AyatCHAIN

6.5/10Middle Eastern

AI-generated summary

Get the mansaf or the fattat jaj. Those are the two dishes people name over and over. The hummus splits people, some love it and others say it's nothing special on its own. Regulars say they expanded too fast, and the food has gotten inconsistent and bland at the newer locations. Platters are big enough to split.

107 Loisaida Ave, New YorkEast Village, Manhattan5 NYC locations mappedGoogle Maps

What Reddit says372

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  • in:Appetizers and meat pie from Ayat in Brooklyn1 pts
    replying to u/Spirited-Ad9565: Tried Ayat in east village yesterday after trying Al-Badawi over a year ago and craving Palestinian food. It was extremely disappointing - maybe the location is the wrong one. Starters like dips and falafel were good. Salad wasn’t fresh (you could tell by its soggy texture that it was pre-made several hours ago). Pickles and onions were also soggy and not crunchy at all. The mains were sooo dry. It was offensive when we told them the lamb was extremely dry and they told us it’s how it’s meant to be… like, I’ve had lamb in middle eastern restaurants. This is just not true. To top it off, we went for a midday lunch (just after opening). 30 mins in the waiter decides this is the perfect time to mop the whole restaurant with toilet bleach. Loved that strong toilet smell with my dry meal. Sadly I won’t be returning and planning a trip back to Al-Badawi.

    “The first time we went to Ayat in EV, the meal was heavenly and so flavorful. Their coffee was so strong too.”

    H3

  • in:Appetizers and meat pie from Ayat in Brooklyn1 pts

    “the food is just so mid. Like it seems so difficult to have so many options and have them never really break through in some flavourful capacity. I can’t give a specific complaint it’s just that I never leave feeling satisfied”

    H3

  • in:best recs for good Lebanese restaurants for a bday dinner in Queens?1 pts
    replying to u/parisidiot: ayat has fallen off CRAZY. i gave up. i spent the last year trying to get a decent lentil soup. like i love their mission and when the bushwick one opened it was great, but they have over-expanded like crazy. not even the bay ridge original was that great before it got closed by the health department. also stupid expensive. pita and hummus, etc. and the grilled stuff is still good sometimes. inconsistent. i'm still mad about that lentil soup. liked theirs, loved Mum's (RIP), it's been shit for a while

    “the food was good, not amazing, but really decent… and they were kind.”

    H3

  • in:Shawarma sandwich & platter, pita and coffee from Ayat in Brooklyn0 pts
    replying to u/merkoid: It’s been inconsistent and getting worse for me. Last time I got some really dry chicken shawarma. Like worse than your typical chicken and rice cart bad.

    “I love Ayat but also had a recent miss with delivery. Hummus was under salted, and my falafel was missing the crisp cilantro freshness it had when I went in person.”

    H3

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