Hi! Stopped into the UES' Lava Shawarma for the second time, and everything was - once again -…read moreexcellent. The two young men who work behind the counter there (at least in the early evening hours) were friendly, polite, professional and hardworking. The environment is welcoming, and the food is so yummy. Both times I've been there, I ordered the falafel wrap. It was super delicious -- and full of fiber and protein, without feeling heavy on my tummy; I might just become a more regular customer, even though I'm trying to be mindful about my food budget these days. : ) (Their pricing is affordable to most, I simply mean that as a general comment.) Thank you for taking such good care of me, gentlemen! Stay warm and well-fed, Kat PS The only thing I'd humbly suggest, if I may, would be to put out a few containers of olive oil for customers -- to drizzle on their falafel goodness.

Small restaurant with a couple tables inside that would be good for a small group of 1-4 people…read more Mostly takeout. We ordered 2 lamb & beef wraps with an order of tater tots. The wraps were incredible!! The presentation was great and came with tahini and hot sauce on the side. The meat was soo juicy and had a ton of flavor. Tater tots were extra crispy. Everything was seasoned well. Service was friendly and offered some complementary spiced tea. Very quick. Wish we could take this place home with us.

I wish I could find this in Dallas...the Shawarma at this restaurant is top tier…read more The customer service was great too. I'm definitely coming back to Harlem just for this ‼

This Yemeni restaurant has rave reviews & yes the food is good- I've just had so much better. This…read moreis conveniently located in Manhattan sure but the "trek" to Little Yemen in the Bronx is 110% worth it because every restaurant I've tried there was better than this one. I will say, the service is great here & the people are quite hospitable. But there was something missing from the main dish, the lamb zurbian. First & foremost, there were way too many onions & most of them were burnt. Caramelized onions or crispy onions are great. But burnt onions? No thank you. Also, the rice was flavorful but overbearing. I will say though, the falafel was great FWIW. Nonetheless, I wouldn't be going back here & instead would go to Little Yemen in the Bronx because it is much better.

Food/drinks: delicious!!!! And very pretty Favorites were…read morethe cold appetizer tray with the dips (bread came out warm and delicious) + layered chicken dish Atmosphere: loud but sooo lively! I had so much fun eating here with a large group! They also do birthdays the best and at happy birthday from the speaker! Service: very busy when we went so service was just okay! Price: seems expensive at first but it's actually to match the portion! Most dishes are huge and meant for sharing!!

Al Badawi means well, but falls short on service, cleanliness (bathroom) and taste. In all…read morefairness, it was my first time trying Palestinian food, and after my evening here, I guess it's not my preferred palette. Whe we arrived, I mentioned I had a reservation. The "host" didn't look us up in a system but just grabbed two menus and walked us to a table. Had he looked at our reservation, he would've seen we requested heated outside table and my son's nut allergies, but we got an indoor table. It winded up being very cold that day so we didn't correct him. I used the bathroom upon arrival and it was not clean. Smelled badly and garbage bin so overflowing that paper towel was accumulating on the floor around it. I believe if you want an idea of how clean the kitchen is, assess how clean the bathroom is. The server women are sweet, but their English wasn't fluent and communication took longer than usual. Sorting out my son's nut allergy (only allergic to cashews and pistachios but all other nuts are ok) became complicated. For example, she kept saying, "but there are no almonds" to which I replied, "yes, but almonds are ok." I had leftover pizza and asked for to-go containers but she didn't bring a pizza box. I started packing the slices in one of their round aluminum containers when I quickly ran out of room. I flagged her down and asked if they had a pizza box instead; to which she replied, "of course we do" (wonder why she didn't bring that in the first place seeing we had leftover pizza? Again, they were nice, tho. The taste of the dishes were so-so. I didn't wind up eating much, but again, this may just be preference. I have a pretty wide palette and I guess this is one of my limits. Their BK Heights location is more highly-rated and wonder if their cleanliness and service is better.

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.

Okay, so toward the end of July, I was hanging out with my cousin and we were trying to figure out…read morewhat to eat. We were in the mood for a gyro plate, something simple, something good. She suggested Halal Chicks because she had ordered from them before and said their chicken over rice was really good. So I'm like, alright, let's try it. And honestly? It was really good. Like, genuinely delicious. I ordered the chicken over rice platter, and the portion size was huge. It came with the chicken over rice, fries, salad, and pita--everything you want your platter to have. And let me tell you, I ate off that thing for two days. The flavor was there, the seasoning was seasoned-ing, and everything tasted super fresh. Now, let's talk about the fries because oh my God... their fries are everything. I love a good fry, and these fries hit every mark--crispy, seasoned, and a great portion. The salad was fresh, the pitas were perfect (I love me some chopped pitas), and they give you all the sauces--white sauce, BBQ, hot sauce--so you can really make it how you want it. We DoorDashed ours from the Heights location, and even with delivery, everything held up beautifully. Fresh, flavorful, hot--no complaints. And listen, I really don't think you can go wrong with halal food. Chicken over rice is one of those things that, when done right, it just hits. And Halal Chicks did not miss at all. I also looked into them a bit and saw that they're minority-owned and locally sourced, which makes me love them even more. Especially in today's climate, supporting our local and minority-owned businesses is important. They're showing up for the community, so let's show up for them. Overall, food was great. The portions are amazing. The flavor is on point. And I would definitely order from them again. Go check them out--they have a few locations. Let me know what you think!

