Truly special. This place (and its sister restaurant Mombar) are basically as close as you can get to being invited into someone's home to share a delicious meal with them, while still being a restaurant you pay money (not that much) for. Ali is a character from a movie. Just eat whatever he tells you to, especially if it's the lamb cheeks or chicken livers.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Peter Naylor
Ari and his delicious cooking… what’s not to love. Thank you, friend, we will be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Benjamin Zohar
Best kebab in Astoria queens NY
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ahmed Mohsen
Definitely the worst experience I’ve had in my life, the chef/cook is so rude in a way you can’t imagine. Never recommend it to anyone
Luc Rice
Best restaurant i‘ve ever been to Zero hyperbole involved!!! John Glenn and Neil Armstrong are from Ohio
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ryan Magnuson
Incredible food cooked by Ali who was a great host. Will definitely be dining in again.
Recommended dishes: Lamb Cheeks, Lamb Shank
H Ali
Great food and great guy.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Eric Borlaug
If I were fortunate enough to choose where I die, I’d like to die at Ali’s table, next to his glorious kitchen. To say this restaurant means something to me is like saying life itself means something to me. This is a sacred place. Ali is an international treasure.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ahmed JalaL
Best authentic Egyptian food I’ve ever had in new york Chef Ali is a master of his craft.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Michael Odermatt
The owner requested a cash deposit of $1000 for a friend's bachelor party and, after mutually agreeing to shift the intended date, later freaked out over the phone when I called to check in on the new date and refused to return the deposit.Instead, he demanded that we arrange for the dinner to take place in the middle of the week when it was convenient for him. I would not send my worst enemy to this restaurant.
Ali has a beautiful soul and it is reflected in his restaurant. My wife and I were not boisterous enough and he encouraged us jokingly "be louder I need to hear you as I am very insecure about my cooking". Would recommend getting a fish of some sort and vegetables.
Tadashi Kaneko
Food was very average and took close to 2 hours. Cost was $100 for 3 dishes. The place was not sanitary and most certainly doesn’t pass sanitary inspection.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
Adam Segal-Isaacson
Excellent place (but not cheap). Limited menu, changes daily. Very small place (about 10 seats max). But it's great food and chatting with the owner\chef is fun. Size of place encourages interaction between the people eating also, which is fun.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lawrence Wood
Like going to Uncle's house. Yes, it was cramped and not so comfortable, but the food was exquisite and prepared with love. A unique experience altogether.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lamb Shank
Conner K
A unique and interesting experience, with an owner with a big but sometimes overly caustic personality.Ali, the owner, is a big character, very passionate about what he does!Ali loves the cultures of the world, and aims to make his restaurant a monument to authentic Alexandrian cuisine. Stepping into kebab cafe is like stepping into Ali's home where he will prepare you a home cooked meal of your choosing and often will entertain you with conversation of a wide array of topics.I will warn while Ali is often a fun character, sometimes his antics can be too pushy, and I have found him sometimes to get overwhelmed and become grumpy and unnecessarily mean.The food itself is exotic, not particularly masterfully cooked, but will push your comfort zones. I appreciate that he will go out of his way to accommodate dietary restrictions and even, prepared seperate portions of dishes for me from my friends without onions to satisfy my dietary intolerance. However, I will warn that although he did this without us requesting, I felt he went out of his way to (beyond his typical flamboyant colorful reactions) to repeatly scold me for the extra work I caused him.A place worth a try if you are seeking something unique and have some time on your hands, but requires a sense of humor to enjoy, and the willingness to tolerate some moody behavior if you catch him on the wrong day!
Dietary restrictions: He will accommodate you, but you will be verbally punished for having them and forcing him to accommodate, so your call!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Lamb Cheeks, Lamb Shank, Over Cooked Veggies
Truly special. This place (and its sister restaurant Mombar) are basically as close as you can get to being invited into someone's home to share a delicious meal with them, while still being a restaurant you pay money (not that much) for. Ali is a character from a movie. Just eat whatever he tells you to, especially if it's the lamb cheeks or chicken livers.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ari and his delicious cooking… what’s not to love. Thank you, friend, we will be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Best kebab in Astoria queens NY
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Definitely the worst experience I’ve had in my life, the chef/cook is so rude in a way you can’t imagine. Never recommend it to anyone
Best restaurant i‘ve ever been to Zero hyperbole involved!!! John Glenn and Neil Armstrong are from Ohio
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Incredible food cooked by Ali who was a great host. Will definitely be dining in again.
Recommended dishes: Lamb Cheeks, Lamb Shank
Great food and great guy.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
If I were fortunate enough to choose where I die, I’d like to die at Ali’s table, next to his glorious kitchen. To say this restaurant means something to me is like saying life itself means something to me. This is a sacred place. Ali is an international treasure.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Best authentic Egyptian food I’ve ever had in new york
Chef Ali is a master of his craft.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The owner requested a cash deposit of $1000 for a friend's bachelor party and, after mutually agreeing to shift the intended date, later freaked out over the phone when I called to check in on the new date and refused to return the deposit.Instead, he demanded that we arrange for the dinner to take place in the middle of the week when it was convenient for him. I would not send my worst enemy to this restaurant.
Restaurantji Recommends
Ali has a beautiful soul and it is reflected in his restaurant. My wife and I were not boisterous enough and he encouraged us jokingly "be louder I need to hear you as I am very insecure about my cooking". Would recommend getting a fish of some sort and vegetables.
Food was very average and took close to 2 hours. Cost was $100 for 3 dishes. The place was not sanitary and most certainly doesn’t pass sanitary inspection.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
Excellent place (but not cheap). Limited menu, changes daily. Very small place (about 10 seats max). But it's great food and chatting with the owner\chef is fun. Size of place encourages interaction between the people eating also, which is fun.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Like going to Uncle's house. Yes, it was cramped and not so comfortable, but the food was exquisite and prepared with love. A unique experience altogether.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lamb Shank
A unique and interesting experience, with an owner with a big but sometimes overly caustic personality.Ali, the owner, is a big character, very passionate about what he does!Ali loves the cultures of the world, and aims to make his restaurant a monument to authentic Alexandrian cuisine. Stepping into kebab cafe is like stepping into Ali's home where he will prepare you a home cooked meal of your choosing and often will entertain you with conversation of a wide array of topics.I will warn while Ali is often a fun character, sometimes his antics can be too pushy, and I have found him sometimes to get overwhelmed and become grumpy and unnecessarily mean.The food itself is exotic, not particularly masterfully cooked, but will push your comfort zones. I appreciate that he will go out of his way to accommodate dietary restrictions and even, prepared seperate portions of dishes for me from my friends without onions to satisfy my dietary intolerance. However, I will warn that although he did this without us requesting, I felt he went out of his way to (beyond his typical flamboyant colorful reactions) to repeatly scold me for the extra work I caused him.A place worth a try if you are seeking something unique and have some time on your hands, but requires a sense of humor to enjoy, and the willingness to tolerate some moody behavior if you catch him on the wrong day!
Dietary restrictions: He will accommodate you, but you will be verbally punished for having them and forcing him to accommodate, so your call!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Lamb Cheeks, Lamb Shank, Over Cooked Veggies
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