I loved this place and it was so convenient. Sadly, it appears to be permanently closed nowread more

Shawarma Bay was good when it was opened. The combo platter was my go to. It's either closed now,…read morechanging management, or revamping the business.

If you're on a budget and looking for a a place to grab a quick bite, this is the place. Located in…read morethe Upper West Side, this is great spot to try something fresh. There are only 3 or 4 small tables, with only counter service and a menu board on top. There were 2 people working behind the counter at that time. The good thing about that is that they have a small kitchen, so you could watch them make your food. I ordered a falafel sandwich which only cost $10. You can build it any way you want as if you are going to Chipotle. The ingredients were fresh and I was given what I believed to be 4 falafels falafel was soft and surprisingly not as crumbly. The best part was the sauce; it had the perfect balance of both sweet and spicy. This is a great spot to check if you want to avoid being tourist trapped while visiting the city. I will most definitely come back again!

This place is TERRIBLE! I haven't written a negative review in a long time. I have owned several…read moresuccessful restaurants in New York City and at the Jersey shore, so I know that it's not an easy business. Yet this restaurant was outstandingly bad and also annoying so I want to make other people aware of it. 1. They have no menus for you to look at at the table, I brought my brother, who is disabled, and my brother had to squint to read the menu board across the room. What restaurant does that? So annoying! 2. I walked up to the counter, which is where you have to go to place your order.. they have a wooden panel on the counter that goes up and down to allow the staff to exit and re-enter the back kitchen. As I stood there, the wooden plank slammed down of its own accord and it was so loud. It sounded like a gunshot. It hurt my ears and completely startled me. Obviously, it happened so often that the staff just laughed about it. I mentioned it to the guy working there and he just stared at me. The thing is, it happened about three times while I stood there, and I actually said to the guy that he should put some type of foam to dead in the sound because it's painful. Once again, he laughed and didn't even acknowledge my comment. If that was my restaurant and it happened even one time - no one would've had to say anything, I would've fixed it immediately. It's like they don't care that they're startling their customers who are sitting literally about 1 foot away from this extremely loud banging. 3. The prices are crazy insane! $18 for a small bowl of a few chunks of eggplant in some tomato broth. It had absolutely no flavor, so we had to add salt and pepper so we could at least taste it. It's just ridiculous. Oh, it came with a small bowl of plain rice on the side. I got a combo plate...which consisted of a small scoop of hummus and a small scoop of baba ghanoush and a small bit of salad... once again, $18. Tax and tip this meal was $50. Insane! It should've been half of that. 4. The only time the guy behind the counter seemed to care was when he rang me up because he was handing me the paper with the receipt so I could tip him. Like I said, I've owned restaurants and I know it's hard, so I gave a good tip. 5. It really was a terrible and way overpriced meal and the thing that gets me is tonight I wanted to go on to their Google and put a review, yet they have locked it as "private" so no one can post reviews. No wonder they have a good rating - they don't let anyone put reviews! All the really good reviews are probably people they know. ~So in summary, I have nothing against these people as humans... yet the way they operate this place to me is a crime. It's one thing if you serve really delicious food, then you can charge a premium. This food was NOT delicious by any stretch of the imagination. It is passable at best as it literally had no flavor. The portions were small. The place is loud as hell due to their clear negligence and they don't even care. Every single thing about this restaurant is a disaster. Do NOT spend your money here.

Yum. Flavors feel so on point. I love to get the turkey and lamb mix bowl. Pricey, but this…read morecomfortably lasts me two whole meals. Also, the laffa pita they give on the side is amazing. Service is fast! Ambiance is no frills, but very clean.