Every time we ordered from them, never finished the dish!! It came with huge potion and great taste…read moresometimes is greasy but can complain because theirs sauce is good!! My favorite is loaded fries and gyros l.love it

Ordered: Mint Lemonade (~$9)…read moreHummus (~$12) Baba Ganouj (~$12) Grilled Eggplant (~$12) 5pc Falafel (~$12) Tabouleh (~$12) Fatoush (~$12) Grape Leaves (~$12) Zikrayat Mix Grill (~$35): with chicken kebab, beef kebab, lamb kofta and lamb chops with rice, grilled tomato & pepper, spiced bread, and yogurt sauce Aya's take: Zikrayat recently rebranded and changed managers, so I found myself back here for a family dinner. We ordered a bunch of appetizers to share and Mix Grill entrees for our party of 7. I would say it's a pretty simple and standard order. No deviations, substitutions, or anything out of the ordinary. Despite that, our drinks took ~20 minutes, the appetizers took 30+ minutes, and our entrees 30+ minutes after that. The Mint Lemonade was so small and tasted artificial. For ~$9, I expect more. The only appetizers worth trying are the Hummus Baba Ganouj, and Falafel. Everything else sadly missed the mark. The Fatoush & Tabouleh were promising but pretty sad. It lacked dressing (lemon and olive oil), flavor, and there were way too many unnecessary lettuce leaves on or around the bowl. I did enjoy the Zikrayat Mix Grill. The meats were tender, well-seasoned, and juicy, the rice was light and fragrant, and it was filling. I found the appetizers to be overpriced and along with the extremely slow service, I didn't leave feeling like it was worth it. I don't think I'll be back.

Went for Ramadan buffet, nice people, great display; so many different choices of food. They know…read morehow to cook meat tenderly! Seems like a great place to smoke hookah and chill later on in the night. Glad we spend Iftar there 2 different times. We will return again next year.

Great food, and great service. Love it. I had the hummus,…read moredelicious and the falafel nice and fresh

Food is always delicious. I had the chicken kebab lunch special. So yummy. Staff is very friendly…read moreand sweet. Love coming here.

I'm weaning myself off of red meat and chicken and contemplating going vegan. Thus far, I found a…read morefew great authentic vegetarian restaurants with delicious tasting, full of flavor dishes; with a conscious healthy menu. LoL The staffer's were well informed, and helped me make great choices for being a novice. The atmosphere was great as well with a calming backdrop. I'm looking forward to making ZAAD a regular visit.

The food was amazing for a spot we just randomly found. The owner was so sweet as well and you can…read moretell they prepare everything with love. It's a tiny gem but with so much culture. I got the loaded fries with beef and lamb and it did it disappoint! Check it out for a quick meal and a yapp session!

Hidden gem of a place!!!…read more Amazing experience here every time. Food is super fairly priced (my wife and I are both artists and almost always eating out on a budget when we do) and DELICIOUS. Portions are generous but perfect. Staff is extremely friendly and will always make sure your experience is a good one.

Sad to know that this place is closed. I will miss their foods very much…read more The foods were always delicious when I use to eat it here w/ my husband a few years ago. Love the wraps (esp the sharma chicken one), and the falafels were so always fresh and delicious. I also loved their selection of hummus & eggplants. Great service & the people were friendly!

Excellent all around. The only thing I would improve is the amount of butter on the rice. Most…read morerestaurants serve pads of butter and you can choose if you want to add it to your rice. Having said that the meats were best I have had in any restaurant and I'm from Southern California where we have a lot of excellent Persian restaurants. The Tahdig and other appetizers were all delicious, and the service and ambiance was 1st rate.

If you are Middle Eastern, then this is where you need to eat when you are in NYC! And even if you…read morearen't, you still need to come here! Located on the upper East Side of Manhattan, it's wedged in the middle of the west side of the block. On a sunny warm day you can sit outside in the patio. Inside you will find a huge mural of the OG map of Persia highlighting the mountain and water areas. We spent a while pointing out where our relatives once lived to the "Gen Z's" at our table:) The service was spot on. We had a nice bottle of Pinot Grigio to accompany our meal. Our waiter was timely with the refills:) The hummus, dolmas and main dishes were are incredible!!!!