El-Shater

THIS original incarnation of El-​Shater is indeed closed, but …
El-​Shater LIVES ON!!!

El Shater has changed its location to 43 – 03 Queens Blvd. Just a block down. This place looks much newer and the food is just on a whole other level. The owner, Ahmad remains the owner of this one as well and remains to be welcoming as ever. The food is also amazing just like the other store, if not better. i deff recommend this place for all middle eastern food lovers

4 and a half stars. Great Hummus, as LC said it is earthy and delicious. I also love the zaater bread very tasty. All the sandwiches are big and cheap at 3.50 a sandwich. You really can’t beat the price and quality. The only flip side is that this place is kinda run down in the inside which can make some upset and push away certain people from making the visit or buying the food, but I love it. Oh yeah, I also love the kibbeh balls and the desserts are tasty.

I pass this place all the time and just figured it was a middle-​eastern goods store that sells ready made goods (you can see different varieties of baklava and meat pastries in the window) until I read about the shwarma they serve. So last night around 8 i got hungry and decided to try the shwarma. When you walk in there is a grill in the back — so i headed there — unfortunately there was not shwarma! I opted for the kafta which they basically prepare the same way — humus, pickles, pink radish, etc. It was pretty good (and only $ 3 + change). I picked up a bag of pita and half pound of humus… The humus is ok — not my favorite but seems like it could be homemade.
As for the market they have a lot of middle eastern goods and good prices. I’ll be back for the shwarma.
FYI — THIS PLACE IS NOW CLOSED.

The coconut macaroon cookies are delicious! And they’re very friendly :-). I can’t wait to try some of the other food sometime.

so far so good!
yummy yummy imported tahini from beirut, soft pita bread — i’m sold!
(there were also interesting sweets/​prepared foods behind the case i didn’t get a good look at yet)

I keep walking by this place, and i went in for some of the prepared foods. I got some hummus, a beef pie, and some kibbeh. The people there are so friendly!
The hummus is very earthy, which I really like. smooth and full of tahini. Some people don’t like hummus like this, but I really do.
The beef pie was good, but I could take it or leave it. it wasn’t excellent. The kibbeh, however, were as close to perfection as I could imagine. I love kibbeh (kibbi? kibbe?) and try it wherever i find it, so i have high standards. This was heavenly! I can’t recommend the kibbeh enough, can’t wait to go back and have more!

We discovered this place years ago, and have been loyal every since. it seems to have quite a following in the neighborhood. This is really the closest place outside of going to Astoria for this kind of food. We come mainly for the homemade prepared Middle Eastern food and because the Lebanese owners are so friendly. The little spinach and meat pies and pizzas are always fresh and delicious, and they have other dishes that vary daily. So it’s a great place to get fast, cheap, and good take-​away lunches or dinners. Grab an imported tangerine Schweppes with real sugar (not HFCS) or malt beverage from the fridge while you’re at it. I wish their sandwiches were better. Not so crazy about their hummous and babaganoush, but they’re decent. Desserts are fine, although not the best. They also have an extensive olive bar and fairly good selection of groceries, including specialty items that may be hard to find elsewhere.

$ 3.50 for a schwarma… one of the better food deals in all of nyc… and this is not some half-​assed sandwhich… big, juicy, but not too greasy…

Their hummus is lovelier than most. I’ve had a fine cross section of menu items and baked goods, and find that they’re well made. Check the freshness of some of their phyllo desserts, and tabbouli (which always needs a wee bit more lemon). As a Detroiter, where we have the finest Lebanese cuisine outside of Lebanon, I’m a harsh critic when it comes to Middle Eastern food. That being said, many of El Shater’s menu items hold up with delicate vs bold flavors.

I drive 1 hour to buy their Zatar bread Tastes totally authentic. Fresh every few hours. Kibbe is great too. It’s all great. Best Middle Eastern deli in the tristate area (and I’ve been to them all). Including Patterson, NJ.

While living in Sunnyside, I have too often said to myself, «Well, its good for Sunnyside,» when eating at local establishments. After eating my falafel from the El-​Shater, all I could say was «wow.» This may have been the best falafel I’ve eaten in NYC and feel extremely fortunate El-​Shater is in MY neighborhood. In addition to the falafel, decided to sample the hummus and it was delectable.

About a year ago, my dad became obsessed with Tony Bourdain. Something about that Marlboro-​puffing douchebag spoke to him and for a brief yet wondrous moment in the life of Poppa Hank, P.H. was ready to broaden his horizons beyond Wendy’s and Checkers drive-​thrus. Unfortunately, the peak of his culinary wanderlust struck just as I was packing up my apartment in Sunnyside, but not too late for one last epic trip to El-​Shater.
I had discovered El Shater with my now fiancé. It was a mixed experience, and I hesitate Unilocaling about it at all. While we loved the shwarma, the reception had been ice cold. Yossel in particular felt about as welcome as a gypsy at a Nuremberg rally.
So it was with hesitation that I brought my father into the joint — my big, brash, Bourdain-​wannabe father who within moments went from tasting his first real olive to shooting the shit about Israel and Syria with the shwarma guy. Gulp.
Thankfully, this experience was completely different. In spite of the obvious cultural difference (did I mention this was his first olive?) the staff made Poppa Hank feel very welcome.
The drama turned out to be where to eat the shwarma. It was a scorching day and Sunnyside, while very dear to me, has a dearth of appealing stoops, parks and park benches. So we plopped ourselves onto a patch of clean sidewalk, tucked into our paper bags, and took in the passersby chuckling at our father/​daughter/​hobo moment in the sun.
As the shwarma juices dribbled down our forearms I knew I had done the right thing by giving El-​Shater a second chance.

My husband is from Tunisia and he was able to find a lot of groceries from back home, including the hard to find harissa. Hassan is our normal meat guy because the store is near home and it’s one of the few halal grocery stores in Sunnyside with a wide selection of foods. The dolmas, meat, and spinach pies are all delicious, but the other homemade entrees can be a hit or miss. The sweets are also all delicious.
They have other items, as well. There are hookahs in the window, abayas hanging from the ceiling, stickers representing various Middle Eastern countries, small tea cups, and other household items that you might find in the old country.

Love this place! The Kofka kebab and/​or falafel are amazing! The family that runs the shop, like Linda mentioned, are very nice and helpful. They make about 3 – 4 meals a day that are sold either as small or large plates. The meals come with a large helping of rice and a choice of chicken/lamb/beef/(sometimes) okra.

While I’ve never personally been to El-​Shater, a coworker always brings in groceries from here, and the humus is literally the best I’ve ever tasted. I’m going to make the trek to get a whole big container to myself ASAP.

This corner Lebanese grocery is my go-​to for a quick shwarma sandwich, dolmas or spinach pie. Pretty good baklava too. Although the focus is on selling groceries from the Middle East to the local Arabic speaking population (and you’ll here the sounds of this language while you peruse the aisles), there is a food /​deli counter in the back where you can order simple meals to go. A wonderful hot sauce and crunchy pickles in your shwarma, and maybe side of tabouleh or dolma, and you have a great takeout meal. And if the dolma are just made (and they often are), you are really in luck. Wonderful. Pick up some of the spinach and cheese pies, or check out their other daily specials to keep around your kitchen.
The family running this place are super sweet and I love chatting with them, so don’t be shy, and ask them about some of some of the wonderful treats they have on display.