242 Knickerbocker Ave

An excellent Palestinian restaurant right across from the park. Lots of seating with street views. Service is friendly but slow, which means that they take their time making the food. Free corkage and bread. We tried the hummus, which was very good, and Fried Haloumi, which was excellent. For entree, we had the Lamb Ouzi, which was excellent, others had BBQ Chicken and Kebabs and they said that it was good. The lamb was perfectly cooked and spiced and fell off the bone. The accompanying rice with ground meat, spices and almonds was excellent.

10/10 no notes! Amazing food. Great service, even though there was one waiter for Sunday brunch service he held it down with the busier! Beautiful restaurant and a breath of fresh air on Knickerbocker Ave. This place is also BYOB!!! We will definitely be back. Go here!!!

Man, I really wanted this to be good. I found myself walking past this place one night and decided that I would make the effort to come back when I had the time. Lo and behold, a rainy day in Bushwick led me to seek shelter at lunchtime. I was so excited. I ordered the chicken shawarma salad, in hopes that I could finally taste the beautiful Palestinian cuisine and explore their spices. Man, I was so incredibly disappointed in the dish. It was covered--i mean COVERED in this really bland, near tasteless yogurt dressing. Like, extremely over done. The entire salad consisted of a very small portion of the end bits of Chicken Shawarma, and like 100 pieces of green peppers, and like-- a full pint of dressing. I couldn't get through it. It had zero taste and the consistency was just dressing. Peppers and dressing. Just a total miss. Super bummed. I'd love to give ther place another try, maybe something else, but man, really missed the mark. Very underwhelming. Free Palestine!

Very bright, open atmosphere here! Lots of options to choose from on the menu. Our favorites were the labneh, kefta, and the amaaaazing fresh pitas -- be sure to ask to keep them coming! This meal has inspired me to have zaatar on hand at home at all times.

Appetizers were great, love they are byob, family platter was HUGE so you'll have a bunch to take home but the chicken was dry and the place is really hot so bring a fan with you if it's humid out!

Ayat is always a hit. Spectacular food, friendly service, and a green and spacious ambiance. I crave their chicken shawarma at least once a week.

Was excited to try this place and the food was delicious! The mezze filistini is perfect for trying all the dips, my favorite was the muhammarah. The araby mixed sharwarma was one of the best sharwarma I had. The mansaf, lamb chunks and rice, the lamb was really soft, tender and sauce paired well together. The maklouba and falafel were the 2 dishes that wasnt my favorite. All dishes were big in portion, food came out quick, but it was hard to find a waiter to order. Overall, definitely coming back to try other dishes!

Tasty food and great service will definitely go back i love their watermelon halloumi salad . It's a must try ! Great presentation

I must confess, I intended to take more pictures, but when the food arrived I went into a ravenous, beast mode and at everything like Garfield does. I was familiar with Ayat from other locations, it was exciting to see this spot was opening up. I was able to resist eating long enough to snap a picture of the chicken shawarma and the pistachio baklava. The location itself is very cute. It's definitely right on the cusp of being a good first date spot, but also a romantic dinner with a familiar spot as well. The other dish that didn't make it into my photographic evidence was muhammarah - which is my favorite thing (possibly, ever).

Been wanting to go visit this new Bushwick location as a sit down dinner instead of the takeouts I usually do so I finally went here for my birthday family dinner and everything was delicious! The Ramadan special was a set menu with choice of drink and was great value with lots of variety. The decor and aesthetic are very creative and cute as all ayat/al badawi locations are. The location is very convenient and service is great with plenty of (albeit tight) seating. I'm restraining myself from getting the limonata everyday but I'm definitely looking forward to that summer indulgence lol.

