Didn't have a reservation, but was able to get a table for a party of two on a Friday evening. It…read moredid get more busy as the evening went on so making a reservation is recommended. There's so many options (vegetarian, meat) - something for everyone on the menu. Our hostess was also very nice as she also provided some recommendations since this was my first time being here. The food portion sizes (even the dips) are huge. There was also unlimited pita bread for the table. Would definitely come back next time to try other items on the menu.

I genuinely wanted to like Au Za'atar, which made this experience even more disappointing. During…read moreour brunch visit for 3 on May 9th 2026, I experienced the first significant allergic dining reaction of my life. Rather than immediately posting a public review, I contacted management privately because I believed they deserved the opportunity to address the situation professionaly. Their initial response was that they would review the incident internally. After I followed up, they specifically offered to send me a complete ingredient list for everything we ordered so I could review it with my healthcare provider. I accepted that offer but, the ingredient list was never sent. Months later, there has still been no meaningful follow-up. My frustration isn't about demanding compensation or proving what caused the reaction. It's about customer care and accountability. Making promises that are never fulfilled leaves the impression that guest concerns only matter until the bill is paid. Once our $471 tab was settled, the commitment to help simply disappeared. The food and atmosphere may attract people, but how a restaurant responds when something goes wrong is what defines its hospitality. Unfortunately, based on my experience, the follow-through did not match the promises made, and I can't recommend a restaurant that handled a serious guest safety concern this way. Its NYC, 1000s of restaurants will charge less serve higher quality ingredients and treat you with greater hospitality, and this place is located in midtown east.

Their design choices show the same care as their cooking. All parts create a cohesive whole. Staff…read moremembers provide outstanding, speedy attention with incredibly delicious food. They balance reliable cooking with friendly interactions. Only good things experienced.

The quality here establishes what excellence should mean. You'll feel welcome in every corner. This…read morerestaurant delivers on flavor, fair prices and attentive staff. Employees here know how to make customers feel welcome. I'll definitely return, impressive quality.

Live music was great, ambiance was very pretty, food was portioned well with plenty of different…read moreoptions. The menu was huge, and waitstaff were ready to answer any questions and make any customizations to menu items. Would recommend this place for upscale dining with a relaxed pace or for a nice celebration. Food was flavorful.

3.5 stars, a beautiful dimly lit dining room and huge no less. There are a few steps walking up to…read morethe dining area. Great for groups of all sizes, reservations suggested but on this weekday visit, it was not too busy. We had a resy any way. Service was fair. Our waiter checked in with us once after we ordered and we had to beckon him twice - once for water refill and second for condiments/questions. What I didn't appreciate but understood, since we were two people dining, we got a corner table for two. It was not busy so we asked for the table next to us since we ordered plenty. They did not accommodate us saying they may need it for later. I did not think that was necessary since the place was not busy. This was 6pm on a Wednesday. And to boot, huge dining room - plenty of seating available. This was off putting as we said we ordered plenty. Our plates barely fit and they brought everything almost at once. Onto the food, I may not have ordered their popular dishes but nevertheless, nothing to rave about. Portions were shareable but it was just okay. There was not one stand out dish. I had higher expectations based on other reviews and photos but it was likely what we ordered. This was a vegetarian meal for me since I was dining with a vegetarian. - Moussakaa, this was a very tomato based sauce dish. Fried eggplant and chick peas combined had a nice texture. Mild flavors. - Arayess cheese - sorely disappointed. Very little flavor and I love my cheeses. It needed something to make it more appealing. It literally looked like cheese in a pita. And yes, by description it was. No condiments or side of anything to offset the plating. Visually flat. It could've used a sun dried tomato paste or some acidic side dipping sauce. - Yara Fries - shockingly simple, zaatar and spices. But they didn't put enough. It still looked like regular fries. And by the name, I expected more punch of flavor. It was not there. - Falafel - tricky dish if it's not cooked well. Simple again by name but the ingredients were just mild in flavor. Crunch was perfect. The chickpea, onions, cilantro and garlic was not pronounced. It was ok. Not memorable. - House wine, by the glass, decent and went well with what we ate. Would I return is the question... Likely not. The menu was so promising but nothing to bring me back.

Gorgeous upscale dinner spot in midtown! We came as a group of 7 and were seated comfortably, lots…read moreof room within the restaurant. Great place to share several food items with a group. It was a little hard to hear and converse at times as it gets crowded, but the food was delicious and there are really unique items on the menu. Food: The duck shawarma was one of our favorites! The lamb and scallops were also flavorful and tender. The dips were delicious with the pita, but I wish the serving size for the dips were bigger. The fries were great - well seasoned! Also recommend the milky pudding, it was a nice refreshing way to end the dinner. Service: Our server was super helpful in letting us know what items are more shareable and his suggestions for cocktails. Definitely try some of the arak based cocktails. Vibe: Gorgeous interior, the mirrors and lighting really elevates the space and makes it a lovely spot for group dinners or dates.

