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Started By
Message
Finally made it to Shaya, and it was worth the Hype, and $9 for hummus
Posted on 3/12/16 at 5:04 pm
Posted on 3/12/16 at 5:04 pm
Well yes, the Hummus expensive, and it's no Sabra.... I kid, I kid. Seriously the hummus is amazing, now the best thing about it is the bread it goes on. That PITA, man, they have Pita down. It's like no other Pita I have ever had, more leavened, almost like a pizza dough, yet lighter. They come puffy and they are free.
The pita comes with a seasoned oil, and it's very good, but save your appetite for the other dips.
In addition to the Tahini Hummus ($9) we got the five for $23 deal.
We selected Baba Ganough, Tabouleh, Labneh, Lutenitsa and Ikra.
--Baba was pretty smoky but excellent and creamy.
(creamy eggplant, green garlic, olive oil)
--The Labneh was creamy, but my least favorite of the bunch, it was mild and didn't have as much flavors as the other plates.
(Progress Farm yogurt, wax peppers, radishes)
-- The TABOULEH
(parsley and bulgar wheat salad, red onion, toasted almonds, preserved lemon)
Was good for tabouleh, again I let my cousin pick the plates and we just split them, I would have tried something else, but for tabouleh it was really good
The last two dishes were our favorite.
-- The Lutenitsa was just excellent, a semi-sweet blend of peppers and eggplant, it goes great on top the oven fresh pita (and yes oven fresh is right, often the pita is too hot to even touch)
I would highly recommend this dish.
(Bulgarian puree of roasted pepper, eggplant, garlic and tomato)
__ Lastly __
--Ikra, when my cousin ordered this I said I didn't even want to try it, nothing about the description sounds good to me. Boy was I an idiot, it was delicious, easily the best thing we had. Great on the bread, the flavors were all over the place, hard to pinpoint exactly but exotic and homey at the same time. An excellent dip
or condiment. Something I will get every time I go there because I won't ever see anything close anywhere else.
(paddlefish caviar spread with shallots)
The place is packed and even on a rainy Friday lunch was booked, we sat at the bar, and watched the empty tables not get filled, so I would guess they have issues with Open table bookings and no shows.
Some people here love to ask me about parking. So I will say this place has a few off street spots so that's good, plus there is off street parking yet it is a hotspot for the boot van so you may want a off street spot if you have a boot warning.
The restaurant is clean and open on the inside, yet sorta cramped as well. There is a open pizza oven in the back, so you see the pita constantly being made.
Service at the bar was excellent and we both enjoyed the cocktail that the bartender made us.
It is a great place, but it can also be pricey. It cost us $60 for dips and drinks but to me it was worth it.
If you can get a table, go.
In picture from top going clockwise.
Labneh
tabouleh
Ikra
seasoned oil
baba
oil
lutenitsa
Hummus
The pita comes with a seasoned oil, and it's very good, but save your appetite for the other dips.
In addition to the Tahini Hummus ($9) we got the five for $23 deal.
We selected Baba Ganough, Tabouleh, Labneh, Lutenitsa and Ikra.
--Baba was pretty smoky but excellent and creamy.
(creamy eggplant, green garlic, olive oil)
--The Labneh was creamy, but my least favorite of the bunch, it was mild and didn't have as much flavors as the other plates.
(Progress Farm yogurt, wax peppers, radishes)
-- The TABOULEH
(parsley and bulgar wheat salad, red onion, toasted almonds, preserved lemon)
Was good for tabouleh, again I let my cousin pick the plates and we just split them, I would have tried something else, but for tabouleh it was really good
The last two dishes were our favorite.
-- The Lutenitsa was just excellent, a semi-sweet blend of peppers and eggplant, it goes great on top the oven fresh pita (and yes oven fresh is right, often the pita is too hot to even touch)
I would highly recommend this dish.
(Bulgarian puree of roasted pepper, eggplant, garlic and tomato)
__ Lastly __
--Ikra, when my cousin ordered this I said I didn't even want to try it, nothing about the description sounds good to me. Boy was I an idiot, it was delicious, easily the best thing we had. Great on the bread, the flavors were all over the place, hard to pinpoint exactly but exotic and homey at the same time. An excellent dip
or condiment. Something I will get every time I go there because I won't ever see anything close anywhere else.
