FARIDA - Central Asian Cuisine & Grill

"A Lower Manhattan restaurant famous for its borscht served with sour cream, alongside other Central Asian dishes." - Melissa McCart

"Farida makes excellent Uzbek food in a tiny, thoughtfully decorated room on 9th Avenue. The best food here involves grilled meat and samsa dumplings filled with more meat (the pumpkin ones are good too). The meal won’t be light, but it will be delicious and impress anyone you’re going to a show with - even your Dad who quite frankly doesn’t expect to be impressed by anyone except for Billy Joel at MSG." - hannah albertine, bryan kim, matt tervooren

"Proximity to NJ Transit or the LIRR, unfortunately, might be part of the equation when determining a spot for dinner. If you’re looking for a place near Penn Station that doesn’t feel like it’s anywhere near Penn Station, go to Farida—a charming and casual Central Asian restaurant with excellent Uzbek plov, manti, and lamb dishes. The menu is extremely meat-heavy, so this isn't the best place for vegetarians, but as long as that’s not an obstacle, you’ll all love it." - hannah albertine, kenny yang

"When you walk into the dark, windowless dining room at Farida, a subterranean Central Asian halal restaurant in FiDi, there’s no real way to tell what time of day it is. It's a little like being in a casino that way, but any dish you choose will be a winner. Farida specializes in umka pies, which are little flaky pastries filled with pumpkin, spinach, beef, or chicken, and all of them are great. Both the chicken thigh kebabs and the Uzbek plov with chunks of beef and lamb are recommendable, but if you have to choose one, go for the chicken." - kenny yang, neha talreja, hannah albertine

"Uzbeki meat skewers available for delivery and takeout - call or order through their website to get 10% off of your order." - hannah albertine, nikko duren, bryan kim, arden shore, matt tervooren