The food is absolutely delicious. The price is a bit expensive but the size of the meal makes up…read morefor it. You can easily feed 2 with one meal. This is true authentic shawarma

I have notoriously referred to the Upper East Side as a "food desert." Well actually I haven't, as…read moreI always paraphrase Anthony Bourdain who called it a "food wasteland." This way, anyone who disagrees with me is really disagreeing with Big Tony. It's a great way to grab the head-turning polarization of a hot take, but without any of the personal responsibility. A way to say something controversial without saying anything at all. A genius chess move to be sure, but complete and utter RAT behavior. I say this, my dear reader, as a reformed rat. All this to say, I recently moved to the UES and have been desperately trying to prove Big Tony wrong. One of my big bros recommended Chamoun's way, saying it's one of his favorite takeout spots in the city. I've been desperate for a decent, non-slop bowl takeout restaurant up here so I went the next day. I walked into a clean hole in the wall, and was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of choices on the menu, but ended up going with the Chamoun's healthy bowl ($14.99) and some grape leaves. After 1 bite my faith in the good lord, and in the Upper East Side, were restored. The chicken and rice were both phenomenal, but the veggies were really what showed out. The turnip pickles and jalapeno peppers were clearly fresh, which leads me to believe everything coming out of here is fresh. It felt like I was eating the home cooked meal of someone's Lebanese granny. The grape leaves were also clearly just wrapped, as the rice inside was warm with the leaf being room temp. You gotta respect this attention to detail. I've already been back a few times since, and it is my new goto takeout spot in all of NYC. I'll probably get it again tonight. BIG SHOUTOUT TO CHAMOUN FOR SHOWING ME THE WAY! IG @johnny.novo Tiktok @jnov__ Substack @johnnynovo

Such an amazing place for a quick bite at lunch time!…read more My wife works at MSK and I work from home nearby, so we always meet here for lunch. She always gets a falafel wrap, "their way", and I always get the beef shawarma rice bowl with extra garlic dip. The food is ok. It doesn't blow you away, but it is authentic Lebanese. That being said, I don't even care what the food tastes like because the servers are SO nice! When I bring my kids, they always leave with some free french fries. If I show up after the lunch rush, the owner is always around and asks me how I'm doing. When I get up after eating and start cleaning my table, the owner always just shows up behind me and amicably tells me to leave, and he will clean the table himself. You will always be greeted with a smile here, treated respectfully, and leave well-nourished. I wish nothing but success for this place!

I'm in Halal heaven! Went for the first time and was greet warmy by one of the most friendly…read moreworkers you'll encounter. Not sure if he is the owner. It's located on the northeast corner of 83rd/2nd right by the 2nd avenue subway entrance and there's a little platform surrounding a tree directly across from the cart where you can sit down and enjoy your meal! I ordered a lamb over rice as well a chicken over rice platter. I liked how I was able to easily customize the plate to my liking as I asked that he skip the salad and just add more rice. He was so kind that he added some french fries to both my platters. I ordered it with both white and green sauce. When I got home and unpacked it, both platters were filled to the brim! Everything was so flavorful and well seasoned including the rice, meat as well as french fries. Even though I was very hungry, I struggled to finish it as there was so much food! It's absolutely delicious and very affordable at $10 a plate. Great customer service. Highly recommend! Best Halal cart on the Upper East Side.

Probably the best halal cart I've had in NYC. Very friendly workers, solid pricing, they gave us…read morefree samples of falafel, amazing food. We ordered a combo platter over rice. Both meats were very juicy and flavorful. Rice was delicious and buttery. The platter also came with lettuce, tomato, and fries. The fries were excellent (they had a thicker seasoning/batter on the outside). Also ordered a falafel platter. Came with 8 balls. Some of the best falafel I've had in the city and they were definitely freshly fried. I highly recommend the green sauce. So much flavor. Very similar to a schug sauce. The white and red sauce is good, too.

A compilation of things warrant my five star rating. Food is delicious, the owner friendly,…read moreprices reasonable, ambience sedate, AND -- not typical for NYC -- BYOB without a corkage fee. This evening I ordered chicken kebabs. There are two versions with identical marinades -- one prepared spicier than the other. That's the one I went for. T had lamb kebabs and was as pleased as I was. Entrees come with salad, made special with their homemade dressing. I'm not alone in squirting this on more than just my salad. (It's presented in a squeeze bottle left on the table.) Afghan Kebob's rice is excellent. High end spices come through with this side. I'm more a vanilla girl than chocolate -- but their chocolate cake, made by an outside baker, is rich and delicious. One slice for two people is plenty. By mid-fall my daughter will be moving across the street -- another reason I'll return to the Kebab House. Note that the restaurant is casual and reservations, while accepted, aren't necessary.

