The best falafel pita in NJ! The thing that makes their falafel so delicious is their spicy sauce. I don't know what on earth they put in it but it's soooooooo flavorful and delicious. I haven't tried anything else there but what I've had is delicious. The owner is also a very nice guy and the staff in general is wonderful. read more

Four of us went to dinner on Saturday night, we were served LEFOVERS ! other than the Chumus which was 8 out 10, the dinner was below 4 and lousy. It seem the use the lowest cuts of chicken and turkey meat,not trimmed and fatty, for their Shawarma, They also put 50% old vegetables as filler...they called it Jerusalem Shwarma, I have eaten Jerusalem Shwarma in Jerusalem many times, not even close ! the other 3 dinners, were just as bad... On top of it, they had a noisy band playing, we ask to sit far from the band, and after 20 minutes of playing a guy from the band came to us and DEMANDED $5 per person for the band ! I have never seen a restaurant band that demanded money.!!! If you insist going their for dinner or lunch, order Chumus only, the rest is simply bad food and not worth the money ! read more

The owner hires inexperience college kids cuz he has to pay minimal as have their mind somewhere else . Could not even explain. Between eating in and take out they did not know the correct menu and finally got disgusted and asked for a takeout . I am glad I cancelled half what I had originally planned. I finally settled for a falafel and the owner abruptly interrupted and was a rude fella with a bad attitude. I took the falafel and it was very very bad . The falafel balls were half cooked and the chef did not put hummus or tahini sauces and proper salad in the sandwich. Tasted a horror . The chef or whoever prepared was either very ignorant or inexperienced. The falafel on the streets taste better than this place. When i called the owner to give a feed back he was very nasty and hung up without even listening . This is insult to Injury. Definitely not a good place to eat as you can feel they just want your money and dont care. Soon the word will go around and it will only come back and haunt the owner to push him out with minimal business. FYI a good place is in HOBOKEN or in West Village called Mahmouds young and v good food at half the price of this Tavlin. Makes me also sick to write this review just a thought of the bad experience I had. read more

the humus is amazing and they change in the menu is very refreshing. There is a good variety of food from meat, to fish, and healthy salads. the staff is very friends the new decor is very pleasing to the eye and is a great atmosphere for a great meal. read more

Our experience at Tavlin was great. The service was great, the atmosphere was comforting yet trendy, the food was good. and the prices were reasonable. Yes, I led off my review of a kosher restaurant with good service and good ambiance - it is possible, and they aced it! And that alone warrants five stars. We sampled the falafel balls, moroccan cigars, and pastels appetizers. The falafel balls tasted fresh, and were soft inside with a hint of garlic. Yum. The moroccan cigars also tasted very fresh with, delicately flavored meat. Nothing was overly fried or dripping with oil, and all were delicious. For entrees, we had pargiyot chicken, skirt steak, and salmon veracruz. All were very good, but the skirt steak was the standout. We asked for the steak rare, a difficult feat for such a thin cut. The steak was chewy, not at all over done, and very well seasoned. A real winner. The sweet potato fries were a nice touch as well. Least exciting were the deserts: the chocolate cake was ok, the baklava was good - and where else would you find halva ice cream? Also, we went on a Saturday night when there was a charming jazz quartet playing. They added to the fun atmosphere. The restaurant put a note on the tables stating that there was a $5/pp cover charge for the music, which was unexpected. Turns out, it is suggested, as nothing is added to the bill, and the musicians take tips directly. The music was nice, and the band very personable, singing with diners and taking requests. We would absolutely return. read more

Strange experience with bland food. We went to the restaurant for a family get together and were told it is BYO. We get there and place the wine on the table. The waiter proceeds to ask us how many wine glasses we need and places them on the table. About 45 minutes pass and no one as even offered to open the wine. So we proceed on our own, opening the bottle and pouring it out. A few of us even manage to get a sip. No sooner does this occur than some random waiter/bus boy begins taking all the glasses and throwing them in the garbage. Evidently the glasses are kosher and certain wine is not allowed. I would respect this had they given us any indication in any way this was the restaurants policy. These is no information at the door, on their website, or on their menu. The waiter said nothing and even provided us the glasses without instruction. If you are going to have a strict policy, please don't assume that every patron that walks through your door is versed in your religious beliefs. He then begins yelling at us, "why would you pour the wine without waiting for me" and charges for replacement for all the glasses. After that shock, he then starts bringing out food that wasn't ordered without an explanation. Then when questioned he says "we ran out of that appetizer so we just substituted it with something else." Really bizarre behavior. Then on top of it all, the food was pretty bland. I mean nothing was horrible but it wasn't really special. For the service alone I would not recommend or return and don't worry, you won't be missing anything special from the food. If you can't resist, be sure to brush up on your religious customs because the restaurant will provide you no such assistance. read more

