Diabetics must resist their temptations when dining at Applebee's. Most of the items on Applebee's menu is either stuffed with sodium or sugar. You must be extra careful and pick low-sugar and low-sodium diet at Applebee's if you are diabetic.
Foods to Avoid at Applebee's for Diabetics:
If you are starting your meal with appetizers then make sure you skip the Classic Buffalo sauce, Honey BBQ sauce, and sweet Asian Chile sauce on your wings order. It is highly recommended to skip the appetizers if you are dining alone and instead build your appetizer keeping nutrition in check. Among the steaks, you must stay away from the Applebee's Riblets platter as well as Bourbon Street Steak at all costs. Shrimp 'N Parmesan Sirloin is also not recommended. Skip the sandwiches, wraps, and tacos as well. Desserts may be tempting but it is recommended to avoid them at Applebee's for their high sugar content. All the beverages except Iced Teas must be avoided as well to control your sugar intake.
Most of the foods served at Applebee's restaurants are high in sodium. Unless you are visiting the restaurant or dining here in the group, there are hardly any options from the main meals if you wish to keep your blood pressure in check. You can rely on a few salad options though. If lucky, you may find low-sodium ribs as well at the restaurant.
Foods to Avoid at Applebee's for High Blood Pressure
Avoid Green Goddess Wedge at Applebee's. Broccoli Cheese Soup and French Onion Soup contain over 1000mg sodium and hence must be skipped as well. Skip all the chicken dishes and seafood at Applebee's except Grilled Chicken Breast and Baked Haddock without sides respectively. You must also skip Brunch Burger, Quesadilla Burger, Triple Bacon Burger, and Whiskey Bacon Burger at Applebee's. High sodium intake can be lethal for a high blood pressure candidate. Avoid ordering foods that contain over 1000mg sodium at Applebee's, especially if you're dining alone.
Food Suggestions for High Blood Pressure at Applebee's
Well, steaks and ribs go hand in hand with cholesterol. Being their signature dish, it will be a challenge to find low-calorie, healthy food for those concerned with their cholesterol levels. However, you can always opt for their salads and other light foods to keep the cholesterol in check.
Foods to Avoid at Applebee's for High Cholesterol
If you have high cholesterol, then you must avoid eating sandwiches, wraps, and tacos at Applebee's. While the salads and soups sound healthy, you must skip the Fiesta Chopped Salad and Loaded Potato Soup at Applebee's. It is also advised to dodge the Three Cheese Chicken Penne and Chicken Fajita Rollup. Any main meal with over 100mg cholesterol is not idle for someone with high cholesterol. So, skip those items at Applebee's.
Food Suggestions to Maintain Cholesterol Level at Applebee's
What I really want to do is give El-Omda 4 stars, but I can't. In all fairness, they are A-Okay but not great. The main culprit being, the kitchen's slowness in putting out food. Holy cow! The four of us all had cows, sitting and waiting for apps and main courses for over 1 hour. Is that not unheard of? Apparently not at this restaurant, as others have complained about the wait-time as well. On decor, service and flavor (at least for the particular dish I had), El-Omda is easily 4 stars. But it is pretty inexcusable to have diners wait a terribly long time for their food. The restaurant wasn't that packed on the night that we went there so it was shocking that the food took so long and that they ran out of hummus. To make light of the situation, someone joked and said that they are probably flying back to Egypt to buy some groceries for our meal. On the bright side, my Kofta Kebab over rice was a very simple and elegant dish, but phenomenal in flavor. The meat was succulent and the rice was plain but marvelous. I could have had another bowl of just rice. Everything was seasoned perfectly and well-balanced. I could not have chosen a better entree. Our entire meal took nearly 3 hours, boy were we glad we had cleared our schedule for dinner beforehand otherwise, it could have been even more frustrating. To end, El-Omda is a lovely and rare Egyptian restaurant, serving quality food but with unreasonable wait times.
(3)
Edgar A.
I need to preface what I say with the fact that this place is where you go if you really want to converse with the person you are with, and have no worries about when your order arrives. I don't think the slowness of the service isn't a cultural thing as much as it is just that they are understaffed. Now, with what I said before in mind, I can comfortably give this place 4 stars. Courteous workers, great dish choices, and very good quality food (meat was just a little bit on the dry side). Come here if you want the real deal with Egyptian cuisine.
(4)
Gavin M.
Very unique food and seems pretty authentic.
(3)
Megan V.
This place was amazing! I also had one on the restaurant.com certificates for $25 off, which I bought after I saw the positive Yelp reviews. This really is one of my favorite restaurants in Astoria now. The prices are extremely reasonable and you get a ton of food. The staff was so friendly, and helpful when it came to questions about the menu. The place was pretty busy when we arrived, but the owner pulled out an extra table for us so we could be seated. We immediately felt welcome. I went with my friend who I call my culinary partner in crime. We're always up for trying new places, and we hit the jackpot here. We had Missah (cold eggplant stew), Baba Ghanouj and Fava Beans to start. The Fava Beans were by far my favorite - so briney and delicious, and perfect when scooped up with the warm pita. They also brought out two house salads which were fresh and tasty. We had lamb shank and rabbit for our entrees, which we shared. The rabbit was slightly overdone but still had a great flavor. The lamb on the other hand was absolutely perfect. These came with a nice rice pilaf and pickled vegetables. We both agreed it was one of the best meals we'd had in a while. I will definitely be back. Oh yeah, with the restaurant.com certificate, our whole bill (with tax) came out to a whopping $25. Seriously. Even without the certificate, it would have been very reasonable, and we ate like kings. One downside - no booze. However, they may have a BYOB policy but I'm not sure. We weren't really up for drinking that night anyway!
(5)
Richard W.
The bottom line with this place: it's an Egyptian food place that's convenient to Astoria Boulevard and they serve a bunch of unique Egyptian dishes that I've never heard of (and was curious about). To be honest, I found it to be a little bit pricy for what was served. The volume of food provided was good, but it was not as tasty as I would've liked. However, their hummus was pretty good. :) The restaurant itself is pretty plainly decorated and there's a prominent Middle Eastern vibe to the place between the Tahrir Square protests in Cairo that were on the TV (with the news coverage in Arabic). The waitstaff were super nice and they get an A+ for service. I ended up getting hummus and this like essentially ground beef macaroni and cheese dish, which was pretty good although very plain in flavor. It was a unique Egyptian dish that I had never heard of so I figured I'd give it a try. I might go back again if I'm in the area just to see what else they've got shaking because some of their other dishes sounded pretty interesting. It might also be worth asking for recommendations since I have no idea what some of these dishes are despite reasonable descriptions on the menu more or less describing what's in each dish.
(3)
Chris I.
Being determined to make the most of the April Yelp challenge I searched (for hours) to find a restaurant that I a. wanted to eat at and b. had less than 10 reviews. I found the two in El Omda. It's on 28th ave away from the deluge of restaurants that saturate Astoria. This might be why it's not as busy as it should be. Armed with my appetite for different cuisines and a $25 coupon from restaurant.com I headed out on a Sat night with the girlfriend and high hopes. The restaurant itself it on the smaller side. About 10 regular tables and some low tables in the back that have cushions for you to sit on. They have all sorts of different hanging light fixtures and the place is spotless. You can tell they take pride in their restaurant and it shows. An Egyptian soap opera was on in the dining room and i found myself watching it severak times. (it is my conclusion that soaps are bad in any language) We were greeted warmly and told to take any seat we liked. maybe 2 other sets of people were there while we dined. They do not serve alcohol in this restaurant so if you like to have a few cocktails before you eat I'd suggest pre-gaming at home. They also do not serve pork but the menu is vast and there are many many options so I didn't find it to be limiting in any way. After perusing the menu over and over again (everything sounded so good) I decided on the liver to start and the capon, the GF had seafood over pasta. Each meal come with a salad which as other reviewers have noted was done really well. The veggies, crisp and the dressing light. It also comes with some pickled vegetables, tahini spread and some really delicious bread. A nice prelude to the rest of the meal to come. In my food selections I take the road less traveled. Hell I'll go as far as to say getting to my food choices involves needing a machete, a compass and a torch. No man's land. I am often rewarded for this boldness with new and amazing tastes. And with that my liver arrived. sauteed in olive oil with cumin and jalapenos (how did they know I love them) It was out of this world. Really fresh (you know when you get bad liver) and seasoned perfectly. Next was the capon, " But Chris ?" you ask, "What is capon?" It's basically castrated roosted. Yup I just said that and you can't unread it. They do that to make the meat taste better, less gamey if you will. And apparently it works. It was about the size of a cornish hen and was basically like eating a chicken that was entirely juicy delicious dark meat. And they stuff it with rice and said rice soaks up all of the juicy goodness of the bird. Nicely done, probably could have been a little more meat but I was content. It came with the vegetable of the day which was okra in a light red sauce, also very very good. My GF got the seafood over pasta, or as I will now refer to it as " 12lbs of seafood over 2lbs of pasta" Seriously It was a huge portion. ( I have a pic of it posted cuz I'm good like that) Pasta cooked perfectly, seafood really really fresh and a nice red sauce that had a little something extra to it. Very well done. After stuffing myself on delicious eats we skipped desert and opted for some Turkish coffee and Egyptian tea. The coffee was great, gritty, but not too gritty if you know what I mean and the tea with it's fresh mint added was a nice way to settle my overstuffed stomach. I really really enjoyed my meal here. We were there for close to two hours. Just taking our time, never being rushed never treated like we didn't belong there. The owner came up a few times and asked how everything was. Our waitress was really nice too. offering options and making sure we were well taken care of. Our mission is to highlight the less reviewed, I've done my part, now it's up to you to come here and enjoy what El Omda is serving up. I know you'll be happy you did because as I've always said, when it comes to food , always trust the fat kid :)
(4)
Antonietta L.
I'm not a great fan on writing reviews but this was so funny i wanted to share.The waitress service was so bad i actually wanted to laugh because for a moment i thought someone wanted to pull a prank. We were prepared to wait for a comfortable table and we decided to sit by the door until then. Finally, the waitress came over and took our orders. When we got seated at our table we were served the two soups and salads and eggplant dish that were ordered. I asked the waitress that i'd like a soup too... Our orders came and it was funny because only one order was correct..I really didn't want to make a big deal because they were busy but my friend said "why should u eat something you didn't order", He then called the waitress over and she claimed to give the kitchen the proper order (I doubt it )but iI was still waiting for the soup......above all the whole night was a comedy of errors, but I do have to say the food at El-Omda is fantastic and yes I recommend it.....just watch out for the waitress!!! Ps: By the way I never got the soup....lol
(4)
Michele S.
tried this restaurant last night and the food was really great and good portion. I came with a group of four and found enough tables for us in the restaurant. They had a really cute nook in the back of the restaurant where you can sit on cushions on lower tables which was really cute for if you want to relax while eating. My group didn't know a lot about egyptian food but was similar to the other middle eastern food nearby. We got two appetizers: STUFFED CABBAGE LEAVES= stuffed with rice and other amazing spices, amazing and a must FALAFEL= 5 flat patties, was a bit burnt and im used to a light crispy falafel We got Three entrees:they all came with a plain salad and rice on the side LAMB CHOPS=was really good a little tough but flavor was good EL OMBDA MIX=definitely recommend it if you can't decide, has a great mix of kebaba, and other meat selections on their menu altogether. spices are good and our whole group liked this the best GRILLED FISH (branzina)=they gave two choices for fish, brazina or poger(which is a cheap fish) and was over priced for it being just grilled. I was not a fan and am a seafood person and it lacked flavor was a bit dry in my opinion. overall definitely a good spot out of the craziness of steinway st and nearby all the bars and all if you want to go drink or go somewhere after dinner. I would get a five stars but our waitress kept forgetting our order, our drinks and was waiting around for a table when it was empty.
(4)
Maiy S.
We ordered the mixed grill. The chicken was dry. The kofta kebob was raw on the inside. Portions were really small. The mombar was tasteless. The only decent dish was the okra. The service was awful. Bad experience wouldn't come here again. Cairo steak house was a much better experience.
(1)
Angelique A.
I loved El Omda even before the renovation when it looked pretty sketchy and there was no menu (you just had to decide between the specials of the day) and no one really spoke English. The food is so good that the renovation was totally unnecessary because I would eat here regardless of what it looked like. I went back yesterday with my mom and I was pleasantly surprised by how much nicer it looks now. I was afraid that they may have new management and the food wouldn't be as good , but it is still great. I had lamb shank which was tender and delicious, accompanied by bamia (okra in tomato sauce) and rice. They make the best bamia in NYC. I also had a lemonade which was done the Egyptian way, blended with mint I think. Try it! It is amazing and refreshing. The waitress was friendly and spoke English. That's always a plus in Arab establishments. My mom and I had such a good time that when we were leaving, she said, "Make sure you write a good review on yelp." I didn't even know my mom knew about yelp lol. I took off 1 star because I was disappointed that they didn't have the 2 things I went there for: The 1/2 chicken and the macaroni bechamel, my favorite Egyptian dish. I was curious about whether or not the chicken and the macaroni would be as good post renovation. I hope when I go back that they have it.
(4)
Alex B.
I love this easy-going place. Very often you can see people from Egypt congregating, relaxing and enjoying an excellent meal, authentically prepared . I have come here on a number of occasions and never been disappointed by its simple and inviting feeling . All the food speaks for itself . It isn't drowned by phonies sauces by Cooks that try to imitate cuisines from foreign places . I'm an American not Egyptian. And ,this is my,.... " I don't want to think too much about what I want ,or who will see me or who I will see , it's just,.. to come here and spend some time ,and have a good dinner,... place I go. And that is why I think it is a good place to bring friends . I have read the commentary of slow service , and personally I have not noticed for myself too, too long a wait . But I guess I was engaged with the conversation with friends or, at other times, I like to bring a book with me to read and think . I suppose for me, suffice it to say, I don't mind waiting for food that delivers what this place does . You could , at the perceived moment of inquiry , ask the waiter, or even the owner ,the perfectly legitimate question, how long a particular dish takes to prepare . Or order a little ahead of time before you get there . Bring a nice bottle of wine with you to relax .
(5)
Gerald A.
Their food is delicious, homestyle Egyptian food just like back home. I believe this is why their food tastes so good but takes a while to make especially when they're busy. Due to a native mother making all the food the time taken to make meals is understandable. They could have hired Joe Schmo to make quick, and bland meals, instead they care so much that they choose to leave a native mother in charge of maintaining the integrity of "El Omda"....Five Cheers!
(5)
Kate P.
There are a lot of things I'm enjoying about my April yelp challenge. 1) Making new yelp friends: Case in point Chris I 2) Reading great reviews by these new yelp friends about cool new places: Case in point Chris I's review of El Omada Egyptian Cuisine. I'm always looking for new places to eat in the neighborhood and this place being just off the beaten path of busy 30th avenue was a perfect place for us to try on a lazy Saturday night. This cute little restaurant is small on both the inside and the outside, but what they serve up is anything but small! Armed with a $25 coupon (Thanks again Chris I. for the tip) my eyes devoured the menu! We started off with a trio of dips that came with soft and perfectly chewy bread for dipping or spreading. The hummus and tahini dip was spot on, and the baba ganoush was one of the best I have ever had, simply wonderful. They also throw in some pickled vegetables.... and I do love me some pickled vegetables. I was sold (I would be coming back) and our meals hadn't even arrived. All the dishes come with salad. And like the reviews before me have pointed out this salad (yes the side salad that comes with your meal) is incredible. Really! It's got all these herbs mixed in along with the perfect mix of lettuce's and veggies. It didn't even need the amazing side of dressing it came with. I had settled on the lamb shank over rice. It was cooked to perfection being tender and juicy the way lamb should be. It also came with this spectacular red vegetable sauce that I kept pouring all over my fluffy rice. Yum! My companion on this journey ordered the Mussels Over Pasta in a light creamy white sauce. This can only be described as an entire colony of mussels living on pasta. The pile of shells on top of shells was so high we couldn't see each other. It smelled amazing and I'm told tasted even better. * shakes fist at the allergy gods * We were suitably stuffed so we passed on dessert. Something I rarely do, but to our surprise we were brought some complimentary dessert to take home with us all wrapped and ready to go. My eyes sparkled once again as I couldn't wait for to eat this treat in about an hour or so. For under $50 (without the coupon) our dinner was spectacular. I cannot wait to go back and try some of the more 'exciting' meals they list on their menu. Don't let the 'no pork and no alcohol' fool you; this place is worth every step to get there and every penny once inside. The only downside to my experience here was I some how lost my take out bag of dessert after we left. I didn't even see what the dessert looked like or what it was, and I just know it would have been super yummy! So yummy if that little takeout bag showed it's face right now, I'd eat it...oh yes I would.
(5)
Mackenzie F.
DELICIOUS. ARRIVE READY TO EAT! the portions are enormous. delicious food & good value. the service is SLIGHTLY low, but really friendly. laid-back style. I live a few blocks away and am always shocked that it's not more crowded. i only wish they had booze! or BYOB.
(5)
Michele B.
I will preface this review by saying that I never had Egyptian food before this. However as someone who is familiar with all different types of middle eastern food, I thought this was place was very average. It was a big let down after reading all the reviews of this place on Yelp. I shared the macaroni bashmel and El Omda mix Platter with my husband. The food had very little flavor and the meat was on the dryer side. The macaroni bashmel resembled something from Chef Boyardee. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with Chef Boyardee, but I want something a little more exciting at a restaurant. Lastly, we were the only two people in the restaurant besides a group of people that seemed to be family members or friends of the owners, which made for an awkward dining experience.
(3)
Kittie P.
I had a coupon for this place and it turns out its in my neighborhood but I'd never noticed it before. it's kinda nondescript from the outside, but don't let that fool you. There were only a few regulars hanging out when we got there, and it was otherwise empty. I'm glad I convinced my party to go in as the food was amazing! I had the lamb shank (fall off the bone good), my guy had the stuffed pigeon (coupun i think it was called) and our friend had the mixed grill. The hummous and grape leaves were some of the best I've had. We splurged and go a side of foul mamadoaus (fava beans) which were out of this world! If you can get over the looks of the place, the food was well worth it. The staff was also very friendly and attentive. Plus the other couple regulars who were hanging out were also welcoming. Only down side- no booze. But guess that helps keep the bill lower :)
(5)
Sunny C.
Loved this place. The food was absolutely delicious, and if you go here, it should be specifically for the food and with LOTS of time on hand. As many others have noted, currently there is only 1 waitress, 1 chef I would assume, and that combo makes for a VERY SLOWWWW MEAL. It's the reason I'm giving this place 4 stars instead of 5. Oh, and the tv can be a bit loud.. but asking the waitress to turn it down a notch usually does the trick. For appetizers, we loved the salad, hummus, and I personally really enjoyed the pickled veggies. They're lightly pickled and quite tasty. For dinner, my roommie ordered the beef tagin, and frankly, I was jealous for the rest of the night. It was absolutely delicious. Very flavorful, well-balanced and meat was tender and tasty. I ordered the mixed grill lamb and chicken, and that too was excellent. The meats were well-seasoned and tasty. For dessert, we shared the rice pudding. I liked it, but I have a personal dislike for rose-water/syrup/oils, and so didn't like the slight aftertaste of it in the rice pudding. Next time I'll just stick to the baklavas.
