Ayah Restaurant

Ayah is now one of my favorite restaurants. The food/beverages, service and atmosphere where all top notch. The ambiance is stunning: intricate lanterns, layered textures, and warm lighting create a space that feels immersive, intimate, and luxurious. We sat at the bar and were served by Mia. Phenomenal bartender and our service was 10/10! Adrian's cocktails are also incredibly balanced, highly suggest you ask the bar for recommendations! For food, we had the 'Meat Platter'. A perfectly prepared platter of an assortment of meats, and an assorment dipping sauces. Each one was cooked so tender we never needed our knives! The food and drinks made this place a must see for me in NYC, but Mia's service is the reason we will be back!

I recently had dinner at this Moroccan restaurant in NYC, and it truly felt like a little escape to Marrakech. The atmosphere was warm, elegant, and filled with the aroma of spices that instantly set the mood. The decor was stunning — intricate lanterns, mosaic tiles, and soft music that made the whole experience feel authentic and cozy. The food was exceptional — from the flavorful lamb shank mrouzia to the perfectly made bastilla and the fresh mint tea served with care. Every dish tasted homemade and beautifully presented. The service was also wonderful; the staff was attentive, kind, and took the time to explain the dishes. It’s the kind of place that makes you slow down, enjoy every bite, and soak in the ambiance. A hidden gem in NYC for anyone who loves rich flavors and a truly Moroccan dining experience. I can’t wait to go back! 🇲🇦✨

I visited this restaurant on a Wednesday night for my birthday dinner and it was truly incredible! The briouats were delicious, the lamb shank was cooked perfectly, and the tagine was rich, flavorful, and authentic. The space is beautifully designed and the service was exceptional as well; the staff were kind, attentive, and knowledgeable about the menu. An outstanding experience from start to finish. They also have halal and vegetarian items on the menu which I thought was inclusive. Highly recommend!

Ayah is truly such a special place. The vibe is cozy and chic and instantly makes you feel comfortable. The food was incredible every dish was fresh full of flavor and clearly made with so much care. Nothing felt overdone everything was just really really good. The service was amazing as well attentive kind and never rushed. It’s the kind of place you want to stay at for a while order another drink and enjoy the whole experience. Perfect for date night or a fun night out. I will definitely be back and recommending it to everyone. Such a gem in NYC !!! So impressed!!

I recently had the pleasure of visiting this new restaurant tucked away behind a bus stop with my 10-year-old daughter and her friend to celebrate life. From the moment we arrived, the experience was delightful. The hostess greeted us warmly and handled our reservation change from four to three with professionalism, guiding us to a lovely corner table that offered a spectacular view. The service was impressively swift; we were served water almost immediately, setting a positive tone for the evening. My daughters were on their best behavior, which made the night even more enjoyable. We started with the oasis’s mocktails, and let me tell you, they were made to perfection—refreshing and delicious! For appetizers, we couldn’t get enough of the hot cheese dish(briouat);it was so good that we ended up ordering two! The main courses were beautifully executed, with perfect portion sizes for our trio. The staff even offered us a bigger table, which added to our comfort and enjoyment as we admired the restaurant’s stunning decor. As if the meal wasn’t already a highlight, we couldn’t resist indulging in dessert. Each option was outstanding, but the real showstopper was the tea service, which transported us straight to Morocco. It was a wonderful touch that made the experience feel special. Throughout our visit, everyone who attended to our table was fantastic. I initially worried about dining with two kids in a new place, but the staff made us feel incredibly welcome and accommodated. They truly deserve every star in this review. I left with a full heart (and belly) and am already planning to return—this time, I’ll be bringing all my friends! If you’re looking for a restaurant that combines excellent service, delicious food, and a warm atmosphere, look no further. This hidden gem is not to be missed!

