If you're going for food, just don't.The vibes are insanely good, the music, the decoration the lighting the view, the service it's all mesmerizing. Just not the food unfortunately, got the shish tawook, the kofta, hummus awarma, baba ganoush. the shish tawook had this strange plastic like taste that very compelling but it was still edible, the kofta was better but was really salty, the hummus and the baba ganoush were really good and they were served with pita, the pita wasn't fresh but hey overall it's a very nice place and I'd come again just not for food. shout out to the guys downstairs at the door, they're amazing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Naika Colas
Best dinning ever. The 4.3 stars does not do it justice.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Soraya Zahedi
It was such beautiful place to celebrate my birthday. Service was awesome and the food was amazing. I would come again
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Errol B
Have had better Middle Eastern food before but we did enjoy the ambience. Rooftop is really nice and the service was great as well
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Pete Liggins
My new fav restaurant! Great food, atmosphere and service
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Eshrat Eva
I think I found my favorite spot to dine in NYC. I was intentionally supposed to dine in with a friend, but I went solo as I had wanted to try this place so bad and was extremely hungry. The moment you go up the elevators, and the doors open to your floor, it is so pretty. ? The whole room is full of views. I got chicken sheesh kabobs, and the first non-alcholic drink on the menu (I forgot what it’s called but I got it 3 x that’s how good it was), and rice. All were very good. The service/ the atmosphere/ food all 100/10.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Christine Shahin
Coming from a Middle Eastern background, I was disappointed in the lack of flavor in any item we ordered. The appetizers tasted like they came from a can, the meats had such a weird taste almost like chlorine? Not sure how else to explain it. We were told about the traditional rice but there was not much traditional about it and the taste lacked once again heavily. It’s unfortunate because the staff and the atmosphere really are amazing. We tried the lounge after dinner and again staff and the vibes were great but we didn’t stay long due to disappointment in paying so much for bland food. Please don’t label your food as Middle Eastern if it’s basic and bland. It’s not a true representation even if your decor looks it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
chris stewie
Do it for the Gram.... ??♀️
Katie Mc.
The wait was horrible. For 1 hour despite having a reservation!!! After this they improvised two small tables for 6 people?????? Fatal
D. L.
When you first walk in you are greeted with champs which set the tone for the evening. Definitely a vibe and great experience. The food was traditional Levantine. Would be great for a private event as well. I look forward to coming back in the summer!
Amazing experience - from the aesthetics to the service to the food. It was magical and can’t wait to go back!
Nour Idriss
For those well-versed in Middle Eastern cuisine, this restaurant may prove to be a disappointment. Despite its efforts to immerse patrons in Middle Eastern culture through details like Arabic embroidered napkins, Arabic-named drinks, and Arabic music, the culinary experience falls short of expectations. The Shish Tawooq lacks the traditional flavor one would expect, with tasteless chicken thigh used as a substitute for the customary breast. Similarly, the Tabboule disappoints with its overwhelming proportion of bland bulgur compared to the sparse parsley. Not to mention the iconic Arabic vermicelli rice that was prepared with basmati rice instead, also leaving it dry and flavorless.Despite these shortcomings, the ambiance stands out amidst the vibrant scene of Bushwick. However, it's the impeccably crafted cocktails that truly steal the show, serving as the sole redeeming factor for two stars.Overall, while the restaurant succeeds in creating an immersive cultural atmosphere, its culinary offerings leave much to be desired.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 3
allison king
The first time I came here was in the summer during their soft opening. It was INCREDIBLE. We sat al fresco, the service was outstanding, food was delicious and visited the lounge after for some hookah after. I felt like I was back in Beirut.I recently went back for my birthday and I was underwhelmed. The food was still top notch, very fresh ingredients, beautiful presentation, well balanced flavors. However, the service and the ambiance left something to be desired.We were a party of 5 and they sat us in a very strange configuration where we couldn’t comfortably all speak to each other without yelling. The server did not take our drink orders before immediately not so subtly tried to upsell us into ordering way more food than we needed. Honestly, we probably would have ordered a lot more if we had been served properly, but coming from a hospitality background, I didn’t appreciate the pressure. We also asked how much came in each order and would have gotten multiples of things but instead were being pushed toward a specific platter that included items we didn’t want.Advice: really listen and cater to the guests needs instead of fixating on what you think will give you the biggest cover.This is small, but the devils in the details, the server did nothing to acknowledge/mention that we were celebrating or that it was my birthday during the meal (at the end a dessert was served) and kept serving me last. It isn’t a major thing but did not feel great when you’re celebrating a special day.The lounge for dinner guests was moved to this strange basement configuration which felt very much like an afterthought. I get the space is still in development and there are members only areas now, but from my experience this summer to now was a major downgrade. Why not have the upstairs lounge open for dinner service to provide optimal experience for guests? One major plus in the new lounge is the service. The bartenders were incredibly attentive and engaging.Overall I still enjoyed myself and love the space, but hopefully they can work out some of the growing pains. This went from being my all time favorite in NYC to somewhere in my top 15.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Biryani
Shivam N.