(4)
Kyri K.
This place was awesome. We got to sit on the floor tables in the back and our waitress was really great. We got a ton of apps and dips and they were all delicious. Favorites were the foul muddamas and the calamari tagine. Definitely try this place out.
(5)
Kyle B.
This place is never busy, and I have NO IDEA why. My boyfriend and I stopped in after I suggested we go see about why I never really see anyone in this place. Also, I've never had any kind of Egyptian food, so it was an all out new thing for me. We had a starter of baba ganoush, which came with some hummus and tahini and bread. Also, it seems most items come with a salad which was really well made (an important point, some places have no clue how to put together a decent salad). The hummus was fantastic, as was the tahini and baba ganoush. The bread alone would have been perfectly fine (very tasty), but the spread of spreads was just perfect. I had a salmon steak with mixed rice, and the boyfriend had a lamb shank with white rice. The salmon was seasoned perfectly, though I had to pick out some bones which wasn't super convenient but didn't really bother me. It's important to note, though. The lamb was amazing! Well seasoned and wonderfully cooked. Absolutely a must try. Their rice was also very very good. The lamb came with a bowl of vegetable sauce-ish stuff that we didn't really pick up the name of but was rich and delicious. Our waitress was super nice the entire time, and even dropped by after our meal with a free rice pudding. It was good enough to make room for after our meal, the portions of which were very generous. So to recap, that's bread, two salads, three sodas (2 for me, 1 for him), three spreads/dips, two giant portions of rice with meats and a complimentary dessert. It all came to just under 40$, which for enough food for that night and the next day's lunch is pretty excellent. We'll definitely be going back, and I hope to see more people there next time.
(5)
Alexander Z.
Everything we had, from the complimentary house salad to the hummus to the soup with a type of dark Egyptian spinach-like green and cilantro to the lamb shank was very freshly prepared and bursting with flavor. In addition, the staff was very helpful and friendly. When we asked about the specific type of green used in the soup, the owner actually showed us the main ingredient, told us where we can get it and even offered to give us one package of the greens. There's a very nice floor seating area in back that I would imagine would be great for a large party, and I enjoyed observing the Egyptian patrons watching an Arabic-language movie on the t.v. near the front. A great overall experience.
(5)
Roman O.
I cannot speak to the quality of the food as I NEVER got it. I ordered via GRUBHUB and after 40 minutes Someone called from El Omda and told me they just got the order. I verified with GH that they confirmed the order 10 minutes after I submitted it. I would not be so upset if they did not LIE to me. On top of that they did not have half the stuff I ordered. I canceled the order. I would have given them a chance if they were at all honest.
(1)
Mary P.
Great food and warm service, definitely a great place to frequent!
Never order delivery from them. It took them an hour and a half to deliver cold food 6 blocks from their restaurant. When reheated their food is average at best.
(1)
Sarah S.
I got takeout from El Omda [used to be Al Omda?] tonight because I was sick of all the same places we always order from. I live right across the street, and was curious - they recently redid it and it's under new management. I probably wouldn't have ventured to try if not for the sidewalk chalkboard menu listing all kinds of seafood. Seafood is my weakness. Maybe this is an unfair assumption [I never researched it], but based on the one review I had read about the old/previous place awhile back, I thought the only food they had served was very traditional Egyptian - which was intimidating [rabbit, cow brains?]. This assumption, paired with the fact that it is generally empty, but for the same group of men hanging out, caused me to avoid it before. But tonight I gave it a chance and I'm glad I did. I ordered Lobster Soup and Mussels Over Pasta [you're given the choice of red or white sauce - I chose white]. This wound up coming with a side salad and bread. The salad was great. You might say, how do you mess up a salad? But, it can be done and is by restaurants quite frequently. This salad could stand alone without dressing, because it's infused with herbs and all of the vegetables in it were right. There was cilantro throughout and I believe - dill. I had some feta in the fridge and with that is was complete. They also give some special dressing on the side - which I would have used if I didn't have feta. The lobster soup was OK. I am used to lobster bisque, which is thicker. This was still cream based and had similar flavor, but was thin [but it's not called a bisque, but a soup - should have expected that]. It was also slightly salty for my taste. I opened the container of Mussels Over Pasta and to my surprise, found a MOUNTAIN of mussels in the shell. In my head for some reason I was thinking they would be out of the shell tossed in, but this was impressive. I am not exaggerating when I say there were 30 mussels packed on top. The white version is a butter based sauce with garlic and herbs - plus the juices from the mussels. I special-requested mine to be spicy, so they added crushed red pepper. I would recommend it based on my experience. Not sure you can find another place that charges $11 for such a generous serving of mussels. Their seafood menu has 17 choices, ranging from $11-25. The rest of the menu does include standard Egyptian dishes [even rabbit, along with lamb, chicken, duck, beef, eggplant and more]. The owner was the one who helped me and was very friendly. They also have Wifi available if you want to hang out there. One thing to note - the environment is unique. Right now, it's not one of those places that draw a variety of people - it seems mostly Egyptian people, and they have a TV in the front broadcasting an Egyptian channel.
(4)
Shabi R.
Amazing Food, Great Atmosphere, Friendliest Staff EVER. Did i get your attention? You have to try this place. We decided to try El Omda because I had a restaurants.com gift certificate to use. The restaurant is very clean and nicely decorated. There are tables in the front, but we chose to sit on their floor seating in the back. There was 4 of us and we needed to spend a $100, so we got a lot of food. To start we got the liver, fava beans, and falafel. I can very confidently say that each one individually was the best I have ever had. The fava beans were my favorite. The portions are HUGE. For main dishes, we had the rabbit, the Lamb chop, the Lamb shank, and the El Omda Mix. The rabbit was tender and delicious. Both lamb dishes were spectacular. The true grilled flavor on them was stellar. The El Omda Mix, was great because you get to try a little of everything. The chicken was super spicy. My boyfriend did say that the Kofta was so good, that he would be ordering that the next time. The rabbit and the Lamb Shank came with vegetables. You can pick the vegetable, so our friends picked Egyptian Okra and White Beans. These were the only things I would say were less than Amazing. After dinner, we ordered Turkish Coffee. It was a first for me, but I loved it. The staff is so friendly and accommodating. The location is a little off the beaten path, so you kind of have to know about it to go. I have found a new staple restaurant which I am already excited to go back to, even though i was just there 12 hours ago.
(5)
J P.
lovely place--the food was very good and very reasonably priced. happy i found these reviews and decided to try it. i will be back soon. :)
(5)
Richard L.
2 Stars...sadly - i feel bad about giving them a 2 stars - the only thing that saved this place from 1 star is that the food was tasty. *Note* Immediately when we entered we noticed only one waitress in the restaurant. So - to say that they are slow is an understatement. So my buddy decided to choose this place for a surprise b-day party for his GF and since most of us hasn't seen each other in a while, it was a nice get together with lots of talking. We arrived at 8 pm, and was seated in the back table that was a floor seating. It's not really comfortable, but it's serviceable. We chatted, hung out, laughed and kept talking, but for 45 minutes...there was no service. No water, no plates, napkins or utensils, nada. Again - not really a big deal by itself - but we were all very hungry and at this point getting annoyed. At the 45 minute mark the lone waitress brought over several baskets of nan bread and sauce (not even sure what kind of sauce b/c i was so hungry i didn't ask) and our party devoured it all. There was not one piece left. (It should be noted this was also the same time we got water as some of us were more parched than others) As we were eating the bread, the waitress started taking our orders. So feeling something in the tummy again - we were satisfied for a little while then 20 minutes later salad comes out. The salad was alright - nothing special. And finally 30 minutes after that food came out. All the while we sat and talked and was in general jovial, and all the while we watched the waitress scurry about with the other tables. The food - everyone's food - the portions were pretty good - but at this time we were all ravenous and gobbled everything up. By the time we left it was 10:45, almost 11 pm. So that was a pretty long dinner.
(2)
Vesna G.
My boyfriend & I came here a few months ago and ordered the Tajin calamari, fried calamari, and whole shrimp. They were all great dishes. But warning, there's a wait! So don't go in extremely hungry like we did and ate every piece of pita before our meal!
(4)
Peter S.
Had delivery. Unfortunately the delivery guy smashed some of our food and it spilled in the bag. I'm not going to rate them based on this because it can happen to any delivery guy. My rating is based solely on the food. Soup and Salad ============ Yellow Lentil Soup: B A very nice lentil soup. Nice flavor. A tad uninspired. Maybe fresh lemon, bits of cooked lentil or cooked onion, or perhaps some watercress or cilantro would've made it more exciting. Still, it was a good lentil soup. Special Dishes =========== Tajin Rice: B Basically rice pilaf with the cooked film on top. Better than the rice they serve with the platters, but only marginally so. It does go nicely with the foul, however. It was cooked "al-dente" ... some might say under-cooked. Not quite crunchy, but not quite soft, either. I was expecting something a bit more ethnic. Maybe sauteed/grilled onion bits? Foul Medames: A- A lovely foul: delicious and vibrant. I'm giving it A- instead of an A for being a bit too salty. Entrees ====== Kofta Kebab: B- Tasty but much too overdone. Dry and overcooked. Duck: A Lovely. I got a leg of duck which was well cooked and well spiced. It was fatty the way you expect duck to be. Simply wonderful! Dessert ====== Rice Pudding: C Horrible. I liked the fact that it wasn't sweet (just a very small hint of sweetness) but it was awfully plain. It should've made up for the lack of sugar or honey with something like cardamon, cinnamon or rose water. Much too plain.. like eating very semi sweet white rice!
(3)
Christopher M.
****Please note that this review is purely based on service - or lack thereof - to delivery clientele. Yes, this is a site where we like to find out about food. But we also like to find out about service.**** I've been wanting to try this place ever since I moved in around the corner almost a year ago. But it never seemed to have customers. And it never gave me the vide that I wanted to eat inside. So I figured I'd order delivery at some point. This past Sunday, I placed an order for El Omda through Seamless around 6 pm. Twenty minutes later, I had yet to receive an email confirming that my order had been accepted. I call El Omda. I let it ring for nearly a minute. No one picks up. I call seamless. They tell me El Omda should be open. They try to call. They can't get an answer. My card has already been charged. So now seamless has to cancel my order, refund my card (said monies of which I won't have for another 5-7 business days). And they shoot another email to both me and El Omda saying the order was canceled. I now have to find another place from which to order. I do. It is now almost 7 pm. I get two confirmations: one from El Omda, and one from the new restaurant. I presume they'll see the cancellation email next, and won't fulfill the order. Around 7:15, an hour and fifteen minutes after I placed my order and 20 minutes after they accepted said order, El Omda calls me to inform that they don't have the lobster soup...so will I take vegetable (this is a comparable replacement in cuisine and cost how?)...oh...and they also don't have the lamb chop for the mixed grill...so what else would I like. So I inform them to keep reading through their emails, as seamless cancelled my order over thirty minutes ago. The response, "Oh." and a hang up. I cannot recommend ordering delivery from them. I cannot recommend eating in. I can recommend going to Favela Grill next door for phenomenal cuisine and brilliant customer service.
(1)
Meriem R.
I ate there before it was ok but not amazing. I decided to give it another chance. Boy was i wrong not a good experience. The food tasted bad and to top it off a roach popped up in my husband coffee towards the end. Needless to say we did not want to make a scene as the waiter was very nice and its not his fault. We paid the bill quietly and told the waiter very discreetly what happened than exited.
(1)
Christian P.
I should probably have guessed a culture that could erect pyramids and perfect the art of removing a brain through the nose was capable of wondrous things. I wouldn't have guessed that cuisine would fall into that category. I was prepared to hate this place and was getting my bad review typing fingers warmed up after waiting over an hour for the food to arrive. Then something magical happened... First of all, the portions are enormous. It looked like I had ordered enough to cater a party instead of dinner for two people. Second, this is some of the best food (if not THE best) I have had since moving to New York. The beef is slow cooked and you can cut it with a fork. The chicken kebabs, falafel and rice dishes are, likewise, incredible. The flavors were so unique and different- my mouth was literally being forced to learn a new class of food. And it was awesome. I have never in my life said to anyone "Man, I could really go for some Egyptian food right now." But I can tell you with all honesty, this is my new favorite restaurant in the world. Just think...the WORLD. Just try it. And be patient with the slow delivery- it is absolutely worth it.
(5)
Steven R.
Maybe my horrible experience of this place was a product of coming too late (we arrived at 9 and they close at 10) but my party of 6 had one of the worst restaurant experiences we've ever had. The place has a nice atmosphere, dimmed lights and Egyptian TV give it a very authentic vibe. The waitress was for the most part distant. She came to get out orders, drop off our food, and we had to flag her down to get the check. The first red flag of the evening is when they told us they had no menus. She ten told us all entrees were $25 dollars despite the fact that on the online menu some were only $15. She told us that the portions were big enough to share so we reluctantly agreed to pay almost twice the price for our dishes. When they arrived however they were not as large as she made them out to be. The good dishes were the shishkebab and the combo platter. The shishkebab was like any other shishkebab you would normally order. However with only 8 pieces of meat you are paying a premium of $3 per cube of meat. The combo had plenty of food and should be enough to warrant the meal a 2 star rating. However the last two dishes were borderline inedible. The first of the bad dishes was the rabbit. Our $25 rabbit consisted of a leg and half of a thigh. The meat was dry and even more bland. It tasted like dry unseasoned chicken breast. The duck, our last meal, was perhaps the worst meal I have ever ordered from a restaurant. It was a sizable portion but plain and was so dry that it was almost impossible to eat. I had to chew a bite sized portion for over a minute and still struggled to swallow. Despite the price we couldn't get ourselves to finish it. We realized in the middle of the meal that the duck and rabbit tasted exactly like someone over-microwaving leftovers. So my advice to people coming here: Avoid the duck and rabbit, argue the pricing, and do not come an hour before closing.
(1)
Jess K.
We went here with a restaurant.com gift certificate. The reviews really had my hopes up high and while I thought the food was good, I don't think it is omfg wowwwww good. I thought everything needed some salt so I added that to my food. The water pitcher they leave on the table is sooo heaaaavy. Just saying. Also, I got mosquito bitten a lot. Not their fault but still, I was itchy by the time we left and that's not a fun feeling. Also, our waitress lost our bill. Or something? So she just said an amount and we added up what we thought it should be and it sounded right. But still, random. I got the sampler platter and my fiance got a lamb kebab type dish. It was a lot of food. The potatoes that came with my fiance's meal were excellent. The rice that came with both of our meals was just plain rice and so I am not sure how exactly you are supposed to improve on it to make it delicious. I added the potato mixture to it. We really enjoyed the pita bread and the free little platter of hummus. That was heavy on the tahini but really good even if I thought the flavor was slightly off from what I expected. We both agreed we would definitely go back here. We saw the "cooks" in the back and that solidified in our minds that this is a family business. We are glad we came here and this is definitely among my top restaurant.com finds.
(4)
Martha L.
Overall, very tasty food but very slow service. Great when you want a leisurely 2-hour meal. I came with my friend on a Saturday for brunch. We couldn't judge if it was authentic or not, but everything was very delicious. We ordered: MISSAH - nicely grilled eggplant and pepper, but the tomato sauce was not infused into the vegetables. FATA - A rice dish cooked in soup with beef on top and pita bread at the bottom. Very rich. GRILLED BLACKENED WHOLE PORGY - although I disliked the black coat of seasoning, the fish was fresh. The rice that comes with the fish was very flavorful and yet not heavy. RICE PUDDING - the most milky and liquidly rice pudding I have ever had, compared to Turkish, Latin and Spanish rice pudding. The lady told me they ran out of nuts for garnish. I wish there was some for more complexity and a kick. SALLOP - like steamed condensed milk. Too sweet for me. Perhaps the missing nuts on top would have balanced the sweetness out. The portion here is huge. I would come back again to try their meat, baklava and mint tea. I read the reviews before coming and prepared myself for slow service. Our server didn't come to take our order until 30 minutes after we have sat down. Yet, he was very friendly and patience and answered all our questions with Egyptian cuisine. Food also came quite slowly, but everything came together. There was another lady who served us desserts. From the way she spoke, it seemed like she was the dessert chef. She was very friendly and she kept helping my friend and I take photos. My friend and I had a really nice, relaxing brunch here and look forward to the next time.
(4)
Carol L.
Overall some very yummy food and a nice experience. We had a large group but the staff was accommodating and sweet, but as others have noted service was rather leisurely in pace. (I'm more generous than you, Rich lol.) The pita they served with tahini was the most delicious, warm pita I've had in a long time. The portions were nice sizes. Someone ordered the falafel and it was a large plate! They looked a little on the dark side, but had good flavor and didn't taste burned. For my entree I had the seafood rice and it was tasty, but very oily. Another person in the group got it as well and came across a grit from the shellfish. I lucked out and didn't really have any in mine. Everyone else seemed to like their dishes a lot. I'd come back, but definitely not on a day/night where I have somewhere else to be afterwards.
(4)
Lauren C.
First off, a few tips... they are very slow. If you say you're headed somewhere else they speed it up a bit. They do not have alcohol. Yep, it's that authentic. I didn't really like the baba ganoush, but everything else was awesome. The falafel, hummus and chicken kabob were all awesome. My friend had a beef tagine and said the beef wasn't as tender as she would have liked. There is also a tv with egyptian shows blaring. Normally this would annoy me, but because it was an egyptian station, and everyone seemed to be excitedly watching it, it was fine. At one point, someone came in with a suitcase that said egyptian airlines on it. I'd definitely recommend this place for authentic egyptian.
(5)
Jessica B.
The food was 4 or 5 stars, the service 2. I hate it when that happens, because I really want to have more of the food but rarely do I want to sit around all day wondering when it might finally arrive! Having said that, we really enjoyed the food we did get here. I got the Tagin Beef which was tender and came in a rich tasty sauce. The stuffed grape leaves were an appetizer I would definitely order again. The ambiance is a little strange. They had a few guys who didn't seem to be customers sitting around watching the Egyptian TV channel. You kinda got the feeling you were having a chilled out holiday at a family member's house, while someone in the kitchen cooked slowly and people did their own thing until it was ready. Give it a shot, but clear your schedule for the evening and bring a friend you can talk to!
(3)
Nora A.
If you want authentic Egyptian cuisine this is the place to go. I had the koshari and mousa3a (moussaka) and both were delicious. I wish the koshari had more of the onions on top but the da2- the sauce that came with it was amazing I literally poured it all over my dish. The prices are reasonable (my bill only came to $15) and the portion size was pretty big.
(5)
Gavin M.
Very unique food and seems pretty authentic.
(3)
Vesna G.
My boyfriend & I came here a few months ago and ordered the Tajin calamari, fried calamari, and whole shrimp. They were all great dishes. But warning, there's a wait! So don't go in extremely hungry like we did and ate every piece of pita before our meal!
(4)
Nora A.