Just dined at Ayah, NYC’s newest Moroccan gem, and it was an absolute delight! The food was phenomenal, with vibrant Moroccan flavors that were both authentic and beautifully presented. The ambiance and decor transport you straight out of NYC into a stunning Moroccan oasis—think intricate tiles, warm lighting, and enchanting vibes. The service was impeccable, and our servers Camille and Arnaud went above and beyond to make the experience unforgettable. Highly recommend Ayah for an exceptional Moroccan dining experience in the heart of NYC! Well done!

I have visited Morocco and I felt like I was transported back at this restaurant. Beautiful atmosphere and delicious authentic food. We loved the live music and our dessert was tasty as well. I have tried Moroccan mint tea at other restaurants that tasted terrible but it was perfect here, I drank multiple cups because it’s hard to find 😋 The service was a bit slow at times and our waiter actually disappeared at some point but that is the only negative. Will definitely recommend!

We came here to have a good time with my friends, but left somewhat disappointed. The atmosphere was nice and the lighting aesthetic, but lacked in other areas. They claim there’s a whole belly dancing show on Instagram, but there was only one belly dancer the entire evening. Especially disappointed was the service: the waiter was nice but kicked us out before we even were done with our food. He kept forcing us to pay and leave, even though we just finished our food and couldn’t enjoy our evening, kicked us out and very rude!!

My best friend and I had a girl dinner at the new Moroccan Restaurant in Soho. Had a fabulous time with my friend visiting from Morocco and Brian was fantastic he just moved here from France and treated us to Moroccan tea and biscuits and such warmth. We felt like VIP all evening and ended it in true Parisian style with a glass of Champagne x

Perfect! Here's the updated version: ----- I met Oliver--third-generation "I summer in Nantucket, but spiritually I live in the NYAC steam room" money--after Reilly dragged me to a club party she promised would be full of normal men who didn't love their grandmothers too much and lived below 14th Street. She lied on both counts. Oliver materialized in a navy blazer that looked like it had been passed down since the Mayflower docking ceremony, which, according to him, his family financed "in spirit and liquidity." Completely deranged thing to say in a cocktail lounge at midnight, yes... but also: multigenerational compound interest does hit like a high-yield pheromone if you squint. And he asked me to dinner on West Houston, which I took as a sign that at least one of his ancestors believed in dating outside the gene pool. So I wore an old Reformation dress Reilly called "pilgrim chic," which felt correct since I'd just finished Girard's mimetic theory and figured I'd test whether a WASP man obsessed with his grandmother could be seduced by a woman dressed like his great-great-grandmother if she'd had access to genetic diversity and a Reformer Pilates membership. But then he said we were going to Moroccan food for a first date. Moroccan. As in eat with your hands like a middle school basement party where someone's mom buys Sabra hummus and hopes the Lord intervenes. I'd just moisturized with a cream so expensive it comes with quarterly performance reports--I'm not dragging my knuckles through a communal tagine, Oliver. Give me a fork or give me death. To his credit, the place was vibey in that "everything is amber and no one has paid taxes since 2009" way, and he did that thing where he moved the candle because he said it was "reflecting weird on my cheekbones" (hit me like a personal IPO roadshow). The conversation had strong