this place was truly magnificent. the food was well made, delicious and it felt like home. the staff was incredibly kind and the service was excellent. they truly served us well; replacing new plates, taking old ones away, kept asking if everything was good. we are coming back here in March. I highly recommend ordering a little bit of everything and doing family style. the honey cake was soo soft and creamy, just the way it should be!! we came here with 10 ppl and everyone was very well accommodated. and the quality was exceptional! read more

Mindblowingly delicious! Will definitely be back again! Had the puff pies, kazan kabab, short rib shashlik, and sea buckthorn tea, and all were *chefs kiss* amazing! The restaurant has super welcoming staff with nice artwork and ambiance. 10/10 one of my fav places in NYC! read more

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Some of the worst service I've ever gotten. 20% auto gratuity (with a party of just 5) + charge for using a credit card. I ordered a beef stew and it came with about three bite size pieces of beef. They also overcharged us with a price higher than what was on the menu. It's like this restaurant just wanted to take your money. Please do yourself a favor and don't come here read more

Delicious food, there's something for all diets. And the ambiance is very unique and beautiful. It isn't a "trendy" spot which I appreciate. Lots of central Asian comfort food with dumplings and stews. I think I'd give this a 5 star experience if my server was a little nicer and didn't try to sell us on items so hard and give us attitude when we did not. We had a party of 4 and ordered quite a bit already. read more

My husband and I went here for dinner. We both really enjoyed our time at Farida! The decor is super cute and unique. The menu has pictures, which I really appreciated! Service was great and there was live music at the time. We both enjoyed our appetizers and main dishes. The food was hot, flavorful, and super yummy! The entire restaurant is a whole experience! read more

Farida - Puff pies - Uzbek Near Me - New York, New York

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Man, I hate writing bad reviews, especially when the food is pretty good. But you are forcing me to do it. I walked in with the intent of takeout. Great, told the waiter, got a menu, placed order, all is good. Sometime later food comes out, I get the bill, I take out my card, the waiter walks over with his handy wireless card reader, scan, all is good..... Bang, the screen shows 4 options 22% 25% 30% and cash. The % might be slightly off. If there is a no tip option, i didnt see it. When handed to me it was preset to 25%. Seriously, no Seriously...are you suggesting I give you gratuity for picking up food? The waiter says "I packed it really nicely for you" and continues to hover over me as if to think that I would be affected by this or be embarrassed to not tip. No, I am not that guy. I pressed on cash grabbed my food and got up. As I proceeded to the exit the waiter stayed close staring at me with bewilderment waiting for his cash tip. What is happening here? How did we get here? What have we become? read more

Excellent place. The food was delicious and the service was great. I loved everything we have ordered from the appetizers to desserts ! read more

Uninspiring. For drinks we had 2 signature cocktails since they didn't know how to make a Manhattan. Both were extremely sweet. Food was just blah. We started with eggplant caviar which tasted right out of the jar from a store. Definitely not home made. Meat manty were ok, but meat inside was very dry and lacked flavor. Again, tasted like defrosted from the store. For mains we had grilled lamb, which was the best dish of all, but still just ok. And oxtail stew that was a disappointment. When you think 'stew', you think 'flavor'. This dish had zero flavor. It was just boiled oxtails, no spices or herbs, accompanied by equally tasteless chickpeas. Decor was nice and cozy. Live drums were a nice addition although maybe a bit too loud for Sunday night. Service was choppy, slow at times (waited a long time to place our order) and rushed at other (my plate was taken away while I was still holding my fork with the last bite). Ended up a very expensive ($170+ for 2 with mandatory 20% tip included) mediocre dinner. I wouldn't come back. read more

This is place seems very authentic since most of the patrons spoke to the waitresses in their language. We were the only table that spoke English and the waitress very patiently explained each dish to us and made recommendations. App the meat dishes were great! The yogurt drink was heavy and soured and not exactly what I was expecting. The decors are beautiful and there was live music from a drummer. read more

