Reviews & Ratings for Naya Mezze & Grill

08/27/10

NAYA = amazing food, great ambience, fabulous service!

by myaB

We (group of 4 ladies) went to Naya yesterday, and OMG, what a gem! I was really craving some mezze (or middle eastern "tapas") and was looking for a place with a good assortment of vegetarian and meat options. Naya was perfect.

The food is incredible - we got the labne, shankleesh, halloumi, falafel, batata harra (seasoned potatoes), muhamarra (I'm sure I butchered that spelling but it's basically a red pepper dip), spicy shrimp (not spicy at all but SO succulent!), and the chicken shish taouk. They also have this great "spicy" green sauce, yum and their garlic whip known as toum, SO SO good. You won't even care about your breath. Honestly, the food was GREAT and prices reasonable.

The restaurant is long and narrow but it makes for great seating arrangements - you'll see what I mean. And whoever descrive the decor as Miami lounge was totally spot on. There's also a separate area in the back for a large group. The ambience there is also pretty nice; it almost screamed "rehearsal dinner space".

Our waiters were super friendly and (I think it was) the manager, was super attentive to our needs. This restaurant also has a lunch-time location (Naya Express on 3rd ave and 43rd street) which I go to for lunch.

Great find. I'm already planning my return.

05/08/10

The Best Lebanese Food in the City

by Sri Raja

Delicious Delicious Delicious!!! We love going to Naya. Naya has got to be the best middle eastern restaurant in Nyc. The staff is polite and helpful, the food is delicious and the ambience is really nice and cool. Its a must for everyone who loves a good Falafel.

• Pros: Great Ambience, Fabulous Service and Delicious Food
• Cons: NA

01/31/10

Neighborhood Gem

by montanaraid

"If you want to have outstanding food, energetic and courteous service then this is the restaurant for you. Cozy banquettes insure that your conversation is private. The beef kebabs contain the most delicious beef tenderloin we have ever tasted. The baked striped bass with tahini sauce runs a strong second place. Don't skip the appetizers- the muhammara dip with pita is a must! Be sure to try one of the Lebanese wines-super delicious. Leave room for dessert and order the essmalia and experience the most amazing pastry ever. This is a definite once a week destination. Each time we come here we are greeted like old friends-in such a rough town it is refreshing to be treated with such warmth and hospitality. One of the waiters, Henry, will help you with your selections on the menu and provide added humor and positive energy to your meal."

• Pros: Henry-the best waiter in NYC
• Cons: none

03/04/09

BEST MEZZA IN TOWN

by humuslover

NAYA IS A RARE BREED IN LEBANESE HOSPITALITY AND FRESH MADE TO ORDER SALADS TABOULE AND FATTOUCH , MEZZA IS TO DIE FOR THE KIBBE NAYA ,BATATA HARRA ,ARAYESS MEAT AND CHEESE ,TRY THE LAMB SAUSAGE (MAKANEK) THE BEST OUTSIDE BEIRUT. THE SPECIALTY OF THE HOUSE ARE THE SHAWARMA CHICKEN AND BEEF WITH THE GARLIC SAUCE I ALWAYS ASK FOR MORE ,SERVICE IS VERY ATTENTIVE AND PROFESSIONAL AND THE HOST IS GRACIOUS AND ACCOMMODATING . PLEASE KEEP UP THE GOOD WORKS .

BY THE WAY THE KENAFE IS DIVINE

• Pros: FOOD SERVICE AFFORDABLE

03/03/09

BEST LEBANESE RESTAURANT

by isaac212

Guys you deserve all the great write up you got! the place is fabolous. Service was very attentive. As for the food, Beirut landed at NAYA. ultra traditional and fresh food. The kebab and lamb chops are so well executed. 2 thumbs up for the appetizers as well. the crowd is so nice and byu the way i loved your music!

• Pros: All of the above
• Cons: none

03/02/09

Lovely place & Excellent Lebanese Food

by foodcritico

I was extremely suprised by how busy this is place is. I always wondered until the day i finally tried it. First the place is a Philip Starck Design. Amazing! I even notice at the entrance an article by Elle Decor about Naya. As for the food, I have never had such a Lebanese meal not even in London or Paris. Excellent excellent. I have nothing to say beside the wait time since I had no reservation. Next time i will bood in advance. Appetizers are out of this world, Shawarma & the fish were very very good and the desert outstanding. Count me in once a week.

• Pros: Food, Decor, Deserts, Atmosphere
• Cons: wait time without reservation

02/27/09

Cool in terms of decor but bad in terms of attitude and service

by LaLoula

The attitude of the Management of this restaurant is so arrogant, so rude and unpleasant that it turns patrons off immediately. I must admit the decor is really cool, very futuristic. However, the set-up is not practical from the point of view of accommodation. It does not allow for flexibility to join or separate tables according to need. As for the food, it is good although not the best, the wine list is limited to a small selection of mostly Lebanese wines. All things considered, I would not recommend this restaurant mainly because of the poor service and as mentioned above, the rudeness of the people who run this place. In a place like New York city, where patrons are sophisticated restaurant visitors, this kind of attitude does not fly. Disappointing to say the least!

• Pros: Not much
• Cons: Attitude, service

02/15/09

Not the best place

by ashwal4u

So my boyfriend took me to Naya for Valentine's day, and its a small place but the decor is cool-looking. The first thing I didn't like is that they sat us in a communal table next to other couples, when we had reservations and there were clearly empty booths that we walked by. I obviously did not want to be sitting next to other people on our Valentine's day romatic dinner. Next the food, I would say was average or slightly below, nothing was "wow", we ordered from the prix fix for Vday menu and we had hummus, some cheese sticks, and some meats and everything was pretty bland, then for our meal we had the kebab trio and I had some lamb dumplings (the kebab trio was average, it tasted good, still no "wow" factor; and the lamb dumplings were just plain bland), the highlight of our evening was the dessert, I had the essmalia and he had the ashta (they were both very tasty)..and lastly the service, since we were in a communal table, they kept bringing us the wrong food from the couple sitting right next to us, which was another thing putting a dent on our "romatinc dinner"

• Pros: the desserts were very good
• Cons: mostly bland food