fundamentals but concerning exposure to heritage risk--he talked about his family's townhouse "in the excellence zone" (65th to 80th, I guess) and pronounced "scone" like it rhymes with "cone," which should be disqualifying but on him felt like an inherited speech impediment from too much intergenerational confidence. I pretended not to mentally model what marrying someone whose bloodline invented the concept of a by-appointment-only parlor would look like. Barthes would have a field day with that blazer--it's not clothing, it's a semiotic system signaling "my family has been avoiding the subway since 1904." When the food came, I had a full internal crisis. The tagine arrived steaming, communal, and clearly designed for hand-to-mouth contact. I could feel my manicurist's disappointment radiating from 20 blocks away. My cuticles have a fiduciary duty to remain pristine. So I daintily fork-ed every single dish like I was performing microsurgery on a Hermès bag, and Oliver said he liked a woman with "discipline," which is what men say right before they tell you their portfolio is 60% muni bonds. I smiled and stabbed a piece of lamb like I was commemorating a historical land acquisition. By dessert, he was fully leaning in, telling me he doesn't usually date "downtown girls," which I took as both a slur and a compliment. And honestly? Oliver is a walking colonial reenactment, but he's also tall, handsome in that "I may have a trust clause that forbids public servitude" kind of way, and seems vaguely turned on by my refusal to touch food with my bare hands. So yes--Ayah gets a 4.2/5 for candlelit delusion and immaculate cumin, Oliver gets a 3.6/5 with 4.8 option value if he stops saying things like "my grandmother taught me everything about women." If he behaves, I'll let him take me somewhere next time where my moisturizer isn't at risk--maybe Sag Harbor, south of the highway, ancestral-adjacent. If not, I'll return him to the NYAC lost-and-found where Reilly found him.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Things they do not tell you about Ayah: if you don't confirm your reservation ahead of time you will be cancelled with no notification. My friend was working all day, has a small toddler and also had a doctors appointment. Our 730 reservation was cancelled at 4PM because she missed the confirmation email. They claimed they texted, but she didn't get one-- we even checked the spam folder for her text messages. We showed up and were sent to the bar, the host initially saying she would let us know if something opened soon. There are no seat seats at the bar. I went back downstairs to ask for a timeframe and she came out with a big attitude saying " I told you it would be around 10:30". Excuse me? Why would I stand for 2 1/2 hours to wait to eat at this restaurant? They also have this very weird imposing, bouncer type man that stands at the door and got involved when we were giving feedback and started to yell at us. Why an upscale restaurant needs a bouncer is beyond me. I'll let you do the math for yourself. It seems he's been nasty to other guests as well from the other reviews. Additionally, the restaurant is absolutely nothing like they make it look online with these influencers. It's tiny and the host stand is pretty much by the door so there's a line of people waiting outside in the cold to check into their tables. I have never encountered such rude classless behavior from a restaurant and felt entirely duped by social media. I would steer clear of this place and I predict that with this type of service and attitude they won't last very long in New York City. If you were looking for a similar vibe with an actual upscale atmosphere and stuff that has class I definitely recommend Maison Nur.