(paddlefish caviar spread with shallots)
The place is packed and even on a rainy Friday lunch was booked, we sat at the bar, and watched the empty tables not get filled, so I would guess they have issues with Open table bookings and no shows.
Some people here love to ask me about parking. So I will say this place has a few off street spots so that's good, plus there is off street parking yet it is a hotspot for the boot van so you may want a off street spot if you have a boot warning.
The restaurant is clean and open on the inside, yet sorta cramped as well. There is a open pizza oven in the back, so you see the pita constantly being made.
Service at the bar was excellent and we both enjoyed the cocktail that the bartender made us.
It is a great place, but it can also be pricey. It cost us $60 for dips and drinks but to me it was worth it.
If you can get a table, go.
In picture from top going clockwise.
Labneh
tabouleh
Ikra
seasoned oil
baba
oil
lutenitsa
Hummus
This post was edited on 3/12/16 at 5:08 pm
17
Posted on 3/12/16 at 5:18 pm to Napoleon
Thanks for the review and the pics! 
Posted on 3/12/16 at 5:20 pm to Napoleon
That lamb ragu hummus is one of the best things I've tasted
Posted on 3/12/16 at 5:25 pm to Napoleon
Looks so good!
Posted on 3/12/16 at 5:53 pm to Napoleon
Man I've been wanting to go to this place, glad to hear the hype is real.
Posted on 3/12/16 at 7:45 pm to Napoleon
Love that place. I gotta go back.
Posted on 3/12/16 at 9:49 pm to Coater
Amen to that!
Posted on 3/12/16 at 10:08 pm to Napoleon
quote:
The place is packed and even on a rainy Friday lunch was booked, we sat at the bar, and watched the empty tables not get filled, so I would guess they have issues with Open table bookings and no shows.
I was there Friday for lunch (between 1 and 3) and it was pretty full, imo.
Food was great as usual.
I parked very close, too.
Posted on 3/13/16 at 2:31 am to VOR
I can't wait and go back. I want to try a soup and a meat dish or two.
I can see why it's always packed, on the other side of the coin, I like that i can just stop in and grab a bite and a drink for lunch with no reservation.
It was refreshing how different it was from any other middle eastern restaurant I have been to.
VOR, we were at the end of the bar I was out of place in a Dickie's workshirt we were there from 12-1.
I can see why it's always packed, on the other side of the coin, I like that i can just stop in and grab a bite and a drink for lunch with no reservation.
It was refreshing how different it was from any other middle eastern restaurant I have been to.
VOR, we were at the end of the bar I was out of place in a Dickie's workshirt
we were there from 12-1. Posted on 3/13/16 at 11:03 am to Napoleon
Looks great .
.
Posted on 3/13/16 at 4:11 pm to Napoleon
Awesome, I've been wanting to take the SO there. Heard some talk on it, but this reminds me of it and motivates me.
Posted on 3/13/16 at 9:12 pm to Napoleon
Nice review.
You missed out on a few of the other hummus apps. The curried cauliflower is awesome. I agree on the lutenitsa. It's like so many of their dishes, full of flavor.
You missed out on a few of the other hummus apps. The curried cauliflower is awesome. I agree on the lutenitsa. It's like so many of their dishes, full of flavor.
Posted on 3/22/16 at 10:36 am to Oenophile Brah
Went to Shaya last night. Had been there a couple of times and am always blown away.
B/c of the this thread we ordered the lamb ragu hummus. It was the best thing on our table all night. Simply incredible. PITA was great too. Got the lamb entree and while it was delicious, the lamb hummus stood out above everything else.
Two other people at the table ordered the short rib stew. Didn't look all that appetizing but to each his own.
B/c of the this thread we ordered the lamb ragu hummus. It was the best thing on our table all night. Simply incredible. PITA was great too. Got the lamb entree and while it was delicious, the lamb hummus stood out above everything else.
Two other people at the table ordered the short rib stew. Didn't look all that appetizing but to each his own.
Posted on 3/22/16 at 10:42 am to Napoleon
Nice review; I'm still struggling to go spend much to eat like I'm poor, but will likely make it over there soon.
Posted on 3/22/16 at 10:45 am to Napoleon
Looks great. Shaya is my #1 restaurant to try when I get back to New Orleans.
On a somewhat related note, how is 1,000 figs by Cabrini? I love Middle Eastern and Mediterranian food so I am interested in trying both.
On a somewhat related note, how is 1,000 figs by Cabrini? I love Middle Eastern and Mediterranian food so I am interested in trying both.