If you want authentic Egyptian cuisine this is the place to go. I had the koshari and mousa3a (moussaka) and both were delicious. I wish the koshari had more of the onions on top but the da2- the sauce that came with it was amazing I literally poured it all over my dish. The prices are reasonable (my bill only came to $15) and the portion size was pretty big.
(5)
Peter S.
Had delivery. Unfortunately the delivery guy smashed some of our food and it spilled in the bag. I'm not going to rate them based on this because it can happen to any delivery guy. My rating is based solely on the food. Soup and Salad ============ Yellow Lentil Soup: B A very nice lentil soup. Nice flavor. A tad uninspired. Maybe fresh lemon, bits of cooked lentil or cooked onion, or perhaps some watercress or cilantro would've made it more exciting. Still, it was a good lentil soup. Special Dishes =========== Tajin Rice: B Basically rice pilaf with the cooked film on top. Better than the rice they serve with the platters, but only marginally so. It does go nicely with the foul, however. It was cooked "al-dente" ... some might say under-cooked. Not quite crunchy, but not quite soft, either. I was expecting something a bit more ethnic. Maybe sauteed/grilled onion bits? Foul Medames: A- A lovely foul: delicious and vibrant. I'm giving it A- instead of an A for being a bit too salty. Entrees ====== Kofta Kebab: B- Tasty but much too overdone. Dry and overcooked. Duck: A Lovely. I got a leg of duck which was well cooked and well spiced. It was fatty the way you expect duck to be. Simply wonderful! Dessert ====== Rice Pudding: C Horrible. I liked the fact that it wasn't sweet (just a very small hint of sweetness) but it was awfully plain. It should've made up for the lack of sugar or honey with something like cardamon, cinnamon or rose water. Much too plain.. like eating very semi sweet white rice!
(3)
Michele B.
I will preface this review by saying that I never had Egyptian food before this. However as someone who is familiar with all different types of middle eastern food, I thought this was place was very average. It was a big let down after reading all the reviews of this place on Yelp. I shared the macaroni bashmel and El Omda mix Platter with my husband. The food had very little flavor and the meat was on the dryer side. The macaroni bashmel resembled something from Chef Boyardee. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with Chef Boyardee, but I want something a little more exciting at a restaurant. Lastly, we were the only two people in the restaurant besides a group of people that seemed to be family members or friends of the owners, which made for an awkward dining experience.
(3)
Kittie P.
I had a coupon for this place and it turns out its in my neighborhood but I'd never noticed it before. it's kinda nondescript from the outside, but don't let that fool you. There were only a few regulars hanging out when we got there, and it was otherwise empty. I'm glad I convinced my party to go in as the food was amazing! I had the lamb shank (fall off the bone good), my guy had the stuffed pigeon (coupun i think it was called) and our friend had the mixed grill. The hummous and grape leaves were some of the best I've had. We splurged and go a side of foul mamadoaus (fava beans) which were out of this world! If you can get over the looks of the place, the food was well worth it. The staff was also very friendly and attentive. Plus the other couple regulars who were hanging out were also welcoming. Only down side- no booze. But guess that helps keep the bill lower :)
(5)
Sunny C.
Loved this place. The food was absolutely delicious, and if you go here, it should be specifically for the food and with LOTS of time on hand. As many others have noted, currently there is only 1 waitress, 1 chef I would assume, and that combo makes for a VERY SLOWWWW MEAL. It's the reason I'm giving this place 4 stars instead of 5. Oh, and the tv can be a bit loud.. but asking the waitress to turn it down a notch usually does the trick. For appetizers, we loved the salad, hummus, and I personally really enjoyed the pickled veggies. They're lightly pickled and quite tasty. For dinner, my roommie ordered the beef tagin, and frankly, I was jealous for the rest of the night. It was absolutely delicious. Very flavorful, well-balanced and meat was tender and tasty. I ordered the mixed grill lamb and chicken, and that too was excellent. The meats were well-seasoned and tasty. For dessert, we shared the rice pudding. I liked it, but I have a personal dislike for rose-water/syrup/oils, and so didn't like the slight aftertaste of it in the rice pudding. Next time I'll just stick to the baklavas.
(4)
Kyri K.
This place was awesome. We got to sit on the floor tables in the back and our waitress was really great. We got a ton of apps and dips and they were all delicious. Favorites were the foul muddamas and the calamari tagine. Definitely try this place out.
(5)
Kyle B.
This place is never busy, and I have NO IDEA why. My boyfriend and I stopped in after I suggested we go see about why I never really see anyone in this place. Also, I've never had any kind of Egyptian food, so it was an all out new thing for me. We had a starter of baba ganoush, which came with some hummus and tahini and bread. Also, it seems most items come with a salad which was really well made (an important point, some places have no clue how to put together a decent salad). The hummus was fantastic, as was the tahini and baba ganoush. The bread alone would have been perfectly fine (very tasty), but the spread of spreads was just perfect. I had a salmon steak with mixed rice, and the boyfriend had a lamb shank with white rice. The salmon was seasoned perfectly, though I had to pick out some bones which wasn't super convenient but didn't really bother me. It's important to note, though. The lamb was amazing! Well seasoned and wonderfully cooked. Absolutely a must try. Their rice was also very very good. The lamb came with a bowl of vegetable sauce-ish stuff that we didn't really pick up the name of but was rich and delicious. Our waitress was super nice the entire time, and even dropped by after our meal with a free rice pudding. It was good enough to make room for after our meal, the portions of which were very generous. So to recap, that's bread, two salads, three sodas (2 for me, 1 for him), three spreads/dips, two giant portions of rice with meats and a complimentary dessert. It all came to just under 40$, which for enough food for that night and the next day's lunch is pretty excellent. We'll definitely be going back, and I hope to see more people there next time.
(5)
Alexander Z.
Everything we had, from the complimentary house salad to the hummus to the soup with a type of dark Egyptian spinach-like green and cilantro to the lamb shank was very freshly prepared and bursting with flavor. In addition, the staff was very helpful and friendly. When we asked about the specific type of green used in the soup, the owner actually showed us the main ingredient, told us where we can get it and even offered to give us one package of the greens. There's a very nice floor seating area in back that I would imagine would be great for a large party, and I enjoyed observing the Egyptian patrons watching an Arabic-language movie on the t.v. near the front. A great overall experience.
(5)
Roman O.
I cannot speak to the quality of the food as I NEVER got it. I ordered via GRUBHUB and after 40 minutes Someone called from El Omda and told me they just got the order. I verified with GH that they confirmed the order 10 minutes after I submitted it. I would not be so upset if they did not LIE to me. On top of that they did not have half the stuff I ordered. I canceled the order. I would have given them a chance if they were at all honest.
(1)
Mary P.
Great food and warm service, definitely a great place to frequent!
Never order delivery from them. It took them an hour and a half to deliver cold food 6 blocks from their restaurant. When reheated their food is average at best.
(1)
Sarah S.
I got takeout from El Omda [used to be Al Omda?] tonight because I was sick of all the same places we always order from. I live right across the street, and was curious - they recently redid it and it's under new management. I probably wouldn't have ventured to try if not for the sidewalk chalkboard menu listing all kinds of seafood. Seafood is my weakness. Maybe this is an unfair assumption [I never researched it], but based on the one review I had read about the old/previous place awhile back, I thought the only food they had served was very traditional Egyptian - which was intimidating [rabbit, cow brains?]. This assumption, paired with the fact that it is generally empty, but for the same group of men hanging out, caused me to avoid it before. But tonight I gave it a chance and I'm glad I did. I ordered Lobster Soup and Mussels Over Pasta [you're given the choice of red or white sauce - I chose white]. This wound up coming with a side salad and bread. The salad was great. You might say, how do you mess up a salad? But, it can be done and is by restaurants quite frequently. This salad could stand alone without dressing, because it's infused with herbs and all of the vegetables in it were right. There was cilantro throughout and I believe - dill. I had some feta in the fridge and with that is was complete. They also give some special dressing on the side - which I would have used if I didn't have feta. The lobster soup was OK. I am used to lobster bisque, which is thicker. This was still cream based and had similar flavor, but was thin [but it's not called a bisque, but a soup - should have expected that]. It was also slightly salty for my taste. I opened the container of Mussels Over Pasta and to my surprise, found a MOUNTAIN of mussels in the shell. In my head for some reason I was thinking they would be out of the shell tossed in, but this was impressive. I am not exaggerating when I say there were 30 mussels packed on top. The white version is a butter based sauce with garlic and herbs - plus the juices from the mussels. I special-requested mine to be spicy, so they added crushed red pepper. I would recommend it based on my experience. Not sure you can find another place that charges $11 for such a generous serving of mussels. Their seafood menu has 17 choices, ranging from $11-25. The rest of the menu does include standard Egyptian dishes [even rabbit, along with lamb, chicken, duck, beef, eggplant and more]. The owner was the one who helped me and was very friendly. They also have Wifi available if you want to hang out there. One thing to note - the environment is unique. Right now, it's not one of those places that draw a variety of people - it seems mostly Egyptian people, and they have a TV in the front broadcasting an Egyptian channel.
(4)
Shabi R.
Amazing Food, Great Atmosphere, Friendliest Staff EVER. Did i get your attention? You have to try this place. We decided to try El Omda because I had a restaurants.com gift certificate to use. The restaurant is very clean and nicely decorated. There are tables in the front, but we chose to sit on their floor seating in the back. There was 4 of us and we needed to spend a $100, so we got a lot of food. To start we got the liver, fava beans, and falafel. I can very confidently say that each one individually was the best I have ever had. The fava beans were my favorite. The portions are HUGE. For main dishes, we had the rabbit, the Lamb chop, the Lamb shank, and the El Omda Mix. The rabbit was tender and delicious. Both lamb dishes were spectacular. The true grilled flavor on them was stellar. The El Omda Mix, was great because you get to try a little of everything. The chicken was super spicy. My boyfriend did say that the Kofta was so good, that he would be ordering that the next time. The rabbit and the Lamb Shank came with vegetables. You can pick the vegetable, so our friends picked Egyptian Okra and White Beans. These were the only things I would say were less than Amazing. After dinner, we ordered Turkish Coffee. It was a first for me, but I loved it. The staff is so friendly and accommodating. The location is a little off the beaten path, so you kind of have to know about it to go. I have found a new staple restaurant which I am already excited to go back to, even though i was just there 12 hours ago.
(5)
J P.
lovely place--the food was very good and very reasonably priced. happy i found these reviews and decided to try it. i will be back soon. :)
(5)
Meriem R.
I ate there before it was ok but not amazing. I decided to give it another chance. Boy was i wrong not a good experience. The food tasted bad and to top it off a roach popped up in my husband coffee towards the end. Needless to say we did not want to make a scene as the waiter was very nice and its not his fault. We paid the bill quietly and told the waiter very discreetly what happened than exited.
(1)
Christian P.
I should probably have guessed a culture that could erect pyramids and perfect the art of removing a brain through the nose was capable of wondrous things. I wouldn't have guessed that cuisine would fall into that category. I was prepared to hate this place and was getting my bad review typing fingers warmed up after waiting over an hour for the food to arrive. Then something magical happened... First of all, the portions are enormous. It looked like I had ordered enough to cater a party instead of dinner for two people. Second, this is some of the best food (if not THE best) I have had since moving to New York. The beef is slow cooked and you can cut it with a fork. The chicken kebabs, falafel and rice dishes are, likewise, incredible. The flavors were so unique and different- my mouth was literally being forced to learn a new class of food. And it was awesome. I have never in my life said to anyone "Man, I could really go for some Egyptian food right now." But I can tell you with all honesty, this is my new favorite restaurant in the world. Just think...the WORLD. Just try it. And be patient with the slow delivery- it is absolutely worth it.
(5)
Steven R.
Maybe my horrible experience of this place was a product of coming too late (we arrived at 9 and they close at 10) but my party of 6 had one of the worst restaurant experiences we've ever had. The place has a nice atmosphere, dimmed lights and Egyptian TV give it a very authentic vibe. The waitress was for the most part distant. She came to get out orders, drop off our food, and we had to flag her down to get the check. The first red flag of the evening is when they told us they had no menus. She ten told us all entrees were $25 dollars despite the fact that on the online menu some were only $15. She told us that the portions were big enough to share so we reluctantly agreed to pay almost twice the price for our dishes. When they arrived however they were not as large as she made them out to be. The good dishes were the shishkebab and the combo platter. The shishkebab was like any other shishkebab you would normally order. However with only 8 pieces of meat you are paying a premium of $3 per cube of meat. The combo had plenty of food and should be enough to warrant the meal a 2 star rating. However the last two dishes were borderline inedible. The first of the bad dishes was the rabbit. Our $25 rabbit consisted of a leg and half of a thigh. The meat was dry and even more bland. It tasted like dry unseasoned chicken breast. The duck, our last meal, was perhaps the worst meal I have ever ordered from a restaurant. It was a sizable portion but plain and was so dry that it was almost impossible to eat. I had to chew a bite sized portion for over a minute and still struggled to swallow. Despite the price we couldn't get ourselves to finish it. We realized in the middle of the meal that the duck and rabbit tasted exactly like someone over-microwaving leftovers. So my advice to people coming here: Avoid the duck and rabbit, argue the pricing, and do not come an hour before closing.
(1)
Jess K.
We went here with a restaurant.com gift certificate. The reviews really had my hopes up high and while I thought the food was good, I don't think it is omfg wowwwww good. I thought everything needed some salt so I added that to my food. The water pitcher they leave on the table is sooo heaaaavy. Just saying. Also, I got mosquito bitten a lot. Not their fault but still, I was itchy by the time we left and that's not a fun feeling. Also, our waitress lost our bill. Or something? So she just said an amount and we added up what we thought it should be and it sounded right. But still, random. I got the sampler platter and my fiance got a lamb kebab type dish. It was a lot of food. The potatoes that came with my fiance's meal were excellent. The rice that came with both of our meals was just plain rice and so I am not sure how exactly you are supposed to improve on it to make it delicious. I added the potato mixture to it. We really enjoyed the pita bread and the free little platter of hummus. That was heavy on the tahini but really good even if I thought the flavor was slightly off from what I expected. We both agreed we would definitely go back here. We saw the "cooks" in the back and that solidified in our minds that this is a family business. We are glad we came here and this is definitely among my top restaurant.com finds.
(4)
Antonietta L.
I'm not a great fan on writing reviews but this was so funny i wanted to share.The waitress service was so bad i actually wanted to laugh because for a moment i thought someone wanted to pull a prank. We were prepared to wait for a comfortable table and we decided to sit by the door until then. Finally, the waitress came over and took our orders. When we got seated at our table we were served the two soups and salads and eggplant dish that were ordered. I asked the waitress that i'd like a soup too... Our orders came and it was funny because only one order was correct..I really didn't want to make a big deal because they were busy but my friend said "why should u eat something you didn't order", He then called the waitress over and she claimed to give the kitchen the proper order (I doubt it )but iI was still waiting for the soup......above all the whole night was a comedy of errors, but I do have to say the food at El-Omda is fantastic and yes I recommend it.....just watch out for the waitress!!! Ps: By the way I never got the soup....lol
(4)
Edgar A.
I need to preface what I say with the fact that this place is where you go if you really want to converse with the person you are with, and have no worries about when your order arrives. I don't think the slowness of the service isn't a cultural thing as much as it is just that they are understaffed. Now, with what I said before in mind, I can comfortably give this place 4 stars. Courteous workers, great dish choices, and very good quality food (meat was just a little bit on the dry side). Come here if you want the real deal with Egyptian cuisine.
(4)
Jennifer C.
What I really want to do is give El-Omda 4 stars, but I can't. In all fairness, they are A-Okay but not great. The main culprit being, the kitchen's slowness in putting out food. Holy cow! The four of us all had cows, sitting and waiting for apps and main courses for over 1 hour. Is that not unheard of? Apparently not at this restaurant, as others have complained about the wait-time as well. On decor, service and flavor (at least for the particular dish I had), El-Omda is easily 4 stars. But it is pretty inexcusable to have diners wait a terribly long time for their food. The restaurant wasn't that packed on the night that we went there so it was shocking that the food took so long and that they ran out of hummus. To make light of the situation, someone joked and said that they are probably flying back to Egypt to buy some groceries for our meal. On the bright side, my Kofta Kebab over rice was a very simple and elegant dish, but phenomenal in flavor. The meat was succulent and the rice was plain but marvelous. I could have had another bowl of just rice. Everything was seasoned perfectly and well-balanced. I could not have chosen a better entree. Our entire meal took nearly 3 hours, boy were we glad we had cleared our schedule for dinner beforehand otherwise, it could have been even more frustrating. To end, El-Omda is a lovely and rare Egyptian restaurant, serving quality food but with unreasonable wait times.
(3)
Jessica B.
The food was 4 or 5 stars, the service 2. I hate it when that happens, because I really want to have more of the food but rarely do I want to sit around all day wondering when it might finally arrive! Having said that, we really enjoyed the food we did get here. I got the Tagin Beef which was tender and came in a rich tasty sauce. The stuffed grape leaves were an appetizer I would definitely order again. The ambiance is a little strange. They had a few guys who didn't seem to be customers sitting around watching the Egyptian TV channel. You kinda got the feeling you were having a chilled out holiday at a family member's house, while someone in the kitchen cooked slowly and people did their own thing until it was ready. Give it a shot, but clear your schedule for the evening and bring a friend you can talk to!
(3)
Christopher M.
****Please note that this review is purely based on service - or lack thereof - to delivery clientele. Yes, this is a site where we like to find out about food. But we also like to find out about service.**** I've been wanting to try this place ever since I moved in around the corner almost a year ago. But it never seemed to have customers. And it never gave me the vide that I wanted to eat inside. So I figured I'd order delivery at some point. This past Sunday, I placed an order for El Omda through Seamless around 6 pm. Twenty minutes later, I had yet to receive an email confirming that my order had been accepted. I call El Omda. I let it ring for nearly a minute. No one picks up. I call seamless. They tell me El Omda should be open. They try to call. They can't get an answer. My card has already been charged. So now seamless has to cancel my order, refund my card (said monies of which I won't have for another 5-7 business days). And they shoot another email to both me and El Omda saying the order was canceled. I now have to find another place from which to order. I do. It is now almost 7 pm. I get two confirmations: one from El Omda, and one from the new restaurant. I presume they'll see the cancellation email next, and won't fulfill the order. Around 7:15, an hour and fifteen minutes after I placed my order and 20 minutes after they accepted said order, El Omda calls me to inform that they don't have the lobster soup...so will I take vegetable (this is a comparable replacement in cuisine and cost how?)...oh...and they also don't have the lamb chop for the mixed grill...so what else would I like. So I inform them to keep reading through their emails, as seamless cancelled my order over thirty minutes ago. The response, "Oh." and a hang up. I cannot recommend ordering delivery from them. I cannot recommend eating in. I can recommend going to Favela Grill next door for phenomenal cuisine and brilliant customer service.
(1)
Richard L.