Farida - Skewers platter - Uzbek Near Me - New York, New York

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The food, service and ambiance are one of a kind, in a good way. Everything we had was delicious and we left very full and very happy. Great for large parties. read more

I went here for lunch on a Thursday, and it was a pretty quiet place. The establishment was clean, but it does have the tiniest bathroom I've ever seen in a restaurant. Mini umka pies: these were so delicious. The pastry was super flaky, the filling was declicious, and the sauce it came with accented it perfectly. Kovurma lagman: this was a super interesting experience. I had never had Central Asian cuisine before, and it felt like a mix between East asian cuisine (fried noodles) combined with more South Asian/Eastern European influences.I really liked this. The noodles were crispy, but the stew it came in softened it up a bit for a really nice texture. The meat and veggies on top were very tender. My only complaint was that I realized when I got home they accidentally overcharged me. I got one of the lunch specials, but I was charged individually for it instead of the lunch special price. I'm sure it was an honest mistake, so I still highly recommend checking this place out if you're in the area. read more

First time trying central Asian food and overall it was great! Don't know if I'd go out of my way to go to this place again but definitely worth a try for anyone looking for new cuisines. read more

Farida - Uzbek Plov - Uzbek Near Me - New York, New York

We loved it here. A wonderful escape from the outside world. It's comfortable , the food was was delicious & had great textures, Loved the presentation & atmosphere. The service was attentive but not intrusive. We had the smoked trout in fir coat, both beef & chicken blini, the umlaut puff pies filled with spinach & herbs & pumpkin mani (dumplings). Topped it off with Mama's Honey Cake. All to be repeated when we return with our partners. read more

You can't throw a stick without hitting a review containing the term 'hidden gem,' but it's actually appropriate here. I stumbled across this place one day during lunch when I was walking around the neighborhood looking for ice cream (I found it next door) and saw a very unusual entrance covered in Rainforest Cafe-like foliage. Five minutes' worth of research, and this was on the list for an upcoming lunch adventure. I stopped by Friday afternoon for a bite to eat. Virtually every review of this place mentions the ambience, and deservedly so. This is a VERY unique restaurant interior. The entryway to the dining area reminded me of walking through one of the rooms in Legends of the Temple (minus the scary guards) - it's really something. The actual restaurant itself is sort of a Central Asian version of a Buca di Beppo, one of my fave chains of all time that has Italian-themed shizzle all over the walls. You're more likely to find murals of Asian temples than Frank Sinatra pictures, but it's quite a spectacle to behold. The bar is right by the entrance, and the bartender behind the counter immediately told me I could sit anywhere available in the restaurant. The cathedral-like booths up front were unfortunately occupied but I easily secured a spot at a small table toward the back. Within a minute or two, I was provided with what I'm assuming is the Uzbek version of bread and butter - essentially crostini. I didn't try the topping that looked to be chopped up cucumber, but I did sample the brown one that visually gave off pulled pork vibes. The taste DID veer close to BBQ territory, and I subsequently confirmed that it was caramelized onions. Not typically an onion fan at all, but I'm now assuming that that hatred is based on the typically crunchy texture, which this definitely didn't have. Really enjoyed it, and I ate the entire portion. After intently studying the menu beforehand, I decided to play it relatively safe and go with the Cheburek ($18) off the hot apps section of the menu. There's an awesome Turkish/Eastern European restaurant in Clifton, NJ called Cafe Bubemara that has scrumptious Burek, which seemed to be pretty much the same concept as this (no idea what the inclusion of the 'che' prefix brings to the table), though these were definitely smaller versions, almost like large empanadas. The meat was a little crunchier than I personally prefer due to the onions/seasoning (maybe peppers?) that are cooked within the beef/lamb, but same token, you're getting decent flavoring with that texture - it's almost tangy in the same genre as falafel, I'd say. I also would have liked more meat within the dish; there were several bites in each pie that were nothing but the pastry, which reminded me of 90% of the chocolate croissants I've had, where there's just a thin sliver of chocolate inside. The service was excellent. Unsurprisingly, I got the impression I was the only customer there whose first language was English (absolutely not a negative) but everyone there was very welcoming/accommodating. True to almost every solo dining experience I've recently had in the city, it didn't take long to order, receive my food or get the check - I was probably in and out of there in less than 35 minutes, which is mighty impressive for a sit-down lunch at a legit restaurant. I can't sit here and say that I'd come here every week (it IS a little outside my gastro wheelhouse for sure), but it's definitely a top-tier candidate anytime I'm feeling a little frisky/adventurous. read more

