Kabab Café

If you are an adventurous eater, its a great place to try. Small hole in the wall type restaurant with great food, and warm (but slow) service. They have some less «scary» things on the menu, but we went for the veal cheeks, lamb brains, etc.

Excellent place. I really high recommended it. Ali the chef and the owner is a very nice person. If you like the food and his place he is very cool and open to talk with you about anything you want to know (his culture, his business, politics …)the lamb was perfect well cooked. The fish that we order was very flavored. 5 starts for Ali and his restaurant.

A phenomenal meal and definitely a peculiar experience. To reiterate what others have said, this place is not meant for everyone. You sit quite close to an open kitchen and Ali, the chef, who is the sole proprietor of the restaurant. He explains what items he has for that day, so it is not a structured and constant menu.
The night me and my friends went (I definitely recommend going with a few people and eating family style), we had a platter of falafel with baba ganoush and roasted vegetables (cauliflower perhaps?). It was simple but stunningly seasoned. Highly recommended. Then we had lamb brains, which were rich and velvety. Not my thing, really, but the people who normally love brain dishes that were with me dug it. Next were sweetbreads. The best I’ve ever had (especially since I see this as being overhyped in trendy spots as of late). We finished with a supremely tender lamb shank. Phenomenal
The bill was expensive (maybe 55 or so a head) but fair considering the quality and quantity of of the food.

I have been going here once a year since 2008. Mr. Elsayed is always pleasant and funny. He gives good conversation and serves wonderful food. It’s always a delight to see him.

Ali. Heaven. Need one say more?
(Clearly Unilocal doesn’t understand brevity. And leans towards verbosity.)

Reading through these comments I’m surprised how mean, narrow minded and judgemental people can be. I’ll just be frank and say this place is not for everyone — especially people who judge and critique every element of a meal because they think they are an expert on food.
The last people Ali want’s in his restaurant are snobby yuppy know-​it-​alls, and I’m sure he senses them and purposely acts unwelcoming and jacks the price up so they don’t come back. You got to remember this place is Ali’s. Would you want assholes as guests?
To that point this restaurant is different. It’s not centered around you. It’s centered around Ali — the owner. He comes from a family with a long history in cuisine and is very passionate about his country and culture. You got to take it for what it is. He’s there to share it with you so long as you have the right attitude and willingness to learn and enjoy, rather than make smirky comments and tell him how you want the food prepped (unless of course you have a food allergy — he will ask you).
I’ll admit the place isn’t super clean but it adds character. He plays some of the best music I have heard in any restaurant featuring an eclectic mix of blues, desert jazz, old school rock n’roll, 1930s French music and latin music. Whenever I come here on dates it feels like the scene in lady in the tramp because you are being served by the chef, its very private, and you seem to get lost in space and time through the food, wine and music.
I’ve never paid more than $ 60 (for myself) for eating a massive meal featuring appetizers, main, dessert, wine and coffee. Sure it’s more than the shawarma place down the street but frankly the quality is better and it keeps it from getting too busy. I’ve had the lamb cheek stew, lamb shank, sweet bread, bull testicles, mixed appetizer, some vegetarian eggplant dish, grilled cauliflower, and pumpkin yogurt dumplings. All of them were delicious!
For the food adventurer who wants to try this place, come with an open mind and just chill. I don’t recommend bringing up that you saw it on Food Network — if so do it cautiously because he doesn’t seem to like it. That’s usually an indicator that «oh you’re one of those.»
Enjoy and happy eating!

Thos a gem hidden in the middle of stainway. Went there with all my colleagues after we finishing our day and it was a unique and wonderful experience, from the amazing food to the great attitude the owner (also chef, waiter, and a great person).
Its always great to put your trust into someone’s hands that do everything by passion

Character driven with delicious food. This spot is all about Ali, his unique aesthetic sense – in décor, in music, in flavor – his easy, humane sense of humor. The food, in particular the vegetables, is very good. A vestige of New York restaurants before they became obsessed with slick presentations, faux-​rustic authenticity, and maximal profits. Like a less grumpy Shopsins for Egyptian fare.