Outstanding and creative Middle East dishes, very authentic flavors, skillfully and consistently prepared. Efficient service but dining room can be a little and crowded and loud at peak times. Owner is always on-site when I'm there and seems very attentive to customers and is very gracious and accommodating. One of my favorite restaurants read more

Go for the appetizers hummus which was fantastic. As well was the falafel. Entrees fell short, there were about 6 of us and everyone said their food was really bland. Everyone needed to add a lot of salt and pepper to there dishes. read more

Amazing place! Has some of the best potato pastels and meat cigars around.

I liked this place a lot. The owner would not take our reservation for an early dinner, but then called back and made room for us. The steak., the pargiot, the kebabs... all good. The Chumos is as good as anything fresh Ive had in Israel. Great read more

Best Israeli food I've ever had. And a wonderful atmosphere. You have to have the Hummus with meat. Unbelievable. Great staff too and the owner came over to our table to check up that all was good. Definitely coming back. read more

We read about the re opening of the restaurant and decided to try it on Mother's Day. The interior was now a light color that made the appearance of the room less claustrophobic. The service was adequate however the food was mediocre comparing it to the original restaurant. My last comment is that our waiter inadvertently printed our bill prior to us giving him the discount coupon and when we gave him the coupon he went back to the cash register and returned to the table and informed us that he can't issue the credit. We called the owner and he was very nasty and said that it was a problem to reprint our bill I finally told that he has to and he walked away angrily. read more

Went Motzi Shabbat for the first time. Wonderful experience-food was excellent. I had the Salmon and it so fresh and tasty and my husband that the Rib-eye steak which he said was super. The wait staff and the owner was super friendly and helpful. The atmosphere was to die for. Loved the fact there was live music playing while we ate. Can't wait to go back again read more

I have eaten here twice now. Once dine in and once delivery. I ended up ordering the same stuff: grilled chicken, hummus, and the falafel with white sauce. I think this place will be addicting... read more

Awful place. I hate giving a kosher restaurant a bad rating because there are so few of them and we need them. But I have never been to as awful a restaurant as this one. The service was non-existent . We had ordered Hummus platters and at no time were we offered pita for them. At no time were we asked whether we wanted more water or how the food was. No one cared. When we did ask for dessert and to pack up left overs it took a half hour and ultimately we just left. And the place was empty. We were the only ones there for most of the time so there was no need for this inattentiveness. The food was barely adequate. There was no shwarma which eliminated many of the dishes that we wanted, so a number of us ordered the skirt steak hummus bowl. There was so little steak that my one year old granddaughter ate all the steak. All that was left was a bowl of oily onions. As for the rest of my group the meat was not prepared the way ANY body had requested. The bill with the tip was close to $400. and I have never felt so ripped off after a meal. read more

Great place! We will definitely come back again. They have live music on Saturday nights. Bnai Jazz was a great addition to the Restaurant's ambience and the food was delicious too. We had the hummus with mushrooms (which is better than any other place I have been to) and the Israeli Salad which was authentic Israeli salad. I'm very picky when it comes to Israeli salad. We also had the shish kebab and chicken kebab. Great experience overall even down to the Espresso. We didn't have any dessert, we were too full. The portions were very generous and service was on par. read more

Great food overall! Hummus is the best I have had outside of the kid-east. Kabobs were fantastic and nicely flavored, again some of the best I have had. Chicken breast grilled was standard, but pargiyot were great. Overall a very good experience read more

Had an amazing lunch here - salads are fresh, hummus is delicious and the shawarma was tasty!

