Gazala’s Reviews

We had a nice lunch today. Delicious food- crispy and flavorful falafel. I would definitely go back.

We were a large group of 7 and were promptly seated, with wait staff at the ready. All of the food served was delicious, from the typical mid eastern spreads(hummus, babaganoush etc) to the salads and wonderfully prepared branzino (tender flesh and crisp skin).

The best for service and food. The prices are great too. Can’t get any better will always come back to this place to eat. Love to support local food people and great food

Went to the 9th Ave location. Small place with tasty food. We had the hummus, fattouche, lamb kebab and chicken kebab. Meat was juicy. Came with pita and rice. BYOB (Loy’s of places to pick up wine on the way).

We were on the Upper West Side and walked by this restaurant. It was very clean but not very busy. We have heard about the remarkable Druze people and decided to give it a try. Everyone was completely satisfied with their food. The theme is Mediterranean. All dishes were prepared fresh and served hot. The bread is like the thinnest crepe yet pita like tasting. The portions are large. The staff were friendly and eager to please. There is also a full bar. This restaurant offers great value. DO NOT MISS THE Bourekas. One is large enough to share on the side. It is really luscious.

The rating would be higher if the sound were lower. I was hoping this could be a good neighborhood place for me, but it sounded as if the kitchen was having a major battle, as in crashing metal sounds, dishes being thrown, etc. There was one loud crash that had me jumping out of my seat, wondering if the kitchen were being attacked. But I must agree that the fish (bronzino) was excellent, crisply fried and nicely spiced, though there were a lot of bones. The accompanying small Lebanese salad was tasty, as was the sumac-accented rice. But it was too loud to stick around for dessert and coffee. Maybe I’ll try them for takeout.

Service was terrible. 20 minutes with no water and no waiter. It was an hour before any food appeared on our table. Not even some pita to tide us over. Plus, as we waited and waited, I was continually knocked into by staff passing behind me to and from the kitchen. When at last the food came, it was only mediocre. Would never go back.

We had a very good meal. The lunch special is an excellent value for the neighborhood and it was very quiet at lunch. The Baraka was our favorite. The service was very friendly but could have been a little more attentive. Nonetheless, I would certainly come back.

We happened upon this at lunchtime and decided to take a chance on something different. We immediately were given a seat by the window. Staff was very friendly and eager to please. My son didn’t have a drink with his brunch order, so they gave us an extra dessert instead. Loved the food. My cauliflower dish (entree sized) tasted like what must be Druze comfort food. It was creamy, delicious and filling. Perfect on a cold, rainy day. I’d like to go back and try more things.

As we were eating, we could only think of this as the type of place Anthony Bourdain would seek. Unexpected and delicious. We started with foul, which is a stew of fava beans, a middle eastern staple, eaten by some even for breakfast. This dish, served with the wonderful flatbread, is almost enough for a whole meal. She had the kofta kebab, and I had a yogurt stew called labanie, which was a fine blend of flavors. Finished with an unusual Turkish-style coffee, but with cardamom. A little gem with much to offer.

We went for lunch. Basically Middle Eastern cuisine, with excellent food, friendly service, and reasonable prices. They can also cater. They claim that their fish is also great, but we did not try it.

Thoroughly enjoyed this Druze restaurant ! We were referred by Israelis living in NYC. I've lived & worked in the Middle East, so I'm very familiar with the cuisine, and this restaurant's food is excellent ! The ambience is very nice. The service was very attentive. I tried the Lentil Soup & the Gazala Salad; both were excellent ! My friend tried the Lamb Platter (with rice & cabbage salad) & it was also terrific ! I am a Restauranteur's daughter, very spoiled when it comes to fine dining, and I loved this place sooooo much.....I'm looking forward to returning !

My husband and I had just gotten to NYC, were tired from long travel but wanted to check out the neighborhood where we're staying. It was an off-hour, mid-day, and we wanted a light meal. We stumbled on Gazala's and are so glad we did! We had lentil soup which was probably one of the best I've ever had, fried artichokes that were scrumptious, and a spinach Bourekas, on of their specialties. It was so yummy I could barely stop myself from eating the whole huge thing! Turkish coffee ended a most satisfying meal...I look forward to returning!