Posted on 3/22/16 at 11:10 am to 12Pence
1000 figs is one of my best value spots. Its 5 bucks for a falafel sandwich and its really tasty. Its a tiny tiny little place so its always packed.
Posted on 3/22/16 at 11:14 am to Coater
quote:
That lamb ragu hummus is one of the best things I've tasted
This.
Posted on 4/1/16 at 1:20 pm to Napoleon
Four of us went to Shaya last week for the first time for lunch. It wasn't packed, though there were quite a few people on the patio. There were at least 3 or 4 tables inside available and one was a table for 6 and plenty of seating at the bar. Open Table had shown no availability at the time, but we got a reservation through someone we knew there. Guess we didn't need to do that since it never filled up while we were there.
The pita. The pita. That pita. Oh my! Best I've ever had, though I haven't had a lot of homemade pita, but this was just monumentally good. Steam comes out of the middle when it's served. When they say it's hot and to be careful, there's good reason. It stays warm for a pretty good while, too. The pita and tahini hummus alone are good reasons to go there. Delicious. I also love za'atar seasoning, so I liked the za'atar oil served with the pita. I'm not going to repost pics of dishes which have already been posted.
I loved the baba ganoush. I love it, period, but this was so good. It had a slightly smoky and charred flavor, but in a very good way. The waitress said they put the eggplant over the grill and cook until it's all charred on the outside. Then, they take out the meat and make the baba ganoush. Whatever they do, it sure tastes good. We had two orders of it plus one Israeli salad under the 3 for $15 deal. She told us the servings were small and several folks love the baba ganoush which is why we ordered two. The salad was cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley and za'atar dressing of some sort. Really good.
My parents both ordered the duck matzo ball soup to start. The waitress was kind enough to let them know the soup was huge and they should order one bowl which they would divide into two. The divided bowls were huge servings. This was the only downer. They thought the broth was weak and the one matzo ball was way too big and too dense. Wasn't bad, but it wasn't something they really enjoyed or would order again. No pics of it.
One person got the lamb kabob which I tasted. Very good, but not really a kabob. There were no skewers and the texture was more like ground lamb. There was a tomato, pine nut, tahini and cilantro sauce which was very good.
I had small plates of falafel and avocado toast which were not as small as I expected. Thankfully, they were shared. I loved the falafel. It was different from any I've had before. The inside was very green. Really good with the tzatziki sauce.
The avocado toast was a very generous serving with smoked whitefish on top and pink peppercorns. Fresh, pretty and delicious. Just so much food. You can really do a lot of sharing here and come out cheaper than you think.
One of us had the chicken schnitzel sandwich. Yet another huge dish which should be shared if you're eating anything else. The bread was sesame challuh and great. I love sesame seeded bread. It was beautifully toasted to a golden brown on the inside. Looked like it had been lightly buttered before the toasting. It came with a harrissa mayo sauce, but this person is not a mayo sauce fan, so he used more za'atar oil for it which he said was delicious. The fries were not standout other than the seasoning. I couldn't figure it all out and forgot to ask, but it had a good flavor and was not overly salty. May have had some allspice and other type seasoning.
The last dish was the sabich which was on pita with fried eggplant, preserved mango, soft cooked egg, pickles and tahini with a cabbage salad which I don't think had much of anything on it, if at all. Very generous sandwich and enjoyed by that diner. I didn't taste it.
Gin bloody mary was pretty good and nicely dressed.
We shared a dessert of blood orange sorbet made with locally made yogurt with strawberries and blood oranges. Outstanding.
Looking forward to going again.
The pita. The pita. That pita. Oh my! Best I've ever had, though I haven't had a lot of homemade pita, but this was just monumentally good. Steam comes out of the middle when it's served. When they say it's hot and to be careful, there's good reason. It stays warm for a pretty good while, too. The pita and tahini hummus alone are good reasons to go there. Delicious. I also love za'atar seasoning, so I liked the za'atar oil served with the pita. I'm not going to repost pics of dishes which have already been posted.
I loved the baba ganoush. I love it, period, but this was so good. It had a slightly smoky and charred flavor, but in a very good way. The waitress said they put the eggplant over the grill and cook until it's all charred on the outside. Then, they take out the meat and make the baba ganoush. Whatever they do, it sure tastes good. We had two orders of it plus one Israeli salad under the 3 for $15 deal. She told us the servings were small and several folks love the baba ganoush which is why we ordered two. The salad was cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley and za'atar dressing of some sort. Really good.
