Levantine Shawarma & Grill — Restaurant in New York

This place is UNSANITARY. It’s unfortunate but I have to give honest review of this place. I went a little over a week ago to support a new business and the food was great however the next day I was sick with food poison! At first I wasn’t sure what caused but I figured it was this place.. but to be sure I went by again today and guess what I noticed. The guy was wearing plastic gloves and he was using his gloves to touch raw meat and cooked meat.. and used the same hands to touch the toppings!!! That’s cross- contamination! The raw meat juice all over the wrap and toppings disgusting. And I’m a vegan so knowing he uses his same hands on ALL of the food instead of using spoons and other utensils is disheartening. It’s a shame because the food is good. Hopefully this review will encourage him to change the way he prepares his food but I was sick for days. Also it takes a long time for your food to be ready so don’t come unless you have time to waste AND be prepared to watch him cook and ask him to use utensils and not gloves with meat juice / cross...

Sigh I really wanted to support a new business but I got to be honest. I was excited to drive past this place and see it been living in the neighborhood for almost 3 decades I came in here at Lunch time across the street from a hospital and it was empty, first warning sign. Went in spent 25 dollars got a plate and left a tip before I even got my food. Took them about 15-20 minutes to prepare my food, I was the ONLY person in there, the only order being prepared, this, the tea that they gave me was good tho, I will admit. Some darn good tea. They had a new employee trimming meat as soon as I saw him cutting it I knew it would be bad. The servings were small for one plate that cost 25 dollars and I opened it to just charred edge trimmings barely any meat. Just rice covered in charred tiny meat dust/rubble. Terrible experience, and I feel dumb for tipping and overpaying for terrible food, WOULD NOT recommend, i doubt this place...

Went there on Sunday, 3/9 at around 2pm to get one of their chicken shawarma pitas to go. It was my first time visiting there and the male employee working there at that time was extremely rude and acting hasty while ringing me up.

Mind you, there was very little people inside and wasn’t busy at all. He also kept being rude and not listening properly when I politely asked him several times about their homemade iced teas. Additionally, he took his sweet and extremely slow sweet time making my order and I ended up snatching my food from his hands while leaving due to being agitated.

As for the food - The chicken shawarma pita had way too many different flavors fighting each other which was unpleasant. Too garlicky that my tongue was tingling and the chicken was overcooked and hard to bite into like an eraser. Won’t be coming back and that employee needs to be...