2 Stars...sadly - i feel bad about giving them a 2 stars - the only thing that saved this place from 1 star is that the food was tasty. *Note* Immediately when we entered we noticed only one waitress in the restaurant. So - to say that they are slow is an understatement. So my buddy decided to choose this place for a surprise b-day party for his GF and since most of us hasn't seen each other in a while, it was a nice get together with lots of talking. We arrived at 8 pm, and was seated in the back table that was a floor seating. It's not really comfortable, but it's serviceable. We chatted, hung out, laughed and kept talking, but for 45 minutes...there was no service. No water, no plates, napkins or utensils, nada. Again - not really a big deal by itself - but we were all very hungry and at this point getting annoyed. At the 45 minute mark the lone waitress brought over several baskets of nan bread and sauce (not even sure what kind of sauce b/c i was so hungry i didn't ask) and our party devoured it all. There was not one piece left. (It should be noted this was also the same time we got water as some of us were more parched than others) As we were eating the bread, the waitress started taking our orders. So feeling something in the tummy again - we were satisfied for a little while then 20 minutes later salad comes out. The salad was alright - nothing special. And finally 30 minutes after that food came out. All the while we sat and talked and was in general jovial, and all the while we watched the waitress scurry about with the other tables. The food - everyone's food - the portions were pretty good - but at this time we were all ravenous and gobbled everything up. By the time we left it was 10:45, almost 11 pm. So that was a pretty long dinner.
(2)
Gerald A.
Their food is delicious, homestyle Egyptian food just like back home. I believe this is why their food tastes so good but takes a while to make especially when they're busy. Due to a native mother making all the food the time taken to make meals is understandable. They could have hired Joe Schmo to make quick, and bland meals, instead they care so much that they choose to leave a native mother in charge of maintaining the integrity of "El Omda"....Five Cheers!
(5)
Megan V.
This place was amazing! I also had one on the restaurant.com certificates for $25 off, which I bought after I saw the positive Yelp reviews. This really is one of my favorite restaurants in Astoria now. The prices are extremely reasonable and you get a ton of food. The staff was so friendly, and helpful when it came to questions about the menu. The place was pretty busy when we arrived, but the owner pulled out an extra table for us so we could be seated. We immediately felt welcome. I went with my friend who I call my culinary partner in crime. We're always up for trying new places, and we hit the jackpot here. We had Missah (cold eggplant stew), Baba Ghanouj and Fava Beans to start. The Fava Beans were by far my favorite - so briney and delicious, and perfect when scooped up with the warm pita. They also brought out two house salads which were fresh and tasty. We had lamb shank and rabbit for our entrees, which we shared. The rabbit was slightly overdone but still had a great flavor. The lamb on the other hand was absolutely perfect. These came with a nice rice pilaf and pickled vegetables. We both agreed it was one of the best meals we'd had in a while. I will definitely be back. Oh yeah, with the restaurant.com certificate, our whole bill (with tax) came out to a whopping $25. Seriously. Even without the certificate, it would have been very reasonable, and we ate like kings. One downside - no booze. However, they may have a BYOB policy but I'm not sure. We weren't really up for drinking that night anyway!
(5)
Richard W.
The bottom line with this place: it's an Egyptian food place that's convenient to Astoria Boulevard and they serve a bunch of unique Egyptian dishes that I've never heard of (and was curious about). To be honest, I found it to be a little bit pricy for what was served. The volume of food provided was good, but it was not as tasty as I would've liked. However, their hummus was pretty good. :) The restaurant itself is pretty plainly decorated and there's a prominent Middle Eastern vibe to the place between the Tahrir Square protests in Cairo that were on the TV (with the news coverage in Arabic). The waitstaff were super nice and they get an A+ for service. I ended up getting hummus and this like essentially ground beef macaroni and cheese dish, which was pretty good although very plain in flavor. It was a unique Egyptian dish that I had never heard of so I figured I'd give it a try. I might go back again if I'm in the area just to see what else they've got shaking because some of their other dishes sounded pretty interesting. It might also be worth asking for recommendations since I have no idea what some of these dishes are despite reasonable descriptions on the menu more or less describing what's in each dish.
(3)
Chris I.
Being determined to make the most of the April Yelp challenge I searched (for hours) to find a restaurant that I a. wanted to eat at and b. had less than 10 reviews. I found the two in El Omda. It's on 28th ave away from the deluge of restaurants that saturate Astoria. This might be why it's not as busy as it should be. Armed with my appetite for different cuisines and a $25 coupon from restaurant.com I headed out on a Sat night with the girlfriend and high hopes. The restaurant itself it on the smaller side. About 10 regular tables and some low tables in the back that have cushions for you to sit on. They have all sorts of different hanging light fixtures and the place is spotless. You can tell they take pride in their restaurant and it shows. An Egyptian soap opera was on in the dining room and i found myself watching it severak times. (it is my conclusion that soaps are bad in any language) We were greeted warmly and told to take any seat we liked. maybe 2 other sets of people were there while we dined. They do not serve alcohol in this restaurant so if you like to have a few cocktails before you eat I'd suggest pre-gaming at home. They also do not serve pork but the menu is vast and there are many many options so I didn't find it to be limiting in any way. After perusing the menu over and over again (everything sounded so good) I decided on the liver to start and the capon, the GF had seafood over pasta. Each meal come with a salad which as other reviewers have noted was done really well. The veggies, crisp and the dressing light. It also comes with some pickled vegetables, tahini spread and some really delicious bread. A nice prelude to the rest of the meal to come. In my food selections I take the road less traveled. Hell I'll go as far as to say getting to my food choices involves needing a machete, a compass and a torch. No man's land. I am often rewarded for this boldness with new and amazing tastes. And with that my liver arrived. sauteed in olive oil with cumin and jalapenos (how did they know I love them) It was out of this world. Really fresh (you know when you get bad liver) and seasoned perfectly. Next was the capon, " But Chris ?" you ask, "What is capon?" It's basically castrated roosted. Yup I just said that and you can't unread it. They do that to make the meat taste better, less gamey if you will. And apparently it works. It was about the size of a cornish hen and was basically like eating a chicken that was entirely juicy delicious dark meat. And they stuff it with rice and said rice soaks up all of the juicy goodness of the bird. Nicely done, probably could have been a little more meat but I was content. It came with the vegetable of the day which was okra in a light red sauce, also very very good. My GF got the seafood over pasta, or as I will now refer to it as " 12lbs of seafood over 2lbs of pasta" Seriously It was a huge portion. ( I have a pic of it posted cuz I'm good like that) Pasta cooked perfectly, seafood really really fresh and a nice red sauce that had a little something extra to it. Very well done. After stuffing myself on delicious eats we skipped desert and opted for some Turkish coffee and Egyptian tea. The coffee was great, gritty, but not too gritty if you know what I mean and the tea with it's fresh mint added was a nice way to settle my overstuffed stomach. I really really enjoyed my meal here. We were there for close to two hours. Just taking our time, never being rushed never treated like we didn't belong there. The owner came up a few times and asked how everything was. Our waitress was really nice too. offering options and making sure we were well taken care of. Our mission is to highlight the less reviewed, I've done my part, now it's up to you to come here and enjoy what El Omda is serving up. I know you'll be happy you did because as I've always said, when it comes to food , always trust the fat kid :)
(4)
Martha L.
Overall, very tasty food but very slow service. Great when you want a leisurely 2-hour meal. I came with my friend on a Saturday for brunch. We couldn't judge if it was authentic or not, but everything was very delicious. We ordered: MISSAH - nicely grilled eggplant and pepper, but the tomato sauce was not infused into the vegetables. FATA - A rice dish cooked in soup with beef on top and pita bread at the bottom. Very rich. GRILLED BLACKENED WHOLE PORGY - although I disliked the black coat of seasoning, the fish was fresh. The rice that comes with the fish was very flavorful and yet not heavy. RICE PUDDING - the most milky and liquidly rice pudding I have ever had, compared to Turkish, Latin and Spanish rice pudding. The lady told me they ran out of nuts for garnish. I wish there was some for more complexity and a kick. SALLOP - like steamed condensed milk. Too sweet for me. Perhaps the missing nuts on top would have balanced the sweetness out. The portion here is huge. I would come back again to try their meat, baklava and mint tea. I read the reviews before coming and prepared myself for slow service. Our server didn't come to take our order until 30 minutes after we have sat down. Yet, he was very friendly and patience and answered all our questions with Egyptian cuisine. Food also came quite slowly, but everything came together. There was another lady who served us desserts. From the way she spoke, it seemed like she was the dessert chef. She was very friendly and she kept helping my friend and I take photos. My friend and I had a really nice, relaxing brunch here and look forward to the next time.
(4)
Carol L.
Overall some very yummy food and a nice experience. We had a large group but the staff was accommodating and sweet, but as others have noted service was rather leisurely in pace. (I'm more generous than you, Rich lol.) The pita they served with tahini was the most delicious, warm pita I've had in a long time. The portions were nice sizes. Someone ordered the falafel and it was a large plate! They looked a little on the dark side, but had good flavor and didn't taste burned. For my entree I had the seafood rice and it was tasty, but very oily. Another person in the group got it as well and came across a grit from the shellfish. I lucked out and didn't really have any in mine. Everyone else seemed to like their dishes a lot. I'd come back, but definitely not on a day/night where I have somewhere else to be afterwards.
(4)
Lauren C.
First off, a few tips... they are very slow. If you say you're headed somewhere else they speed it up a bit. They do not have alcohol. Yep, it's that authentic. I didn't really like the baba ganoush, but everything else was awesome. The falafel, hummus and chicken kabob were all awesome. My friend had a beef tagine and said the beef wasn't as tender as she would have liked. There is also a tv with egyptian shows blaring. Normally this would annoy me, but because it was an egyptian station, and everyone seemed to be excitedly watching it, it was fine. At one point, someone came in with a suitcase that said egyptian airlines on it. I'd definitely recommend this place for authentic egyptian.
(5)
Kate P.
There are a lot of things I'm enjoying about my April yelp challenge. 1) Making new yelp friends: Case in point Chris I 2) Reading great reviews by these new yelp friends about cool new places: Case in point Chris I's review of El Omada Egyptian Cuisine. I'm always looking for new places to eat in the neighborhood and this place being just off the beaten path of busy 30th avenue was a perfect place for us to try on a lazy Saturday night. This cute little restaurant is small on both the inside and the outside, but what they serve up is anything but small! Armed with a $25 coupon (Thanks again Chris I. for the tip) my eyes devoured the menu! We started off with a trio of dips that came with soft and perfectly chewy bread for dipping or spreading. The hummus and tahini dip was spot on, and the baba ganoush was one of the best I have ever had, simply wonderful. They also throw in some pickled vegetables.... and I do love me some pickled vegetables. I was sold (I would be coming back) and our meals hadn't even arrived. All the dishes come with salad. And like the reviews before me have pointed out this salad (yes the side salad that comes with your meal) is incredible. Really! It's got all these herbs mixed in along with the perfect mix of lettuce's and veggies. It didn't even need the amazing side of dressing it came with. I had settled on the lamb shank over rice. It was cooked to perfection being tender and juicy the way lamb should be. It also came with this spectacular red vegetable sauce that I kept pouring all over my fluffy rice. Yum! My companion on this journey ordered the Mussels Over Pasta in a light creamy white sauce. This can only be described as an entire colony of mussels living on pasta. The pile of shells on top of shells was so high we couldn't see each other. It smelled amazing and I'm told tasted even better. * shakes fist at the allergy gods * We were suitably stuffed so we passed on dessert. Something I rarely do, but to our surprise we were brought some complimentary dessert to take home with us all wrapped and ready to go. My eyes sparkled once again as I couldn't wait for to eat this treat in about an hour or so. For under $50 (without the coupon) our dinner was spectacular. I cannot wait to go back and try some of the more 'exciting' meals they list on their menu. Don't let the 'no pork and no alcohol' fool you; this place is worth every step to get there and every penny once inside. The only downside to my experience here was I some how lost my take out bag of dessert after we left. I didn't even see what the dessert looked like or what it was, and I just know it would have been super yummy! So yummy if that little takeout bag showed it's face right now, I'd eat it...oh yes I would.
(5)
Mackenzie F.
DELICIOUS. ARRIVE READY TO EAT! the portions are enormous. delicious food & good value. the service is SLIGHTLY low, but really friendly. laid-back style. I live a few blocks away and am always shocked that it's not more crowded. i only wish they had booze! or BYOB.
(5)
Maiy S.
We ordered the mixed grill. The chicken was dry. The kofta kebob was raw on the inside. Portions were really small. The mombar was tasteless. The only decent dish was the okra. The service was awful. Bad experience wouldn't come here again. Cairo steak house was a much better experience.
(1)
Michele S.
tried this restaurant last night and the food was really great and good portion. I came with a group of four and found enough tables for us in the restaurant. They had a really cute nook in the back of the restaurant where you can sit on cushions on lower tables which was really cute for if you want to relax while eating. My group didn't know a lot about egyptian food but was similar to the other middle eastern food nearby. We got two appetizers: STUFFED CABBAGE LEAVES= stuffed with rice and other amazing spices, amazing and a must FALAFEL= 5 flat patties, was a bit burnt and im used to a light crispy falafel We got Three entrees:they all came with a plain salad and rice on the side LAMB CHOPS=was really good a little tough but flavor was good EL OMBDA MIX=definitely recommend it if you can't decide, has a great mix of kebaba, and other meat selections on their menu altogether. spices are good and our whole group liked this the best GRILLED FISH (branzina)=they gave two choices for fish, brazina or poger(which is a cheap fish) and was over priced for it being just grilled. I was not a fan and am a seafood person and it lacked flavor was a bit dry in my opinion. overall definitely a good spot out of the craziness of steinway st and nearby all the bars and all if you want to go drink or go somewhere after dinner. I would get a five stars but our waitress kept forgetting our order, our drinks and was waiting around for a table when it was empty.
(4)
Angelique A.
I loved El Omda even before the renovation when it looked pretty sketchy and there was no menu (you just had to decide between the specials of the day) and no one really spoke English. The food is so good that the renovation was totally unnecessary because I would eat here regardless of what it looked like. I went back yesterday with my mom and I was pleasantly surprised by how much nicer it looks now. I was afraid that they may have new management and the food wouldn't be as good , but it is still great. I had lamb shank which was tender and delicious, accompanied by bamia (okra in tomato sauce) and rice. They make the best bamia in NYC. I also had a lemonade which was done the Egyptian way, blended with mint I think. Try it! It is amazing and refreshing. The waitress was friendly and spoke English. That's always a plus in Arab establishments. My mom and I had such a good time that when we were leaving, she said, "Make sure you write a good review on yelp." I didn't even know my mom knew about yelp lol. I took off 1 star because I was disappointed that they didn't have the 2 things I went there for: The 1/2 chicken and the macaroni bechamel, my favorite Egyptian dish. I was curious about whether or not the chicken and the macaroni would be as good post renovation. I hope when I go back that they have it.
(4)
Alex B.
I love this easy-going place. Very often you can see people from Egypt congregating, relaxing and enjoying an excellent meal, authentically prepared . I have come here on a number of occasions and never been disappointed by its simple and inviting feeling . All the food speaks for itself . It isn't drowned by phonies sauces by Cooks that try to imitate cuisines from foreign places . I'm an American not Egyptian. And ,this is my,.... " I don't want to think too much about what I want ,or who will see me or who I will see , it's just,.. to come here and spend some time ,and have a good dinner,... place I go. And that is why I think it is a good place to bring friends . I have read the commentary of slow service , and personally I have not noticed for myself too, too long a wait . But I guess I was engaged with the conversation with friends or, at other times, I like to bring a book with me to read and think . I suppose for me, suffice it to say, I don't mind waiting for food that delivers what this place does . You could , at the perceived moment of inquiry , ask the waiter, or even the owner ,the perfectly legitimate question, how long a particular dish takes to prepare . Or order a little ahead of time before you get there . Bring a nice bottle of wine with you to relax .
(5)
Q & A on Applebee's
What time does Applebee's half price appetizers start?
Applebee's restaurant has launched the late-night happy hour where some of the listed appetizers are sold at half price. The offer is available at most of the Applebee's locations where one can enjoy the offer after 9 pm on weekdays and after 10 pm on weekends.
What time is the happy hour at Applebee's?
Applebee's Happy Hour Monday starts from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM. Apples Late Night Happy Hour Monday starts from 9:00 PM until midnight.
What can a vegan and Vegetarian eat at Applebee's?
There are almost no vegan option and sparse vegetarian option at Applebee's. If you are a vegan ask for steamed vegetables, baked potato, salads, or fried vegetables without butter. There are certain vegan dressings you can try to make your salad tastier.
What are the opening and closing timing at Applebee's?
Applebee's Restaurant operational hours on weekdays (Monday through Thursday) and Sundays start from 11 am until midnight. While on Fridays and Saturdays, the restaurant remains open until 1 am. The timing may vary as per the location.
Does Applebee's remain close on holidays?
Applebee's remain closed on many holidays, but it may vary as per the location of the restaurant. For holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving, the restaurant remains closed throughout the USA.
How to find the nearest Applebee's Restaurant?
Today Applebee's is located on 135+ locations in the USA and growing. The restaurant is famous for its lip-smacking ribs and steaks, seafood and fried chicken wings. There are healthier salads and sides for people who are health conscious. If you want to find nearest Applebee's restaurant in your area, just go through the Restaurant Listing Directory to find one.
Sorry, No Coupons available for this restaurant.
About Applebee's
Applebee is an American full-service restaurant brand popularly known for its signature Riblets. Applebee was conceptualized in 1980 by Bill and TJ Palmer in Atlanta, Georgia. At first, the restaurant was named T.J. Applebee's RX for Edibles and Elixirs. After the concept was acquired by W.R. Grace and Company, the restaurant was renamed as Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar. Later the company and the Applebee's concept changed hands with Abe Gustin and John Hamra who started the first Applebee's franchise restaurant in Kansas City.
Later in 2007, IHOP Corp. now known as DineEquity, Inc. acquired Applebee's and began their journey together to make Applebee's the world's largest full-service restaurant chain. Today, Applebee's serves at more than 1,830 locations worldwide. The Applebee's menu ranges from Appetizers and Salads to heavy meals consisting of ribs and steak. Although the trademark dish Riblets is a hot favorite among regular Applebee's dwellers, the restaurant also serves some amazing burgers, sandwiches, pasta, and salads.
Healthy Food Options at Applebee's
When a restaurant serves ribs as their main dish, then you can assume the diet-friendliness of their menu. Well, Applebee's is no different. However, you can dig deeper into their menu and pick some good healthy food options for sure. You can try the salads, light sandwiches, appetizers to ensure you don't order heavy items, etc. If you are really diet conscious, then you got to be careful with their steaks & ribs as well as desserts section.
Burger or Hamburger is savored as the most desired fast food meal in the United States. A hamburger is basically a sandwich prepared by stuffing ground meat patty, generally beef, between two slices of a bun cut in half. Hamburger is also famous for its seasoning. Most popular condiments used in hamburgers in the United States are mustard, mayonnaise, and ketchup. Besides ground meat patty, hamburgers are also stuffed with lettuce, onions, tomato slices, pickles, and cheese.