Absolutely fantastic! There are a bunch of Israeli cuisine restaurants in the city, but I don't know many Druze Israeli. There's a subtle difference, and we truly miss this cuisine from the time we've spent in Israel over the years. Mediterranean fresh food with the right mix of spices is much harder to pull off well than it seems, and they nail it perfectly here.

My spouse and I visited Gazala’s Restaurant for dinner on a Wednesday evening in late November 2018. The restaurant is open daily from 11:00 am until 10:30 pm (with extended hours until 11:00 pm on weekends). You can book a spot using the online Open Table reservation system. Gazala’s Restaurant opened on Amsterdam Avenue on the Upper West Side in 2018, amidst many other restaurants and bars. (It occupies the space of the former Meatball Shop.) The original smaller and more casual venue called Gazala’s Place opened in Hell’s Kitchen in 2007. The spacious restaurant has two separate dining rooms, both of which have large windows at the front. The first dining area includes a semi-open kitchen and a small bar as well as long rows of tables and chairs. The second/rear dining room is perched one step above the main dining room and offers seating at smaller tables in various sizes and configurations arranged closely together. Brick and wood with tile accents provide the decor. Al fresco sidewalk seating is available in warmer months. Gazala’s serves Israeli Druze cuisine. (The Druze are a religious/ethnic/cultural minority in Israel to which the owner belongs. Her family owns a restaurant there (near Haifa), and her grandmother owns a spice shop.) The food at Gazala’s reflects Syrian, Lebanese, Jordanian, and Israeli accents. Gazala’s is famous for its unique type of super-thin pita-like crepe (called sagg) that is created by stretching dough over a hot domed griddle. We shared the Israeli salad (chopped tomato and cucumber) and meat grape leaves to start, followed by entrees of lamb chunks served atop hummus and the moshakal (a sampler of grilled meats like lamb, chicken, and kefta, served with rice and a cabbage/corn salad). For dessert, we shared the osh al-saria (a sort of pudding/custard/panna cotta with spongecake and topped with pistachios). The restaurant has a full liquor license, including beer, wine, and cocktails. We loved our dinner at Gazala’s. Back in early September 2018, we visited Israel and drove through some Druze communities there, so our dinner at Gazala’s was a concrete reminder of our wonderful trip and the amazing food we ate.

The menu at this place is huge and there are so many options for hungry vegetarians - we had a hard time deciding! Everything sounded delicious and we were not disappointed. The falafel wrap was absolutely perfect. We also had the spinach boureka and baklava, both of which were incredible. Everything was so flavorful and fresh! Highly recommend, this is a lovely spot.

I am not sure what the cooks were doing. There is no way they know how bad what they are cooking is. The food has nothing to do with Israeli, Druze or any other middle eastern food. The kafta was rubbery, and the manousheh was almost fried. I asked if they make their bred on the saj, and they said yes. However, it was clear that the bread came out of a plastic bag. The humus is all tahini. The shawarma was clearly warmed on a griddle. The owner should be ashamed to represent her heritage with this food.

One thing they definitely should work on - the webpage. It's just bad. I was under the impression the place is still BYOB. It is not, mind you. We ordered the Gazala Meze Platter. It was definitely enough for 2 people of average hunger. Exceptional Babaghanoush - very smoky, very tasty. Other meze, except for unimpressive "cigars", also quite tasty. Very thin pita bread - nothing to write home about. Worth to be explored more.

Incredibly delicious authentic Druze cuisine. Excellent selection of fresh, healthy and clean food. Loved the open kitchen, the homey atmosphere, huge portions and warm service. The chef is PHENOMENAL!!!! Felt like I was visiting with that aunt, everyone knows is the best cook in the family. DEFINITELY going back. This is a must try in NYC, (without the NYC prices) !!!

I have been to this place before. I brought a group of 7 old friends here because a few of us are vegetarians and they have many choices. They have several meat entrees, but they also have hot and cold mezes, small plates.A few of my friends ordered the vegetarian lunch special, which includes hummus, babaghanoush. Falafel, lab and and other with a thin pitas like bread. A friend and myself ordered bourekas which is made each day, looks like a flaky roll stuffed with sundried tomatoes and goat cheese. We also had azroastrd plate of eggplant with pomegranate, lab and which is a pit alike sandwich stuffed with runny cheese olive oil and zarar sauce for tang s served warm. We also had little cigars stuffed with potatoes and foul madame, favas beans marinated in olive oil, lemon juice, parsley and spices. All things were delicious with great service.

