A Michelin Guide-featured Palestinian restaurant just opened in Astoria at the end of last month, serving hearty dishes like their viral pizzawarma and traditional entrees like Maklouba.
Ayat, located at 33-25 Crescent St., marks the brand’s first expansion to Queens. The restaurant is a family-owned business, run by Abdul Elenani and his wife, Ayat Masoud, whom the eatery is named after. It offers a warm and inviting space to indulge in a variety of authentic Palestinian dishes, served family-style, allowing family and friends to gather and enjoy a meal together.
“The food is meant to bring people together,” said Hania K., Ayat’s general manager. “These are dishes that can be shared amongst people, and the idea of bringing people together to the table is why the portions are larger than most restaurants.”
Their Astoria location is the brand’s eighth restaurant, after first opening in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, in 2020, followed by other venues throughout Brooklyn, Manhattan, Staten Island and one in New Jersey. The concept was inspired by Masoud’s passion for cooking and bringing family together for an incredible meal served with love, with dishes curated and prepared by their executive chef, Ahmed Alameh.
Since the brand’s inception, they’ve become known for dishes like the Pizzawarma, a pizza-crust beef shawarma oozing with halloumi cheese, the M’Sakhan, made on fresh taboon bread topped with sautéed onions, sumac, and pine nuts, with a half chicken on top, and a decadent dessert called the Knafa. The Middle Eastern dessert, which is also quite shareable for the table, is made with delicately shredded phyllo, a buttery cheese filling, and topped with syrup and pistachio.
“We stand out here in Ayat for our Mensaf, it’s a lamb and fermented yogurt stew served over rice,” said Hania K. “It’s a very tender, soft lamb dish, and people love it. Another dish is the M’sakhan; those are staple Palestinian dishes.”
Another entree, called the Maklouba, is an upside-down six-layer dish featuring ingredients such as chicken, rice, carrots, potatoes, cauliflower, and eggplant. The dish is considered a cornerstone of Palestinian cuisine and is popular in the Levant region.
“The real art is the flip, because that’s really when you see the result come out,” said Hania K. “If it sticks to the pot, then you did something wrong, but when it flips perfectly, the pot slides right off.”
The restaurant itself, although quite expansive, has a cozy feel, much like visiting the home of a friend or family member. As visitors enter the restaurant, the warmth emanating from their wood-fired oven and open-concept kitchen allows guests to watch and admire as each dish is being prepared. A centerpiece of the space is an olive tree, which is situated in the midst of the restaurant. This immediately draws visitors in to touch the leaves and verify that the life-like fixture is real. While alcohol is not served, guests are welcome to bring their own beer or wine to enjoy with their meal. The restaurant is popular for its extensive list of mocktails, including their limonana, made from freshly squeezed lemon juice, mint leaves, and agave, as well as the homemade horchata, a cinnamon-spiced rice drink.
Another staple of the Ayat brand has been hosting public dinners, which they organize for special occasions or when opening a new location to welcome members of the community to the restaurant and provide an opportunity for people to connect with one another. Ayat Astoria will be hosting a free Thanksgiving dinner on Nov. 27, with the owners and staff members sharing their holiday with the community to show that the space is more than just another place to get food, but to connect and feel at home.
“It’s more about giving back and bringing people together in unity,” said Hania K. “We always get a big turnout for these events, and we want the community to feel like we’re here for them. Everybody from the neighborhood comes out, people travel to come to them, so it’s a nice way to see everybody together from all kinds of backgrounds and different beliefs.”
Ayat’s free Thanksgiving dinner begins at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 27, and everyone in the community is welcome to attend. To learn more about Ayat, follow them @ayat.nyc or visit their website.