Hamburgers are also categorized into two types in the United States. Fast food hamburger and individual hamburgers served at restaurants are two basic types of burgers served in the United States. The individual hamburgers served at restaurants are prepared using everything including lettuce, onion, tomato, and sliced pickles as well as melted cheese on the patty or crumbled on top. American restaurants also serve veggie burgers for those who don't relish meat. Cheeseburgers are also hot favorite in the United States.
McDonalds is the most popular fast food burger restaurant serving different types of burgers in the United States. On the other hand, there are several restaurants such as Burger King are famous for serving the best hamburgers in the United States. Most burger restaurants in the United States often serve hamburgers with French fries and other condiments. If you have a liking for burgers in the United States, then you won't be disappointed. You can easily find the best burger restaurants in your city on our Restaurants Listings directory. Check the reviews and ratings of the top burger restaurants and savor yourself with the best hamburger in the city.
Jennifer C.
What I really want to do is give El-Omda 4 stars, but I can't. In all fairness, they are A-Okay but not great. The main culprit being, the kitchen's slowness in putting out food. Holy cow! The four of us all had cows, sitting and waiting for apps and main courses for over 1 hour. Is that not unheard of? Apparently not at this restaurant, as others have complained about the wait-time as well. On decor, service and flavor (at least for the particular dish I had), El-Omda is easily 4 stars. But it is pretty inexcusable to have diners wait a terribly long time for their food. The restaurant wasn't that packed on the night that we went there so it was shocking that the food took so long and that they ran out of hummus. To make light of the situation, someone joked and said that they are probably flying back to Egypt to buy some groceries for our meal. On the bright side, my Kofta Kebab over rice was a very simple and elegant dish, but phenomenal in flavor. The meat was succulent and the rice was plain but marvelous. I could have had another bowl of just rice. Everything was seasoned perfectly and well-balanced. I could not have chosen a better entree. Our entire meal took nearly 3 hours, boy were we glad we had cleared our schedule for dinner beforehand otherwise, it could have been even more frustrating. To end, El-Omda is a lovely and rare Egyptian restaurant, serving quality food but with unreasonable wait times.
(3)Edgar A.
I need to preface what I say with the fact that this place is where you go if you really want to converse with the person you are with, and have no worries about when your order arrives. I don't think the slowness of the service isn't a cultural thing as much as it is just that they are understaffed. Now, with what I said before in mind, I can comfortably give this place 4 stars. Courteous workers, great dish choices, and very good quality food (meat was just a little bit on the dry side). Come here if you want the real deal with Egyptian cuisine.
(4)Gavin M.
Very unique food and seems pretty authentic.
(3)Megan V.
This place was amazing! I also had one on the restaurant.com certificates for $25 off, which I bought after I saw the positive Yelp reviews. This really is one of my favorite restaurants in Astoria now. The prices are extremely reasonable and you get a ton of food. The staff was so friendly, and helpful when it came to questions about the menu. The place was pretty busy when we arrived, but the owner pulled out an extra table for us so we could be seated. We immediately felt welcome. I went with my friend who I call my culinary partner in crime. We're always up for trying new places, and we hit the jackpot here. We had Missah (cold eggplant stew), Baba Ghanouj and Fava Beans to start. The Fava Beans were by far my favorite - so briney and delicious, and perfect when scooped up with the warm pita. They also brought out two house salads which were fresh and tasty. We had lamb shank and rabbit for our entrees, which we shared. The rabbit was slightly overdone but still had a great flavor. The lamb on the other hand was absolutely perfect. These came with a nice rice pilaf and pickled vegetables. We both agreed it was one of the best meals we'd had in a while. I will definitely be back. Oh yeah, with the restaurant.com certificate, our whole bill (with tax) came out to a whopping $25. Seriously. Even without the certificate, it would have been very reasonable, and we ate like kings. One downside - no booze. However, they may have a BYOB policy but I'm not sure. We weren't really up for drinking that night anyway!
(5)Richard W.
The bottom line with this place: it's an Egyptian food place that's convenient to Astoria Boulevard and they serve a bunch of unique Egyptian dishes that I've never heard of (and was curious about). To be honest, I found it to be a little bit pricy for what was served. The volume of food provided was good, but it was not as tasty as I would've liked. However, their hummus was pretty good. :) The restaurant itself is pretty plainly decorated and there's a prominent Middle Eastern vibe to the place between the Tahrir Square protests in Cairo that were on the TV (with the news coverage in Arabic). The waitstaff were super nice and they get an A+ for service. I ended up getting hummus and this like essentially ground beef macaroni and cheese dish, which was pretty good although very plain in flavor. It was a unique Egyptian dish that I had never heard of so I figured I'd give it a try. I might go back again if I'm in the area just to see what else they've got shaking because some of their other dishes sounded pretty interesting. It might also be worth asking for recommendations since I have no idea what some of these dishes are despite reasonable descriptions on the menu more or less describing what's in each dish.
(3)Chris I.
Being determined to make the most of the April Yelp challenge I searched (for hours) to find a restaurant that I a. wanted to eat at and b. had less than 10 reviews. I found the two in El Omda. It's on 28th ave away from the deluge of restaurants that saturate Astoria. This might be why it's not as busy as it should be. Armed with my appetite for different cuisines and a $25 coupon from restaurant.com I headed out on a Sat night with the girlfriend and high hopes. The restaurant itself it on the smaller side. About 10 regular tables and some low tables in the back that have cushions for you to sit on. They have all sorts of different hanging light fixtures and the place is spotless. You can tell they take pride in their restaurant and it shows. An Egyptian soap opera was on in the dining room and i found myself watching it severak times. (it is my conclusion that soaps are bad in any language) We were greeted warmly and told to take any seat we liked. maybe 2 other sets of people were there while we dined. They do not serve alcohol in this restaurant so if you like to have a few cocktails before you eat I'd suggest pre-gaming at home. They also do not serve pork but the menu is vast and there are many many options so I didn't find it to be limiting in any way. After perusing the menu over and over again (everything sounded so good) I decided on the liver to start and the capon, the GF had seafood over pasta. Each meal come with a salad which as other reviewers have noted was done really well. The veggies, crisp and the dressing light. It also comes with some pickled vegetables, tahini spread and some really delicious bread. A nice prelude to the rest of the meal to come. In my food selections I take the road less traveled. Hell I'll go as far as to say getting to my food choices involves needing a machete, a compass and a torch. No man's land. I am often rewarded for this boldness with new and amazing tastes. And with that my liver arrived. sauteed in olive oil with cumin and jalapenos (how did they know I love them) It was out of this world. Really fresh (you know when you get bad liver) and seasoned perfectly. Next was the capon, " But Chris ?" you ask, "What is capon?" It's basically castrated roosted. Yup I just said that and you can't unread it. They do that to make the meat taste better, less gamey if you will. And apparently it works. It was about the size of a cornish hen and was basically like eating a chicken that was entirely juicy delicious dark meat. And they stuff it with rice and said rice soaks up all of the juicy goodness of the bird. Nicely done, probably could have been a little more meat but I was content. It came with the vegetable of the day which was okra in a light red sauce, also very very good. My GF got the seafood over pasta, or as I will now refer to it as " 12lbs of seafood over 2lbs of pasta" Seriously It was a huge portion. ( I have a pic of it posted cuz I'm good like that) Pasta cooked perfectly, seafood really really fresh and a nice red sauce that had a little something extra to it. Very well done. After stuffing myself on delicious eats we skipped desert and opted for some Turkish coffee and Egyptian tea. The coffee was great, gritty, but not too gritty if you know what I mean and the tea with it's fresh mint added was a nice way to settle my overstuffed stomach. I really really enjoyed my meal here. We were there for close to two hours. Just taking our time, never being rushed never treated like we didn't belong there. The owner came up a few times and asked how everything was. Our waitress was really nice too. offering options and making sure we were well taken care of. Our mission is to highlight the less reviewed, I've done my part, now it's up to you to come here and enjoy what El Omda is serving up. I know you'll be happy you did because as I've always said, when it comes to food , always trust the fat kid :)
(4)Antonietta L.
I'm not a great fan on writing reviews but this was so funny i wanted to share.The waitress service was so bad i actually wanted to laugh because for a moment i thought someone wanted to pull a prank. We were prepared to wait for a comfortable table and we decided to sit by the door until then. Finally, the waitress came over and took our orders. When we got seated at our table we were served the two soups and salads and eggplant dish that were ordered. I asked the waitress that i'd like a soup too... Our orders came and it was funny because only one order was correct..I really didn't want to make a big deal because they were busy but my friend said "why should u eat something you didn't order", He then called the waitress over and she claimed to give the kitchen the proper order (I doubt it )but iI was still waiting for the soup......above all the whole night was a comedy of errors, but I do have to say the food at El-Omda is fantastic and yes I recommend it.....just watch out for the waitress!!! Ps: By the way I never got the soup....lol
(4)Michele S.
tried this restaurant last night and the food was really great and good portion. I came with a group of four and found enough tables for us in the restaurant. They had a really cute nook in the back of the restaurant where you can sit on cushions on lower tables which was really cute for if you want to relax while eating. My group didn't know a lot about egyptian food but was similar to the other middle eastern food nearby. We got two appetizers: STUFFED CABBAGE LEAVES= stuffed with rice and other amazing spices, amazing and a must FALAFEL= 5 flat patties, was a bit burnt and im used to a light crispy falafel We got Three entrees:they all came with a plain salad and rice on the side LAMB CHOPS=was really good a little tough but flavor was good EL OMBDA MIX=definitely recommend it if you can't decide, has a great mix of kebaba, and other meat selections on their menu altogether. spices are good and our whole group liked this the best GRILLED FISH (branzina)=they gave two choices for fish, brazina or poger(which is a cheap fish) and was over priced for it being just grilled. I was not a fan and am a seafood person and it lacked flavor was a bit dry in my opinion. overall definitely a good spot out of the craziness of steinway st and nearby all the bars and all if you want to go drink or go somewhere after dinner. I would get a five stars but our waitress kept forgetting our order, our drinks and was waiting around for a table when it was empty.
(4)Maiy S.
We ordered the mixed grill. The chicken was dry. The kofta kebob was raw on the inside. Portions were really small. The mombar was tasteless. The only decent dish was the okra. The service was awful. Bad experience wouldn't come here again. Cairo steak house was a much better experience.
(1)Angelique A.
I loved El Omda even before the renovation when it looked pretty sketchy and there was no menu (you just had to decide between the specials of the day) and no one really spoke English. The food is so good that the renovation was totally unnecessary because I would eat here regardless of what it looked like. I went back yesterday with my mom and I was pleasantly surprised by how much nicer it looks now. I was afraid that they may have new management and the food wouldn't be as good , but it is still great. I had lamb shank which was tender and delicious, accompanied by bamia (okra in tomato sauce) and rice. They make the best bamia in NYC. I also had a lemonade which was done the Egyptian way, blended with mint I think. Try it! It is amazing and refreshing. The waitress was friendly and spoke English. That's always a plus in Arab establishments. My mom and I had such a good time that when we were leaving, she said, "Make sure you write a good review on yelp." I didn't even know my mom knew about yelp lol. I took off 1 star because I was disappointed that they didn't have the 2 things I went there for: The 1/2 chicken and the macaroni bechamel, my favorite Egyptian dish. I was curious about whether or not the chicken and the macaroni would be as good post renovation. I hope when I go back that they have it.
(4)Alex B.
I love this easy-going place. Very often you can see people from Egypt congregating, relaxing and enjoying an excellent meal, authentically prepared . I have come here on a number of occasions and never been disappointed by its simple and inviting feeling . All the food speaks for itself . It isn't drowned by phonies sauces by Cooks that try to imitate cuisines from foreign places . I'm an American not Egyptian. And ,this is my,.... " I don't want to think too much about what I want ,or who will see me or who I will see , it's just,.. to come here and spend some time ,and have a good dinner,... place I go. And that is why I think it is a good place to bring friends . I have read the commentary of slow service , and personally I have not noticed for myself too, too long a wait . But I guess I was engaged with the conversation with friends or, at other times, I like to bring a book with me to read and think . I suppose for me, suffice it to say, I don't mind waiting for food that delivers what this place does . You could , at the perceived moment of inquiry , ask the waiter, or even the owner ,the perfectly legitimate question, how long a particular dish takes to prepare . Or order a little ahead of time before you get there . Bring a nice bottle of wine with you to relax .
(5)Gerald A.
Their food is delicious, homestyle Egyptian food just like back home. I believe this is why their food tastes so good but takes a while to make especially when they're busy. Due to a native mother making all the food the time taken to make meals is understandable. They could have hired Joe Schmo to make quick, and bland meals, instead they care so much that they choose to leave a native mother in charge of maintaining the integrity of "El Omda"....Five Cheers!
(5)Kate P.
There are a lot of things I'm enjoying about my April yelp challenge. 1) Making new yelp friends: Case in point Chris I 2) Reading great reviews by these new yelp friends about cool new places: Case in point Chris I's review of El Omada Egyptian Cuisine. I'm always looking for new places to eat in the neighborhood and this place being just off the beaten path of busy 30th avenue was a perfect place for us to try on a lazy Saturday night. This cute little restaurant is small on both the inside and the outside, but what they serve up is anything but small! Armed with a $25 coupon (Thanks again Chris I. for the tip) my eyes devoured the menu! We started off with a trio of dips that came with soft and perfectly chewy bread for dipping or spreading. The hummus and tahini dip was spot on, and the baba ganoush was one of the best I have ever had, simply wonderful. They also throw in some pickled vegetables.... and I do love me some pickled vegetables. I was sold (I would be coming back) and our meals hadn't even arrived. All the dishes come with salad. And like the reviews before me have pointed out this salad (yes the side salad that comes with your meal) is incredible. Really! It's got all these herbs mixed in along with the perfect mix of lettuce's and veggies. It didn't even need the amazing side of dressing it came with. I had settled on the lamb shank over rice. It was cooked to perfection being tender and juicy the way lamb should be. It also came with this spectacular red vegetable sauce that I kept pouring all over my fluffy rice. Yum! My companion on this journey ordered the Mussels Over Pasta in a light creamy white sauce. This can only be described as an entire colony of mussels living on pasta. The pile of shells on top of shells was so high we couldn't see each other. It smelled amazing and I'm told tasted even better. * shakes fist at the allergy gods * We were suitably stuffed so we passed on dessert. Something I rarely do, but to our surprise we were brought some complimentary dessert to take home with us all wrapped and ready to go. My eyes sparkled once again as I couldn't wait for to eat this treat in about an hour or so. For under $50 (without the coupon) our dinner was spectacular. I cannot wait to go back and try some of the more 'exciting' meals they list on their menu. Don't let the 'no pork and no alcohol' fool you; this place is worth every step to get there and every penny once inside. The only downside to my experience here was I some how lost my take out bag of dessert after we left. I didn't even see what the dessert looked like or what it was, and I just know it would have been super yummy! So yummy if that little takeout bag showed it's face right now, I'd eat it...oh yes I would.
(5)Mackenzie F.
DELICIOUS. ARRIVE READY TO EAT! the portions are enormous. delicious food & good value. the service is SLIGHTLY low, but really friendly. laid-back style. I live a few blocks away and am always shocked that it's not more crowded. i only wish they had booze! or BYOB.
(5)Michele B.
I will preface this review by saying that I never had Egyptian food before this. However as someone who is familiar with all different types of middle eastern food, I thought this was place was very average. It was a big let down after reading all the reviews of this place on Yelp. I shared the macaroni bashmel and El Omda mix Platter with my husband. The food had very little flavor and the meat was on the dryer side. The macaroni bashmel resembled something from Chef Boyardee. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with Chef Boyardee, but I want something a little more exciting at a restaurant. Lastly, we were the only two people in the restaurant besides a group of people that seemed to be family members or friends of the owners, which made for an awkward dining experience.
(3)Kittie P.
I had a coupon for this place and it turns out its in my neighborhood but I'd never noticed it before. it's kinda nondescript from the outside, but don't let that fool you. There were only a few regulars hanging out when we got there, and it was otherwise empty. I'm glad I convinced my party to go in as the food was amazing! I had the lamb shank (fall off the bone good), my guy had the stuffed pigeon (coupun i think it was called) and our friend had the mixed grill. The hummous and grape leaves were some of the best I've had. We splurged and go a side of foul mamadoaus (fava beans) which were out of this world! If you can get over the looks of the place, the food was well worth it. The staff was also very friendly and attentive. Plus the other couple regulars who were hanging out were also welcoming. Only down side- no booze. But guess that helps keep the bill lower :)
(5)Sunny C.
Loved this place. The food was absolutely delicious, and if you go here, it should be specifically for the food and with LOTS of time on hand. As many others have noted, currently there is only 1 waitress, 1 chef I would assume, and that combo makes for a VERY SLOWWWW MEAL. It's the reason I'm giving this place 4 stars instead of 5. Oh, and the tv can be a bit loud.. but asking the waitress to turn it down a notch usually does the trick. For appetizers, we loved the salad, hummus, and I personally really enjoyed the pickled veggies. They're lightly pickled and quite tasty. For dinner, my roommie ordered the beef tagin, and frankly, I was jealous for the rest of the night. It was absolutely delicious. Very flavorful, well-balanced and meat was tender and tasty. I ordered the mixed grill lamb and chicken, and that too was excellent. The meats were well-seasoned and tasty. For dessert, we shared the rice pudding. I liked it, but I have a personal dislike for rose-water/syrup/oils, and so didn't like the slight aftertaste of it in the rice pudding. Next time I'll just stick to the baklavas.
(4)Kyri K.
This place was awesome. We got to sit on the floor tables in the back and our waitress was really great. We got a ton of apps and dips and they were all delicious. Favorites were the foul muddamas and the calamari tagine. Definitely try this place out.
(5)Kyle B.
This place is never busy, and I have NO IDEA why. My boyfriend and I stopped in after I suggested we go see about why I never really see anyone in this place. Also, I've never had any kind of Egyptian food, so it was an all out new thing for me. We had a starter of baba ganoush, which came with some hummus and tahini and bread. Also, it seems most items come with a salad which was really well made (an important point, some places have no clue how to put together a decent salad). The hummus was fantastic, as was the tahini and baba ganoush. The bread alone would have been perfectly fine (very tasty), but the spread of spreads was just perfect. I had a salmon steak with mixed rice, and the boyfriend had a lamb shank with white rice. The salmon was seasoned perfectly, though I had to pick out some bones which wasn't super convenient but didn't really bother me. It's important to note, though. The lamb was amazing! Well seasoned and wonderfully cooked. Absolutely a must try. Their rice was also very very good. The lamb came with a bowl of vegetable sauce-ish stuff that we didn't really pick up the name of but was rich and delicious. Our waitress was super nice the entire time, and even dropped by after our meal with a free rice pudding. It was good enough to make room for after our meal, the portions of which were very generous. So to recap, that's bread, two salads, three sodas (2 for me, 1 for him), three spreads/dips, two giant portions of rice with meats and a complimentary dessert. It all came to just under 40$, which for enough food for that night and the next day's lunch is pretty excellent. We'll definitely be going back, and I hope to see more people there next time.
