Shalel

Review summary

1. L

   Lawrence

   VIP

   New York City

   24 reviews

   5.0

   24 reviews

   Dined today

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   It is always such a delight to dine at Shalel! The food, service and vibe was, as always, wonderful!!
   

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2. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   New York City

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 4

   The food was ok not the best Mediterranean food I’ve had. The reviews said otherwise so I had a lot of excitement before going there. The place is interesting but looks like a basement with zero consideration for fire codes. The heaters weren’t working properly. The menu was a fusion of different things from France, Italy, Greece, Morocco, Lebanon. The didn’t serve any wine from Middle East and the Malbec we had was just mediocre. Overall it’s a mediocre restaurant, maybe I had high expectations before going….
   

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3. G

   Gina

   New York City

   5 reviews

   5.0

   5 reviews

   Dined 7 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Always love coming to this restaurant! It's so romantic and the food is consistently so so good!
   

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4. M

   Michaela

   New York City

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 7 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Cool spot. Intimate setting great vibe and nice spot for conversations
   

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5. A

   Ariel

   New York City

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on 17 February 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Great experience, thank you for accommodating us with the table we requested!
   

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6. N

   Nicholas

   New York City

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on 15 February 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   The extensive menu was full of delicious choices. Our favorites were the artichoke fritters, butternut squash bruschetta, and chicken Batseeya. The staff, especially our waitress (M?), had wonderful recommendations and was friendly and attentive. The intimate ambience, semi-private dining areas, and candlelit tables were especially inviting. I would recommend for a date night or catching up with a good friend.
   

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7. V

   Vivian

   Unspecified

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on 15 February 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 5

   The decoration is really nice but the food is mid. The service was nice
   

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8. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   New York City

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined on 15 February 2025

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 2

   I had an incredibly disappointing experience. I made reservations for Valentine’s Day a month in advance to have dinner at Shalel. Once we arrived and settled in, we noticed that they didn’t have their regular menu and only when prompted did they let us know it was only a $95 per person limited pre-fix menu that had literally none of their regular menu selection. To put it simply, the food was bad. The pre-fixe had none of the dishes that are on their regular menu. Except for a few cold mezze that were a full-price additional cost and a very small portion. The first dish put down was a large amount of dip and less than half of a piece of sliced pita for all of it. For our mains, the fish had a smell distinctly of a previously frozen fillet. When it was time for dessert, my boyfriend asked for the waiter’s recommendation and he upsold us on the strawberry shortcake that had an additional cost. When it arrived, it was made out shortbread that was almost definitely from Girl Scout shortbread cookies. Part way through the dinner, we overheard the table next to us saying to each other, “this is disappointing.” We very obviously did not eat most of our meal and other than the cursory “everything good here?” and a terse “yes,” the staff made no effort to find out if there was something wrong, which there clearly was. This was not acceptable service for a meal that ultimately cost us over $300. Everything came out quickly except for when we put the card down on the check. It took over 15 minutes for someone to come back to us. As soon as we paid, I went to the bathroom and while I was gone, the waiter came up to my boyfriend and told him that they needed to clear the table because people were waiting. The food and the service were absolutely not worth the high cost of our meal. I will not be returning and do not recommend the restaurant.
   

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9. R

   Ruth

   New York City

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on 14 February 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Our Valentines Day dinner at Shalel surpassed our expectations. The food was delicious, the staff was very gracious and accommodating. We’re planning to go back with our whole family
   

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10. J

    Jack

    New York City

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on 14 February 2025

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4

    Was super excited for valentine’s day since the vibe was intimate and nice, but it wasn’t disclosed when we booked that the menu was pre fixed. Ended up being 95 dollar per person, and we couldn’t leave due to the 50 dollar holding fee. Felt like a scam. Also service was rushing us in and out, had to slow down food to take more time. Also, the pre fix menu was not amazing.
    

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