My parents both ordered the duck matzo ball soup to start. The waitress was kind enough to let them know the soup was huge and they should order one bowl which they would divide into two. The divided bowls were huge servings. This was the only downer. They thought the broth was weak and the one matzo ball was way too big and too dense. Wasn't bad, but it wasn't something they really enjoyed or would order again. No pics of it.
One person got the lamb kabob which I tasted. Very good, but not really a kabob. There were no skewers and the texture was more like ground lamb. There was a tomato, pine nut, tahini and cilantro sauce which was very good.
I had small plates of falafel and avocado toast which were not as small as I expected. Thankfully, they were shared. I loved the falafel. It was different from any I've had before. The inside was very green. Really good with the tzatziki sauce.
The avocado toast was a very generous serving with smoked whitefish on top and pink peppercorns. Fresh, pretty and delicious. Just so much food. You can really do a lot of sharing here and come out cheaper than you think.
One of us had the chicken schnitzel sandwich. Yet another huge dish which should be shared if you're eating anything else. The bread was sesame challuh and great. I love sesame seeded bread. It was beautifully toasted to a golden brown on the inside. Looked like it had been lightly buttered before the toasting. It came with a harrissa mayo sauce, but this person is not a mayo sauce fan, so he used more za'atar oil for it which he said was delicious. The fries were not standout other than the seasoning. I couldn't figure it all out and forgot to ask, but it had a good flavor and was not overly salty. May have had some allspice and other type seasoning.
The last dish was the sabich which was on pita with fried eggplant, preserved mango, soft cooked egg, pickles and tahini with a cabbage salad which I don't think had much of anything on it, if at all. Very generous sandwich and enjoyed by that diner. I didn't taste it.
Gin bloody mary was pretty good and nicely dressed.
We shared a dessert of blood orange sorbet made with locally made yogurt with strawberries and blood oranges. Outstanding.
Looking forward to going again.
Posted on 4/1/16 at 1:20 pm to Napoleon
Four of us went to Shaya last week for the first time for lunch. It wasn't packed, though there were quite a few people on the patio. There were at least 3 or 4 tables inside available and one was a table for 6 and plenty of seating at the bar. Open Table had shown no availability at the time, but we got a reservation through someone we knew there. Guess we didn't need to do that since it never filled up while we were there.
The pita. The pita. That pita. Oh my! Best I've ever had, though I haven't had a lot of homemade pita, but this was just monumentally good. Steam comes out of the middle when it's served. When they say it's hot and to be careful, there's good reason. It stays warm for a pretty good while, too. The pita and tahini hummus alone are good reasons to go there. Delicious. I also love za'atar seasoning, so I liked the za'atar oil served with the pita. I'm not going to repost pics of dishes which have already been posted.
I loved the baba ganoush. I love it, period, but this was so good. It had a slightly smoky and charred flavor, but in a very good way. The waitress said they put the eggplant over the grill and cook until it's all charred on the outside. Then, they take out the meat and make the baba ganoush. Whatever they do, it sure tastes good. We had two orders of it plus one Israeli salad under the 3 for $15 deal. She told us the servings were small and several folks love the baba ganoush which is why we ordered two. The salad was cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley and za'atar dressing of some sort. Really good.
My parents both ordered the duck matzo ball soup to start. The waitress was kind enough to let them know the soup was huge and they should order one bowl which they would divide into two. The divided bowls were huge servings. This was the only downer. They thought the broth was weak and the one matzo ball was way too big and too dense. Wasn't bad, but it wasn't something they really enjoyed or would order again. No pics of it.
One person got the lamb kabob which I tasted. Very good, but not really a kabob. There were no skewers and the texture was more like ground lamb. There was a tomato, pine nut, tahini and cilantro sauce which was very good.
I had small plates of falafel and avocado toast which were not as small as I expected. Thankfully, they were shared. I loved the falafel. It was different from any I've had before. The inside was very green. Really good with the tzatziki sauce.
The avocado toast was a very generous serving with smoked whitefish on top and pink peppercorns. Fresh, pretty and delicious. Just so much food. You can really do a lot of sharing here and come out cheaper than you think.
