Gazala Place

by Erin L.

I tried the doughnut shaped looking pastry with seasame seeds on top and goat cheese and sundried tomatoe inside as well as pistachio and walnut baklava (these two things are not on the menu total cost is about $18...a bit pricey) However, I must say all of them are pretty damn good...but then maybe because I am a huge sucker for flaky pastries!! There was a lot of goat cheese....i don't even want to think about how much of it I devoured, probably should've gotten a spinach one for a healthier choice.....haha. The baklava was way too sweet for my taste (but still good), it'd be a perfect dessert if they went easy on the sweetness.I would definitely go back and and try their food..and get more flaky pastry things! ^.^

by Rachel G.

From the second you walk into Gazala Place, its charm and authenticity takes hold of you. You'll spot the freshly baked Israeli breads and desserts laying out on the front counter and the clueless yet cheerful waitresses scurrying around the 20-seat restaurant. It's definitely a very particular type of restaurant, so you have to be in the mood for a cozy, laid back spot.My friend and I, who hadn't caught up for over a year, split the hummus tahini and the fish special. The hummus was very smooth and creamy and had a bit of a peanuty taste to it. The pita that accompanied it was much thinner than regular pita, which was nice because we didn't fill up on it. The fish was served whole so we had to separate the meat from the bone ourselves, apparently a skill I am not so good at! Nonetheless, the fish was juicy, flavorful and had a deliciously flakey outer crust. I was a huge fan! The hummus and fish were a perfect amount of food to share without leaving overly stuffed. And the best part is that it is a BYO and cheap!!! All in all -- a perfect place to catch up with a friend.

by Emily B.

The food here is really good, and it's BYOB which is always nice.  It loses a star for being such a cramped space though.  The tables are so close together that you're basically eating with your neighbors, and you have to squeeze through the tiny kitchen to get to the bathroom.  The houmus is a little too olive oily for me, but the labanee (goat cheese spread) is outstanding.  I've tried a couple of specials that were very good (meat-stuffed artichoke hearts? yes please!),  but be warned they cost quite a bit more than the regular menu items.  Overall it's really good, simple food and good service in a cute (albeit way too small) space.

by check p.

We were walking along ninth, and spotted this woman in the window rolling out and baking very thin bread on what looked like an upside down chinese wok.  Also, a pile of small flaky pies in the window...  Reading along the reviews in the window, this was druze style restaurant, so we went in.   The bread was their pita, super thin, and of course, freshly served.  Very small place... maybe 8 tables. Fast service.  We had a variety of appetizers, including a hummus with whole garbanzas, a couple of pies, and the  barakas (not sure about the spelling) was the outstanding dish. We didn't stay long, so can't speak for the whole menu, but  if we were in the neighborhood again, we would try a few more dishes.

by Cindy N.Sarah G.Kealan C.sandra c.Trevor H.

Everything I had here was DELICIOUS!  I shared the mezze appetizer plate, spinach and goat cheese pastry, and lamb hummus with roasted pine nuts.  The lamb hummus entree is to die for.  Every single dish tasted like it was made with love.  Even better is their BYO policy.However, the price is a little steep for my student budget ($25 for one meal) and the place is very small.  We were a party of three, and my chair basically blocked the one and only pathway in the entire restaurant.  But to compensate, the servers were extremely friendly and helpful.  It's definitely easy to feel at home here.I used to go here a lot when it opened and used to like it. Tasted like my grandmothers food. I ordered in a few months ago and was appalled by the quality of the food. Everything was super salty to the point of inedibility(is that a word?) and the lamb in my sandwich was so effing tough I struggled with it for a while and finally gave up. I'm not kidding it was impossible to bite in to.. Had to toss the entire thing in the garbage. Incredibly dissapointing $25 dinner for one. I thought I would give it another shot last month.. While the service was as nice and friendly as ever, the food sucked. I'm so done with that place.. Don't waste your money here go eat the street meat at 53rd and 6th or 45th and 6 th.Though it's very, very small, Gazala Place is a fun place to go with a (tiny) group of friends. It has the added benefit of the potential of you looking really smart and worldly - "hey, wanna go out for some Druze food? You don't know what Druze is?! Geez, don't you EVER read the paper?"The waitstaff is able to talk about the food as if they actually made it themselves which, well, they probably did. My group decided to go the mezze route and just order a bunch of appetizers and one entree to share. Loved the falafel and the cegar in particular, and the fresh bread of course. The dessert special of the day was this amazing cake soaked in milk and honey with a yogurt, blueberry, and pistachio topping which was a perfect balance to the semi-heavy dinner. BYOB, no corkage - is there a better phrase in the English language? Probably, but that one is up there. I'm a fan.THIS IS THE WORST!  restaurant I've ever been to after 15 years of dinning in metro NYC area.FOOD : I ordered a salad to go that included olives.... found NO OLIVES when I opened it up at home. ONLY OLIVE STEMS!! very small portion, SOGGY vegetables!!!  It was so disgusting!SERVICE : The waitress "Threw" my bill at me forgot to give me a receipt ... Also, even after a very very long wait .. she didn't even bother to hand me the food that came out from the kitchen while ago! she was busy doing her own thing.ICAN NOT believe that they think it's OK to be so RUDE Uneducated.... NEVER GO HERE!!!This place is great.   Everything is homemade and you can really taste the FRESHNESS!  My favorites are the bourekas.. flakey bead stuffed with goat cheese and sun dried tomatoes.  The paper thin pita bread is also a new twist when dipping in the hommus... and as wrapping for the chicken kebab sandwich, which is wonderful.  The salads are fantastic along with the stuffed grape leaves.

by Christopher T.