The food was rather bland and tasteless. All of the meat literally tasted the same, like a charcoal grill. I was really looking forward to the lamb chops and asked for medium rare. They came out completely under cooked and flavorless. The rice had fake saffron in it which made it taste like plastic. The best part of our dinner was the vanilla ice cream. Seems like you're paying a premium for the ambiance and nothing else. Dinner for 2 was over $200 (without drinks) and totally not worth it. Save your money and go somewhere else
A S
Fun if you’re not paying and don’t care about food. Why do restaurants put so much effort into a vibe but make completely bland unsatisfying food?If you put canned grape leaves on my plate, I am never coming back. Maybe they ran out and used canned in an emergency? Guess I’ll never know.Literally every five star review is only about the ambience and experience. Some positive reviews even mention how underwhelming the food is. If your best reviews are disappointed with the food, you’re in trouble. This is a restaurant for people who will pay anything if it looks instagramable. Real humans should dine elsewhere.
If you're going for food, just don't.The vibes are insanely good, the music, the decoration the lighting the view, the service it's all mesmerizing. Just not the food unfortunately, got the shish tawook, the kofta, hummus awarma, baba ganoush. the shish tawook had this strange plastic like taste that very compelling but it was still edible, the kofta was better but was really salty, the hummus and the baba ganoush were really good and they were served with pita, the pita wasn't fresh but hey overall it's a very nice place and I'd come again just not for food. shout out to the guys downstairs at the door, they're amazing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Best dinning ever. The 4.3 stars does not do it justice.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
It was such beautiful place to celebrate my birthday. Service was awesome and the food was amazing. I would come again
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Have had better Middle Eastern food before but we did enjoy the ambience. Rooftop is really nice and the service was great as well
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
My new fav restaurant! Great food, atmosphere and service
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I think I found my favorite spot to dine in NYC. I was intentionally supposed to dine in with a friend, but I went solo as I had wanted to try this place so bad and was extremely hungry. The moment you go up the elevators, and the doors open to your floor, it is so pretty. ? The whole room is full of views. I got chicken sheesh kabobs, and the first non-alcholic drink on the menu (I forgot what it’s called but I got it 3 x that’s how good it was), and rice. All were very good. The service/ the atmosphere/ food all 100/10.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Coming from a Middle Eastern background, I was disappointed in the lack of flavor in any item we ordered. The appetizers tasted like they came from a can, the meats had such a weird taste almost like chlorine? Not sure how else to explain it. We were told about the traditional rice but there was not much traditional about it and the taste lacked once again heavily. It’s unfortunate because the staff and the atmosphere really are amazing. We tried the lounge after dinner and again staff and the vibes were great but we didn’t stay long due to disappointment in paying so much for bland food. Please don’t label your food as Middle Eastern if it’s basic and bland. It’s not a true representation even if your decor looks it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
Do it for the Gram.... ??♀️
The wait was horrible. For 1 hour despite having a reservation!!! After this they improvised two small tables for 6 people?????? Fatal
When you first walk in you are greeted with champs which set the tone for the evening. Definitely a vibe and great experience. The food was traditional Levantine. Would be great for a private event as well. I look forward to coming back in the summer!
