Au Za’atar

I consider this gem my dining home-​away-​from-​home. I have never been disappointed, and I’ve been there for brunch, lunch and dinner. Owner is super nice. I think I’ve tried everything on the menu, and all was excellent.

I just happened to stumble upon this place while walking down Avenue A and absolutely loved it. It was a nice summer evening and we got seated outside. The atmosphere, food, and service were incredible. I definitely recommend this place.

The food is fantastic! Delicious and flavorful and our waitress so polite and friendly! We definitely will be back and hope that it’s just as great as it was our first time! We never had Arabian food ever and now we are huge fans!
The price is worth it and for New York it’s expected! Please go and give them a try!

We went there for saturday brunch and the food was excellent. I am not giving this restaurant five stars because the waitress was a total b**** making the experience way less pleasant. The male waiter was very nice though!

THE PRICES MARKED ON HERE ARE WRONG. THE PRICES AT THE RESTAURANT ARE MORE EXPENSIVE.
Unbelievable that a restaurant wants to scam their customers. The shwarma on OpenTable (where most people make reservations) says is $ 18 is $ 24. Everything on this menu here is marked lower than the actual price you will see at the restaurant. Something only a dirty owner would do. He said they «haven’t updated their website» which isn’t a legit excuse.
There was a group of people waiting for a table and surrounded my table where I was eating like if I had security guards around me. It was to the point where my elbow was touching their back and the waiter didn’t decide to mention anything or to tell them to wait outside — and no, they weren’t drinking alcohol — it was water.

The service is terrible. I made reservations in advance. Went I got there the tables weren’t setup. After we were seated, we waited 5 minutes for water and menu. The food is average. Everything have the same seasoning. The waiters don’t know the menu and messed up the check.

Checked out this place in early May on a late Friday night. The food was awesome but service was a little shotty with water refills and getting the check. We ordered the Lamb kebab and Kofta entrees along with the batata harra (spicy potatoes) dish. All the food was well seasoned and I appreciated the pita+labne dish on the house. Great atmosphere and food — I will be returning.

Talk about the best kept secret in New York! If you can find this place and like Lebanese food, it’s worth the trip.
First off, coming from a Lebanese family, I’m
Super picky about Lebanese food. This place uses top quality ingredients and the food was delicious.
I started with the lentil soup– a middle eastern staple. It was excellent– it comes served very hot with a blend of spices and green garnish on top. Along with it comes warm pita bread which was a perfect pair.
Next I had the avocado labne salad. The amount of spice used was just right. The avocado was perfectly ripe and the Labne was pickled just the perfect amount. The salad was light but just filling enough.
My partner ordered manakeesh za’atar. Warm bread comes topped with labne and za’atar and a side of green toppings. Just delicious. We enjoyed this place for breakfast and hope to come back Wednesday do you return to New York for dinner.

Met a girlfriend here for dinner the other night, and had a great meal. While it took a little longer than I would have liked for the food to arrive, when it did arrive, everything was delicious. We split a halloum, which was great (a tad salty but definitely still good), the sauteed shrimp — a small portion, but flavorful and prepared well, and falafel (gluten free if anyone is curious!). But perhaps what really stole the show was a recommendation from our server — the hummus beiruti. Hummus is easy to make — you just stick chickpeas in a food processor — but great hummus? Now that’s somewhat tough to do. The toppings were interesting and the hummus was the perfect texture and consistency. At around $ 35/​person, this was a great spot for a quick dinner on a weeknight.
Good for: first dates, dinner with a friend, rainy nights

Another delicious surprise in the east village. We went all veg that nice and didn’t miss the meat one bit. Try the spicy hummus, okra and cauliflower. All prepared perfectly. Great wine selection as well!

#I was hankering for a lamb shank and I believe there are maybe three restaurants with lamb shanks on Ave A. So I went back and forth comparing the menus outside the restaurants. I ended up here because it was quiet, I figured I’d get my food quicker, and it was cheaper. $ 21 on the menu outside. But when I sat down, it was $ 26 on the menu inside. I think this is the third restaurant in NYC, where they had conflicting prices of lamb shank with the menu outside to inside. What’s the deal with that? What is going on? #311? #BBB? #BBC? #Boyz II Men, ABC, BBD?
The complimentary #Lebanese Pita was really good. So maybe that made up the difference in what I thought I was going to pay.

