Yemeni Restaurant — Restaurant in New York

Asalamu aleikum! I don’t know where to begin.Your food is like comfort food to me!I feel like I’ve been eating it since I was 16/17 when I became Muslim and married a Yemeni man back in 1991,but the truth is I just went for the first time to your restaurant with my 28 year old half Yemeni son on Dec. 8th, 2024 which was my 51st birthday, al hamdu li lah.My son asked me where did I want to go for my birthday.I said to your restaurant.We had such a great time on a Sunday night.We were like a queen and a prince.I had the falafel sandwich,and he had a shawarma one.He absolutely loved it and he is very picky since childhood.I have lupus and a heart condition and since 2022 I have had to change my diet to a low histamine one.Thanks be to God,the malaria medicine I take helps me but also I had to stop eating many things.By the grace of Allah I got better and have been able to eat healthier.I stopped eating many things after I would get a reaction to things like chocolate, mozzarella,even things delicious like baklava that made me almost cry.My son on my birthday bought me baklava too and a drink but I told him I don’t eat it maybe because the cardamom in it causes a reaction?!He also got me a Yemenade made in Turkey.He had a Mirinda drink.Even though me and my son’s father are no longer married since 2003,we still talk with my son as brother and sister in Islam.He has two Yemeni wives now. I am Polish, Irish and Puerto Rican from Manhattan.Part of the reason why I could not stay with him was because I was not enough as his only wife especially how he left and married one while I was pregnant.But, I still ask Allah to guide and forgive us. I wouldn’t wish bad on anyone even an ex. In fact, we called him at his store and home in Pennsylvania and showed him your restaurant. He remembered how it is there. I’m not sure if he ate from your restaurant though. I told him how I love your beautiful walls in the restaurant and the food. We were sooo happy. We took pictures and everything. We saw many people enjoying their delicious meals. I do regret I still haven’t bought a dessert there. They all look good. I went again to your restaurant and got the same falafel sandwich. It had to be remade which was fine. I needed no raw onions and no hot sauce. The second time it was made extra extra perfect. I loved the cilantro. I told my ex that it tasted like a cilantro Ramadan meal he use to make. Just perfect. I was so sad because I thought I couldn’t find a place around Harlem that makes a great falafel sandwich like I had from a Turkish restaurant downtown, but now I am super happy I found just the place that makes a great sandwich and more. I saw many people again enjoying their big meals. One day, I hope I can afford to buy such bigger meals and dessert, but me and my son, despite his good job, can only afford a meal $15-20 each time. For me alone, $10 or less I can afford. And that is only sometimes in a month. What a heavenly treat that meal is though. I do wish you were just a little bit closer to us, but thank God you’re not too too far away. I had my sandwich for dinner and left a piece for breakfast. Yummy! Thank you manager at West 125th, thank you to the man who texted me the manager’s number when I wanted to speak to him, and thank you to Anwal also who I was told to ask for. I am very grateful to you all for your kindness and to the man who handed me my sandwich the first time-Gamal, who is very kind, and the second time I was handed my sandwich by another man. Thank you all. May Allah bless your restaurant for always. God give us the utmost faith, health/afiyah, and safety…and, the wonderful food you make, please Allah. We need it so much! It’s so good to see a Yemeni establishment that is not another grocery store (or gas station store like my ex has). We need more Yemeni restaurants just like yours in more locations, in sha Allah!!! Ma...

I’ve had this Yemeni restaurant on my list for a while and I’ve been dying to try for so long now, and finally had the opportunity to visit this absolute exquisite restaurant on a very nice chilly Thursday night after I and some friends went out shopping and what better way to enjoy our evening other than some of the finest authentic Yemeni food in the city.

As soon as we walked in, we were greeted by a warm and inviting atmosphere with soothing , warm and welcoming interior  that instantly connected with my heart and brought me back to the heart of arabian night; displayed throughout the restaurant were beautiful paintings and antique arabian peninsula items that showcased the great era and history of Arabs; very friendly and accommodating, making us feel right at home.

