Maqluba Restaurant — Restaurant in New York

My friend & I only decided to order dinner from here because of the reviews. Which ..sorry to sound haughty…I find when most people think a restaurant’s cuisine is absolutely fantastic I find it just good. Sometimes mediocre.

I tried to stress to whomever had taken my order on the phone that I need to give “directions” to my actual apartment as there’s 3 elevators in my apartment building and most times people get lost unless they pay attention. But he interrupted me & said the delivery guy will call. He didn’t. It took the delivery guy @ 13 minutes to get to my apartment only after my phoning the restaurant and speaking to the same person.

I didn’t think it was necessary to add I was tending to something & could not/would not open my door. I was able to yell “thank you” twice after the guy knocked on my door. I couldn’t open my door until about 10 minutes later and the delivery was not there. How ridiculous!! The guy actually left with my order!!

Finally, after a few more phone calls with the same guy I had spoken with .. the delivery guy returned. I hoped the food was not cold by then.

My friend & I thought ..ok..finally we’ll enjoy dinner. No. I ordered for myself ($40!!) baked lamb with rice & vegetables. It was a leg of lamb (tasty & kind of dry …and only warm. Not very pleasant. No vegetables other than tiny chopped carrots, a few peas in a huge mound of rice. Certainly not worth $40 & the description on the menu was wrong. My friend’s dinner was equally horrible…about 12 small chunks of beef (overcooked & dry) also in a mound of rice.

NEVER AGAIN.

IMO..I honestly think most people rate this restaurant very highly…but they’re familiar with “fast food” & not “fine dining” — this food resembles “fast food” but with a...

There's a surge of the Middle Eastern eateries in NYC. Out of all the places I've tried, this newly opened Lebanese/Palestinian restaurant Maqluba in Bay Ridge is one of my two favorites in NYC. (Another favorite is Ruzana, which is also in Bay Ridge. I'm not a big fan of Tanoreen nor the Ayat empire incl Al Badawi.)

Maqluba's authenticity, selection of the menu (you find dishes you don’t see in other places), service (very accommodating and personable), unbeatable price point, casual and relaxed atmosphere are all high marks for my preference. It’s a kind of place that you want to keep going back!

WHAT WE HAD: Stuffed Kosa (I love this dish. Hard to find this often in other places.)

Babaganoush, Hummus, Labneh, Muhammara, Fattoush (All so fresh! The cold appetizers at many places taste “prepared a long time ago” but theirs, ingredients shined.)

Fatta Hummus (I love fattah, but it’s so hard to find it in NYC. Thank you, Maqluba!)

Mixed Grill (Very generous portion!)

Kibbeh with the fermented yogurt sauce (This is not on the menu, but we requested. They prepared it for us with no problem.)

Maqloube (So glad to finally find the very tasty one! So good! I wish they revealed the dish from the pot on the table instead of at the kitchen! That’s the whole fun part of...

We enjoyed our meal immensely. This is a small place, with about seven tables, but it is the most ‘gourmet’ Arabic food I have had in Bayridge, which has a lot of Arabic restaurants. Every item was delicious, well prepared, and cleanly presented. The hummus and baba ghanoush were amazing, as was the chicken Shawarma and beef Shawarma. The meat was fresh, not pressed, tender and well seasoned…..we really couldn’t ask for anything better. The fried fresh cauliflower and eggplant were also stand-outs. Having been in the business all my life, I can tell when an owner really cares about the details, the food, and the customer satisfaction. It shows. Also, very reasonable, really generous portions, and served fresh and hot. I’m happy they opened in our neighborhood, a winner. Have gone back five or six times and the food has remain consistently upper tier and a great value. Don’t expect much Service, as it’s a small place and I believe their main focus is the quality of the food. If you can get past that, this...