by Sav B.
It's in Astoria; not Long Island City.I went here with an Egyptian pal, who's observing Ramadan - and he considers this place better than most others in Little Egypt - basically two big blocks of Egyptian hangouts. So, around sunset - people started flocking in to enjoy the buffet (only during Ramadan) - it was probably the largest buffet I have seen - around 25 different items. Anywhere from rice to lamb to shrimp to deserts. The price was a bit steep - $25, considering you can only eat 'so' much. I couldn't go back after the first plate. The quality is fairly decent, but nothing uh-meh-zeeng. I think it's better to order ala-carte. Def. try the lamb dish and the biryani. Everyone smokes hookah and drinks turkish coffee after dinner, so make sure you join in as well.
by Alexandros O.
2.5I will surely regret my impending lung disease because of this place.I have been here about 4 times. While the staff is courteous and friendly, Al Dar is lacking in so many other ways. The food is okay. The salads, hummus, taboule, falafel are nothing to write home about. They are constantly out of things that are on the menu. The nargileh here has ranged from alright to downright bad. In an attempt to create a smokier hookah, I've had an abusive amount of charcoals placed on the above the bowl - burning the tobacco and creating an unpleasant taste. They had used to have a better hookah preparer in the past. But the bad taste is still in my mouth.