(5)Alexander Z.
Everything we had, from the complimentary house salad to the hummus to the soup with a type of dark Egyptian spinach-like green and cilantro to the lamb shank was very freshly prepared and bursting with flavor. In addition, the staff was very helpful and friendly. When we asked about the specific type of green used in the soup, the owner actually showed us the main ingredient, told us where we can get it and even offered to give us one package of the greens. There's a very nice floor seating area in back that I would imagine would be great for a large party, and I enjoyed observing the Egyptian patrons watching an Arabic-language movie on the t.v. near the front. A great overall experience.
(5)Roman O.
I cannot speak to the quality of the food as I NEVER got it. I ordered via GRUBHUB and after 40 minutes Someone called from El Omda and told me they just got the order. I verified with GH that they confirmed the order 10 minutes after I submitted it. I would not be so upset if they did not LIE to me. On top of that they did not have half the stuff I ordered. I canceled the order. I would have given them a chance if they were at all honest.
(1)Mary P.
Great food and warm service, definitely a great place to frequent!
(4)Rengang W.
We took my step-daughter here because she's visiting from the west coast and she is half-Egyptian. There were five adults and two kids. We sat on the cushions in the back and that was a real, authentic treat! We felt as if we were dinig in someone's living room. We had a $50 certificate from restaurants.com and wanted to sample as much as possible. We ordered humus which came out with pickeled veggies and a salad. The hummus had too much salt and not much else as far as flavor goes. Salad and veggies were good. A basket of bread was brought after we had almost finished. It would have been nice to have the bread when the hummus was served. Next they brought out foul and falafel. My step-daughter loved the foul, but to me it was a bit bland and too mushy. I like the fool to be more on the solid side. The falafel was excellent, but there was no tahini sauce brought out during the entire meal after requesting it twice. Not a big deal, but tahini would have made the falafel perfect. Next came a huge plate of mussels over pasta and a big bowl of...now I just forget the name, but it's macaroni, lentils, and fried onions with a nice spicy red sauce on the side. we wanted macaroni bechamel, but they didn't have it. Other posters' comments about the mussel plate were spot on. They give a huge mound of them and this dish pleased everyone in our party. We also had a plate of liver, and three of us declared it to be the hit of the evening. That was the best liver we ever had! The spices used to sautée it take out the nasty after-taste that usually turns people off from liver. The next food brought out was rabbit and fried calamari. The rice served with both was very fluffy and tasty. Everyone liked the rabbit but the calamari was a bigger fave. We had ordered kafte, but it was never brought out. Just as well because we were stuffed and wanted to save room for dessert. Unfortunately we were told that there was only rice pudding for dessert. Only two of us wanted it. It was not creamy or pudding like. They put some honey on it which made it more palatable. One note about the drinks. The drinks came late, mid-course. One child had lemonade which was delicious and refreshing. Four of us ordered mango juice which was more like a smoothie and a big hit. One of us ordered the hot jujube, but they brought two and everyone shared the extra one. However, most of us had to ask several times for their drinks, and one of us didn't get her sallop until after everyone was done with the entire meal. She didn't want to be the only one sitting there drinking it by herself, so two others ordered Turkish coffee. The coffees came out and she had to ask one more time for the sallop even though she ordered it first thing with the meal. The sallop was worth the wait! It was so good, that we poured a little bit for everyone and it was the perfect end to the meal. Unfortunately the kofte was listed on the bill and we had to have a conversation about it, but it was taken off. On the way out we saw a tray of baklava and were disappointed that we were told only rice pudding was available. Just as well...the sallop was a perfect dessert. Our server kept apologizing that she was too busy to properly take care of us, but we told her the food more than made up for any lag in service and we will be back soon.
(4)Eric B.
Never order delivery from them. It took them an hour and a half to deliver cold food 6 blocks from their restaurant. When reheated their food is average at best.
(1)Sarah S.
I got takeout from El Omda [used to be Al Omda?] tonight because I was sick of all the same places we always order from. I live right across the street, and was curious - they recently redid it and it's under new management. I probably wouldn't have ventured to try if not for the sidewalk chalkboard menu listing all kinds of seafood. Seafood is my weakness. Maybe this is an unfair assumption [I never researched it], but based on the one review I had read about the old/previous place awhile back, I thought the only food they had served was very traditional Egyptian - which was intimidating [rabbit, cow brains?]. This assumption, paired with the fact that it is generally empty, but for the same group of men hanging out, caused me to avoid it before. But tonight I gave it a chance and I'm glad I did. I ordered Lobster Soup and Mussels Over Pasta [you're given the choice of red or white sauce - I chose white]. This wound up coming with a side salad and bread. The salad was great. You might say, how do you mess up a salad? But, it can be done and is by restaurants quite frequently. This salad could stand alone without dressing, because it's infused with herbs and all of the vegetables in it were right. There was cilantro throughout and I believe - dill. I had some feta in the fridge and with that is was complete. They also give some special dressing on the side - which I would have used if I didn't have feta. The lobster soup was OK. I am used to lobster bisque, which is thicker. This was still cream based and had similar flavor, but was thin [but it's not called a bisque, but a soup - should have expected that]. It was also slightly salty for my taste. I opened the container of Mussels Over Pasta and to my surprise, found a MOUNTAIN of mussels in the shell. In my head for some reason I was thinking they would be out of the shell tossed in, but this was impressive. I am not exaggerating when I say there were 30 mussels packed on top. The white version is a butter based sauce with garlic and herbs - plus the juices from the mussels. I special-requested mine to be spicy, so they added crushed red pepper. I would recommend it based on my experience. Not sure you can find another place that charges $11 for such a generous serving of mussels. Their seafood menu has 17 choices, ranging from $11-25. The rest of the menu does include standard Egyptian dishes [even rabbit, along with lamb, chicken, duck, beef, eggplant and more]. The owner was the one who helped me and was very friendly. They also have Wifi available if you want to hang out there. One thing to note - the environment is unique. Right now, it's not one of those places that draw a variety of people - it seems mostly Egyptian people, and they have a TV in the front broadcasting an Egyptian channel.
(4)Shabi R.
Amazing Food, Great Atmosphere, Friendliest Staff EVER. Did i get your attention? You have to try this place. We decided to try El Omda because I had a restaurants.com gift certificate to use. The restaurant is very clean and nicely decorated. There are tables in the front, but we chose to sit on their floor seating in the back. There was 4 of us and we needed to spend a $100, so we got a lot of food. To start we got the liver, fava beans, and falafel. I can very confidently say that each one individually was the best I have ever had. The fava beans were my favorite. The portions are HUGE. For main dishes, we had the rabbit, the Lamb chop, the Lamb shank, and the El Omda Mix. The rabbit was tender and delicious. Both lamb dishes were spectacular. The true grilled flavor on them was stellar. The El Omda Mix, was great because you get to try a little of everything. The chicken was super spicy. My boyfriend did say that the Kofta was so good, that he would be ordering that the next time. The rabbit and the Lamb Shank came with vegetables. You can pick the vegetable, so our friends picked Egyptian Okra and White Beans. These were the only things I would say were less than Amazing. After dinner, we ordered Turkish Coffee. It was a first for me, but I loved it. The staff is so friendly and accommodating. The location is a little off the beaten path, so you kind of have to know about it to go. I have found a new staple restaurant which I am already excited to go back to, even though i was just there 12 hours ago.
(5)J P.
lovely place--the food was very good and very reasonably priced. happy i found these reviews and decided to try it. i will be back soon. :)
(5)Richard L.
2 Stars...sadly - i feel bad about giving them a 2 stars - the only thing that saved this place from 1 star is that the food was tasty. *Note* Immediately when we entered we noticed only one waitress in the restaurant. So - to say that they are slow is an understatement. So my buddy decided to choose this place for a surprise b-day party for his GF and since most of us hasn't seen each other in a while, it was a nice get together with lots of talking. We arrived at 8 pm, and was seated in the back table that was a floor seating. It's not really comfortable, but it's serviceable. We chatted, hung out, laughed and kept talking, but for 45 minutes...there was no service. No water, no plates, napkins or utensils, nada. Again - not really a big deal by itself - but we were all very hungry and at this point getting annoyed. At the 45 minute mark the lone waitress brought over several baskets of nan bread and sauce (not even sure what kind of sauce b/c i was so hungry i didn't ask) and our party devoured it all. There was not one piece left. (It should be noted this was also the same time we got water as some of us were more parched than others) As we were eating the bread, the waitress started taking our orders. So feeling something in the tummy again - we were satisfied for a little while then 20 minutes later salad comes out. The salad was alright - nothing special. And finally 30 minutes after that food came out. All the while we sat and talked and was in general jovial, and all the while we watched the waitress scurry about with the other tables. The food - everyone's food - the portions were pretty good - but at this time we were all ravenous and gobbled everything up. By the time we left it was 10:45, almost 11 pm. So that was a pretty long dinner.
(2)Vesna G.
My boyfriend & I came here a few months ago and ordered the Tajin calamari, fried calamari, and whole shrimp. They were all great dishes. But warning, there's a wait! So don't go in extremely hungry like we did and ate every piece of pita before our meal!
(4)Peter S.
Had delivery. Unfortunately the delivery guy smashed some of our food and it spilled in the bag. I'm not going to rate them based on this because it can happen to any delivery guy. My rating is based solely on the food. Soup and Salad ============ Yellow Lentil Soup: B A very nice lentil soup. Nice flavor. A tad uninspired. Maybe fresh lemon, bits of cooked lentil or cooked onion, or perhaps some watercress or cilantro would've made it more exciting. Still, it was a good lentil soup. Special Dishes =========== Tajin Rice: B Basically rice pilaf with the cooked film on top. Better than the rice they serve with the platters, but only marginally so. It does go nicely with the foul, however. It was cooked "al-dente" ... some might say under-cooked. Not quite crunchy, but not quite soft, either. I was expecting something a bit more ethnic. Maybe sauteed/grilled onion bits? Foul Medames: A- A lovely foul: delicious and vibrant. I'm giving it A- instead of an A for being a bit too salty. Entrees ====== Kofta Kebab: B- Tasty but much too overdone. Dry and overcooked. Duck: A Lovely. I got a leg of duck which was well cooked and well spiced. It was fatty the way you expect duck to be. Simply wonderful! Dessert ====== Rice Pudding: C Horrible. I liked the fact that it wasn't sweet (just a very small hint of sweetness) but it was awfully plain. It should've made up for the lack of sugar or honey with something like cardamon, cinnamon or rose water. Much too plain.. like eating very semi sweet white rice!
(3)Christopher M.
****Please note that this review is purely based on service - or lack thereof - to delivery clientele. Yes, this is a site where we like to find out about food. But we also like to find out about service.**** I've been wanting to try this place ever since I moved in around the corner almost a year ago. But it never seemed to have customers. And it never gave me the vide that I wanted to eat inside. So I figured I'd order delivery at some point. This past Sunday, I placed an order for El Omda through Seamless around 6 pm. Twenty minutes later, I had yet to receive an email confirming that my order had been accepted. I call El Omda. I let it ring for nearly a minute. No one picks up. I call seamless. They tell me El Omda should be open. They try to call. They can't get an answer. My card has already been charged. So now seamless has to cancel my order, refund my card (said monies of which I won't have for another 5-7 business days). And they shoot another email to both me and El Omda saying the order was canceled. I now have to find another place from which to order. I do. It is now almost 7 pm. I get two confirmations: one from El Omda, and one from the new restaurant. I presume they'll see the cancellation email next, and won't fulfill the order. Around 7:15, an hour and fifteen minutes after I placed my order and 20 minutes after they accepted said order, El Omda calls me to inform that they don't have the lobster soup...so will I take vegetable (this is a comparable replacement in cuisine and cost how?)...oh...and they also don't have the lamb chop for the mixed grill...so what else would I like. So I inform them to keep reading through their emails, as seamless cancelled my order over thirty minutes ago. The response, "Oh." and a hang up. I cannot recommend ordering delivery from them. I cannot recommend eating in. I can recommend going to Favela Grill next door for phenomenal cuisine and brilliant customer service.
(1)Meriem R.
I ate there before it was ok but not amazing. I decided to give it another chance. Boy was i wrong not a good experience. The food tasted bad and to top it off a roach popped up in my husband coffee towards the end. Needless to say we did not want to make a scene as the waiter was very nice and its not his fault. We paid the bill quietly and told the waiter very discreetly what happened than exited.
(1)Christian P.
I should probably have guessed a culture that could erect pyramids and perfect the art of removing a brain through the nose was capable of wondrous things. I wouldn't have guessed that cuisine would fall into that category. I was prepared to hate this place and was getting my bad review typing fingers warmed up after waiting over an hour for the food to arrive. Then something magical happened... First of all, the portions are enormous. It looked like I had ordered enough to cater a party instead of dinner for two people. Second, this is some of the best food (if not THE best) I have had since moving to New York. The beef is slow cooked and you can cut it with a fork. The chicken kebabs, falafel and rice dishes are, likewise, incredible. The flavors were so unique and different- my mouth was literally being forced to learn a new class of food. And it was awesome. I have never in my life said to anyone "Man, I could really go for some Egyptian food right now." But I can tell you with all honesty, this is my new favorite restaurant in the world. Just think...the WORLD. Just try it. And be patient with the slow delivery- it is absolutely worth it.
(5)Steven R.
Maybe my horrible experience of this place was a product of coming too late (we arrived at 9 and they close at 10) but my party of 6 had one of the worst restaurant experiences we've ever had. The place has a nice atmosphere, dimmed lights and Egyptian TV give it a very authentic vibe. The waitress was for the most part distant. She came to get out orders, drop off our food, and we had to flag her down to get the check. The first red flag of the evening is when they told us they had no menus. She ten told us all entrees were $25 dollars despite the fact that on the online menu some were only $15. She told us that the portions were big enough to share so we reluctantly agreed to pay almost twice the price for our dishes. When they arrived however they were not as large as she made them out to be. The good dishes were the shishkebab and the combo platter. The shishkebab was like any other shishkebab you would normally order. However with only 8 pieces of meat you are paying a premium of $3 per cube of meat. The combo had plenty of food and should be enough to warrant the meal a 2 star rating. However the last two dishes were borderline inedible. The first of the bad dishes was the rabbit. Our $25 rabbit consisted of a leg and half of a thigh. The meat was dry and even more bland. It tasted like dry unseasoned chicken breast. The duck, our last meal, was perhaps the worst meal I have ever ordered from a restaurant. It was a sizable portion but plain and was so dry that it was almost impossible to eat. I had to chew a bite sized portion for over a minute and still struggled to swallow. Despite the price we couldn't get ourselves to finish it. We realized in the middle of the meal that the duck and rabbit tasted exactly like someone over-microwaving leftovers. So my advice to people coming here: Avoid the duck and rabbit, argue the pricing, and do not come an hour before closing.
(1)Jess K.
We went here with a restaurant.com gift certificate. The reviews really had my hopes up high and while I thought the food was good, I don't think it is omfg wowwwww good. I thought everything needed some salt so I added that to my food. The water pitcher they leave on the table is sooo heaaaavy. Just saying. Also, I got mosquito bitten a lot. Not their fault but still, I was itchy by the time we left and that's not a fun feeling. Also, our waitress lost our bill. Or something? So she just said an amount and we added up what we thought it should be and it sounded right. But still, random. I got the sampler platter and my fiance got a lamb kebab type dish. It was a lot of food. The potatoes that came with my fiance's meal were excellent. The rice that came with both of our meals was just plain rice and so I am not sure how exactly you are supposed to improve on it to make it delicious. I added the potato mixture to it. We really enjoyed the pita bread and the free little platter of hummus. That was heavy on the tahini but really good even if I thought the flavor was slightly off from what I expected. We both agreed we would definitely go back here. We saw the "cooks" in the back and that solidified in our minds that this is a family business. We are glad we came here and this is definitely among my top restaurant.com finds.
(4)Martha L.
Overall, very tasty food but very slow service. Great when you want a leisurely 2-hour meal. I came with my friend on a Saturday for brunch. We couldn't judge if it was authentic or not, but everything was very delicious. We ordered: MISSAH - nicely grilled eggplant and pepper, but the tomato sauce was not infused into the vegetables. FATA - A rice dish cooked in soup with beef on top and pita bread at the bottom. Very rich. GRILLED BLACKENED WHOLE PORGY - although I disliked the black coat of seasoning, the fish was fresh. The rice that comes with the fish was very flavorful and yet not heavy. RICE PUDDING - the most milky and liquidly rice pudding I have ever had, compared to Turkish, Latin and Spanish rice pudding. The lady told me they ran out of nuts for garnish. I wish there was some for more complexity and a kick. SALLOP - like steamed condensed milk. Too sweet for me. Perhaps the missing nuts on top would have balanced the sweetness out. The portion here is huge. I would come back again to try their meat, baklava and mint tea. I read the reviews before coming and prepared myself for slow service. Our server didn't come to take our order until 30 minutes after we have sat down. Yet, he was very friendly and patience and answered all our questions with Egyptian cuisine. Food also came quite slowly, but everything came together. There was another lady who served us desserts. From the way she spoke, it seemed like she was the dessert chef. She was very friendly and she kept helping my friend and I take photos. My friend and I had a really nice, relaxing brunch here and look forward to the next time.
(4)Carol L.
Overall some very yummy food and a nice experience. We had a large group but the staff was accommodating and sweet, but as others have noted service was rather leisurely in pace. (I'm more generous than you, Rich lol.) The pita they served with tahini was the most delicious, warm pita I've had in a long time. The portions were nice sizes. Someone ordered the falafel and it was a large plate! They looked a little on the dark side, but had good flavor and didn't taste burned. For my entree I had the seafood rice and it was tasty, but very oily. Another person in the group got it as well and came across a grit from the shellfish. I lucked out and didn't really have any in mine. Everyone else seemed to like their dishes a lot. I'd come back, but definitely not on a day/night where I have somewhere else to be afterwards.
(4)Lauren C.
First off, a few tips... they are very slow. If you say you're headed somewhere else they speed it up a bit. They do not have alcohol. Yep, it's that authentic. I didn't really like the baba ganoush, but everything else was awesome. The falafel, hummus and chicken kabob were all awesome. My friend had a beef tagine and said the beef wasn't as tender as she would have liked. There is also a tv with egyptian shows blaring. Normally this would annoy me, but because it was an egyptian station, and everyone seemed to be excitedly watching it, it was fine. At one point, someone came in with a suitcase that said egyptian airlines on it. I'd definitely recommend this place for authentic egyptian.
(5)Jessica B.
The food was 4 or 5 stars, the service 2. I hate it when that happens, because I really want to have more of the food but rarely do I want to sit around all day wondering when it might finally arrive! Having said that, we really enjoyed the food we did get here. I got the Tagin Beef which was tender and came in a rich tasty sauce. The stuffed grape leaves were an appetizer I would definitely order again. The ambiance is a little strange. They had a few guys who didn't seem to be customers sitting around watching the Egyptian TV channel. You kinda got the feeling you were having a chilled out holiday at a family member's house, while someone in the kitchen cooked slowly and people did their own thing until it was ready. Give it a shot, but clear your schedule for the evening and bring a friend you can talk to!