One of us had the chicken schnitzel sandwich. Yet another huge dish which should be shared if you're eating anything else. The bread was sesame challuh and great. I love sesame seeded bread. It was beautifully toasted to a golden brown on the inside. Looked like it had been lightly buttered before the toasting. It came with a harrissa mayo sauce, but this person is not a mayo sauce fan, so he used more za'atar oil for it which he said was delicious. The fries were not standout other than the seasoning. I couldn't figure it all out and forgot to ask, but it had a good flavor and was not overly salty. May have had some allspice and other type seasoning.
The last dish was the sabich which was on pita with fried eggplant, preserved mango, soft cooked egg, pickles and tahini with a cabbage salad which I don't think had much of anything on it, if at all. Very generous sandwich and enjoyed by that diner. I didn't taste it.
Gin bloody mary was pretty good and nicely dressed.
We shared a dessert of blood orange sorbet made with locally made yogurt with strawberries and blood oranges. Outstanding.
Looking forward to going again.
The pita. The pita. That pita. Oh my! Best I've ever had, though I haven't had a lot of homemade pita, but this was just monumentally good. Steam comes out of the middle when it's served. When they say it's hot and to be careful, there's good reason. It stays warm for a pretty good while, too. The pita and tahini hummus alone are good reasons to go there. Delicious. I also love za'atar seasoning, so I liked the za'atar oil served with the pita. I'm not going to repost pics of dishes which have already been posted.
I loved the baba ganoush. I love it, period, but this was so good. It had a slightly smoky and charred flavor, but in a very good way. The waitress said they put the eggplant over the grill and cook until it's all charred on the outside. Then, they take out the meat and make the baba ganoush. Whatever they do, it sure tastes good. We had two orders of it plus one Israeli salad under the 3 for $15 deal. She told us the servings were small and several folks love the baba ganoush which is why we ordered two. The salad was cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley and za'atar dressing of some sort. Really good.
My parents both ordered the duck matzo ball soup to start. The waitress was kind enough to let them know the soup was huge and they should order one bowl which they would divide into two. The divided bowls were huge servings. This was the only downer. They thought the broth was weak and the one matzo ball was way too big and too dense. Wasn't bad, but it wasn't something they really enjoyed or would order again. No pics of it.
One person got the lamb kabob which I tasted. Very good, but not really a kabob. There were no skewers and the texture was more like ground lamb. There was a tomato, pine nut, tahini and cilantro sauce which was very good.
I had small plates of falafel and avocado toast which were not as small as I expected. Thankfully, they were shared. I loved the falafel. It was different from any I've had before. The inside was very green. Really good with the tzatziki sauce.
The avocado toast was a very generous serving with smoked whitefish on top and pink peppercorns. Fresh, pretty and delicious. Just so much food. You can really do a lot of sharing here and come out cheaper than you think.
One of us had the chicken schnitzel sandwich. Yet another huge dish which should be shared if you're eating anything else. The bread was sesame challuh and great. I love sesame seeded bread. It was beautifully toasted to a golden brown on the inside. Looked like it had been lightly buttered before the toasting. It came with a harrissa mayo sauce, but this person is not a mayo sauce fan, so he used more za'atar oil for it which he said was delicious. The fries were not standout other than the seasoning. I couldn't figure it all out and forgot to ask, but it had a good flavor and was not overly salty. May have had some allspice and other type seasoning.
The last dish was the sabich which was on pita with fried eggplant, preserved mango, soft cooked egg, pickles and tahini with a cabbage salad which I don't think had much of anything on it, if at all. Very generous sandwich and enjoyed by that diner. I didn't taste it.
Gin bloody mary was pretty good and nicely dressed.
We shared a dessert of blood orange sorbet made with locally made yogurt with strawberries and blood oranges. Outstanding.
Looking forward to going again.
Posted on 4/1/16 at 2:11 pm to Napoleon
It's deserving of the hype for sure.
A few things to add. The lunch menu is missing a few good items from the menu, mainly the kibbeh which is my favorite dish. The seating is limited but the courtyard open if the weather is nice. If you don't have reservations, go when they open for the first come first serve outside. And most importantly, they do takeout and the food holds up very well to transport partly due to their quality containers.
A few things to add. The lunch menu is missing a few good items from the menu, mainly the kibbeh which is my favorite dish. The seating is limited but the courtyard open if the weather is nice. If you don't have reservations, go when they open for the first come first serve outside. And most importantly, they do takeout and the food holds up very well to transport partly due to their quality containers.
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