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Good food, live music, and incredible service! This spot is a hidden gem in Fidi! I've also never had Uzbeki food but this was delicious! read more

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Great tea! Great service and ambience as well! Beautiful environment and cool menus. Ask about their specials!

Food was good. Service was good. Decor was good. We had the Farida Platter including beef, chicken, lamb and liver. We also had borscht and Chuchvara dumplings. Chack-chack for dessert. I recommend this read more

Farida - Uzbek Near Me - New York, New York

Seriously delicious food. Excellent flavors, good service, live entertainment at night - what's not to like? Would be good for a group to buy multiple plates and share. read more

Wow!!! This place knocked our socks off. Everything was absolutely superb. Had the pumpkin puffs, filet mignon, rice with lamb, tea, wine, salad, and cake. Honestly wish I had more room in my stomach for more deliciousness. Awesome service; quite attentive. They made us feel like family visitors. May come across as upselling but genuinely appeared to just want us to enjoy. Hoping to return. I think my favorite was the lamb read more

Amazing ambiance and good service. This was my first time having Uzbekistan/Kazakhstan food so please take this review with a grain of salts Overall the food was tasty but definitely more on the neutral flavor side. The Umkas were delicious and definitely bigger than expected (reminds me of an empanada/puff pastry). The manti was good a bit on the dryer side. The beef shashlyk was probably my favorite - very juicy, although the fries served with was not as crispy. The only thing that was probably a 2/5 for me was the authentic uzbek plov - not sure if it's meant to be or if it's just our dish but the rice was extremely hard. Was recommended this spot by a friend who eats lamb so would say those dishes may be 5/5z Would probably come back again to try something else but if you don't eat lamb, your options might be a little more limited like me... read more

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tasty, beautiful decor. elegant service. great value. would highly recommend the prefix lunch. relaxed

Visiting New York and wanted some hot borscht. Farida came up so thought we'd give it a try. Not only was the borscht like my Ukrainian mom used to make, but both meat and cottage cheese blini were also great. Our waiter Alan was friendly, attentive and steered me to an Uzbek tea that went so well with the meal. We'll be back. read more

I can't tell you all the names of the foods we ate because Farida basically ordered for us. It's really nice that the restaurant's namesake (owner) is there to help us out and interact with customers. We had a large party and couldn't decide what to eat so a mix of things were brought to our table. The kabobs were really juicy and the samsas were flavorful & flaky. There were salads, mixed dips (like hummus), and plov (rice) too. Everything was delicious. My only little complaint was that the live music was really loud and it was hard to talk to/hear each other. I also would like to hear some Uzbeki music because I love it and it's what I was hoping for. But the singer was lovely. The restaurant is nice, pretty, clean and I'll visit again. :) read more

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Minor update. See prior review for the glowing part. I wish I could just edit my old review but alas. I was here alone and they put automatic 20% gratuity. I would have given you 20% but seriously that's not right especially if only one person is there and they left a bill where I could have added more tip. Good thing I checked. Food was still delicious. read more

Excellent food, nice ambiance. The spices and flavors were delicious! Nice, attentive service as well, and a great selection of lunch specials. read more

I went for their lunch special, I got the Lagman soup and Plov. Highly recommend the Lagman soup