It’s truly shameful when a place with great potential tries to cut corners in a very cheap cheezyyyyyy way.
I ordered a portion of hummus and they literally too a baby scoop and spread it across the plate I mean Really? Than they usually serve every meal with the zatar bread ! Mind u I’ve been here 3 times! So when I ask coeur the waitress says ohh that’s only during lunch and dinner! Hello it’s 1 pm!!! Any way I can keep going on ! And for a service of two they add service charge ! How tacky I would have left more. Just tasteless and very cheap. Too bad cause the food is Gd.

This place is incredible and I was very lucky to stumble upon it. After walking around the east village in the pouring rain for 20 minutes trying to find somewhere to eat, my friend and I «settled» on this place. Little did we know, we were about to be blown away. I liked it the second I walked in, friendly atmosphere with nice décor. The service was incredible. The waitress had messed up my wine order originally and gave us hummus on the house to make up for it which was just so kind. The hummus was better than any hummus I’ve ever had in my life, and the waitress was really helpful and tried to make sure we were content at all times (which we were!)
I can’t describe how great the food was here. I had eaten at an extremely expensive Mediterranean restaurant a few weeks prior and this place BLOWS it away. Prices are fantastic for how high quality the food is. I ordered the halloumi salad thinking it would just be a basic house salad. It was out of this world. Best salad I’ve ever had in my life.
Overall, this place is very special and deserves more credit. I will definitely be coming back here soon and I highly recommend it to everybody. The food is unique, delicious, and memorable. I cannot wait to come back!

I found this place through a suggestion from Menu pages. I decided to go here before I had class. I have to say it’s so empty earlier in the day. I was their first customer!
The place looks like a little snug den you find in movies. All that was missing was a fireplace. It was beautiful! I took the spot by the window and was immediately greeted by the waiter. I tried to make small talk. He was pretty nice.
On to food. OMFG. GET. THE. CAULIFLOWER! THAT WAS FUCKING AMAZING. I’ve always been a fan of foods flavored lightly with herbs and citrus. This dish did exactly that. You get a punch of that lemon flavor and it was remarkable. I could have eaten 5 plateful of solely that and been satisfied. No regrets whatsoever.
The next dish was couscous with lots of vegetables. I don’t think I’m a fan of couscous. The vegetables were delicious and hearty. But the couscous was just something not of my preference.
I had a cappuccino to finish. It wasn’t sweetened but the drink itself was very smooth. The type of drink that just makes you want to sit by the window for an hour not worrying about your upcoming class (follow me? Lol)
I can’t wait to go back. Drag a friend over just to brag about my exquisite restaurant choices. Go! Be it alone or with a friend. The food is amazing

Pretty good food that needs a little more on the wine menu.
Overall, we had a fine dining experience here, however i just always felt like something was lacking. The service was good, but not great. The food was good but not great. The wine was good, but not great.
One of the first things that struck me as odd — the restaurant is called Au Za’atar, but i didn’t find enough items on the menu that really used the spices on the items.
I was especially disappointed that the bread that came with the traditional mezzes was not a Za’atar spiced flatbread. Talk about ignoring the namesake of your restaurant!
That said, the food was still certainly good.
The wine choices left a little to be desired. The quality could have been a little better, and more appropriately paired with the dishes on the menu. Rose pairs so well with Middle Eastern food but there wasn’t one on the menu?!
Anyway, overall a fine choice. Just not sure i’d go back.

This is a great place to come with a small group and share some delicious mezzes. Au’ Za’atar has a nice laid back atmosphere. We were seated immediately even though our entire party was not there. I hate it when they make you wait for everyone.
The menu consists of a large number of mezzes and of course some main dishes, but the mezzes are the way to go. That is unless you want to share a main dish, which is what we did. There were six of us and we broke into groups of three. There was the carnivore group and the herbivore group. My group ordered a mixed grilled platter. This consisted of the char grilled chicken, lamb and kafta kabobs. We then added three Mezzes on top of that to share. We got a blend of five cheeses in phyllo, the basturma and cheese cigars, and the humus. This was the perfect amount of food for the three of us. Everything came in multiples of three, which made it really easy to split among the three of us. Each of the dishes we had all had some very nice flavor to them. I left pleasantly full.

