster presentation. but, good cocktails!

Decided to give it another chance and went with my wife. We made the order and we're waiting for 35 minutes with only water at our table. When we asked about our order, we were told that first come first serve although other people around us that came after we were seated we're already eating. After additional 5 minutes we asked for the manager who came and apologizing that it is on its way. We told him that if it is not out within 2 minutes we want to cancel. After 2 minutes we decided to leave. Only then the food came out! The manager tried to persuade us to stay and offered to give us the food for free however it was too late and we decided to leave without the food. Can't say how bad the service is. Waisted 45 minutes to seat at a restaurant that does not serve food. Server should be fired for such a poor service and answer. Instead of addressing the problem immediately he provided false information! Even though the manager was trying to accommodate it was too late! WILL NEVER GO THERE AGAIN! Used to be the best new place in the UWS. Become expensive with bad service. Don't waste your time and money! read more