Shashlik House — Restaurant in New York

Overview:

This is a very nice neighborhood establishment intended for the nearby Uzbeki community. For those unfamiliar, it would be fair to say it's a cross between Russian and Turkish cuisine; very much indicative of the region... (look up Uzbekistan on Google Maps).

Vibe:

I would characterize this place as great for solo diners looking for a quick lunch or dinner; also great for a couple/few dude-friends grabbing a quick bite. This is not a place I would send my gf, wife or daughter into alone... Characteristic to the culture it represents, there's a masculine forward energy to this institution; I would bring my gf/wife here for dinner but def not unaccompanied. The back dining area has a very local male community colloquial vibe. The main dining area can be a bit busy with groups of loud male patrons bursting in regularly, waking to and from the counter/display case and a very obvious and drastic josteling dip in the floorboards below your chair as they do so. I can be somewhat boystrous at times...

Service:

Service here is absolutely attentive, accommodating and welcoming. With that said, it's not western style structured table service. Standard staples such as glasses and knives (to cut your meat) aren't necessarily brought without asking. There is a self-service element to this place. You CAN order from the (digital QR code) menu alone, but it's much more comprehensive to simply stand up and check the huge glass display case for what's available. Same applies to paying, you can call a waiter to ask for the check but most clearly approach the checkout counter... If you do order the check there's no tip line on the receipt, so walking up is preferable is you want to...

Food:

Very simply this is a (shish) kabob/skewer house. While there are some supplemental items on the larger menu, such as soups and salads. This is primarily a place to go for meat, fish and veggie skewers. Those unfamiliar, however, with Uzbeki cuisine be advised, the meat is HIGHLY (over?) seasoned. It's meant to be offset by other elements served such as the accompanying red sauce, raw onion plate and special Uzbeki bread that is a cross between like a keiser roll and pita bread; it's firm but fluffy. With the accoutrements the flavors really do balance out nicely, so reserve judgement of the seasoning for the overall balance... Dating diners be advised this cuisine is highly raw onion oriented 😉😂. As a Muslim culture/institution obviously no alcohol is served or offered; I would recommend not BYOB either.

Cost:

Unlike other ethnic eateries in the immediately adjacent/surrounding areas, Uzbeki places are on the higher end. I wouldn't characterize it as super expensive but a very far cry from the Pakistani and Bangladeshi offerings in the area. Uzbeki will run you at least $40-50 per person. However it is certainly a lighter,...

The food was great when they actually gave us anything.

We brought my dad here for father's Day and although the meat counter was filled with the things we tried to order and often saw people around us receiving the food we attempted to order, the waiter..actually both people bringing food to the tables, completely ignored our requests and told us everything we wanted was unavailable.

For example the lamb chops we ordered typically with 4 per shashlik (skewer) but they only gave us 3.

The tables around us did not get bussed at all and we're completely covered with other people's leftovers.

Maybe Sunday night is not the right night to go. Maybe they didn't like the looks of us.

Whatever it may be... This place can be a real miss. A very big, 'no-no'

Go instead to Tandir restaurant also in Brooklyn.

TL;DR

Go to Tandir, this place can be very bad. They skimped on...

5 star reviews have to be from family and friends... Food is mediocre at best. Prices are on part with Nice sit down Uzbeki restaurants and cafes. Service was something else ( not in a good way...) It was like a sauna in there. A 5 gal bucket catching water from 1 AC( in the middle of the restaurant) I had to ask for everything and wait, like a spoon for our soups..., onion for my shashliks, and when I asked for ketchup I got a liquid like tomatoes sauce. To top it all of my wife finds a hair in the lagman soup. The waiter swears it was something from "A shirt". Nothing was done about it. At the end of this circus show my bill came to $160.00 for my wife and I and 2 little boys. Definitely won't be coming back. I feel like I got robbed lol. Do urself a favor and avoid this circus and go somewhere else....