I went here today for lunch having already went to the brother restaurant Mombar, which was a 5-​star experience. The chef at this restaurant, Ali, was extremely discourteous. For those that do not know, there is no fixed menu for the restaurant so the prices are all on a whim. On top of that, it is clear that he doesn’t partake in normal hygiene. All that is fine and well if you are just the type of person who doesn’t care. I take it that that would make you on of two people:
1) Manhattanite who ventures into the wilderness that is Queens looking for an authentic experience so that you can take the story of your travels back to your white friends
2) Hipster who is spoiled and doesn’t care about hygiene or prices since hipsters are really just corporate douches in disguise
i will admit I don’t see the whole allure of being treated like you are at home at a restaurant that you go out to. Many people said «Felt like home being served whatever he decided.» The difference is that your mom doesn’t charge you $ 50 for hummus and and an entrée.
My experience was as such: i walked in and he was not even there so I sat patiently for a quarter of an hour until he came in. He told us the meats he had without saying any actual dish and he rambled a lot so I merely asked if he had one specific dish that he could make. He went on a tirade about this not being mom’s kitchen and how egyptian children are spoilt by their moms that serve them whatever they want. If you got to a restaurant you normally have a budget and you want to choose the food you want. You are not cool to do the fact opposite but just a narcissistic. I’m not egyptian either so I don’t have the same issue. He then went on to say how the egyptians have been enslaved and controlled for 2500 years because of the seasonal changes to their dishes. It was clear he was drunk on a 1pm afternoon. He has some weird Oediupus Complex where his mom didn’t make him the food that he wanted growing up and so he became a chef to defy her (and his brother probably got the food he wanted and that is why he is a better person and chef…). This place and chef doesn’t deserve a review. It only has its legitimacy from Anthony Bordain’s weird fetish of authenticity as if anything is purely authentic. If you notice there are few if any reviews before the travel channel went to his restaurant. I left with my dignity in hand and the asshole that is Ali without his overcharged bill.

This place was awful, I wish I cod leave it Zero stars but sadly Unilocal doesn’t give you that option. Ali the chef is incredibly rude and I’ll never set foot in that place again. There’s no pricing and he explicitly said to me that he over prices the food based on his mood. I walked in and no one was in the restaurant and so I sat and waited for him to come in for about 15 minutes, the place didn’t look clean and he’s the only person who works there. Finally he came in and basically started yelling and cursing at me after asking him if he had hamaam (an Egyptian delicacy). He was rude and mean and I simply left without ordering because he wouldn’t stop dropping f bombs and going on his incoherent rant in which I’m pretty sure he insulted my mother. Not sure why anyone would ever go there.

This place is an experience to say the least. There is no menu. Ali the chef and singular employee will just tell you what he’s making today. I think the prices are a bit high but it was overall a wonderful dinner.
The cauliflower salad and the other vegetables were the stars of the meal. They amazingly showcased the complicated blends of spices that were being used.
The falafel was some of the best I’ve had
The pomegranate balsamic reduction that was on the goat was also delicious. The goat itself was quite good but the lamb was by far the best meat, it fell right off the bone.
If you want to spend some money and have an interesting meal in Astoria this is a great place to go. The seating and ambience can be described as cozy or cramped depending on your view of the situation. There’s probably only seating for 12 – 15 people in the whole restaurant.

Back in the day, when I was growing up in the city, the more charming mugger lured you in, made you stay against your will and took all your money then cursed at you (either during the mugging or just after as you were trotting away humiliated). Eating at this restaurant was like that experience. If you want an authentic New York City experience come here. He was rude, mean, domineering, then kind, flattering, and playful. Scary. Oh, I almost forgot, the food was delicious! The flavors were the right zing and spice. But the coughing over my table while he insisted on speaking about things that were racist and misogynistic, well, kind of dulled the flavors a bit. A fascinating and mildly abusive experience that I don’t ever want to repeat.

This place was way too expensive and the owner chooses not to work with a menu. At the end of the meal, he simply assigns a price.
There is no way to argue with him, and he is very rude when questioned. I can’t help but feel I was cheated, as the price was enormous compared to the two appetizers he made for me. It is a very sad feeling to sense you are being betrayed by someone who has cooked for you. I hate the idea of food being commodified. It seems like a violation of a necessary and often social ritual.
The restaurant was dirty, and decorated without care. Frames were smashed together and pressed beneath power lines.
The food was ok, if a bit oily.
I will never go back, eating here was one of my most unpleasant dining experiences ever.

Ali is a racist. I hate him. My love and I had such a bad experience here. The food was decent but waaaaaaay overpriced (e.g. a plate of cauliflower for 16 dollars???; the menu on the outside, as other reviewers have mentioned, is totally inaccurate – well then why does he still have it there?)
There was an unflushed piece of shit floating in the toilet when I went to the bathroom. It stunk of piss. I don’t usually care about dirty restaurants, in fact I often think it adds to the experience, but to encounter a piece of noisome-​ass shit halfway through your meal is disgusting.
As we were about to leave, I saw a plate on the counter and asked what it was. Potatoes and avocados, he replied turgidly. Out of curiosity I asked if avocados are used in Egyptian food. What followed was extremely unpleasant. He started yelling at us, dropping f-​bombs left and right, told us that Egypt is the greatest country in the history of the world and that of course they have avocados, they have everything (fact-​check: avocados only got to Egypt after the Columbian exchange), and plus he impugned India, where I am from, and told me not to be a «coconut»!
After we left the restaurant a darkness fell over our entire world. We will never go back.