(3)Nora A.
If you want authentic Egyptian cuisine this is the place to go. I had the koshari and mousa3a (moussaka) and both were delicious. I wish the koshari had more of the onions on top but the da2- the sauce that came with it was amazing I literally poured it all over my dish. The prices are reasonable (my bill only came to $15) and the portion size was pretty big.
(5)Gavin M.
Very unique food and seems pretty authentic.
(3)Vesna G.
My boyfriend & I came here a few months ago and ordered the Tajin calamari, fried calamari, and whole shrimp. They were all great dishes. But warning, there's a wait! So don't go in extremely hungry like we did and ate every piece of pita before our meal!
(4)Nora A.
If you want authentic Egyptian cuisine this is the place to go. I had the koshari and mousa3a (moussaka) and both were delicious. I wish the koshari had more of the onions on top but the da2- the sauce that came with it was amazing I literally poured it all over my dish. The prices are reasonable (my bill only came to $15) and the portion size was pretty big.
(5)Peter S.
Had delivery. Unfortunately the delivery guy smashed some of our food and it spilled in the bag. I'm not going to rate them based on this because it can happen to any delivery guy. My rating is based solely on the food. Soup and Salad ============ Yellow Lentil Soup: B A very nice lentil soup. Nice flavor. A tad uninspired. Maybe fresh lemon, bits of cooked lentil or cooked onion, or perhaps some watercress or cilantro would've made it more exciting. Still, it was a good lentil soup. Special Dishes =========== Tajin Rice: B Basically rice pilaf with the cooked film on top. Better than the rice they serve with the platters, but only marginally so. It does go nicely with the foul, however. It was cooked "al-dente" ... some might say under-cooked. Not quite crunchy, but not quite soft, either. I was expecting something a bit more ethnic. Maybe sauteed/grilled onion bits? Foul Medames: A- A lovely foul: delicious and vibrant. I'm giving it A- instead of an A for being a bit too salty. Entrees ====== Kofta Kebab: B- Tasty but much too overdone. Dry and overcooked. Duck: A Lovely. I got a leg of duck which was well cooked and well spiced. It was fatty the way you expect duck to be. Simply wonderful! Dessert ====== Rice Pudding: C Horrible. I liked the fact that it wasn't sweet (just a very small hint of sweetness) but it was awfully plain. It should've made up for the lack of sugar or honey with something like cardamon, cinnamon or rose water. Much too plain.. like eating very semi sweet white rice!
(3)Michele B.
I will preface this review by saying that I never had Egyptian food before this. However as someone who is familiar with all different types of middle eastern food, I thought this was place was very average. It was a big let down after reading all the reviews of this place on Yelp. I shared the macaroni bashmel and El Omda mix Platter with my husband. The food had very little flavor and the meat was on the dryer side. The macaroni bashmel resembled something from Chef Boyardee. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with Chef Boyardee, but I want something a little more exciting at a restaurant. Lastly, we were the only two people in the restaurant besides a group of people that seemed to be family members or friends of the owners, which made for an awkward dining experience.
(3)Kittie P.
I had a coupon for this place and it turns out its in my neighborhood but I'd never noticed it before. it's kinda nondescript from the outside, but don't let that fool you. There were only a few regulars hanging out when we got there, and it was otherwise empty. I'm glad I convinced my party to go in as the food was amazing! I had the lamb shank (fall off the bone good), my guy had the stuffed pigeon (coupun i think it was called) and our friend had the mixed grill. The hummous and grape leaves were some of the best I've had. We splurged and go a side of foul mamadoaus (fava beans) which were out of this world! If you can get over the looks of the place, the food was well worth it. The staff was also very friendly and attentive. Plus the other couple regulars who were hanging out were also welcoming. Only down side- no booze. But guess that helps keep the bill lower :)
(5)Sunny C.
Loved this place. The food was absolutely delicious, and if you go here, it should be specifically for the food and with LOTS of time on hand. As many others have noted, currently there is only 1 waitress, 1 chef I would assume, and that combo makes for a VERY SLOWWWW MEAL. It's the reason I'm giving this place 4 stars instead of 5. Oh, and the tv can be a bit loud.. but asking the waitress to turn it down a notch usually does the trick. For appetizers, we loved the salad, hummus, and I personally really enjoyed the pickled veggies. They're lightly pickled and quite tasty. For dinner, my roommie ordered the beef tagin, and frankly, I was jealous for the rest of the night. It was absolutely delicious. Very flavorful, well-balanced and meat was tender and tasty. I ordered the mixed grill lamb and chicken, and that too was excellent. The meats were well-seasoned and tasty. For dessert, we shared the rice pudding. I liked it, but I have a personal dislike for rose-water/syrup/oils, and so didn't like the slight aftertaste of it in the rice pudding. Next time I'll just stick to the baklavas.
(4)Kyri K.
This place was awesome. We got to sit on the floor tables in the back and our waitress was really great. We got a ton of apps and dips and they were all delicious. Favorites were the foul muddamas and the calamari tagine. Definitely try this place out.
(5)Kyle B.
This place is never busy, and I have NO IDEA why. My boyfriend and I stopped in after I suggested we go see about why I never really see anyone in this place. Also, I've never had any kind of Egyptian food, so it was an all out new thing for me. We had a starter of baba ganoush, which came with some hummus and tahini and bread. Also, it seems most items come with a salad which was really well made (an important point, some places have no clue how to put together a decent salad). The hummus was fantastic, as was the tahini and baba ganoush. The bread alone would have been perfectly fine (very tasty), but the spread of spreads was just perfect. I had a salmon steak with mixed rice, and the boyfriend had a lamb shank with white rice. The salmon was seasoned perfectly, though I had to pick out some bones which wasn't super convenient but didn't really bother me. It's important to note, though. The lamb was amazing! Well seasoned and wonderfully cooked. Absolutely a must try. Their rice was also very very good. The lamb came with a bowl of vegetable sauce-ish stuff that we didn't really pick up the name of but was rich and delicious. Our waitress was super nice the entire time, and even dropped by after our meal with a free rice pudding. It was good enough to make room for after our meal, the portions of which were very generous. So to recap, that's bread, two salads, three sodas (2 for me, 1 for him), three spreads/dips, two giant portions of rice with meats and a complimentary dessert. It all came to just under 40$, which for enough food for that night and the next day's lunch is pretty excellent. We'll definitely be going back, and I hope to see more people there next time.
(5)Alexander Z.
Everything we had, from the complimentary house salad to the hummus to the soup with a type of dark Egyptian spinach-like green and cilantro to the lamb shank was very freshly prepared and bursting with flavor. In addition, the staff was very helpful and friendly. When we asked about the specific type of green used in the soup, the owner actually showed us the main ingredient, told us where we can get it and even offered to give us one package of the greens. There's a very nice floor seating area in back that I would imagine would be great for a large party, and I enjoyed observing the Egyptian patrons watching an Arabic-language movie on the t.v. near the front. A great overall experience.
(5)Roman O.
I cannot speak to the quality of the food as I NEVER got it. I ordered via GRUBHUB and after 40 minutes Someone called from El Omda and told me they just got the order. I verified with GH that they confirmed the order 10 minutes after I submitted it. I would not be so upset if they did not LIE to me. On top of that they did not have half the stuff I ordered. I canceled the order. I would have given them a chance if they were at all honest.
(1)Mary P.
Great food and warm service, definitely a great place to frequent!
(4)Rengang W.
We took my step-daughter here because she's visiting from the west coast and she is half-Egyptian. There were five adults and two kids. We sat on the cushions in the back and that was a real, authentic treat! We felt as if we were dinig in someone's living room. We had a $50 certificate from restaurants.com and wanted to sample as much as possible. We ordered humus which came out with pickeled veggies and a salad. The hummus had too much salt and not much else as far as flavor goes. Salad and veggies were good. A basket of bread was brought after we had almost finished. It would have been nice to have the bread when the hummus was served. Next they brought out foul and falafel. My step-daughter loved the foul, but to me it was a bit bland and too mushy. I like the fool to be more on the solid side. The falafel was excellent, but there was no tahini sauce brought out during the entire meal after requesting it twice. Not a big deal, but tahini would have made the falafel perfect. Next came a huge plate of mussels over pasta and a big bowl of...now I just forget the name, but it's macaroni, lentils, and fried onions with a nice spicy red sauce on the side. we wanted macaroni bechamel, but they didn't have it. Other posters' comments about the mussel plate were spot on. They give a huge mound of them and this dish pleased everyone in our party. We also had a plate of liver, and three of us declared it to be the hit of the evening. That was the best liver we ever had! The spices used to sautée it take out the nasty after-taste that usually turns people off from liver. The next food brought out was rabbit and fried calamari. The rice served with both was very fluffy and tasty. Everyone liked the rabbit but the calamari was a bigger fave. We had ordered kafte, but it was never brought out. Just as well because we were stuffed and wanted to save room for dessert. Unfortunately we were told that there was only rice pudding for dessert. Only two of us wanted it. It was not creamy or pudding like. They put some honey on it which made it more palatable. One note about the drinks. The drinks came late, mid-course. One child had lemonade which was delicious and refreshing. Four of us ordered mango juice which was more like a smoothie and a big hit. One of us ordered the hot jujube, but they brought two and everyone shared the extra one. However, most of us had to ask several times for their drinks, and one of us didn't get her sallop until after everyone was done with the entire meal. She didn't want to be the only one sitting there drinking it by herself, so two others ordered Turkish coffee. The coffees came out and she had to ask one more time for the sallop even though she ordered it first thing with the meal. The sallop was worth the wait! It was so good, that we poured a little bit for everyone and it was the perfect end to the meal. Unfortunately the kofte was listed on the bill and we had to have a conversation about it, but it was taken off. On the way out we saw a tray of baklava and were disappointed that we were told only rice pudding was available. Just as well...the sallop was a perfect dessert. Our server kept apologizing that she was too busy to properly take care of us, but we told her the food more than made up for any lag in service and we will be back soon.
(4)Eric B.
Never order delivery from them. It took them an hour and a half to deliver cold food 6 blocks from their restaurant. When reheated their food is average at best.
(1)Sarah S.
I got takeout from El Omda [used to be Al Omda?] tonight because I was sick of all the same places we always order from. I live right across the street, and was curious - they recently redid it and it's under new management. I probably wouldn't have ventured to try if not for the sidewalk chalkboard menu listing all kinds of seafood. Seafood is my weakness. Maybe this is an unfair assumption [I never researched it], but based on the one review I had read about the old/previous place awhile back, I thought the only food they had served was very traditional Egyptian - which was intimidating [rabbit, cow brains?]. This assumption, paired with the fact that it is generally empty, but for the same group of men hanging out, caused me to avoid it before. But tonight I gave it a chance and I'm glad I did. I ordered Lobster Soup and Mussels Over Pasta [you're given the choice of red or white sauce - I chose white]. This wound up coming with a side salad and bread. The salad was great. You might say, how do you mess up a salad? But, it can be done and is by restaurants quite frequently. This salad could stand alone without dressing, because it's infused with herbs and all of the vegetables in it were right. There was cilantro throughout and I believe - dill. I had some feta in the fridge and with that is was complete. They also give some special dressing on the side - which I would have used if I didn't have feta. The lobster soup was OK. I am used to lobster bisque, which is thicker. This was still cream based and had similar flavor, but was thin [but it's not called a bisque, but a soup - should have expected that]. It was also slightly salty for my taste. I opened the container of Mussels Over Pasta and to my surprise, found a MOUNTAIN of mussels in the shell. In my head for some reason I was thinking they would be out of the shell tossed in, but this was impressive. I am not exaggerating when I say there were 30 mussels packed on top. The white version is a butter based sauce with garlic and herbs - plus the juices from the mussels. I special-requested mine to be spicy, so they added crushed red pepper. I would recommend it based on my experience. Not sure you can find another place that charges $11 for such a generous serving of mussels. Their seafood menu has 17 choices, ranging from $11-25. The rest of the menu does include standard Egyptian dishes [even rabbit, along with lamb, chicken, duck, beef, eggplant and more]. The owner was the one who helped me and was very friendly. They also have Wifi available if you want to hang out there. One thing to note - the environment is unique. Right now, it's not one of those places that draw a variety of people - it seems mostly Egyptian people, and they have a TV in the front broadcasting an Egyptian channel.
(4)Shabi R.
Amazing Food, Great Atmosphere, Friendliest Staff EVER. Did i get your attention? You have to try this place. We decided to try El Omda because I had a restaurants.com gift certificate to use. The restaurant is very clean and nicely decorated. There are tables in the front, but we chose to sit on their floor seating in the back. There was 4 of us and we needed to spend a $100, so we got a lot of food. To start we got the liver, fava beans, and falafel. I can very confidently say that each one individually was the best I have ever had. The fava beans were my favorite. The portions are HUGE. For main dishes, we had the rabbit, the Lamb chop, the Lamb shank, and the El Omda Mix. The rabbit was tender and delicious. Both lamb dishes were spectacular. The true grilled flavor on them was stellar. The El Omda Mix, was great because you get to try a little of everything. The chicken was super spicy. My boyfriend did say that the Kofta was so good, that he would be ordering that the next time. The rabbit and the Lamb Shank came with vegetables. You can pick the vegetable, so our friends picked Egyptian Okra and White Beans. These were the only things I would say were less than Amazing. After dinner, we ordered Turkish Coffee. It was a first for me, but I loved it. The staff is so friendly and accommodating. The location is a little off the beaten path, so you kind of have to know about it to go. I have found a new staple restaurant which I am already excited to go back to, even though i was just there 12 hours ago.
(5)J P.
lovely place--the food was very good and very reasonably priced. happy i found these reviews and decided to try it. i will be back soon. :)
(5)Meriem R.
I ate there before it was ok but not amazing. I decided to give it another chance. Boy was i wrong not a good experience. The food tasted bad and to top it off a roach popped up in my husband coffee towards the end. Needless to say we did not want to make a scene as the waiter was very nice and its not his fault. We paid the bill quietly and told the waiter very discreetly what happened than exited.
(1)Christian P.
I should probably have guessed a culture that could erect pyramids and perfect the art of removing a brain through the nose was capable of wondrous things. I wouldn't have guessed that cuisine would fall into that category. I was prepared to hate this place and was getting my bad review typing fingers warmed up after waiting over an hour for the food to arrive. Then something magical happened... First of all, the portions are enormous. It looked like I had ordered enough to cater a party instead of dinner for two people. Second, this is some of the best food (if not THE best) I have had since moving to New York. The beef is slow cooked and you can cut it with a fork. The chicken kebabs, falafel and rice dishes are, likewise, incredible. The flavors were so unique and different- my mouth was literally being forced to learn a new class of food. And it was awesome. I have never in my life said to anyone "Man, I could really go for some Egyptian food right now." But I can tell you with all honesty, this is my new favorite restaurant in the world. Just think...the WORLD. Just try it. And be patient with the slow delivery- it is absolutely worth it.
(5)Steven R.
Maybe my horrible experience of this place was a product of coming too late (we arrived at 9 and they close at 10) but my party of 6 had one of the worst restaurant experiences we've ever had. The place has a nice atmosphere, dimmed lights and Egyptian TV give it a very authentic vibe. The waitress was for the most part distant. She came to get out orders, drop off our food, and we had to flag her down to get the check. The first red flag of the evening is when they told us they had no menus. She ten told us all entrees were $25 dollars despite the fact that on the online menu some were only $15. She told us that the portions were big enough to share so we reluctantly agreed to pay almost twice the price for our dishes. When they arrived however they were not as large as she made them out to be. The good dishes were the shishkebab and the combo platter. The shishkebab was like any other shishkebab you would normally order. However with only 8 pieces of meat you are paying a premium of $3 per cube of meat. The combo had plenty of food and should be enough to warrant the meal a 2 star rating. However the last two dishes were borderline inedible. The first of the bad dishes was the rabbit. Our $25 rabbit consisted of a leg and half of a thigh. The meat was dry and even more bland. It tasted like dry unseasoned chicken breast. The duck, our last meal, was perhaps the worst meal I have ever ordered from a restaurant. It was a sizable portion but plain and was so dry that it was almost impossible to eat. I had to chew a bite sized portion for over a minute and still struggled to swallow. Despite the price we couldn't get ourselves to finish it. We realized in the middle of the meal that the duck and rabbit tasted exactly like someone over-microwaving leftovers. So my advice to people coming here: Avoid the duck and rabbit, argue the pricing, and do not come an hour before closing.
(1)Jess K.
We went here with a restaurant.com gift certificate. The reviews really had my hopes up high and while I thought the food was good, I don't think it is omfg wowwwww good. I thought everything needed some salt so I added that to my food. The water pitcher they leave on the table is sooo heaaaavy. Just saying. Also, I got mosquito bitten a lot. Not their fault but still, I was itchy by the time we left and that's not a fun feeling. Also, our waitress lost our bill. Or something? So she just said an amount and we added up what we thought it should be and it sounded right. But still, random. I got the sampler platter and my fiance got a lamb kebab type dish. It was a lot of food. The potatoes that came with my fiance's meal were excellent. The rice that came with both of our meals was just plain rice and so I am not sure how exactly you are supposed to improve on it to make it delicious. I added the potato mixture to it. We really enjoyed the pita bread and the free little platter of hummus. That was heavy on the tahini but really good even if I thought the flavor was slightly off from what I expected. We both agreed we would definitely go back here. We saw the "cooks" in the back and that solidified in our minds that this is a family business. We are glad we came here and this is definitely among my top restaurant.com finds.
(4)Antonietta L.
I'm not a great fan on writing reviews but this was so funny i wanted to share.The waitress service was so bad i actually wanted to laugh because for a moment i thought someone wanted to pull a prank. We were prepared to wait for a comfortable table and we decided to sit by the door until then. Finally, the waitress came over and took our orders. When we got seated at our table we were served the two soups and salads and eggplant dish that were ordered. I asked the waitress that i'd like a soup too... Our orders came and it was funny because only one order was correct..I really didn't want to make a big deal because they were busy but my friend said "why should u eat something you didn't order", He then called the waitress over and she claimed to give the kitchen the proper order (I doubt it )but iI was still waiting for the soup......above all the whole night was a comedy of errors, but I do have to say the food at El-Omda is fantastic and yes I recommend it.....just watch out for the waitress!!! Ps: By the way I never got the soup....lol
(4)Edgar A.
I need to preface what I say with the fact that this place is where you go if you really want to converse with the person you are with, and have no worries about when your order arrives. I don't think the slowness of the service isn't a cultural thing as much as it is just that they are understaffed. Now, with what I said before in mind, I can comfortably give this place 4 stars. Courteous workers, great dish choices, and very good quality food (meat was just a little bit on the dry side). Come here if you want the real deal with Egyptian cuisine.
(4)Jennifer C.