Just had dinner at Tavlin. We were very excited because we are both Israeli and were missing good Israeli food. It was horrible. The food was disappointing, the portions small and the service slow. We were there with two small children and it took 25 minutes to get hummus! When I complained they didn't seem to care. With all of the choices in New York and New Jersey I think this one can be skipped. read more

This restaurant is a complete and utter gem. Nowhere else on the east coast have I had a Mediterranean/Israeli dinner as authentic as this one. I was very pleased with my overall meal. The menu was impressive and maintained variety with it's selection of salads, soups, hummus bowls, and meat. Phenomenal ambiance throughout the entire establishment. The owner is extremely charismatic and very generous. He works exceedingly hard to ensure the customers and parties are satisfied and well taken care of. The servers and staff are genuinely concerned with your satisfaction and are some of the kindest I've ever had the pleasure of being served by. I have now made this a weekly destination and always try to schedule time to come to it within the confines of my weekly routine. read more

If I could give this restaurant no stars I would. We were greeted with a nasty person when we arrived; he seemed upset we had a reservation. The service was absolutely awful and the food not good at all. Avoid at all costs. read more

I have one sentence to sum this restaurant up.This is the best kosher steakhouse in teaneck. I came here with my brother to celebrate my grandfathers birthday. As soon as we got in, our orders were being taken. I hung back a little, and asked the waitress to bring a chocolate cake out after our meal, and to sing happy birthday. She agreed, and even said she would do it for free. To start, we got morrocan cigars, and my brother got a chicken soup. The Moroccan cigars were delicious, but a little spicy for my liking. My brother said the chicken soup was amazing. Like normal, we got some pita bread (so good) for the table, but the service was so incredibly fast, we didn't have time to eat it. Before we knew it, the entrees came, which proved to me how good this place really was. My brother and I both got the rib eye, cooked medium rare, and my grandfather got the burger. Everything was so amazing. Then, my grandfather asked for the check. He was pleasantly surprised when, instead of a check, he got a group of waiters carrying a chocolate cake, singing happy birthday. It actually made his day. When I say fast service, I mean fast service. Our appetizers came. We ate them, the waitress took them. 10 minutes later, our entrees came. That is amazing service, especially for a steakhouse. In all, this place has amazing food, unbeatable service, and went out if their way to make my grandfather happy on his birthday. If you keep kosher, you must come here. You will never turn back. (P.S: yes, the chocolate cake was free.) read more

The food here is wonderful. It is important to know that on a take-out basis, the portions are just as pricey as in the restaurant but they don't provide the same portion size - they stint on the "meat" for example, in the Mixed Grill. They also nickel and dime you for any extras, e.g. pita. No matter how much money you spend, they will only give you a few pitas and if you ask for more, they charge - per pita, at a ridiculous rate considering the cost of pita is about 5 cents. They are also very reluctant to give you any of the sauces, e.g. techina, when you order to go - even a very small to-go container is charged for. Essentially, the food is great, the customer service is not. read more

I came here with my mom one day when we wanted to try something new and it was a great decision. The staff was friendly and the food was delicious. We got their veg soup and a few mezze appetizers. My mom got the Moroccan fish with broccoli and i got the shnitzel with israeli salad. We definitely will be returning for another dinner out!! read more

Really nice local spot...everyone was happy with their order and owner was super friendly. Service could be a little better but on par with other kosher establishments. Humus bowls are great, felafel was crunchy and tasty and Israeli salad was fresh. I had the ribeye which was perfect and my wife had a salad with chicken and loved it. Our friends had the skirt steak and Bronzino. I would not have thought that they would do a great job on the latter but our friend loved it. Byob is also a plus. We will be back soon! read more

Best kosher restaurant in the area! Shakshukah is the best here! My kids enjoy chicken dishes.

I swear I just had the best hummus I've ever had! What a difference it makes when its made fresh the same day. I had the flank steak hummus bowl. My date had the falafel sandwich. Both were remarkably good. Definitely worth a try. read more

Delicious food, great service. Pitas are incredible, as well as salads, wraps, and hummus. Restaurant is very clean and beautiful decor. Yvette, our server greeted us with a big smile and was very knowledgable about everything on the menu. We even ordered food to go! Our family will be back very soon. read more

We went to Tavlin , because the former restaurant there was one of our favorites. The food at Tavlin was delicious. From the Moroccan Cigars , chicken soup(Yemini style), to the cornish hen and Jerusalem mixed grill. The service was very good-waiters were friendly and helpful. We will definitely go there again. read more