I wanted my friends to get the full on experience and hospitality of Arabs so we went with the more traditional homemade style rices dishes of peninsula and also mixing it a bit with some fine stews. After glazing around the menu for a couple of minutes, we finally we able to decide on ordering:

Margh Fahsa Haneeth Agda Kabsa Areeka

The Margh, a comforting soup, was the perfect start on a cold evening—rich, smooth, and full of flavor. The Fahsa was a standout—soft, tender, perfectly spiced, and one of the best I’ve had in New York. I can still taste it! To emphasize on how outstanding it was we ended up getting a second one!

I will have to say though that their Fahsa was as fine as it got in terms of arabian stews, very soft, sweet, tender, yet with the perfect amount of spice that balances everything together as arabians stews always should be be when made finely, so it really settled well on our tongues; honestly one of the best finely crafted Fahsas I’ve had in New york: the taste is still there I remember it to this day.

The Haneeth and Kabsa were equally exceptional. The Haneeth was mouthwatering, with tender meat that melted in my mouth. The Kabsa, a dish close to my heart as it’s my country’s national dish, was masterfully prepared. It struck the perfect balance of spices, sweetness, and textures, with golden raisins and almonds adding a delightful twist. I’ve always been picking when it comes to these two dishes as Kabsa is my country’s National dish as not all restaurants are able to create the nice balance of spicy and flavorful yet having a balanced sweetness to it; but I can assure you when it came to this restaurant the Haneeth was one of my favorite dishes that day that we ordered.

I’ve heard many rave about this restaurant, and it truly lives up to its reputation. The flavors are authentic and reminiscent of home, raising my expectations for Yemeni cuisine in NYC.

Lastly I’d like to highlight our friendly waiters that made us feel more at home, I sadly cannot remember their names but they were truly the kindest: very positive and polite, helped with recommendations, meals he enjoyed, and everything! Very talkative and welcoming to the restaurant , I really enjoyed having him as our waitress; would definitely ask for them when I come back again!

I’ve been to this restaurant once so far, and I really can’t emphasize this enough when I say i really dish not get enough of their mouthwatering Arabian dishes. Overall, I cannot recommend Yemeni Restaurant NYC enough - the atmosphere, the food, and the service were all top-notch. If you're looking for a taste of perisa in Harlem ave, look no further than here! It’s a must try. I’m coming back again and again for sure!

^ I usually do a much better job with pictures, I really did not do them justice...

Had Albanian and lot of middle eastern places yet not any Yemeni food yet (had a lot of their coffee though). Went with a friend and now I question: Where has it been all my life here at NYC! It is very close but i always skip when I travel close. Don’t be intimidated by the name or location, try it and also get addicted.

The drinks were a perfect start-a yogurt-based drink (something start with S?) that was tangy and salty and super cooling. Then half way through we added mint lemonade, that was bright and refreshing to counterbalance the rich dishes.

Food: lamb zurbian—deeply spiced and fall-apart tender lamb, paired beautifully with fluffy, flavorful rice. I loved the crispy fried onions/shallots in there. It is rich without being super oily.

The liver was a surprise favorite—surprising the lightest dish of the day due to tomato content. They are lamb livers perfectly cooked and packed with flavor.

Their flatbread, omg, three times the size of my face. Nicely charred outside, pillowy soft inside, fluffy and stretchy. It has texture and flavors of a pita on the outside and soda biscuits in the middle.

And the sauces—every single one added a bold, vibrant kick that elevated the dishes even more.

Dessert: Please don’t skip dessert, or you can eat it as an entree. They are warm, comforting, and just the right amount of sweetness and texture.

Massoub Banana-bread based topped with cream and nuts and corn flakes. Mushy (good kind) at bottom. Great if you are into banana with cream.

Areeka Date-bread based topped with cream and nut and corn flakes. More dense at the bottom than Massoub. Loved the dates. We took home the leftovers and actually ordered one more to go.

To top it off, the service was superb—warm, welcoming, and attentive. Can’t wait...