Memorable lunch. Wide ranging menu of Israeli Druze dishes prepared in the open kitchen; attentive service; attractive comfortable restaurant; appropriate Middle Eastern background music. The hummus & saag pita is second to none; balance of spices, herbs & sweetening in the cooking is done to perfection; loved the baklava sweetened with date syrup; the Turkish coffee, with a hint of cardamom, finished the meal to perfection.

Atmosphere was pleasant, the service was very good. The food was OK but nothing special. Got the lunch special of Schwarma and a Feta Salad, while my companion got the veggie plate. The salad was very ordinary with minimal feta. The schwarma was good, but again nothing to rave about. However, the hummus was watery and sub-par. The baba ghanoosh was, however, good. Their least expensive red wine (a California Merlot) was actually quite good for $9. Definitely not the best Middle Eastern restaurant around but OK in a pinch. I am not returning.

Have been to gazala's multiple times now - every visit offers great food at reasonable prices. We never leave hungry. Service is typically very good and they often leave you enough time to enjoy your meal without being bothered by questions. HIGHLY recommend the Hummus dishes and the appetizer platter if you are with a group.

The food is very good: babaganush, humus, lamb , chicken, salads and typical cookies. The place needs some renovations (may be just adjust lights with something more trendy, put some elegant candles on the tables, some coloured pillows and curtains to separate the kitchen and to cover some walls. The service may be better (some of them neither look at the tables are too much distracted). Nice and professional the barman. Substance (food) good, shape and service may be better.

I interesting variations of Israeli And Mediterranean dishes. Very very tasty and well presented. They couldn’t do enough to make sure we were happy - the cauliflower dish which was delicious was barely enough for one - we mentioned and they immediately took off our bill and gave us dessert gratis. Lots of fun for groups but very noisy

FABULOUS food , truly friendly, helpful, professional , service❗️ We were 35 people. I have made many, many, events. This one was the BEST and the easiest ❗️

We were visiting NYC from Ireland, and having been to Irael we had eaten Druze food before and we were looking forward to this. We weren't disappointed. A warm, atmospheric restraunt, great staff but the food was the star. The shared platter was perhaps too large for us, even with two teenage boys, but that and the main courses were of great quality. Great selection of drinks both alcoholic and non alcoholic. Only side note, which a few restaraunts also did, was that the mains tended to land while some of the starter was still been eaten, leading to a crowded table , but a minor matter.

Absolutely excellent food. Possibly the best chicken I ever had. Great atmosphere and overall experience. Boreka also wonderful and unique as compared with the Balkan variety. Highly recommend for Upper West Side.

We tried a little of everything - and loved it all! Start with the mezze platter, it is awesome. The dolma was wonderful, as were the multiple varieties of hummus, and the sigar. The bread is the very thin, stretchy Lebanese type - and the children might have eaten about 3 baskets of that all by themselves. The chicken and lamb were outstanding, and I loved the shrimp over rice. Service was great, and the wine list was perfectly suited to the meal. Cannot wait to return!

Freshly made, delicious dishes, attractive presentation, attentive service; great balance in both savory & sweet offerings. Hummus & pita saag unbeatable; baklava a winner - sweetened with date syrup.; Turish coffee with a hint of cardamom & other spices most appealing. We’ll be back with the extended family!

Couldn't wait to try the food when we saw the menu, and the food didn't disappoint - it was excellent. Service was also super friendly, and their Turkish coffee was fantastic. We were just disappointed with the portion size - we'll definitely go back though. They also had an amazing array of vegetarian options that all looked fantastic

It's hard to eat at Gazala's (UWS) and not feel like it is a special occassion. The menu is filled with delicious Druze, Israeli and Middle Eastern favorites -- many with a Gazala twist. Plan to come hungry! I'd been to the old locations and loved the restaurant. So glad that the UWS spot continues the tradition. We went for my husband's birthday. The watermelon cocktail special was fantastic! The appetizers and entrees were all delicious. The borakas are huge and as good as they come. The desserts are OFF THE CHARTS! I love their kenafi and can't recall the name of the signature custard dish that I must have again. Pricing is moderate for such high quality. Service was excellent. The outdoor arrangement is well spaced for safety and the tables are not on top of each other, as with some other outdoor seating.