Al-Sham Restaurant — Restaurant in New York

We went to Al Sham Restaurant the first week it opened up. The owner and waitress appeared friendly. We decided to order the Al Sham Mix Grill as well as the Shish Kabab. Both entrees came with pita, some salad on the plate, pickles, garlic sauce, and an orange/hot sauce. The menu states tahini sauce is included, but it did not come with it. They probably just forgot. We asked for it at the end and got it to go. Also, the menu does not mention that you get some chicken shawarma on the al sham mix grill, but it was included. The owner brought us some falafel on the house, which was nice of him.

The chicken shawarma tasted a bit dry and flavorless. The lamb chop was great.The garlic sauce could use some more garlic as it was very mild compared to others I have tried, but some folks may prefer that.

The shish kabab was good but there were a few undercooked/pink pieces. When we respectfully brought it to the owner’s attention after he asked for feedback, he kind of brushed us off. Instead of acknowledging that some pieces were not fully cooked, he went off about how those pieces are just fat and used to make the kabab juicy so you can discard it if you don’t like the texture. I’ve had kababs my whole life—I know what fat looks and tastes like. We love the fat portion of kababs because it really does render a juicy kabab but also makes it super flavorful. The texture of fat is indescribable—juicy, succulent, and just 🤌🏼 Those pieces of shish kabab, on the other hand, were very chewy and had a raw smell/taste to them. It just made me want to gag. It was pink in color and as far as I know, fat stays a yellowish color. You can clearly spot the difference between meat and fat—this wasn’t fat! We did not argue with him, just nodded and kept it respectful. It was off-putting how he went off about how he’s been a restaurant owner for 5 years so he knows what he’s talking about, and started questioning us on how we prepare our kababs/if we remove the fat. All in all, some acknowledgment would have went a long way even if he did not offer to (at the very least), cook those raw pieces, or replace them.

Caveat: they do not have a sign anywhere (nor is it stated on the menu) that they will automatically charge 18% gratuity. We asked the waitress and she said it was 15%… meanwhile the bottom of the receipt already had calculated suggestions for a tip, and ours was 18%. It’s interesting how they already include a gratuity without asking your permission, then their receipt has suggestions for you to add on more. Once we gave her our credit card, she came back with another receipt which had an “adjustment” and charged us an extra $1.98. I’ve never been to a restaurant where they provide you with two different totals. Perhaps the $1.98 is a credit card service fee that they’re charging (comes out to 3%). Not sure what that charge represents but it’s a bit deceptive to include all these extra hidden charges—especially for food that was mediocre. So disappointed at everything.

By the way, we have stray cats that we gave those kabab pieces to... and unfortunately, even they sniffed it and walked away.

It makes me sad to write this review, but I had...

The food at Alsham is delicious, but I consistently encounter issues with my orders. The first time I ordered ,online and I went inside to pick it up I told the lady that I had placed the order for pick up and gave her my name she looked and couldn’t find me I showed her my confirmation and she still couldn’t find me. I explained I went online and placed the order and then I got the confirmation stating that it would be ready and then she goes. Oh, I should’ve said it was online then she found my order. First of all, if your unable to see your orders all in one and a customer comes in and tells you they placed an order for pick up why not ask them how they placed said order? if it will make a difference on wether or not you’ll be able to locate it!????? I let it slide because I genuinely enjoy the food , it’s flavorful and satisfying.

However, I keep encountering problems. There's always something missing or wrong when I go to pick up my order, and the transaction is never smooth. I don’t live close by, so I can’t use delivery; I have to drive all the way from JFK, often through heavy traffic, vanwyck nightmares, just to pick up the food I love. But honestly, it’s becoming less worth the hassle.

Today might mark the last time I make this trip. A few weeks ago, I once again placed an order online. My fiancé, who was in Brooklyn, went to Astoria to pick it up, only to be told that they had given it to a delivery driver. I can’t order for delivery because I live too far away, and they don’t deliver to my area! After a frustrating back-and-forth, they finally made me a new order.

Another issue is their website. Sometimes it doesn’t work properly, or maybe it’s just tricky to navigate. On one occasion, I tried ordering directly from their site, but I kept getting a "domain unreachable" message.

Today, I placed another order, which isn’t cheap btw if i have not yet mentioned your dropping a pretty penny at this spot. I ordered the Alsham mixed grill and asked for extra white sauce, meaning I still expected the sauces that come with the dish. When I picked it up, I asked the lady if I had received the extra white sauce, and she assured me I did. However, when I got home, I found only one small sauce, no lamb chop, no tahini sauce, and none of the typical vegetables. In a previous order, they also missed some of the meats that should have been included, but I was too tired to argue about it.

I'm just so sick and tired of being disappointed with this place. Yes, the food is good, but the service is lacking, especially for the prices they charge. There’s always something missing, and it feels like they don’t care to do...

I was there last night with a couple of friends. As you know, parking can be challenge so while one of us kept looking for parking, two of us went in. From the very beginning, the girl in the front was awful. She impatiently stared us down while we perused the menu, and when we asked questions she answered unintelligently and with an attitude. And to be clear, there was line behind us. We order the beef shawarma, but they were out. Settled on Lamb platter and chicken platter. We did order to-go because we were not sure our friend would find parking. After we paid, she said it was would be 20 minutes. While waiting, I asked if we could close the door because it was cold. She replied with a blank stare....I know you heard me. So we walked into the restaurant and stood in the seating area to get away from the door, getting in the way of the wait staff and other patrons.

When the food was ready, our friend luckily found parking and was on his way. We asked if we could sit down instead. She said dining-in was a different charge - where does it say that? There is only one menu. Fine, what's the charge? We will pay the difference. While the other guys behind the counter were saying $10-15, they were looking at her. She was clearly in charge. When we asked again, she emphatically said, NO! The other customers ordering had to translate for her. She said "No, you can eat here. Sorry."

This girl clearly has a problem with women, because she was fine with the men patrons. She had no right to treat us so badly, especially when we were being cordial & polite. Waeem, if you're having a bad day, stay home. No reason for you to ruin our night out.

Food was good, but overall experience was terrible in this hole-in-the-wall...