I never write reviews but I felt compelled this time because the experience we had here was so special. This incredible place is one of a kind and I'm very surprised it isn't more popular. We came on St Patrick's weekend and it was quite empty. The entrance was adorable and inviting, perfect for pictures. The interior is beautifully decorated and spacious with intimate booths and a bar. I think they might also have performances and live music here. The stage was empty when we arrived as we were the only ones there but I did see a microphone and a guitar. We were greeted and seated by a kind lady. I don't think I got her name but she gave us a nice background on Uzbek and Kazakh history and comprehensively explained the entire menu along with the cultural significance of the dishes. It was awesome and felt pretty educational. We ordered taking her suggestions into account. I was very impressed with our waiter Zack who was so professional and kind. He also gave us many suggestions and presented the dishes well. He had on this indie rock playlist that was nice and mellow and he shared the playlist with us because we liked it so much. I could see him being a cool person to hang out with. When it came to ordering basically everything on the menu looked delicious. We ordered : - Nomad Kazakh beshbarmak: delicious flat noodles in a shallow hearty broth and slices of beef and potato. The flat noodles really shine in this dish. - Handmade manti beef dumplings: these beef soup dumplings were good for sharing as they can be filling and they come with sour cream - Kovurma lagman: this one was my favorite, it is said to be spicy but it wasn't spicy when we had it. - Moms honey cake - A kind of Cinnamon citrus tea All came out to around 100 dollars Everything was amazing. Entirely worth the price especially considering the experience. We will definitely be coming here again! read more

This is your sign to try amazing Central Asian cuisine at one of the few Kazakh restaurants in the city. My friend and I stopped into Farida in FiDi for an epic night of dining and (unplanned) entertainment. The owner, a gorgeous woman whose name is Farida, greeted us and mirrored our enthusiasm. They had a beautiful belly dancer some weekend nights and as soon as we walked in we knew we were in for a treat. The decor transported us to the Kazakh homeland and the menu was vast and never ending. We had a feast of kebab, carrot salad, manti, laghmen, and ended the night with some amazing tea. If you're looking to try something new you should definitely stop there and call ahead to see if they have a belly dance performance read more

Farida - Manti and lagmen - Uzbek Near Me - New York, New York

Zhak, our server, was amazingly entertaining and gave great suggestions for what to order. We started with these little complimentary cheese balls that tasted like white cheddar. We had a variety of puff pastries with spinach, pumpkin, chicken and steak then we also had the most amazing pumpkin dumplings of my life. We had another dish that had big flat noodles, potato and beef; I don't remember the name but it was tasty. The star of the show was the Farida platter with lamb, beef, and chicken - it was huge!! We couldn't finish it all with 3 adult men and 1 woman. We finished with a dessert of chocolate sausage and honey cake; don't let the name of the "sausage" alarm you, there is no meat and it was my favorite bite of the meal. Everything from the food to the service to the fun ambience with the conga drum was on point. I'll be back next time I'm on NYC! read more

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Having been to their midtown location and enjoyed it, I was surprised and delighted to see that Farida has built a downtown outpost. Despite still being in the soft opening phase, this is already an amazing addition to our neighborhood food scene. You really can't go wrong with anything on the menu. But last night, Farida's husband gave us his recommendations which were spot on. Here's what we had: * Umka puff pastries (not pictured because we ate them too fast). They come out piping hot and the fillings are delicious - especially the beef and spinach with herbs. * A specially prepared medley of the three best salads - vitamin salad, avocado tomato salad, and navruz salad. All were quite tasty, but the avocado tomato salad was the star and an excellent pairing with a heartier main dish. * Uzbek plov (pilaf), is one of the most traditional dishes. A beautifully seasoned medley of beef, lamb, carrots, rice, and chickpeas. This is his grandfather's recipe, who got it from HIS grandfather. Unsurprisingly, they sell out daily in the busy midtown location. If you can order this, I highly recommend you do. In addition to terrific food, they offer a cozy atmosphere with interesting murals and Central Asian music videos, playing in the background. They also have a unique selection of wines from Russia, Bulgaria, Uzbekistan, Kazakstan, as well as the other more typical regions of Europe and South America. Apparently, they're going to be offering belly dancing and hookah in the near future. I look forward to checking that out as well. read more