I would say this place is wonderful. It is right in the heart of bushwick and is a great location for the community. I always see this place packed. The location itself is perfect but the way it looks inside is just beautiful absolutely stunning. They have a great amount of seating but even then it's not enough for how busy it gets here. Everyone was kind we got greeted and had to wait about 10 mins on a weekend at night for some seating and even then only got lucky with the bar for 3 people. Not to mad about it though because it's beautiful to see the chefs cooking. The menu is large you have a great selection to choose from. I went with the lamb kebabs small order and wood fire wings. Both were delicious. The wood fire wings were particularly my favorite. The lamb was a bit tough and chewy but not bad on flavoring. Giving it 4/5 stars because although the food was great and the service was nice the wait was very very long. We waited 10 - 15 mins to get seated. Then we waited another 20 mins to get our drinks and an hour just to get our food after the drinks. I also did ask for the wood fire wings to come first before the food entrees so that we can have stuff to eat in the meantime until the main dishes come but we got them served at the same time as the mains. It does get busy so you will be waiting long for food. They were nice though and gave us lots of pita bread to snack on while the food came but we were very hungry .. so that's the only downfall other than that great spot great food great people

Beautiful location, but leaves a lot to be desired. Service is very slow. Place seems to be understaffed even on a busy evening. The appetizers are great, but that is all. The main dishes lacked flavor and were pretty basic. Also, there's a vast display of all the olive oil, but they didn't even give us any with our pita bread like the other locations do.

This is a take out experience only: Food: 5 out of 5. The yogurt cucumber dip was extremely refreshing and appetite inducing. For main, we ordered the traditional meat platter. The meat was seasoned just right. The tahini dip and the red dip added the perfect kick to the meat and rice. Superb. Now, what takes one star off is we found a thin metal curl in the food. Almost bit into and would potentially rip my rectum. Putting out here for PSA. I hope the kitchen eradicate this potentially fatal risk for any of your patrons going forward.

I freaking LOVE Ayat! I have been three times now (soon to be four) and each time has been absolutely delicious and with great service. The mixed mezze is a must for a group to share. Also highly recommend the Fattat Jaj. BYOB too!

Glad I came here. Nice open ambiance, there wet outside seating facing park. Food was fresh and very tasty and very reasonably priced. We got appetizer sampler and chicken shawarma platter and yogurt drink and Arnold Palmer. Glad we didn't order anything else, we were so full. I like their delivery bag

Worst beef shawarma I have ever had. I will always support a Palestinian business but this is crazy -- the quality of food decreased so much. Went for lunch and ordered the beef shawarma platter. Received a plate filled with crusty and dry beef that was barely edible. I probably got the last part of the batch but as a restaurant you should know when it's time to stop serving your customer something that's clearly not edible anymore. Need to do better.

went last night for my anniversary... OMG the food was so good... ordered 2 apps, a pizzaswarma, and mix grilled meats to go.. service was good, drinks refreshing.. Palestinian food is my new FAV!!! 10 out of 10 would recommend...

All around ok night at Ayat mostly because of the company and dips. the dips are delicious, bread is great and fresh. The main course the waitress recommended be family style platter, way too big and so bland and overcooked. The only thing good on that expensive platter was the lamb chops and rice. Lastly the waitress with the long hair was very interesting. She looked like she was annoyed with us a few times, caught her glaring very uncomfortably at us and then kept coming back as if she forgot 2 minutes ago she talked to us. I think she was drunk honestly- her and another waitress who was being so off. Ambiance is very beautiful and love the concept. Just would maybe look for better waitresses who make people feel comfortable and more flavor in the dishes

This was my first time at Ayat and wont be my last! Our server Rahim was very attentive and made us feel welcome. I went on a rainy day, perfect for their lentil soup which was so filling! I saved most of the eggplant and halloumi for dinner. Our food and drinks came out with a swiftness. I'd love to go back and try more of their dishes!

so fresh , so flavorful that I can't have a week going by without eating here. the grape leaves are insane but honestly everything I ve tried is 10/10 !!! if you are not going you re missing out

Vibe, decoration, and service where all top notch. The food, however, was slightly bland and pretty pricy despite great presentation. Important to note that It's bring your own beer.

