Tanoreen — Restaurant in New York

Disappointing. After reading all the great reviews, I thought we'd have an amazing meal here, but what we had was lackluster at best. The chicken was very dry. I ordered my lamb medium rare and it came very well done. One of the servers was so wonderful, it's a shame we only saw him once. Everyone else seemed like they didn't care to be there.

We arrived at 3:30 which is definitely super early, but it was just how our day turned out. We were the only people in the restaurant which was fine. The host was eating, also fine, that's perfectly normal, especially for that time of day. What, wasn't fine, was that he seemed annoyed to seat us. I said hello with a smile and he just looked at me while grabbing menus and said nothing. He walked us to a table without ever saying a word! Strangely, we were seated directly next to the servers station which was less than ideal. Again, we were the ONLY people there and could have been seated anywhere, but, instead, had to listen to the staff gathered around the server's station chit chatting and playing around the whole time we were there. It's not to say they were so loud that they disrupted us. It's just that it gave us too clear of a picture of "behind the scenes" and we just felt awkward and out of place. The service was prompt which was definitely a positive. Except for once we got our food, we felt ignored. As I mentioned earlier in the post, the chicken was very dry, clearly overcooked. The lamb that I ordered medium rare, was officially well done. I have attached a picture to show it. As we left, we walked past three individual people who ignored us completely. We walked directly past each of them and they acted like we didn't exist!! I even tried to make eye contact to say thank you but was unsuccessful which was genuinely shocking. How hard is it to say, "thank you" to guests as they are leaving?? Or, "have a good night"? I was exasperated at that point.

The conclusion? Extremely disappointing. We will not be returning and will discourage others as well (if asked our opinion or for a suggestion in the area). Such a shame as there seemed to be success in the past. Those days are CLEARLY...

Yet another example of a good idea gone bad and overhyped by people who really need to get out and eat more. They said it would be a wonderful experience. They said it is worth every penny. They said it is the best middle eastern food that they have had. They said that it is second to none. Well, they were wrong. Went early to beat the crowds as on a previous occasion we had to turn away because of the super long wait- so yeah, it's trendy I guess. Ordered a whole bunch of appetizers and plates. In my experience, at least the appetizers would be good. I was proved wrong here. So many strikes for this place- small portions in a middle Eastern restaurant is like Donald Trump trying to look like George Clooney. Then, the food itself was not as flavorful as I was promised- it was like Vanilla Ice and Eminem decided to form a jazz band. I am sure they used the spices that we all love but, I kid you not, every single item had a over enthusiastic amount of (what I was told) tahini! It made most of the foods taste sour- from the eggplant to the mini pies to the entrees. The falafels were probably the only exceptions but they were overcooked and slightly burnt. The worst thing is that we thought that maybe the chef/owner was not supervising in the kitchen but then we saw her and it felt even more disappointing. Having heard so many stories and even having Tanorren's recipe book and generally growing up eating variation of Middle-Eastern food, it was a major major let down. The owner Rawia says she's inspired by her mom's home cooking but I feel she may have lost the way over the years somehow. The restaurant pretends to be this fine dining place with fancily presented skimpy dishes but the most important element- the soul of the food- is missing. Unlike Western food, this food needs to be more homely specially if that's the premise of the whole place. Currently, it fails as either and my distrust in so called professional food critics just keeps growing. At least the service was good, prompt and courteous. However, I care more about the food in...

I had eagerly anticipated dining at Tanoreen for years, given its status as one of the two Michelin-recommended establishments in Bay Ridge. Unfortunately, my experience was profoundly disappointing.

On a chilly Saturday evening around 5:45pm, I entered the nearly empty restaurant and was informed of a 45-minute wait. After an hour without any communication, I returned to find the venue still more than half empty. Despite this, we were seated at a cramped corner table, which was uncomfortable, especially considering the numerous available tables. Had we been seated upon arrival, this issue could have been avoided.

By this point, I was both upset and hungry. The food failed to impress:

Babaganoush: Flavorless and accompanied by cold pita bread. Serving the bread warm or toasted would have been preferable.

Fried Artichoke Appetizer: Lacked excitement and creativity.

For entrées, we ordered: • Mediterranean Baked Eggplant • Sautéed Shrimp with Rice • Laban Immo

None of these dishes stood out; we ate them merely to satiate our hunger after the prolonged wait. A significant concern was the disproportionate serving of bland rice pilaf compared to the meager protein portions, especially at a price point of $30 per plate.

For dessert: Knafeh: Decent, though I’ve had better. Harissa: Hard, stale, and dry.

Each plate featured a heavy-handed dusting of green parsley and herbs around the rim, which neither complemented the dishes nor added flavor; it felt unnecessary and intrusive.

Service was subpar for a Michelin-recommended restaurant. We had to request water refills, were served entrées without utensils, and felt rushed between appetizers and mains, only to be neglected afterward. Spending over $200 on this regrettable meal was disheartening.

I will neither return nor recommend this establishment. It does not merit its Michelin recommendation. For authentic Palestinian cuisine rich in flavor, I suggest trying Ayat, the other Michelin-recognized restaurant...