Sahadi's — Restaurant in New York

I have been a loyal customer of this store for years, and it saddens me to say that I can no longer support them due to their decision to sell Israeli products. As a member of the community, I feel strongly about the ethical implications of this choice, especially in light of the current human rights concerns and the horrible conditions faced by many in our region.

I reached out to Sahadi to inquire about their policy regarding Israeli goods. After some time and a second visit to the store, I finally received a response that felt impersonal and did not directly address my concerns.

While I appreciate the variety they offer, I cannot continue to shop at a Lebanese store that stocks Israeli products amidst the ongoing struggles our community faces. I hope they will reconsider their approach to ensure their values align with the dignity and rights of all peoples.

It is disheartening to see a store that prides itself on maintaining a strict and personal standard, as stated on their website, not provide clarity on their ethics regarding the sale of Israeli products. The reality is that Israeli laws create significant inequalities, such as restricting Palestinians' ability to open businesses and access essential resources like water and agricultural products. Arabs who are also Israeli face discriminations and socioeconomic disadvantages that make it almost impossible for them to succeed in opening a business. People in Israel are even forbidden to pick and harvest herbs such as zaatar and sage, a practice we and our ancestors have been carrying with respect to the land for centuries.

As a Lebanese person deeply affected by the ongoing violence and the destruction caused by the Israeli army—such as the targeting of civilian areas and the deliberate sabotage of farmers' fields and the uprooting of century old trees—I find it unacceptable that Sahadi has not made their stance on selling Israeli products clear, especially during such dire times for our communities.

Due to this lack of accountability and sensitivity to the issues at hand, I have chosen to take my business elsewhere. I have been sourcing my produce from a local establishment, Damascus, which aligns more closely with my values and concerns.

Below, I am sharing the response I received from Sahadi regarding their policy on Israeli products. I hope it sheds light on their stance and encourages others to reflect on their choices as well.

"Thank you for your years of loyalty and for opening up this dialogue with us. We hear your concerns and share them to a large degree. As you've probably seen, we regularly host fundraisers for the Lebanese Red Cross, among other values-aligned organizations.

There are a number of products on our shelves, and ingredients that make up our prepared foods, that come from a wide variety of sources. There is constant negotiation going on behind the scenes to make sure our shelves are stocked with the best we have to offer. While we have some suppliers we've worked with for generations, we also have new and temporary suppliers to fill gaps as needed.

For generations now, we've tried to take a holistic view on the business. We hire and train new immigrants from all over the world. We support local and women-owned businesses, giving many of them their first shot at shelf space. We want customers to feel welcome and represented, no matter what they look like or where their families came from. We do all this while we sell groceries in a competitive retail environment. We will continue to operate this way, and hopefully this will allow us to stay open for generations to...

This review is for my experience and food at the take out counter only. I ordered the bowl that comes with chicken over lettuce and two side veggies. I also ordered a piece of the leek pie. For the bowl, I asked the lady if I could replace the lettuce with orzo (or basically some carb. so it's a balanced meal) and she said no - I have to order it as a side. Okay, fine, no flexibility - no problem, I went ahead and ordered accordingly.

I waited a good fifteen minutes while she heated the food for me. People came and went; I could not understand why I was waiting so long for food to heat up but I did wait patiently because I'd rather wait and have a nicely heated up meal - it's worth it! So you can imagine, after basically being in the store for close to thirty minutes total just grabbing a meal, how surprised I was when I got to my destination, opened the box and the food was not even warm! I suspected this because when she handed me the pie in the foil, the foil did not feel warm at all but I thought it couldn't be possible, given the time I was waiting there while the food heated up. Did the oven not work? Either way, the worker should have checked before handing the food off. The chicken was also placed on top of some very cold bean dish. On a side note, I also asked if I could purchase a side of hummus and was denied.

All in all, I paid about $20 for a "fast" meal that was not good at all (I never ate the pie after the first bite). Maybe because I was there late in the day, the food had been sitting there for a while - the poor quality coupled with the fact that I ate it cold made it a meal totally not worth it. I wouldn't order from the counter again, maybe their other items are good, can't speak for that. I would say just make sure to ask whether what you're ordering is fresh, could have been an off day but I felt like $20 thrown away.

EDIT: I did subsequently speak with the manager and she was quick to offer and process a refund so in terms of customer service, I would rate them highly and can conclude that the experience I had that day may not have been indicative of a larger...

Tldr: fantastic select goods store in a prime location with a surprisingly powerful dinner selection. Pictured below is the soup of the day, a slow cooked beef shoulder stew and the grass fed steak kebab, with cherry tomato and a well seasoned eggplant.

So, Sahadis at IC fulfills an incredibly interesting niche and should 1000% be considered as your next go to destination.

The selection at Sahadis covers your bases in terms of seasonings with a plethora of options spanning across the Mediterranean as well as northern and western African. Some items here are pricey but keep in mind that you come to Sahadis for select items you can't grab anywhere in the area. Their selection of sodas are also very affordable and fun. Their nuts and cheeses are always fun to gander and gawk at. The bar is lively and the drinks are top notch. I've heard the brunch is also fantastic though I've never had it myself, my friend says they have a potato hash that is slamming! The cheesebreads and foccacias are a no brainer grab you can't go wrong picking these up.

What's really improved at Sahadis in my opinion and has really impressed me has been the food. I have personally seen and tasted the monumental leaps and bounds of the housemade food, such as the harissa mac and cheese, the steak kebabs (they changed the meat and portions and it's SUCH a gamechanger), even the hummus beats out most bayridge restaurants now. (Bold, yes). So truly, hats off to the production team and kitchen!!!!

They are clearly intent on expanding into the dinner service scene as not only is their menu revamped and thriving, but they have live bands and shows and are catering to the potential of industry city. Don't sleep on Sahadis IC. They're very much in a position to thrive and become the ME food mecca of South slope and...