I came to this establishment based on amazing reviews from @KarissaEats…read more https://youtube.com/shorts/E_IKrKDdrQg?is=WMA4l_401vrFaGBU. And let me say, first, a shout-out to KarissaEats for the recommendation of this place. The owner of this establishment is very, very nice and values his business. I went here to try the food, which, let me just say, is very authentic Afghan food. I tried the rice palou with raisins and shredded carrots, and it was good. The rice was perfectly cooked and had an amazing, fragrant taste. Very good. I also tried the sampler of the appetizers, which was mainly vegetarian, but it was still amazing, especially with the homemade yogurt sauce. But what makes this business unique is the owner's story. It's a struggling business, but the unyielding, determined spirit is there, and it shows in their food. What I have an issue with is how some people can be petty about alcohol. Based on what the owner told me, people complained about not having alcohol in this establishment, which I will say, who cares? If you want alcohol, go to a nearby bar and liquor store and get alcohol. I did my research, and I respect the owner's belief in his religion. Under Taliban rule, there is a zero-tolerance, absolute ban on the possession, sale, manufacturing, and consumption of alcoholic beverages for all people, including foreign nationals and non-Muslims. So, yep, kudos to the owner who stands firm on his beliefs.

The food is remarkable, and the staff is genuinely kind. My only hang-up is the price -- a lunch…read morenorth of $20 feels a little steep, even when you're getting a drink and a platter. That said, this is definitely a grown man portion of food, so at least they're not playing games with the serving size. And honestly? It was delicious. The gyro meat was top-notch, and the tzatziki was some of the best I've had. Together, they were basically a match made in Greek heaven. A little pricey, perhaps, but I'd absolutely go back and I'd still highly recommend it. Come hungry, leave happy, wallet slightly less happy.

Wowwwwwwww yesssss yum!!! I was starving after going to the doctor down the street. I was…read moresearching around for something in the near in vicinity on the same block. I stumbled upon this yummy restaurant... Not waiter service, but it was absolutely amazing. The nice man brought me my food and picked it up also. I started off with 1 shrimp on a stick and 1 chicken on a stick... It was so good that I ordered 2 more shrimp on a stick. The Yzatziki was siper tummy. The best ever. I recommend this please to grab and go or sit down. Very casual on the inside. I highly recommend on all angles. Thank you!

Everything I tasted at Al Badawi was excellent, from the appetizers to the drinks to the mains…read more We began our meal with complimentary flat breads, which were pillowy soft and freshly warm. It came with brine-y olives, a dry seasoning that I assume is za'atar, and olive oil. Our drinks were refreshing. The strawberry lemonana was wonderfully sweet, and the virgin mojito was nicely bubbly. For our mains, we shared the cheese bread, which was so flavorful and gooey, and the kafta, which had a nice blend of smoke, spice, and funk, perhaps coming from the beef and lamb blend. I so enjoyed my dinner there, and I'm determined to return!

It was our first time trying Al Badawi and we've been wanting to go for a while. We went for brunch…read moreand wanted something other than the typical brunch and eggs dishes. When we arrived it was empty however by the time we finished, there were many tables filled. The bad thing is that there was only 1 server during brunch. It took forever to get our check and even a to-go bag for our leftovers. We ordered for apps, the grand mezze dish with all of the different spreads, such as hummus, red pepper, tzatziki, eggplant, wow! It was delicious and to top it off they have homemade pita bread! Which was a huge highlight! Even my baby loved their homemade pita bread! For our mains, we ordered branzino, which was such a small sad piece, literally just half of a filet. Would never order again. We also got the mixed meats which came with kafta, lamb, chicken a few pieces of each, and also this was so sad, the pieces were SO small. And we also got this Fattat Jaj (which is a 6 layer dish with chicken, rice chickpeas). Honestly all of the mains were such a disappointment. Full of rice, not a lot of meat in any of the dishes. Especially the Fattat Jaj, which literally was just rice with a bunch of small crispy pita bread, barely had any chicken. While we really enjoyed the mezze platter, especially the homemade pita bread, all of the mains were SO small and terrible. Full of rice and salad and barely any meats (despite we ordered all meat and fish dishes). Sad portions. Would not return.