12 Chairs

Cozy little place with great ambiance. It feels like you’re eating in a foreign country which adds on to the overall experience of dining here. Tables are close, so you’ll overhear conversations from your neighbors which makes this place loud and busy. Their drinks seems popular because everyone had some type of caffeine inspired drink.

I ordered their stuffed grape leaves via Seamless. I didn’t find out how many grape leaves come with a single order for $ 8.50, and it turns out the magic number is 4. $ 2+ per stuff grape leaf is a rip-​off, plus they didn’t seem any better than the canned kind I enjoy from the store.
The grape leaves also come with a yogurt-​looking sauce not mentioned on either their Seamless or online PDF menu, so it does not appear to be vegan :/​If I’d known, I would have specified no sauce or just not ordered.
I’m not sure about their other items, but I’m not certain I’d order from here again anyway, given the prices.

I came in for a work lunch with two others and was not disappointed. We arrived around 1:30pm, so well past the lunch rush. There was still a 15 minute wait, which just goes to show how popular 12 Chairs gets!
We didn’t do appetizers — just went straight into the entrée orders. I had the lamb burger, which was divine! The burger was huge, which made it a bit difficult to eat. But it was so good that I’m definitely ordering it again, no questions asked. The burger was spiced perfectly and was so fragrant. The steak-​cut fries that came with it was also delicious.
We ended up getting coffee at the end of our meal and they didn’t rush us to leave at all, despite still having people waiting outside.

Very cute restaurant! Great service and yummy food. Definitely get the hummus!

The food is amazing and the service good. I only give it 4 stars because the seating is cramped and I wish they’d do something about it.

If you’re looking for a casual well priced meal in a relaxed setting this is a great choice. The hummus and warm pita was incredible and the stuffed cabbage was amazing. I would typically never order something like stuffed cabbage but it was one of the food highlights and surprises I found in Soho.

I loved the place. Great fresh quality healthy food… Hebrew influence and it was all very very good. I will return asap!

On an unsuspecting street in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, you will find this gem of a restaurant. Don’t let the old, hipster vibe scare you away. These guys are serving delicious Israeli food and bomb ass coffee.
I have eaten here a few times already and each time is fabulous.
If you happen to be in the restaurant on a weekend, I highly recommend the jachnun. It’s unlike anything you’ve ever eaten before. It’s oily dough that is slow roasted for, quite literally, hours on end. It turns into a delicious, chewy, sweet and savory treat that is traditionally Yemenite and served with hard boiled eggs, pickles, and crushed tomatoes. Outstanding.
Other honorable mentions include the limonana, the falafel and the hummus.
Their coffee is also delicious. They serve wonderfully aromatic and full-​bodied Caffè Mauro which is one of my favorites Italian coffee brands. Sorry Lavazza. Move over for Mauro.

A friend and I stumbled into 12 Chair JUST before the dinner rush on an average Wednesday night. Usually a more decisive pair, it took us a good 15 minutes to narrow down our menu options. EVERYTHING sounded so good! Even then, we had to ask the adorable Israeli waiter for his suggestions, and ultimately followed them, given his enthusiasm. He chose:
— Hummus, served with pita bread and Israeli pickles
— Chicken schnitzel salad, a breaded chicken fillet served over Israeli salad with tahini dressing
— Stuffed cabbage, stuffed with ground chicken, rice and veggies
Everything was delicious and authentic. The hummus were creamy and spiced to perfection. The main courses came out a bit too quickly following the hummus, though it’s possible we were talking to much. The salad was a big hit, but the cabbage was comforting and equally good. Both portions were very filling.
Somehow we found room for dessert and ordered the 12 Chairs Blintzes (after our waiter insisted that this was the BEST dessert). The dish included light an fluffy crepes drizzled with chocolate sauce, along side whipped cream, pecans and mixed fruit. It was one of the only desserts I’ve eaten more than 3 bites of in the last year.

Be of good cheer: 12 chairs has more than TWELVE chairs.
The Middle Eastern dishes (such as the vegetarian cous-​cous) are my favorite. But I have dined here with omnivores and they nod pleasantly while chowing down on the meat dishes, juices dripping from their chin.
The portions at 12 Chairs are generous and I often have leftovers to take home.
If you like to gather gossip and then post strangers’ quaint comments on Facebook, you’ve come to the right place. You can easily hear the conversations from 12 chairs away.
Some will call this place «cozy and cramped.» Yes, it can be but, even when there are only a few patrons, it’s still noisy. Maybe because the ceilings are low???
For this reason, I especially recommend 12 Chairs to those who are able to converse in ASL (American Sign Language).
Not recommended as a «first date» spot — – if you’re trying to get to know someone, the noise volume must be factored in.
The service is efficient and pleasant. I always feel well-​treated here.

Delicious brunch!!! Loved the 12 chairs salad, the eggplant appetizer, bread and cream cheese that they serve the beet salad. I saw people next table order Israeli breakfast, looked amazing. That’s what I’m ordering next time!