I have been wanting to come here ever since i moved in next door almost 2 years ago. I am not quite sure what took me so long to get in here but i finally made it! Came in very causally with a white hanes v neck and my running shorts. The staff is VERY friendly and helpful! Even the guy next to our table was more than willing to help us find the best dish. It was almost to the point where we thought he was the PR guy for the place. I forget what we had but i really enjoyed it all except for the grape leaves; then again they're never to my liking so take it as is. It's small and intimate and def. a great place for Mediterranean food and service.

by Jewel Y.

This review is only for the boureka (also known as boreks).The gastronomically curious me couldn't resist trying this supposedly the country's only Druze restaurant upon reading the reviews posted on the window of this tiny Middle Eastern restaurant on 9th Ave. Through the glass window I saw a woman kneading the dough making some kind of a bread and on the counter there were many bagle-shaped flaky pies piled up. I didn't even know who Druze were until I read the review.I learned that the Druze are a religious community  in Israel similar to Islam. Ok, that's something new, I've gotta try it!!! Without asking the price, I ordered this bagle-shaped flaky pie called boureka. To give you a more exact description, just imagine a croissant in the bagle shape with sesame seeds on top and filled with feta cheese, sun-dried tomato and spinach. That's how it looks like and how it tastes like. It was served warm so the cheese was melted and made it more appetizing, but guess how much this costs?? 8 bucks! I think it's overpriced for this type of food. Sure it was fresh and tasty, but I don't think it's that good. At least I can say I had eaten a Druze food! Boureka, checked!! Woohoo!!

by Kealan C.

Though it's very, very small, Gazala Place is a fun place to go with a (tiny) group of friends. It has the added benefit of the potential of you looking really smart and worldly - "hey, wanna go out for some Druze food? You don't know what Druze is?! Geez, don't you EVER read the paper?"The waitstaff is able to talk about the food as if they actually made it themselves which, well, they probably did. My group decided to go the mezze route and just order a bunch of appetizers and one entree to share. Loved the falafel and the cegar in particular, and the fresh bread of course. The dessert special of the day was this amazing cake soaked in milk and honey with a yogurt, blueberry, and pistachio topping which was a perfect balance to the semi-heavy dinner. BYOB, no corkage - is there a better phrase in the English language? Probably, but that one is up there. I'm a fan.

by Eve S.

Sometimes getting a NY Times review is not all it's cracked up to be. My friend offered to take me out and my only guideline was that we go somewhere we hadn't been before. She suggested this place because she read a write up in the times. Well apparently the whole damn HK neighborhood had the same idea. We wait a little bit and are seated There was quite a pile up by the door-this place seats 18. Our waitress opens our BYOB wine and takes out order; we comment on the crowd and she says it has been nuts since the Times reviews. She stated that in Israel where she is from "somewhere could get a five star review and no one gives a crap." well not in NYC it is all about reviews.SO a little while goes by the pile up at the door increases and I see the waitress going out the door-with her coat on and her backpack on-uh oh now we have a situation. The owner for whom the place is named says that she will need our help to get the dishes to the right people. People standing by the door do not seem to understand they may need to leave and go somewhere else.The style of food of gazala is specific to the drugge region of Israel. Our food comes-we opted for a sample platter of appetizers, lentil soup and a spinach pie.The food here is INCREDIBLE-some of the best middle eastern food I have ever had.Gazala (owner) comes out to explain to some people waiting that they can't take any more people because there is no waitress and she starts to cry saying things have been insane since the Times review; she has put everything into this business including staying there at night and has not seen her kids. Literally everyone was getting up to hug her and tell her it was okay and that we would be back.The falafel does not have fava beans it was light and crispy and moist. The hummus and babaganoush were out of this world-really makes you realize that sabra stuff from Key Food is no good.Go here be nice to Gazala and be patient-the food is really, really good.The whole experience was sort of an "only in NYC moment" but I genuinely was almost moves to tears seeing Gazala so distraught and realizing that while many of us on here dream of doing enough reviews to stay "LEET" -some people Like Gazala are dreaming of making a living. Keep it up gazala your food is amazing!!!!also when someone gets a good times reviews wait like 3 weeks until the clusterfuck of food tourists  subsides.

by Magda T.

Tired of mediocre Middle Eastern restaurants with hummus tasting like-store bought and pitas are from a bag? Welcome to the Gazala Place, an Israeli Druze restaurant.It is a gourmet middle eastern restaurant, each dish made on premises with care.  Babbaganush is to die for it has a nicely smoked flavor and all flavors are just perfectly balanced.  The foul is fantastic, a rare feat, unless you go to Brooklyn's Yemeni area.The cegara (or cigariyah) pita fingers stuffed with spiece potatoes. The Turkish salad is not what you'd get in other places.  It's harif--it's made of dried peppers and other things.  Very very nice.Their bourekes (filo pastries stuffed with goat cheese and spinach, or sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese) are amazing--pricey but well worth it.It's a great place for vegetarians, though vegetarians will have to do with appetizer dishes.But the thing to save space for is their signature desert: Osh al-saraiaIt's not a cheap joint but you have to pay for food of amazing quality, prepared with care.And don't expect your typical pitas!