Farida - Specially prepared medley of salads. Left to right: vitamin salad, avocado salad, navruz - Uzbek Near Me - New York, New York

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Delicious and authentic Central Asian food in a traditional setting. Nice service too. Pretty pricey and an extra charge for using a credit card. In 2022, really? read more

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Such a wonderful environment. Customer service was above and beyond and the good was amazing! Will definitely go back again. I had the arugula salad and the cheburek. So good. Highly recommend. read more

Farida - Arugula salad. - Uzbek Near Me - New York, New York

This was our second visit from CT to this hidden gem in the financial district. Love the vibe -- the lights and the decorations and fellow patrons speaking multiple languages. Love the drinks -- special lemonades and teas (they have cocktails too). Love the food -- the pastries stuffed with spinach, the lamb shank, the dumplings with sour cream mushroom sauce, the dessert that was like a cottage cheese pancake. Great service, too. read more

Farida - Uzbek Near Me - New York, New York

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The meat was so tender, it was done right. The pâlov was bit dry. The service was good, the meat is halal so that's a 10/10. Ambience was a 1000/10, it was great intro to uzbek culture. read more

Really liked this beautiful restaurant in downtown. An interesting menu, beautiful decor and even with live music you could still talk to your dinner companions, I had the umka appetizer filled with spinach. Delicious with lovely crisp pastry and plenty of filling. Also at my table, others had the salmon kebabs and the plov. Service was spotty, while food came out hot and well presented, not everything came out at the same time. The plov was served after everyone else's meal was almost complete after the server was reminded. Also, they were out of most items made with cheese or blinis, which is what I had been looking forward to. I would return if I'm visiting the area again. read more

This place was a lifesaver at night when every other place was closed. When we got there, the ambiance was amazing. It was quiet (until a huge party came in), and the decor was beautiful. We had the Manti with pumpkin, Chicken burger, Umka puff pies, and salmon Shashlyk. Everything was delicious, warm, and plenty of dill. Even the fries were great, which is a sign of a good establishment. We also had the tea and the Farida cocktail. I Personally found the tea indistinguishable from milk and rather bland, but everyone else seemed to like it. It was served in bowls, which helped cool it to a drinkable temperature. The servers were kind and attentive. I definitely want to return to try more. Really awesome place. Highly recommended. read more

Great place for Uzbeki food! The menu had so many good options that we had to order SEVERAL dishes back to back to keep trying. And they were all great! The borsch was especially perfect for these cold days! Service by Alena was wonderful and the freshly brewed loose herbal tea ... just delicious! The LIVE music and ambiance was outstanding too. LOVELY place. I will be back. Thank you. read more

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Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. From the food to the ambience to the great selection of live singers, this place is a hidden gem that everyone should know about....or maybe it should stay a secret. Everything we tried was phenomenal! Been here once before for lunch which was great, but dinner is when you want to come to appreciate the music and atmosphere. Highly highly recommend! read more

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Delicious, food, great ambiance, friendly staff, and was worth every buck! I will bring my family here again in the future read more

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We stumbled into this place looking for a quick lunch different than all the touristy places nearby. The menu was large and although very familiar with East Asian and Indian food, we didn't quite know what to expect from Central Asia. With the help of our waiter we selected some lunch specials to try to get a smattering of everything on the menu. The food starting coming, and coming. Big portions! Our expected quick bite to eat turned into an almost 2 hour feast! The kitchen wasn't slow, just that we were enjoying the food so much. Everything we had (umka, kharcho, manti, plov, kebab) was quite amazing. After finishing, our pleasant waiter brought us out a carafe of tea. We had such good luck on NYC restaurants this trip. We'll return here, too! read more