Great place for a group dinner. Our reservations were pretty early for a Friday night so we were seated right away. The first server we had only lasted through the wine selection (maybe she was just for drinks) but she was friendly and helpful with suggestions when our first choice was actually out of stock. Our second server was also helpful with suggestions since the menu is huge! Two pages full of main dishes, sides and mezzes, plus a separate sheet of daily specials. We had a hard time choosing but we ended up getting a whole bunch of mezzes to split.
The food came out quick and everything was hot, fresh and delicious. Standouts were the moussaka, fattoush salad and spicy hummus. I’m not a huge fan of halloumi but my friends liked it. The fried cauliflower could have had more pieces but it tasted good. Others had the mixed grill and loved it. Perfect amount of pieces of each various meat so it wasn’t awkward splitting it. The labne was really really good and they gave us plenty of bread to go around.
The ambiance is cute — warm wood, nice lighting — lively atmosphere. It’s a good size space but it got crowded as the night went on. Towards the end our of meal, our waiter was rushing to get us out (specifically saying «we need your table»), we were all taken aback by this because we weren’t purposely overstaying. We had to finish up the wine and pay so that was a bit uncalled for. Besides that, it was a great dining experience.

I went last night and it was amazing! The food is so flavorful and the atmosphere is warm and inviting. Our waitress was very attentive and friendly. I highly recommend this restaurant! I will be back soon!

Fast delivery but at what price. Cold shawarma and meet not well cooked… Meet is supposed to be grilled almost burnt in a shawarma whatever… Side of hummus spilled all over my order and the mix of baklava canes is a joke i wouldnt even give that to my dog. 6 dollars for some shitty burn crust. First and last time here for me

Great meal, comfortable setting. Excellent service, can’t wait to go back!
We started with the fig crostini which were delicious. The complimentary lebne was a real treat and the mixed grill of chicken and lamb was prepared perfectly. All topped off with the Château Payral.

We came here for Brunch
Lovely interior, very welcoming, lots of wood, brick and twinkling lights.
Fantastic mimosas. The pita with za’atar was fantastic — although I am GF, everyone else was devouring it. Speaking of GF, this is your place. Great selection of edibles.
I ate the omelette and the others had the zaatar brunch dish. Everything was delicious, at a very reasonable price. We will be going there again.

Came here for a birthday dinner, and there were two others that night, so this spot seems to be popular for that kind of thing. The food was yummy and easy to share, and the service was really really good.

Came here with a large group for a friends birthday with a reservation made. We had to wait an exceptionally long time for our table to be available because the party before us was running late. I’m sure that says enough about the restaurant and not being able to accommodate large parties accordingly. However they did try to offer us free drinks & appetizers so that somewhat made up for it.
Needless to say I’ll focus my stars on the food, because that makes this place well worth it. From the apps to the entrees, everything is deliciously flavorful and cooked to perfection.
The ambiance is also sweet and charming. It’s inviting and strung with festive holiday lights.
I think next time I’m in the area I’ll def stop by again but with a smaller group.

Very good mezzes and lebanese wine, pretty authentic! They also have great specials. +Nice décor and service– I will go back to try the rest of the menu!

Delicious food and excellent service.
I have many of the small plates including dessert and all of them were very delicious.

3.5
I have nothing against this restaurant but I can’t really say I’m a fan. The service was prompt and was simply terrific. Food-​wise, however, it wasn’t the most impressive meal I’ve had.
We did get a complementary appetizer (don’t remember what it was but it was pretty good). Also, the Kebbe Kras we ordered was great, just not very memorable. I was a bit disappointed in the beef shwarma. The meat itself was tasty and well-​seasoned but I didn’t like the bread that much (just a preference) and the sauce was lacking. Also I felt like that most of the items on the menu were a tad bit overpriced. If everything was marked $ 2 – 3 lower, I could probably give this place a solid 4.
We didn’t get wine so I can’t comment on their wine selection but they do have an extensive food selection that’s worth exploring.
It was a good dinner (not phenomenal). If you are in the area, can’t decide where to eat, and simply stumble upon this restaurant, you would most likely have a good meal. However I wouldn’t suggest this place for a special occasion and I wouldn’t go out of my way just to come here.