Restaurantji Recommends
Amazing experience - from the aesthetics to the service to the food. It was magical and can’t wait to go back!
For those well-versed in Middle Eastern cuisine, this restaurant may prove to be a disappointment. Despite its efforts to immerse patrons in Middle Eastern culture through details like Arabic embroidered napkins, Arabic-named drinks, and Arabic music, the culinary experience falls short of expectations. The Shish Tawooq lacks the traditional flavor one would expect, with tasteless chicken thigh used as a substitute for the customary breast. Similarly, the Tabboule disappoints with its overwhelming proportion of bland bulgur compared to the sparse parsley. Not to mention the iconic Arabic vermicelli rice that was prepared with basmati rice instead, also leaving it dry and flavorless.Despite these shortcomings, the ambiance stands out amidst the vibrant scene of Bushwick. However, it's the impeccably crafted cocktails that truly steal the show, serving as the sole redeeming factor for two stars.Overall, while the restaurant succeeds in creating an immersive cultural atmosphere, its culinary offerings leave much to be desired.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 3
The first time I came here was in the summer during their soft opening. It was INCREDIBLE. We sat al fresco, the service was outstanding, food was delicious and visited the lounge after for some hookah after. I felt like I was back in Beirut.I recently went back for my birthday and I was underwhelmed. The food was still top notch, very fresh ingredients, beautiful presentation, well balanced flavors. However, the service and the ambiance left something to be desired.We were a party of 5 and they sat us in a very strange configuration where we couldn’t comfortably all speak to each other without yelling. The server did not take our drink orders before immediately not so subtly tried to upsell us into ordering way more food than we needed. Honestly, we probably would have ordered a lot more if we had been served properly, but coming from a hospitality background, I didn’t appreciate the pressure. We also asked how much came in each order and would have gotten multiples of things but instead were being pushed toward a specific platter that included items we didn’t want.Advice: really listen and cater to the guests needs instead of fixating on what you think will give you the biggest cover.This is small, but the devils in the details, the server did nothing to acknowledge/mention that we were celebrating or that it was my birthday during the meal (at the end a dessert was served) and kept serving me last. It isn’t a major thing but did not feel great when you’re celebrating a special day.The lounge for dinner guests was moved to this strange basement configuration which felt very much like an afterthought. I get the space is still in development and there are members only areas now, but from my experience this summer to now was a major downgrade. Why not have the upstairs lounge open for dinner service to provide optimal experience for guests? One major plus in the new lounge is the service. The bartenders were incredibly attentive and engaging.Overall I still enjoyed myself and love the space, but hopefully they can work out some of the growing pains. This went from being my all time favorite in NYC to somewhere in my top 15.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Biryani
The food was rather bland and tasteless. All of the meat literally tasted the same, like a charcoal grill. I was really looking forward to the lamb chops and asked for medium rare. They came out completely under cooked and flavorless. The rice had fake saffron in it which made it taste like plastic. The best part of our dinner was the vanilla ice cream. Seems like you're paying a premium for the ambiance and nothing else. Dinner for 2 was over $200 (without drinks) and totally not worth it. Save your money and go somewhere else
Fun if you’re not paying and don’t care about food. Why do restaurants put so much effort into a vibe but make completely bland unsatisfying food?If you put canned grape leaves on my plate, I am never coming back. Maybe they ran out and used canned in an emergency? Guess I’ll never know.Literally every five star review is only about the ambience and experience. Some positive reviews even mention how underwhelming the food is. If your best reviews are disappointed with the food, you’re in trouble. This is a restaurant for people who will pay anything if it looks instagramable. Real humans should dine elsewhere.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 4