What a great place for brunch! The backdrop of actually getting here was orchestrated by my friend Leo, whose palate is as long as the Long Island expressway and panache for food is well documented among his spouse, his friends and his parents. Came here with 7 others due to a nice aerial view photos presented on IG. It’s tucked on a quiet area of MacDougal, away from the busy streets neighboring NYU. Place is very small, but cozy. Got there around 2pm on a Saturday and almost flipped when the hostess said «45min to an hour wait» …immediately heard Kendrick lamar’s «B****, don’t kill my vibe».
15 min later, we were seated, all 8 of us. The menu is extensive: boasts breakfast all day. We ordered a bevy of Israeli salad, hummus with pita bread, guacamole for appetizers. Everything was fresh and in point. We were full from the appetizers and loads of bellinis and mimosas alone. Hummus was home made and mixed with tahini. The entrees were a variety of Shakshuka (not shikaka from Ace Ventura), 12 chairs burgers and grilled chicken sandwiches. Portions were sizable and delectable. Bill was $ 50pp. And it was a great Saturday brunch with the friends. Def. recommend.

12 Chairs can be described in one word… Quant.
Its a hole and a half in the wall a short block off from Houston St. There is a line of restaurants on the same block and none of them had more than 2 tables while 12 Chairs was pack with a line and a waiting list. We came in with 8 people and although they said the wait was 45 min it was close to 20. The service is kind and attentive. The food is slightly pricey for the serving sizes but worth it. The falafel with Hummus was outstanding… Im a fan of good falafels! Ofcourse being in a israel restaurant you have to order native food, so I opted with the Shakshuka ($ 11). When it got to the table, my first thought was. Thats it? It looked way larger in the photos on Unilocal,but I’m going to agree that it was a decent serving. 2 eggs with tomato and spices, slightly on the spicy side, but well prepared and tasty. I really enjoyed eating it hot out of the cast iron it was served in.
I recommend coming here with some friend for brunch as a change in ordinary food, but if your looking to drink, perhaps a bottomless brunch would do. The cappuccino was done very well and had everyone asking for more than 1, so I know where to come for some good coffee. that and a small feel of what the middle east is like. Israeli side :).

A sunny, cozy Israeli-​ish spot with a broad menu of mezze, sandwiches, soups, entrees, and drinks. There are more than 12 chairs here – it’s not a tiny place, though it has the feel of one, and it has room for groups. In warmer weather, the storefront opens up and it all feels light and airy.
I’ve been here a couple of times and ordered or shared a fair amount of things, and I wasn’t taking notes so I’m a little blurry on details. The summary, however, is that I liked just about everything, and got the impression that there wasn’t anything especially bad to order.
Details remembered:
— They mix a hard-​boiled egg into their guacamole – this is both unexpected and delicious.
— I first came to try the Israeli breakfast, which is usually combination of eggs, an Israeli salad (tomato, cucumber, a bit of onion, mint and parsley or in any case some sort of herb, dressed in oil or maybe yogurt), bread, some feta, maybe olives, maybe a few other things. At 12 Chairs, those other things include teeny dipping bowls of labneh (strained yogurt), guacamole, remarkably salty cilantro-​pesto, and tunafish salad. So, it’s a little quirky, as far as the classic dish goes, but still satisfying.
— Soup! I tried the borscht and the Yemenite soups. The borscht was basically a hearty vegetable soup, heavy on tomato flavor but a bit too light on the beet flavor. (This is partly personal bias, I like my borscht light on the tomato, heavy on the beet.) The Yemenite soup is a spicy Chicken soup and though it wasn’t bad, it was a bit boring, and I’d skip it if only because there are better things to be had at 12 Chairs.
— The sandwiches are large, you could easily split one between two people so’s to have more room for mezze or dessert. I tried a nice grilled vegetable sandwich and the chicken sandwich. Both solid-​to-​good.
— Hummus, falafel, Israeli pickles… all excellent and all as you would expect. If you crave these things, you’ll be happy with them here.
— For dessert, the 12 Chairs Blintz is great, but note they’re presented more like crepes than like blintzes, fanned out folded triangles, very lightly filled. I was hoping for the traditional fat rolled-​up blintzes stuffed full of sweet cheese. Still, we loved the dish, which comes sided and topped with fresh fruit and toasted walnuts, cream, and chocolate drizzle.

I have tried so many places in NYC for decent hummus, and I admit defeat. This is the best hummus you’re going to find in NYC in my opinion. It’s also actually served warm (THANK YOU FINALLY). The food is always consistent. Staff are very friendly and all Israeli. This place is definitely my go-​to when I need my hummus falafel fix.
I have not had the rumored delectable jachnun yet (because I don’t want to die of a heartattack), but it is supposed to be pretty amazing.
I will say, it is a little annoying since this place is so popular the wait time can be pretty long. But, if you plan ahead and maybe go at awkward hours and weekdays, definitelyyyy worth it!