This restaurant was too cute. We walked in and there was lovely ambient lighting all around. People were sitting inside and outside, it was a nice chilly fall evening. It wasn’t very crowded, but as the night went on more and more people came.
We ordered a $ 34 bottle of Pinot Grigio and it came quickly. In ordered our meals the waiter had trouble understanding us, but it was all figured out.
We ordered hummus which was great. They also brought us a pita with some type of soft cheese, which was a lovely surprise.
I ordered the baby lamb chops and I could not believe how delicious this plate of food was. It was a perfect sized portion, four little perfectly tender and flavorful lamb chops, which was accompanied by some spinach and potato. Seriously amazing.
My two friends each ordered something different — the steak frites and a mussel dish and we were all very pleased.
At the end they gave us the bill and we were shocked at how much it came to. We figured it out and our waiter gave us the wrong bill!
All in all, the service was a little off tonight, but fortunately it did not effect our experience at this restaurant. The food was so flavorful and amazing, I would definitely recommend it and go back for seconds!

My friend said this place is pretty authentic! I’m probably just not accustomed to the cuisine because the flavors were too strong for me. It was also a bit on the pricey side and the service was very slow.
–Labne: Cream cheese like with olive oil. It’s the same cheese as the one in the complimentary bread and cheese (which has this amazing cumin seasoning!). I actually really liked this dish. The cheese was very delicious. You can order more pita with no extra charge! The pita was all warm and super soft~
–Fattoush: This salad was quite flavorful. The lemon vinaigrette added a nice kick. My favorite was the sprinkle of toasted pita chips (okay, I really liked their pita haha)
–Baba ghanoush: The eggplant purée was really sour and overpowering. I didn’t like it at all.
–Shawarma: I must say this portion was pretty filling. It came with brown rice, salad, and meat. To my surprise, the chicken was much better than the beef. The chicken was pretty tender and the spice was less overwhelming. The spice on the beef was so overwhelming you couldn’t even taste the meat anymore. It definitely dominated my palate and drowned out the taste of everything else.
–Kenafeh: I love desserts and cheese, so I was super excited. Its a melty sweet cheese dripping in sugar syrup. It sounds delicious but (like everything else) the taste was too strong. It was way too sweet.

Very good Arabic food! A little on the pricier side and decent portions. Excellent service as well!
For the appetizers we had the Baba ghanoush, Fattoush, and Labne. The baba ghanoush was a little on the sour side but the fattoush and the Labne was delicious. The pita is absolutely amazing, comes out warm and super soft. They also will refill your plate, so dip away! For the main we had the beef shawarma and the chicken shawarma. The spices on both the chicken and beef are very potent, it masks the taste of the meat itself but the white yogurt with slight garlic seasoning balances out the palette really well along with the rice too. The meats were cooked really well though, just tender and not too dry or overcooked. For the dessert we got the kenafeh which was a very interesting dish… It’s basically sweet cheese. A little too much sweetness for me but my friends liked it and apparently it’s how it’s suppose to taste like.
Overall great food, pretty authentic and great atmosphere and interior décor. I will be back to try the lamb chops, it looked delicious when it was being brought out for the table next to us.

I was impressed with Au Za’atar! Everything was delicious. Their pita was exceptional! Super doughy and soft, pillowy but still with a slight chew. Yumm. They gave us a free pita with za’atar and labneh and it was outstanding. The meats were great too. The moussaka was a weaker point — less flavor, and with less eggplant texture than most.
The one thing to note is that the portions are a little on the small side for the prices, I thought. For that reason, I’m not in a rush to return, but if I was in the area craving Mediterranean, I would definitely consider it!

We’ve had brunch and dinner here and both times liked the place. For brunch, they have a great Pre Fixe deal for $ 18, for which you get an entrée and complementary drinks, INCLUDING belinis, beers, OJ, or coffee!
Or they also provide you the full menu during brunch and dinner. You cannot come to Au Za’atar without trying their mezzes. I recommend the following dishes
— fried cauliflower
Mezze size. The veggie is marinated and fried to perfection. it’s crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside. If you like Golbi Pakora from Indian restaurants, this dish will NOT disappoint!
— Baba ganoush
a stronger than usual sesame taste, to my liking.
My friends had the chicken shwarma and lamb kabob, and both were very flavorful. They also serve ***aioli mayonnaise*** for your fries!!! #win
What keeps me from giving 5 stars is the service… people there were freindly indeed, but they are not vigilant/​observant enough for a NYC restaurant… after all, we ain’t got no time to wait one New York minute for them to bring the check
If you are just ordering out, however, this place is a solid choice