Ayah is just a bit too pretentious for me; and I hate to say that because I think opening a restaurant in NYC takes a miracle and is backed by so many people. But I believe $28 cocktails and bathrooms selling vapes does too much. Yes, it's stunning inside! But what we're here for is food and the service that comes with it. Both fell flat. The restraunt feels like a train car, narrow. Servers and food runners bumpimg into each other, while the bar gets flooded with parties waiting for their table; just didn't have the operational feng shui a dinner service requires. Ordered the Chhiwat tower, tuna tartare, french fries, and the cheese briouats. The meal also came with complimentary bread. For the most part, everything fell flat. The best bite had to be the french fries, and they were a bit too crunchy. The tower was interesting. Traditional dips and small plates, but I truly think there's a better pita/dosa/carb to use then french bread for dipping. The tuna was quite frankly boring, very avocado/guacamole forward. At the end of the day, I enjoyed my meal and time spent! I also think it's because my girlfriend is a gem and I can never have a dull moment with her. Happy to have tried, but will not be back. On a side note, we ordered two cokes that took 30+ minutes, and three asks to finally be brought to our table. Let's be better than that.

{Overall: 3; Food: 3} Ambiance: 5; Service: 3.5 Ayah is a new restaurant from the same group behind Maison Close. It's a stunning, expansive space with incredible décor--I genuinely felt transported to Morocco. The concept is French-Moroccan, but while the ambiance impresses, the food was fairly average and one-note overall, with the exception of the chicken tagine. My impression is that the main draw here is the atmosphere and the boozy dinner experience; the staff mentioned that the last seating of the night transitions into a DJ set and club vibe. Food (* = recommendation): - Chhiwat Tower: A cute presentation of five small vegetable dishes stacked on a tower. Unfortunately, none stood out--mostly stewed vegetables in tiny portions, just enough for the four of us to have a bite each. - *Chicken, Lemon & Olives Tagine: The highlight of the meal. The chicken was tender and the broth deeply flavorful - rich and salty. We kept the dish on the table just to dip bread into the sauce. - Lamb Shank Mrouzia: The lamb was tender, but the overall flavor was bland. The apricots were a nice touch, but the dish lacked depth. - Merguez: Four merguez sausages, which were good, but nothing to write home about. Paired with a small dollop of good labne. - Gambas Chermoula: Grilled prawns that were fine but underseasoned and forgettable. Ambiance: Incredible. The décor is immersive, rich, and fun--one of the most visually striking dining rooms I've seen recently. Service: Friendly and energetic, with a bit of attitude--servers were opinionated about what we should order or do, which felt a bit rough around the edges, and fits the party atmosphere but may not be for everyone.

The food is really expensive & not worth the price of the food. For the price of the food the portions are very small. The ambiance is nice. Great place to take photos. They had belly dancers and the employees dancing the whole night. The service was ok. I didn't like how we were being rushed out of the establishment when they got close to closing. I personally wont be returning.

Honestly a big let-down. Was not seated until 40 minutes after my reservation time. Okay, you're new, apologize, comp a round of drinks during our wait... nope, nothing. Was excited by the menu but the food lacked flavor and for a north African restaurant, that is saying a lot. The tuna tartare was objectively good and the vegetable salad tree was OK but the couscous was entirely bland, even with the broth. I love this type of cuisine but I was hugely disappointed. One of the biggest turnoffs was honestly the crowd. Half of me felt like I might witness a mob hit on a 60 year old don and the other half of me felt like I'd be propositioned at any moment.

Top 5 WORST restaurants I have ever been to in NYC ( I have been to almost 2000 restaurants ): Buckle up folks - this won't be pretty. I am not a moron. I wasn't expecting a Michelin type experience. All I wanted was a fun night with some "vibes" ... as the kids say. Service 0/1,000,000 - our server was literally a bumbling idiot. He literally must have just ran away from the circus. This guy has never waited a table in his life: 1) started with the fake French accent (all servers had this same disease) 2) "the chef would like you to order now" - rushing us - we literally just sat down 3) spilled a whole glass of water on 2 ladies at our table then yelled "fuck" - true story 4) brought us wrong cocktails. Said he would bring correct ones - never did 5) pushed very hard for me to order a $500 bottle of wine "you said you wanted to spend money" (I never said that) 6) "we are out of the $150 bottle of wine you want. We have this similar $250 bottle". F off. 7) 10pm after spending $2000 on food and paying bill. "You can go get some champagne at the bar, another party is waiting for your table " Food was pretty "ass". Tagines - all ass. $300 meat platter- ass. Not a single dish was yummy. Every 20$ dish at Cafe Mogador would blow this place out of the water. And finally - at least the vibes were good, right? NO THEY WEREN'T. One lousy guy playing the banjo!!!!??? ...Probably with a French accent. If you like craptastic food, a kick to the nuts and the literal worst service of your life - please go here.

What an absolutely stunning addition to the city! This new Moroccan restaurant is beyond beautiful--the décor transports you instantly, the service is flawless, and the menu is both thoughtful and exciting. Every dish we tried was amazing--rich flavors, perfect presentation, and truly top-notch. The vibe is unmatched: the DJ kept the energy alive, the music was perfectly curated, the dancers were incredible, and the live players on those traditional instruments gave the whole evening a magical feel. Honestly, it's the kind of place where you can lose track of time because everything is just that good. Now... the only sour note of the night: the man at the door. I'm not sure why someone whose entire job is simply to stand there and greet guests chooses to do it with rudeness. My friend, they trust you with a door--not the kingdom. A smile costs nothing. Please, be nice--it won't diminish your authority over the entrance. Aside from that single hiccup, the restaurant itself is a gem. Highly recommend for anyone who wants an unforgettable night out.