We went for Mother's Day brunch. When we arrived a few minutes early we did have to wait a bit. The…read morerestaurant had two floors, nicely decorated and cozy. We were lead upstairs to a table. There were 7 of us The seating was cozy but not cramped. We started with 7 family style small dishes: Hummus with Falafel Pops (chickpea purée, tahini, falafel, olive oil), Spring Burrata (roasted cherry tomatoes, toast, basil oil), Hamachi Crudo (passionfruit vinaigrette, citrus zest, cucumber, mint, sesame tuile), Scallops (carrot puree, serrano pepper, brown butter sauce), Tenderloin Skewer (zaatar chimichurri, fresh herb salad), and Shiitake Stuffed Grape Leaves (tomato coulis, yogurt foam, herbs). Everything was delicious. The hummus was well seasoned the falafel had a nice crunch. It went well with the warm puffy gyro bread that came to the table. The burrata was wasm and creamy. I love the vinaigrette on the fish. I ended up eating most of it. The scallops were the sweetest, most tender ones I have ever had. The tenderloin skewers were tender and well seasoned. I liked the grape leaves but the rice consistency was very soft almost mushy and you can barely tell there were mushrooms. There was barely any mushrooms flavor. Next we all chose an entree. I got the duck breast, my husband and daughter each had the beef tenderloin. The duck breast was smaller than i expected. The skin was nicely seared and very crispy but boy did it give my jaw a workout. It was done medium rare. It was juicy but tough. The small beef tenderloin was tender and smoky. The waiter poured the sauce over the tenderloin for added flavor. Finally dessert was a fruit plate with ice cream and pudding. The fruit was fresh and the flavors of the ice cream and pudding unique. It was a nice end to a good brunch. The price was a little expensive at $85 a person.

Simply some of the best food around - been coming here for years. The owner and all the staff are…read morealso incredibly friendly and are real staples in the community. The hummus, sandwiches, meat pies, rice platters are truly delicious - my family gets tubs of the hummus for many family events. Not to mention all the great sweets like knaffeh they have. Recommend this place in my top 5 spots in Queens for a solid meal while not spending too much. God willing they'll be in Sunnyside for years to come!

heard a lot of things about the food here but didnt feel like the taste was anything special. i got…read morethe mix shawarma wrap, baba ghanouj, and knafeh. the meat and ingredients for the shawarma wrap were quite good but mine was almost entirely chicken so im not sure what the beef tastes like. baba ghanouj didnt taste fresh and knafeh was also not the best ive had. the owners are very friendly but also may be understaffed and it takes a while to get your order when its busy.

Drinks - Spicy passion delicious…read more Food - Chicken Shawarma delicious - Get all the F bread. Laffa is served warm and goes so well with allthe food - dips: mid but good for sharing - crispy artichoke: perfectly cooked - lamb kebab was yummy but only one stick - - - branzino was good but meat dishes better Service: decent. Lots of empty dishes were left and we had to prompt them to take them. Otherwise they were attentive and water was filled frequently Vibe: trendy village Good for parties of all sizes

Not sure what all the hype is about. We went for their famous $5 happy hour and had to wait outside…read morefor a table. Service was very good, but the food, even at $5 wasn't anything to brag about. It tasted like they tried to take classic Mediterranean classics and make them better, but we didn't really enjoy their interpretation. The vibe is cool and the place is beautiful, but the food is not worth it.

We were craving a shawarma wrap and found this spot. They have a grocery section, butcher shop in…read morethe back of halal meats and they have a hot food bar too. They have some seating available for you to eat in too. My husband and I ordered a chicken shawarma to share. - Chicken Shawarma: we ordered without onions. The shawarma came with fries, lettuce, tomatoes, hummus, and garlic sauce. This was a pretty overwhelming combination to me and my husband. So many flavors mixed together. The chicken was delicious- perfectly cooked, moist, and very well seasoned. I ended up picking at the shawarma halfway through and just eating the chicken pieces. Based on typical Lebanese shawarma standards, the fries didn't taste fresh (they seemed like they'd been sitting out), and there was something in the shawarma that had a bit of a refrigerated taste (probably the hummus). I'm giving it 4 stars because what we had was a traditional Lebanese-style shawarma. While we personally would've preferred a simpler wrap with just chicken, pickles, and garlic sauce, that's on us- we came to the wrong spot for that, but we also could've asked for it with just those components.

Always delicious food, great service and a homey ambience!…read more Came in on Christmas Day to pick up a hefty amount of food and they were open regular hours. Thank you for amazing food and service! Makes me miss Damascus every single time.

I stopped here for a quick bite & enjoyed it very much- the chicken however was a bit dryer than I…read morewould've liked it to be but it was alright overall. The portion is more than adequate & it's any topping(s) that you want. I also wanted to give a shout out to Lara who is a really sweet employee & deserves all the best.

Fresh Mediterranean food. I opted for the chicken shawarma salad bowl…read more The salad consists of green lettuces and cabbage. I liked the plethora of toppings offered (sumac onions, jalapeños, cucumbers, tomatoes, banana peppers, feta olives and etc). The chicken shawarma was tender and I got a decent sized portion. The toum was garlicky and creamy. I really like the spicy green sauce! A pleasant deviation from C**a! I'll be back.