Yemen Café & Restaurant — Restaurant in New York

Literally gods gift to New Yorkers! This place really took the concept of dining to a whole new level for us. We’ve had a lot of middle eastern food in Nyc but the kind of flavor we experienced here was unparalleled.

As soon as we arrived we were given a warm comforting bowl of the marag soup (lamb bone broth) which reminded us of the yakhni from India back home - the flavour was subtle and we enhanced it with a spritz of lime and that eye-opening chutney which hit our taste buds like an exotic unicorn. This was the perfect start to our meal. For starters we had kibdeh- flavoured lamb liver - fried with onions and other spices in oil. Although liver curry was a delicacy cooked in our homes in India as well I never really ate the liver as I found the flavor too iron-y. However in this kibdeh the liver was flavoured so well that it actually enhanced the taste and I ended up devouring the same with some lemon juice on top.

For mains we got the lamb saltah- describes as “assorted root vegetables stew served in a bubbling hot clay bowl topped with tangy whipped fenugreek - served with a tender chunk of haneeth lamb - slow roasted and seasoned to perfection”. This with the bread which we ripped off and ate with the tender lamb which was literally falling off the bone- after dunking it in the saltah to scoop up the lovely stew. The bread or roti as we call it was huge and came straight from the tandoor. We enjoyed this so much that we ate it in some sort of a Sufi trance - completely immersed in the flavour.

In terms of portion sizes, be ready to come for family sizes which are fantastic for the price. Also come ready for impeccable service and really friendly staff who will give you solid recommendations. Also be ready to get a glimpse of a slice of the Middle East in Brooklyn - we saw lots of locals coming here to eat which is always a good sign.

We rounded off the meal with the lovely free Arabic tea which was mildly sweetened and flavoured with spices. It helps aid digestion so better to have it after the meal.

This place is a real diamond and I’m certain everyone who visits will have a really good time! It’s...

The moment you sit down, even before you order, you get a bowl of hot lamb soup, a platter of crusty flatbread, and a bowl of spicy tomato chutney with chilies and herbs.

The servers don’t rush and give you time to look over the menu. The soup and bread make this more enjoyable, as you’re not starving and can even look around. In the back of the restaurant, we noticed two large steel urns. These were ice-cold water and hot cardamom tea with a can of condensed milk on the side — self service unlimited.

The place is not fancy and not fussy. There are mostly couples of Brooklyn hipsters and those for whom this food is a taste of home. We walked in on a few empty tables. When we were leaving the place was packed.

Food from this part of the world is my favorite so I picked five different things to order. At the table next to us the portions were substantial — we decided to be reasonable and decided on one appetizer and one entree to share.

We started with Foul, mashed fava beans with tomatoes, onions, and traditional spices. This came bubbling hot in a clay pot. Delicious — flavor and texture! The pot was bubbling almost until we cleaned it up.

Lamb Haneeth followed. This was slow roasted — five hours according to the menu — lamb served over rice and vegetables. It arrived on a plain plate looking very plain — just three hunks of meat which at first seemed to be mostly bones. As we touched these bone looking hunks with a fork, they fell apart and turned into the most tender meat — barely any bones — and so deeply flavored.

That spicy chutney, though. We had to ask for a second bowl, which came free of charge.

We were leaving the restaurant at about 2 PM in a total food coma. It is 9 PM as I am writing this and it still feels that I will never have to eat again.

As we were leaving, tables were being pulled together all over the place to accommodate larger groups. This is definitely the way to come here — with lots of friends so you can try more dishes. It is not surprising that Yemen Cafe has been going strong since 1986 in the trendy Cobble Hill neighborhood...

This place is consistently amazing. I’ve been eating here for years. Order anything, it’ll be great. Opened in 1986, they are the first Yemeni restaurant in the US.

There is a self-serve water (metal cups) and hot tea (paper cups) station to the back right-hand portion of the restaurant. The tea is labeled “Yemeni Style Hot Tea” on the menu. It is a slightly sweetened black tea likely spiced with cardamom, clove, and the slightest bit of cinnamon.

As soon as you’re seated you will get a small dish of lemon wedges and spicy, fresh Yemeni Zahawig (salsa). Shortly thereafter, you’ll get Marag (soup) and bread. The Marag is a deep and rich lamb broth with onions - squeeze a lemon wedge into your soup and feel free to use the Zahawig to spice to taste. The Zahawig is likely tomato, jalapeño, cilantro, and a couple other surprises. It is excitingly spicy for a table “salsa” and tastes like it is made fresh.

The bread is crispy on the bottom and the edges. It holds up very well to everything you’ll use it to dip and pile on during your meal. It’s a giant, round flatbread that your entire table will tear at and enjoy.

There are a lot of vegetarian dishes that are fun to share: hummus, baba ghanoush, a vegetarian entree which is a vegetable stew served over rice with salad.

The hummus is smooth and doesn’t need salt, perfect as is, very delicately seasoned. The baba ghanoush is so refreshing.

Foul is a very fun dish to order. This is a tiny pot of mashed fava beans that are sautéed with tomatoes and onions and comes out bubbling. It is very well-balanced.

Fasoolia is white kidney beans sautéed with onions, garlic, tomatoes, cumin, and minced scallions. One of my favorites.

Everyone who has eaten the meat here has loved it and raved about its tenderness. Make sure you try all the things. They are open later than many places in the neighborhood (11:30pm). I love...