Ayat East Village
Palestinian restaurant · East Village
107 Loisaida Ave, New York, NY 10009, USA
Highlights
Authentic Palestinian cuisine, known for mansaf, shawarma, and mezze
Authentic Palestinian cuisine, known for mansaf, shawarma, and mezze
"An expanding Palestinian restaurant group with locations in Brooklyn, Manhattan's East Village, Princeton, NJ, and Philadelphia is opening a new outpost in Richardson, Texas after owner Abdul Elenani impulsively signed a lease during his first trip to Dallas. The kitchen will showcase classic and underappreciated Palestinian dishes alongside familiar Middle Eastern staples such as hummus, baba ganoush, tabbouleh, falafel, shawarma, and kebabs; highlighted regional plates include m'sakhan (fresh taboon bread with sautéed onions, sumac, pine nuts, and a half chicken), fattat jaj (a six-layer dish with roasted chicken, rice, chickpeas, mint yogurt, crispy pita, garlic sauce, and slivered almonds), and Mansaf (bone-in lamb chunks stewed in fermented yogurt sauce served over fresh sajj bread and rice). The owner presents the restaurant as an educational space that addresses the occupation through peace and community-building—previous locations have printed Palestinian history and cultural facts on menus—and stresses the operation does not support Hamas. Despite receiving a wave of one-star reviews after the Gaza conflict in October 2023 and occasional backlash for outspoken views, preparations continue: halal meat suppliers are expanding distribution to Texas, a demolition crew has been hired for renovations, and the new location is expected to open in three to four months." - Courtney E. Smith
"Ayat has multiple locations throughout New York: Each of the halal restaurants faithfully performs the duties of a Monday night restaurant. The vibe is lively, the portions are large and reasonably priced, and most important, there are tables available tonight. There’s no alcohol on the menu, but there’s lots of tea and the restaurant is BYOB." - Melissa McCart
"A celebrated New York City Palestinian restaurant run by co-owner Abdul Elenani that has mobilized its kitchen to feed student protesters across the city and beyond. Since the first campus encampments began in mid-April, the team has prepared and delivered thousands of meals — from a first run of 600 shawarma sandwiches to dozens of trays of kibbeh, spinach and meat pies, and large pots of maklouba served to students at Columbia, NYU and other sites — and has plans to bring food to other campuses. The owner says he was moved to act after visiting encampments, treats the effort as solidarity rather than promotion, and intends to continue feeding protesters for as long as they sustain their occupations." - Amy McCarthy
"Ducking in from the storm, we found Ayat’s East Village outpost crowded but seated, and the BYOB-friendly, Palestinian-owned restaurant sent a fleet of dishes: a not-so-traditional shrimp scampi pizza and an ultra-luxe mezze platter to start, but the tremendous chicken main course stole the show — a huge bird on a sea of yellow rice rich like gold ($26), its aromatics heavy with garlic and onion and a depth of flavor that let me tear through the spicy skin and dunk bits of flesh in hummus and tahini; the dish leans meaty over vegetal a bit, so it can be shared, though big eaters will find it no challenge." - Eater Staff
"A New York restaurant whose owner, Abdul Elenani, has been requesting that Google add a Palestinian cuisine option since 2020; his experience underscores restaurateurs' frustration at the slow, politicized process of obtaining accurate cultural descriptors and reflects broader efforts by Palestinian restaurateurs to secure recognition and support from diners and platforms." - Jaya Saxena