For my engagement dinner, myself, fiancé and a total group of about 9 people got the magical opportunity to be in community and eat such delicious Palestinian food at AYAT in Bushwick! My expectations were exceeded! From start to finish, we felt so much care. We had a table downstairs which gave us some privacy. Our server was Anya and they were so professional, so sweet, so knowledgeable, so warm, and so accommodating to our needs. There was another table in the room for some of it and it felt like a big, happy, family. The food was so flavorful, I am a vegan and everyone in my party is not. Still, there was so many options for us! I am still thinking about the potatoes - appetizers, I love spice and have never had anything like it before. We closed down the restaurant and felt so loved the entire time. Our tab was manageable because we were able to BYOB, which is a touch that I hope they never lose. I am so pleased and look forward to visiting again! It was a busy Friday night and no wonder, the food and ambiance is stunning and it felt like such a wonderful way to support such a beautiful and resilient group of people. I feel honored to have had my engagement dinner at AYAT and if you haven't gone yet, hurry! You will be so happy that you experienced its perfect and authentic food!

This was easily one of the worst dining experiences I've ever had. My partner and I were seated right next to the restroom, with a direct view of the trash bins behind a glass wall. Not the most appetizing environment, to say the least. It took an hour for just two chicken kebabs to arrive, and the restaurant wasn't even busy. No one checked in with us during that 45-minute wait, so when we asked about our food, we were told it was still being prepared. Then they threw some pity bread on our table. After another 15 minutes, we decided to leave and asked for the check without the food. That's when the rude waitress with the terrible makeup, came over with an attitude. She told us the food was on its way, explaining that the chef doesn't like to pre-cook anything, so he prepares each dish fresh. Really? It felt like they were waiting for the eggs to hatch then raise the chickens. What kind of restaurant doesn't prep its food in advance? Might you, the chicken was lukewarm. Cooking right there my behind. And everything was BLAND, BLAND, BLAND. Never come back.

I have not had a meal as delicious as this at a restaurant in a LONG time. You could almost taste the love with which it was made. Incredible taste, beautiful presentation, warm ambiance, and amazing service all throughout. 11/10 recommend!

Appetizers and drinks were delicious, I ordered makloube, it was not good at all . I grew up eating Palestinian food , the makloube was not prepared how I'm accustomed to eating it .

INCREDIBLE food, like truly everything there is so good. It can be really busy, but the staff is very kind despite how busy it is. Very friendly and fun place, all time favorite of mine

This restaurant gave me food poisoning. The service was terrible. Our waiter took forever to help us and when they did they forgot things. They gave me twi dirty cups, never brought salt and never replaced the water. The stairs leading downstairs were filthy and had rotten food on them.

Food was incredible. Best rice and chicken I've ever had! Grape leaves were such a hit as well. Staff was welcoming and the interior was stunning. The walls of olive oil were so beautiful. Definitely one of my fave spots now!

I must preface my review by saying that I was so excited to eat here because of its support for Palestine. The food itself was great, and I feel I got to explore a cuisine that I have never had before. The issue comes with the staff and the wait time for the food. On one occasion a friend and I went for a light lunch, and our waitress had the audacity to say that we should come and "have some actual food next time" as she rolled her eyes. I let it slide, but it should have let me know how I can expect to be treated. The next time I came, my dinner guest and I waited over an hour for our food to come out. In the meantime, our waitress did not make any attempt to let us know what was going on in the kitchen, or anything like that. We sat in the sidewalk for over an hour, trash piling up on our table and our server just walked past us seemingly without a care. When our food did come, we did not get so much as an apology for the long wait time, and I had to ask for them to give me a discount for the long wait time. Had I not said anything they would have charged me full price. The manager never came over to our table and apologize or reassure us. I could not identify who the manager was anyway, as it seemed like the entire wait staff was entirely disorganized. My experiences here have been extremely disappointing and I will not be coming back.

bland food, bad service. the resteraunt is swarmed with food delivery orders 24/7, leaving no room to serve the guests inside. it took 2 hours for my food to come, in which they messed up my order twice, and when the food came it was honestly just mediocre.