Short version: Good food, great service. Will definitely return.
Long version: We were across the street at El Camion and the wait was a bit intense, so we decided to relocate. Au Za’atar was across the street and relatively empty. So glad we found it! Great food, even better service. Their brunch menu is $ 18 for a meal + 1 drink, and additional drinks are only $ 4. Eshan was the best waiter — even threw in free prosecco for our table of 6! Affordable and delicious — will definitely be back.

This place is decorated nicely and a good spot to chat. It’s pretty quiet and calm.
The service was great too! We never had to ask to refill our drinks. He brought out at the right time.
Which food to get?
Complimentary bread was absolutely amazing. The cheese just melted in my mouth!
Eggplant — woo man, must try!
Cauliflowers — could be a bit sour to some ppl but it was amazing.
Stuffed vegetables — healthy AND tasty!
Lamb hummus– loved it!
Sautéed shrimps– pretty good!
Overall, great experience! Hope this place does well.

Food: Decent
Service: Ok
Ambience: Very good
Was really looking forward to dinner here since they had great reviews but left unimpressed.
The food was decent the service was polite but super slow.
We tried hummus with lamb, tabouli, the lamb shank, chicken shawarma and the Cornish hen.
The hummus, tabouli and the Cornish hen were really good but the lamb was over done and the shawarma was super salty and way too lemoney.
The worst part was the service it was way too slow we were there for about 2 hours.
Overall will try again given their reviews maybe I missed something.

Came here randomly with a friend since it was close to their apartment and they had outdoor seating, which was much needed with the beautiful weather we had that day.
I liked the Original Sin Cider, pretty good. He had the white sangria, which wasn’t really strong enough. Not enough alcohol in it.
We tried a lamb pizza like dish, which was pretty good. My favorite was the meat kafta. It was like a quesadilla with an amazing sauce on it. We also split the sausages, which were really good.
I’d definitely return. Also, our waitress was very friendly, attentive, and polite. Someone came by trying to sell «gold jewelry» and she asked him politely to please not bother her customers as we were eating. He was so rude to her and she just was a champ. Props to her.
Hope to come back soon!

Very nice place, friendly ownership. Been here twice for brunch so far…
Falafel Benedict is a great way to start a Sunday. Check out the Lebanese wines as well. Some real pleasant selections. Attached is a picture of Mavis on the outside of the outdoor dining area.

KenScale: 8.0÷10
Au Za’atar is an «Arabian French bistro» purporting to showcase the diverse influence of Lebanon’s cuisine ranging from the Middle East to France. Named after Lebanon’s signature spice mixture, the restaurant has some pretty tasty dishes that may look exotic but overall work well in flavor and texture.
The complementary pita bread was a nice start to the meal. I proceeded to order a bunch of appetizer («mezze») dishes. Baba ghanoush (char-​grilled eggplant purée with tahini and fresh lemon juice) was tasty, and the spicy kick of kibbe naya (lamb tartar with scallion and mint) was also memorable. My favorite, however, was the crunchy amabeet mekle (fried cauliflower marinated in Lebanese herbs and spices) that had a really great flavor. For main dishes, I tried mussels and fries («Les Moules & Les Frites») and baby lamb chops. While the fries were inedibly salty, I enjoyed the aromatic flavor of mussles dipped in white wine, fresh herbs, Dijon mustard and cream. Char-​grilled za’atar marinated baby lamb chops were cooked very well, and the juicy texture of the meat worked harmoniously with sauteed spinach and potato gratin.
The restaurant has some exotic wine collections from Lebanon, so I would try a glass or two. Getting a reservation isn’t particularly challenging, although the restaurant was absolutely packed by the middle of my dinner on a Friday night. The vibe is that of a casual neighborhood restaurant in East Village that you can take friends and/​or family, especially ideal for sharing a large number of dishes. For a nice dinner to explore the flavor of Lebanon and the influence to its cuisine from surrounding areas, Au Za’atar is a worthy destination for a visit.