What I really want to do is give El-Omda 4 stars, but I can't. In all fairness, they are A-Okay but not great. The main culprit being, the kitchen's slowness in putting out food. Holy cow! The four of us all had cows, sitting and waiting for apps and main courses for over 1 hour. Is that not unheard of? Apparently not at this restaurant, as others have complained about the wait-time as well. On decor, service and flavor (at least for the particular dish I had), El-Omda is easily 4 stars. But it is pretty inexcusable to have diners wait a terribly long time for their food. The restaurant wasn't that packed on the night that we went there so it was shocking that the food took so long and that they ran out of hummus. To make light of the situation, someone joked and said that they are probably flying back to Egypt to buy some groceries for our meal. On the bright side, my Kofta Kebab over rice was a very simple and elegant dish, but phenomenal in flavor. The meat was succulent and the rice was plain but marvelous. I could have had another bowl of just rice. Everything was seasoned perfectly and well-balanced. I could not have chosen a better entree. Our entire meal took nearly 3 hours, boy were we glad we had cleared our schedule for dinner beforehand otherwise, it could have been even more frustrating. To end, El-Omda is a lovely and rare Egyptian restaurant, serving quality food but with unreasonable wait times.
(3)Jessica B.
The food was 4 or 5 stars, the service 2. I hate it when that happens, because I really want to have more of the food but rarely do I want to sit around all day wondering when it might finally arrive! Having said that, we really enjoyed the food we did get here. I got the Tagin Beef which was tender and came in a rich tasty sauce. The stuffed grape leaves were an appetizer I would definitely order again. The ambiance is a little strange. They had a few guys who didn't seem to be customers sitting around watching the Egyptian TV channel. You kinda got the feeling you were having a chilled out holiday at a family member's house, while someone in the kitchen cooked slowly and people did their own thing until it was ready. Give it a shot, but clear your schedule for the evening and bring a friend you can talk to!
(3)Christopher M.
****Please note that this review is purely based on service - or lack thereof - to delivery clientele. Yes, this is a site where we like to find out about food. But we also like to find out about service.**** I've been wanting to try this place ever since I moved in around the corner almost a year ago. But it never seemed to have customers. And it never gave me the vide that I wanted to eat inside. So I figured I'd order delivery at some point. This past Sunday, I placed an order for El Omda through Seamless around 6 pm. Twenty minutes later, I had yet to receive an email confirming that my order had been accepted. I call El Omda. I let it ring for nearly a minute. No one picks up. I call seamless. They tell me El Omda should be open. They try to call. They can't get an answer. My card has already been charged. So now seamless has to cancel my order, refund my card (said monies of which I won't have for another 5-7 business days). And they shoot another email to both me and El Omda saying the order was canceled. I now have to find another place from which to order. I do. It is now almost 7 pm. I get two confirmations: one from El Omda, and one from the new restaurant. I presume they'll see the cancellation email next, and won't fulfill the order. Around 7:15, an hour and fifteen minutes after I placed my order and 20 minutes after they accepted said order, El Omda calls me to inform that they don't have the lobster soup...so will I take vegetable (this is a comparable replacement in cuisine and cost how?)...oh...and they also don't have the lamb chop for the mixed grill...so what else would I like. So I inform them to keep reading through their emails, as seamless cancelled my order over thirty minutes ago. The response, "Oh." and a hang up. I cannot recommend ordering delivery from them. I cannot recommend eating in. I can recommend going to Favela Grill next door for phenomenal cuisine and brilliant customer service.
(1)Richard L.
2 Stars...sadly - i feel bad about giving them a 2 stars - the only thing that saved this place from 1 star is that the food was tasty. *Note* Immediately when we entered we noticed only one waitress in the restaurant. So - to say that they are slow is an understatement. So my buddy decided to choose this place for a surprise b-day party for his GF and since most of us hasn't seen each other in a while, it was a nice get together with lots of talking. We arrived at 8 pm, and was seated in the back table that was a floor seating. It's not really comfortable, but it's serviceable. We chatted, hung out, laughed and kept talking, but for 45 minutes...there was no service. No water, no plates, napkins or utensils, nada. Again - not really a big deal by itself - but we were all very hungry and at this point getting annoyed. At the 45 minute mark the lone waitress brought over several baskets of nan bread and sauce (not even sure what kind of sauce b/c i was so hungry i didn't ask) and our party devoured it all. There was not one piece left. (It should be noted this was also the same time we got water as some of us were more parched than others) As we were eating the bread, the waitress started taking our orders. So feeling something in the tummy again - we were satisfied for a little while then 20 minutes later salad comes out. The salad was alright - nothing special. And finally 30 minutes after that food came out. All the while we sat and talked and was in general jovial, and all the while we watched the waitress scurry about with the other tables. The food - everyone's food - the portions were pretty good - but at this time we were all ravenous and gobbled everything up. By the time we left it was 10:45, almost 11 pm. So that was a pretty long dinner.
(2)Gerald A.
Their food is delicious, homestyle Egyptian food just like back home. I believe this is why their food tastes so good but takes a while to make especially when they're busy. Due to a native mother making all the food the time taken to make meals is understandable. They could have hired Joe Schmo to make quick, and bland meals, instead they care so much that they choose to leave a native mother in charge of maintaining the integrity of "El Omda"....Five Cheers!
(5)Megan V.
This place was amazing! I also had one on the restaurant.com certificates for $25 off, which I bought after I saw the positive Yelp reviews. This really is one of my favorite restaurants in Astoria now. The prices are extremely reasonable and you get a ton of food. The staff was so friendly, and helpful when it came to questions about the menu. The place was pretty busy when we arrived, but the owner pulled out an extra table for us so we could be seated. We immediately felt welcome. I went with my friend who I call my culinary partner in crime. We're always up for trying new places, and we hit the jackpot here. We had Missah (cold eggplant stew), Baba Ghanouj and Fava Beans to start. The Fava Beans were by far my favorite - so briney and delicious, and perfect when scooped up with the warm pita. They also brought out two house salads which were fresh and tasty. We had lamb shank and rabbit for our entrees, which we shared. The rabbit was slightly overdone but still had a great flavor. The lamb on the other hand was absolutely perfect. These came with a nice rice pilaf and pickled vegetables. We both agreed it was one of the best meals we'd had in a while. I will definitely be back. Oh yeah, with the restaurant.com certificate, our whole bill (with tax) came out to a whopping $25. Seriously. Even without the certificate, it would have been very reasonable, and we ate like kings. One downside - no booze. However, they may have a BYOB policy but I'm not sure. We weren't really up for drinking that night anyway!
(5)Richard W.
The bottom line with this place: it's an Egyptian food place that's convenient to Astoria Boulevard and they serve a bunch of unique Egyptian dishes that I've never heard of (and was curious about). To be honest, I found it to be a little bit pricy for what was served. The volume of food provided was good, but it was not as tasty as I would've liked. However, their hummus was pretty good. :) The restaurant itself is pretty plainly decorated and there's a prominent Middle Eastern vibe to the place between the Tahrir Square protests in Cairo that were on the TV (with the news coverage in Arabic). The waitstaff were super nice and they get an A+ for service. I ended up getting hummus and this like essentially ground beef macaroni and cheese dish, which was pretty good although very plain in flavor. It was a unique Egyptian dish that I had never heard of so I figured I'd give it a try. I might go back again if I'm in the area just to see what else they've got shaking because some of their other dishes sounded pretty interesting. It might also be worth asking for recommendations since I have no idea what some of these dishes are despite reasonable descriptions on the menu more or less describing what's in each dish.
(3)Chris I.
Being determined to make the most of the April Yelp challenge I searched (for hours) to find a restaurant that I a. wanted to eat at and b. had less than 10 reviews. I found the two in El Omda. It's on 28th ave away from the deluge of restaurants that saturate Astoria. This might be why it's not as busy as it should be. Armed with my appetite for different cuisines and a $25 coupon from restaurant.com I headed out on a Sat night with the girlfriend and high hopes. The restaurant itself it on the smaller side. About 10 regular tables and some low tables in the back that have cushions for you to sit on. They have all sorts of different hanging light fixtures and the place is spotless. You can tell they take pride in their restaurant and it shows. An Egyptian soap opera was on in the dining room and i found myself watching it severak times. (it is my conclusion that soaps are bad in any language) We were greeted warmly and told to take any seat we liked. maybe 2 other sets of people were there while we dined. They do not serve alcohol in this restaurant so if you like to have a few cocktails before you eat I'd suggest pre-gaming at home. They also do not serve pork but the menu is vast and there are many many options so I didn't find it to be limiting in any way. After perusing the menu over and over again (everything sounded so good) I decided on the liver to start and the capon, the GF had seafood over pasta. Each meal come with a salad which as other reviewers have noted was done really well. The veggies, crisp and the dressing light. It also comes with some pickled vegetables, tahini spread and some really delicious bread. A nice prelude to the rest of the meal to come. In my food selections I take the road less traveled. Hell I'll go as far as to say getting to my food choices involves needing a machete, a compass and a torch. No man's land. I am often rewarded for this boldness with new and amazing tastes. And with that my liver arrived. sauteed in olive oil with cumin and jalapenos (how did they know I love them) It was out of this world. Really fresh (you know when you get bad liver) and seasoned perfectly. Next was the capon, " But Chris ?" you ask, "What is capon?" It's basically castrated roosted. Yup I just said that and you can't unread it. They do that to make the meat taste better, less gamey if you will. And apparently it works. It was about the size of a cornish hen and was basically like eating a chicken that was entirely juicy delicious dark meat. And they stuff it with rice and said rice soaks up all of the juicy goodness of the bird. Nicely done, probably could have been a little more meat but I was content. It came with the vegetable of the day which was okra in a light red sauce, also very very good. My GF got the seafood over pasta, or as I will now refer to it as " 12lbs of seafood over 2lbs of pasta" Seriously It was a huge portion. ( I have a pic of it posted cuz I'm good like that) Pasta cooked perfectly, seafood really really fresh and a nice red sauce that had a little something extra to it. Very well done. After stuffing myself on delicious eats we skipped desert and opted for some Turkish coffee and Egyptian tea. The coffee was great, gritty, but not too gritty if you know what I mean and the tea with it's fresh mint added was a nice way to settle my overstuffed stomach. I really really enjoyed my meal here. We were there for close to two hours. Just taking our time, never being rushed never treated like we didn't belong there. The owner came up a few times and asked how everything was. Our waitress was really nice too. offering options and making sure we were well taken care of. Our mission is to highlight the less reviewed, I've done my part, now it's up to you to come here and enjoy what El Omda is serving up. I know you'll be happy you did because as I've always said, when it comes to food , always trust the fat kid :)
(4)Martha L.
Overall, very tasty food but very slow service. Great when you want a leisurely 2-hour meal. I came with my friend on a Saturday for brunch. We couldn't judge if it was authentic or not, but everything was very delicious. We ordered: MISSAH - nicely grilled eggplant and pepper, but the tomato sauce was not infused into the vegetables. FATA - A rice dish cooked in soup with beef on top and pita bread at the bottom. Very rich. GRILLED BLACKENED WHOLE PORGY - although I disliked the black coat of seasoning, the fish was fresh. The rice that comes with the fish was very flavorful and yet not heavy. RICE PUDDING - the most milky and liquidly rice pudding I have ever had, compared to Turkish, Latin and Spanish rice pudding. The lady told me they ran out of nuts for garnish. I wish there was some for more complexity and a kick. SALLOP - like steamed condensed milk. Too sweet for me. Perhaps the missing nuts on top would have balanced the sweetness out. The portion here is huge. I would come back again to try their meat, baklava and mint tea. I read the reviews before coming and prepared myself for slow service. Our server didn't come to take our order until 30 minutes after we have sat down. Yet, he was very friendly and patience and answered all our questions with Egyptian cuisine. Food also came quite slowly, but everything came together. There was another lady who served us desserts. From the way she spoke, it seemed like she was the dessert chef. She was very friendly and she kept helping my friend and I take photos. My friend and I had a really nice, relaxing brunch here and look forward to the next time.
(4)Carol L.
Overall some very yummy food and a nice experience. We had a large group but the staff was accommodating and sweet, but as others have noted service was rather leisurely in pace. (I'm more generous than you, Rich lol.) The pita they served with tahini was the most delicious, warm pita I've had in a long time. The portions were nice sizes. Someone ordered the falafel and it was a large plate! They looked a little on the dark side, but had good flavor and didn't taste burned. For my entree I had the seafood rice and it was tasty, but very oily. Another person in the group got it as well and came across a grit from the shellfish. I lucked out and didn't really have any in mine. Everyone else seemed to like their dishes a lot. I'd come back, but definitely not on a day/night where I have somewhere else to be afterwards.
(4)Lauren C.
First off, a few tips... they are very slow. If you say you're headed somewhere else they speed it up a bit. They do not have alcohol. Yep, it's that authentic. I didn't really like the baba ganoush, but everything else was awesome. The falafel, hummus and chicken kabob were all awesome. My friend had a beef tagine and said the beef wasn't as tender as she would have liked. There is also a tv with egyptian shows blaring. Normally this would annoy me, but because it was an egyptian station, and everyone seemed to be excitedly watching it, it was fine. At one point, someone came in with a suitcase that said egyptian airlines on it. I'd definitely recommend this place for authentic egyptian.
(5)Kate P.
There are a lot of things I'm enjoying about my April yelp challenge. 1) Making new yelp friends: Case in point Chris I 2) Reading great reviews by these new yelp friends about cool new places: Case in point Chris I's review of El Omada Egyptian Cuisine. I'm always looking for new places to eat in the neighborhood and this place being just off the beaten path of busy 30th avenue was a perfect place for us to try on a lazy Saturday night. This cute little restaurant is small on both the inside and the outside, but what they serve up is anything but small! Armed with a $25 coupon (Thanks again Chris I. for the tip) my eyes devoured the menu! We started off with a trio of dips that came with soft and perfectly chewy bread for dipping or spreading. The hummus and tahini dip was spot on, and the baba ganoush was one of the best I have ever had, simply wonderful. They also throw in some pickled vegetables.... and I do love me some pickled vegetables. I was sold (I would be coming back) and our meals hadn't even arrived. All the dishes come with salad. And like the reviews before me have pointed out this salad (yes the side salad that comes with your meal) is incredible. Really! It's got all these herbs mixed in along with the perfect mix of lettuce's and veggies. It didn't even need the amazing side of dressing it came with. I had settled on the lamb shank over rice. It was cooked to perfection being tender and juicy the way lamb should be. It also came with this spectacular red vegetable sauce that I kept pouring all over my fluffy rice. Yum! My companion on this journey ordered the Mussels Over Pasta in a light creamy white sauce. This can only be described as an entire colony of mussels living on pasta. The pile of shells on top of shells was so high we couldn't see each other. It smelled amazing and I'm told tasted even better. * shakes fist at the allergy gods * We were suitably stuffed so we passed on dessert. Something I rarely do, but to our surprise we were brought some complimentary dessert to take home with us all wrapped and ready to go. My eyes sparkled once again as I couldn't wait for to eat this treat in about an hour or so. For under $50 (without the coupon) our dinner was spectacular. I cannot wait to go back and try some of the more 'exciting' meals they list on their menu. Don't let the 'no pork and no alcohol' fool you; this place is worth every step to get there and every penny once inside. The only downside to my experience here was I some how lost my take out bag of dessert after we left. I didn't even see what the dessert looked like or what it was, and I just know it would have been super yummy! So yummy if that little takeout bag showed it's face right now, I'd eat it...oh yes I would.
(5)Mackenzie F.
DELICIOUS. ARRIVE READY TO EAT! the portions are enormous. delicious food & good value. the service is SLIGHTLY low, but really friendly. laid-back style. I live a few blocks away and am always shocked that it's not more crowded. i only wish they had booze! or BYOB.
(5)Maiy S.
We ordered the mixed grill. The chicken was dry. The kofta kebob was raw on the inside. Portions were really small. The mombar was tasteless. The only decent dish was the okra. The service was awful. Bad experience wouldn't come here again. Cairo steak house was a much better experience.
(1)Michele S.
tried this restaurant last night and the food was really great and good portion. I came with a group of four and found enough tables for us in the restaurant. They had a really cute nook in the back of the restaurant where you can sit on cushions on lower tables which was really cute for if you want to relax while eating. My group didn't know a lot about egyptian food but was similar to the other middle eastern food nearby. We got two appetizers: STUFFED CABBAGE LEAVES= stuffed with rice and other amazing spices, amazing and a must FALAFEL= 5 flat patties, was a bit burnt and im used to a light crispy falafel We got Three entrees:they all came with a plain salad and rice on the side LAMB CHOPS=was really good a little tough but flavor was good EL OMBDA MIX=definitely recommend it if you can't decide, has a great mix of kebaba, and other meat selections on their menu altogether. spices are good and our whole group liked this the best GRILLED FISH (branzina)=they gave two choices for fish, brazina or poger(which is a cheap fish) and was over priced for it being just grilled. I was not a fan and am a seafood person and it lacked flavor was a bit dry in my opinion. overall definitely a good spot out of the craziness of steinway st and nearby all the bars and all if you want to go drink or go somewhere after dinner. I would get a five stars but our waitress kept forgetting our order, our drinks and was waiting around for a table when it was empty.
(4)Angelique A.
I loved El Omda even before the renovation when it looked pretty sketchy and there was no menu (you just had to decide between the specials of the day) and no one really spoke English. The food is so good that the renovation was totally unnecessary because I would eat here regardless of what it looked like. I went back yesterday with my mom and I was pleasantly surprised by how much nicer it looks now. I was afraid that they may have new management and the food wouldn't be as good , but it is still great. I had lamb shank which was tender and delicious, accompanied by bamia (okra in tomato sauce) and rice. They make the best bamia in NYC. I also had a lemonade which was done the Egyptian way, blended with mint I think. Try it! It is amazing and refreshing. The waitress was friendly and spoke English. That's always a plus in Arab establishments. My mom and I had such a good time that when we were leaving, she said, "Make sure you write a good review on yelp." I didn't even know my mom knew about yelp lol. I took off 1 star because I was disappointed that they didn't have the 2 things I went there for: The 1/2 chicken and the macaroni bechamel, my favorite Egyptian dish. I was curious about whether or not the chicken and the macaroni would be as good post renovation. I hope when I go back that they have it.
(4)Alex B.
I love this easy-going place. Very often you can see people from Egypt congregating, relaxing and enjoying an excellent meal, authentically prepared . I have come here on a number of occasions and never been disappointed by its simple and inviting feeling . All the food speaks for itself . It isn't drowned by phonies sauces by Cooks that try to imitate cuisines from foreign places . I'm an American not Egyptian. And ,this is my,.... " I don't want to think too much about what I want ,or who will see me or who I will see , it's just,.. to come here and spend some time ,and have a good dinner,... place I go. And that is why I think it is a good place to bring friends . I have read the commentary of slow service , and personally I have not noticed for myself too, too long a wait . But I guess I was engaged with the conversation with friends or, at other times, I like to bring a book with me to read and think . I suppose for me, suffice it to say, I don't mind waiting for food that delivers what this place does . You could , at the perceived moment of inquiry , ask the waiter, or even the owner ,the perfectly legitimate question, how long a particular dish takes to prepare . Or order a little ahead of time before you get there . Bring a nice bottle of wine with you to relax .
(5)