Zara Arthur — Restaurant in New York

Excellent food, service, and atmosphere!

We visited Zara Arthur for a family dinner on Sunday, Feb 16, just next day after the official opening. What a new gem we got in the area! Everything was excellent: nice decor and atmosphere; delicious food and desserts; quick, friendly and attentive service! Restaurant manager Yunus stopped by us to check how we liked the food and the service. We felt like dear guests and enjoyed our visit.

We highly recommend Zara Arthur for a delicious Turkish cuisine and great atmosphere!

Food ordered Appetizers Balloon Bread with olives - freshly baked, with sesame seeds on top, it was a great start to the meal and a must have complement for the appetizers.

Mix Appetizers - 6 cold appetizers to choose. We got: Hummus, Babaganoush, Eggplant Salad, Sauced Eggplant, Aci Ezme, Muhammara. This is certainly a highlight of the menu! Delicious and lets you sample 6 appetizers! All were great and we especially liked Aci Ezme and Muhammara which were something new from the usual Mediterranean fare.

Fried Liver Cubes - The liver pieces were soft and tender, perfectly spiced, and overall delicious! Cheese Rolls - great, with melted feta inside. Lentil Soup - excellent, as it should be.

Entrees We got 4 different kebabs and all were really excellent and tender. Lamb Shish Kebab - perfect and flavorful. Adana Shish Kebab - delicious and flavorful. Chicken Shish Kebab (small) - our 10y old daughter liked it so much that we didn’t even get to try it. Beef Shish Kebab - medium rare, soft, melting in the mouth. However, flavor was a bit lacking on this one. Some marinade or spices would make it better.

Desserts Baklava - very fresh! Kazandibi (milk pudding) - good Keskul (almond pudding) - good Tea - this was one of the best teas I ever had in a restaurant! Not a bagged tea, but freshly brewed, strong...

When I and my husband came to dine in at 9:40pm on Thursday we were told that “kitchen is already closed”.

Then the front desk staff, when I asked again the hours of operation, said: “kitchen closes at 10pm today”. So is it closed at 9:40pm or 10:00pm? Inconsistent hours of operation, nowhere it is mentioned that Zara on Arthur closes its kitchen at 9:40pm or even 10:00pm…

We were a party of just 2 people…. Not friendly front desk staff.

Therefore, all is 1 star.

Other Zara’s had no such issue. Maybe that’s why this Zara has no people coming in…

———— Okay, so another try given to this location - another upsetting experience.

So I wait 35 minutes for my online order, and this time - Zara decides to take my money for the mixed appetizer plate, but never included it in my take out. Lovely. Wow. See photos for reference. If you take out from this location - check the bags before you leave, not when arriving home. Starting now, I’ll be checking my bags before paying, otherwise Zara will mess you up and say it should have been like that. Wow, just wow. I am upset to see this type of downgrading at...

I rarely write reviews but I just left Zara Arthur and NEED to share how amazing it was. The ambiance was beautiful! I love the open concept and you can really see the attention to detail that was used here. The art and decor is lovely, chairs are comfortable, booths are upholstered with intricate rugs (very cool). I can go on… Next the service was outstanding, the team cared about our experience and made sure I enjoyed it every step of the way. It was the perfect balance of being attentive but also allowing us space to enjoy the meal. Lastly the food was delicious! It was fresh, tasty, and nicely presented. It came out quick and was so fulfilling. Flavors were great and it is clear that whole ingredients are used here. We enjoyed the sample platter of spreads with balon bread and olives, Shepards salad with lamb and feta, grape leaves, and to top off a wonderful meal kazandibi with Turkish tea. I am so glad this opened in my neighborhood and I will for sure be back.. often! Looking forward to trying...