From the moment we walked in the service was outstanding... until dinner had started. (Shoutout to Courtnie!!) I should preface this was a Wednesday night reservation for 10pm. We started off ordering drinks which only 3/4 came... and we were celebrating my birthday which was the missing drink from the table which i found interesting! Appetizers were good ... the chhiwrat tower was lacking but the briouats were fantastic and had perfect flavor. Our bread for the salads took about 10 minutes to arrive to the table. Entrees were disappointing... none of the vegetables or meatballs(they tasted raw)in the couscous royal were tender enough, and the sauce was way too sweet for it to be moroccan. The only saving grace was the Chicken Tagine... but even that could've had more of the authentic moroccan flavor. Then our busboy tells us that the show isn't happening at all and that we missed it because it happened at 9pm. I had emailed the restaurant and received a response from Ryan stating that the bellydancers would be during the 10pm seating time. So i made my reservation for 930... ended up getting switched to a 10pm by the restaurant which I thought was done so that we could enjoy the show. Needless to say thats not what happened, and we had booked at that time only because we were told thats when the show was. Ambiance was great and somewhat made up for the lack of what we were promised. Manager was sweet and ended up removing an appetizer and gave free dessert & champagne. Maybe it is just because they opened, or maybe they just can't stick to their word... but I just don't see myself spending the time or money to come back here. Save yourself the trip and money and go to steinway st in astoria where you will find authentic and reasonably priced food. Ridiculous to be expecting a show with dinner and receive subpar music in the background & no bellydancers like I was told, for this price. Staff was great, they just need a better organization system.

Beautiful space and ambiance. Delicious cocktail and food. Highly recommend especially for group dinners and celebrations. The live Arabic music was a nice touch and added to the festive atmosphere.

While the restaurant has a nice ambiance everything else is below mediocre. We went last night with 3 girls to celebrate my friends engagement. The server rushed us the entire time. When we asked to have 5 minutes to finish our food/ drinks before ordering dessert he responded with no too late, I need to seat the next party. While I understand that restaurants these days might have a time limit we were rushed from the minute we sat down which btw was 30 min later than our reservation time. The food was cold, overpriced and flavorless. We asked for warm bread, the waiter disappeared w our bread basket and never came back. The drinks for expensive, tasteless, and filled with more ice cubes than liquid. Overall terrible experience. I do not recommend this place at all. The only thing I would recommend is for the cook to pick up some spices at kalustyan and order some cookbooks of Amazon Correction to the one star review The deserve 5 Persian eggs ( for their Tokhmee food and service )

Such a fun and delicious experience! This city lacked a good moroccan restaurant, and the festive aspect of it is fantastic! My new favorite restaurant. Their couscous is super good, and all the other dishes my party had were super flavourful. Highly recommend!

Ayah in Soho is a brand new Moroccan restaurant and honestly I'm shocked there aren't any Yelp reviews yet. The place is stunning inside and the vibe is amazing. Service was super friendly and welcoming, which made the whole experience even better. We tried a bunch of dishes and everything was delicious. The couscous royal was perfect, the chicken pastilla was full of flavor, and the fraisier blew me away. I'm happy to be the first to review because this spot definitely deserves the love. Great experience and I'll be back for sure!!!

Servicee was phenomenal, vibe was immaculate, shout out to our server Brian who was also amazing and such a fun time. My friends and I had an absolute blast and we can't wait to come back.

BEST FOOD AND SERVICE IN NY!! Food is amazing and atmosphere and dancers are so fun! highly recommend best night in new York ever. Must get tagine. Brian is the best server ever we love him!!!

Exotic, amazing and delicious. You will feel you have been transported to morocco. A perfect place to enjoy dinner with friends.

Not worth it. Overrated and unprofessional staff wouldn't go back to this place. Not accomodating at all