SMASHING. Just let the chef choose your dish based on what’s fresh, he won’t do your wrong. He’s amazing, the food is unreal and delicious and I could eat it forever.

The food: I lived in Egypt for two years, and pretty much lived on koshary during that time. The koshary here tasted average. Some interesting spices, like cumin, and vegetables, like broccoli, that I never tasted in a koshary in Egypt. The owner Ali said that this is because it was Alexandria style koshary. I am skeptical, since they still serve Alexandria style koshary in Cairo and it doesn’t have cumin or broccoli. I even had koshary IN Alexandria a few times and it tasted nothing like this. Wasn’t bad, I just question his insistent, obnoxious claims of authenticity.
The host: Not friendly. I walked in and said ‘Good evening’ in Egyptian Arabic. He barely looked up to say hi. His attitude and tone the rest of my stay was condescending. I was also put off by the fact that he was doing the cooking and handling the money (only cash here) himself. I saw him sneeze into his hand as a bonus. If he was secretly constantly lathering up in hand sanitizer I did not see it.
The price: Outrageous. $ 10 for a small portion of essentially rice and macaroni? I needed to have a second dinner when I got home.

Never had Eqyptian food before until I had dinner here. Its a very small place with just Ali and his sous chef. I seen it on the Anthony Bourdain show. which I love Anthony! The food was good. very unique but not so cheap. but then again its a menu on the fly.

We had such a great time here! Ali has created a very warm and unique environment. You leave not only having eaten excellent food, but knowing you just had a very special experience.
Plan on spending a while there since everything is made at the moment and Ali cooks it all by himself. We were a group of 8. We ate and drank all we wanted and ended up paying $ 50/​person. We would have gladly paid more. I need to go back soon!

Incredible! I visited Kabab Café with a group of eight yesterday and had one of the best meals of my life. Ali, the incredibly charismatic Egyptian Chef was perfectly at home cooking, serving, talking to his guests, laughing and making jabs at the dozen or so diners packed into to the small and wonderfully cozy restaurant.
I’d go more into the food, but I’d be here all day, so I’ll just say it was all phenomenal. All in all we had around eight large plates and five bottles of wine over the course of the evening and each plate was a revelation.
I absolutely cannot wait to go back.

If I have to summarize this place in a single word, it would be: filthy. I don’t know how Ali can possibly pass inspection with such an unsanitary setup. I felt like I was in some impoverished country, eating at some bachelor’s rural house. There was dust and cobwebs all over the walls, the containers which hold the food looked grimy, the tables and chairs looked like something that was picked up from a dumpster, and he kept all the vegetables inside this nasty dresser. This place should really be shut down.
We arrived here on a Sunday, just a few of minutes after it opened. Charming Ali seemed surprised to have guests, and maybe even slightly annoyed. He was chewing something with his mouth open, spitting a few bits out.
Since it’s just one guy cooking, waiting tables, cleaning, washing dishes, and taking care of the check, we did expect it to be a bit slow. But this was insanely slow. We got 3 dishes — a hummus platter, lamb chops, and grilled chicken. We ended up staying there for about 2 hours, most of the time just waiting for our food.
As for the food itself — really nothing special. Sure, it tasted good and it did have that home-​cooking feel to it, but that doesn’t justify the long wait and the $ 66 price tag. And it was certainly not worth the trip to Queens.

Ha! Kabab Café… Kabab Café
This place can be easily missed along Steinway. If you’re not specifically looking for it you wouldn’t even know it existed.
The restaurant itself is pretty small. As soon as you get in you will see the open kitchen where Ali is working. With party of two tables in front of it. At the back would be its main seating area. It can prolly fit about 10. It has a laid back feel of sitting at your mothers kitchen or maybe living room or maybe your psychic. I don’t know. Lol
As soon as we were seated, Ali explained what is available. They have different kinds of proteins including Rabbit and Quail. They also have vegetarian dishes and of course every organ known to lamb. He suggested we start off with the Babaganouj and we asked for Lamb brain and Sweetbreads.
Babaganouj and Hummus was served with Pita bread. Tasted wonderful. The Fried BokChoy that came with it was great.
Lamb Brain? This is brain? What? Huh? Nom nom nom… does not taste like brain at all… huh? Seriously goooooddddd brain.
Lamb sweetbread was as expected equally appetizing. At this point I was full happy and satisfied. Greediness kicked in when the other group of people dining at the same time had the Lamb shank and we totally had to try it. Meat was tender and juicy.
Everything is a must try.
Every dish was served by Ali with explanations on how we can get the best taste out of it. Love the personal touch.