I love this little café. Super cute with a good menu.
The good is good and so are the prices. Its an easy place to go for some good Israeli food.
I met a friend here after work. We ordered:
— Grilled Chicken Salad: My friend if GF, she loved this salad.
IT was a good big portion.
— Chicken Schnitzel Salad: Portion was big and chicken was tasty and pretty crispy for schnitzel. It comes on a bed of Israeli salad which was yum.
— Sweet Potato Fries: YUMMMM. Get these.
I’m looking forward to coming back and trying their brunch menu!

A real mixed big with consistency issues.
On one hand, the pita I had here was outstanding. It was piping hot and bubbly like authentic Israeli pita is. I was able to get both whole wheat and white just by asking.
I had a real case of order envy here. I had the lamb burger. It was a bit overdone and dry (eating it with the spicy mayo that came with the sandwich though made it much better). Without the mayo itself, this burger would have been easily forgettable and probably more than I should have spent.
I appreciated that I could get falafel as a side instead of the fries that came with my burger. The staff accidentally brought out both (fortunately I wasn’t charged extra). The falafel hit the spot. I enjoyed the fries, fluffy and crispy, but thought they could have used a quick dash of salt when they came out of the fryer.
I should have gone with the chicken pockets my friends ordered. I shy away from having chicken in restaurants (because, as an easy meat, it’s what I usually cook on weekdays). The chicken pockets, however, were well seasoned and extremely juicy, making it one of the best chicken dishes I’ve ever had.
I wasn’t huge on the hummus, as it didn’t have a balanced flavor. I detected mostly tahini, with a bit of a salad dressing type sauce in the middle. The hummus could have used more lemon, garlic, and salt. Consistency-​wise, it was on point though.

Very good food, nice atmosphere, friendly service, a bit on the expensive side but it is NYC, after all. My wife and I came on a Wednesday afternoon about 2:00. The restaurant was busy but we were seated immediately. It has a cosy, comfortable, pub type feel. We started with a couple of glasses of Malbec. They have a small selection of wines available by the glass. The Malbec was excellent.
We started with an order of hummus. It’s a large serving of hummus, plenty for 2 (or more as an appetizer), including two excellent pitas (we got a wheat and a white pita), olives and what they call Israeli pickles (very lightly flavored dill type pickle). It was all very good.
We also shared a grilled vegetable sandwich. It was a good-​sized sandwich, plenty for 2 to share. It was excellent, with a good variety of veggies and pesto on a nice roll. It also included salad of nice greens, tomato, and some other fresh veggies.
I had sparkling water, starting with a small bottle (one glass worth), then adding a large bottle. My wife had iced tea. She ordered a refill, for which they charged her another $ 3. Our total bill was $ 60. It felt expensive for what we got but it was all very good, so no complaints. We like 12 Chairs and would happily return.

Way more than 12 chairs in here. Wasn’t ready for that. Just saying.
Still, this spot is on the small side. Think cute café meets upscale diner meets Middle Eastern hangout, minus hookahs. Other than that, it’s a bit nondescript, but thankfully yummy enough for the occasional lunch or take-​out order.
I like their Pelmeni, which is described as Russian veal ravioli. Therefore, don’t expect the Italian type — this is a sauceless affair, much like pierogies. And their Chef Salad (tuna, mesclun, cherry tomato, avocado, red onion, and corn) is my go-​to delivery choice. I’ve also had the Chicken Schnitzel, which is a substantial serving of two pounded cutlets, although a little routine in flavor. And adding to the almost-​Israeli-​diner feel, 12 Chairs serves breakfast all day for all you egg-​heads out there.
You may walk in and also notice some legit-​lookin’ certificates that award this place status of #1 Hummus in New York. Now, I’m no hummus connoisseur, but I think I’ve had better. Tasted more like #6 to me, maybe. It’s tasty, but also creamier and oilier than most, if that’s your thing.
Hummus rankings aside, 12 Chairs is a decent spot for dine-​in and/​or delivery, although perhaps more befitting for the latter.

In my never ending journey to find the best tasting hummus recipe, I came here for lunch with a friend visiting from LA. The waiter told me how delicious the hummus was and the different options. Upon further questioning, the waiter did not know what the hummus tasted like, whether it had a lot or little tahini, or if there were other prominent flavors.
Disappointed in our waiter’s lack of basic knowledge of the menu and flavours, I decided to order one of the waiters eggplant recommendations, along with the hummus and kebabs. The hummus was a tahini strong flavoured recipe that was tasty and not too heavy. The lamb kebabs were juicy and a good side to the hummus. My buddy ordered the brie sandwich that he really enjoyed. We washed the food down with an Israeli Pinot Noir. The wine was good but I still prefer the French style Lebanese wines to Israeli wines.
The atmosphere inside is quite appealing. The exposed brick walls were warm and made talking easy and not loud. If you want a casual restaurant in the South Village/​SoHo area with access to parking and subways then this is a great choice.

We had a Fat Cat burger with sweet potatoes fries and vegetables that was really tasty and delicious. The place is cosy but may be rapidely crowded. Service is relaxed and friendly. Not very expensive according to the neighbourhood, so quite a good deal !