14. Gyro
Bakhter Kabab

Bakhter Kabab

6816 Fresh Meadow Ln, Fresh Meadows I-11365-3421, United States

Cafés • Halal • Lunch • Brunch


"Posted on 01/12/2015 by filbio310 Sometimes you just have to escape the comfortable surroundings of your regular haunts to discover new food sensations. It’s so easy to gravitate to the same spots over and over that are close to home, and become part of the normal routine for many of us here in NYC. Having friends who live in each suburb does offer the occasional opportunity to meander outside of the comfort zone and check out different food ethnicities to try out. We happen to love the foods of the Afgani and Pakistani peoples as there is just something so tasty and comforting about it. Intoxicating aromas. Plus, eating kababs are fun! We were recently invited for a brunch at Bakhter Halal Kababs way out in Fresh Meadows, Queens. It was definitely a trek to get out there by subway and then a short car ride to the restaurant. Normally, we kind of avoid Queens as much of it is akin to the suburbs and you can’t get to many parts of the area by subway alone. Good thing for friends with cars. I have not owned a car since 1998 and don’t miss it at all! They picked us up and drove us there after arriving at the subway stop they told us to arrive at. When we walked up to this place along a main street strip mall I was wondering what we had gotten ourselves into here. We were well rewarded with great food and low prices. You can’t go wrong with the amount of delicious food we got served up here for the cheap overall cost. Walk in hungry with a small amount of cash and walk out sporting a food baby! Delicious rice and kababs. Chicken tikka, chicken kufta, lamb tikka, beef tikka, lamb chops, and beef kufta – Oh My! Each plate were all really good. Plenty of combinations on the menu to choose from. Love the seasonings, spices, and smells. Dat basmati rice tho. Yum! Dare I say I ate way too much? Maybe we ordered too many dishes. Didn’t matter as none of it was going to waste with this crew. Carnivorous animals! Decor is pretty much meh, as are the cleanliness of the bathrooms."

Ephesus

Ephesus

3102 Washington Rd, 30907, Augusta, United States

Tea • Meat • Greek • Turkish


"I don’t usually take the time to write reviews, but I felt like I should.First, the food is extremely tasty.However, this is a great example of how no matter how good/great the food is, the entire experience can be ruined by non-cooking related things.We’re from out of town, just looking for some Greek food. We (my spouse and two children visited on a Thursday early dinner time, we were the only table for a good portion of our time there.It had to be 80+ degrees inside (90+ in the bathrooms . We debated the etiquette of asking if they could turn on the AC split unit behind us. Finally we decided to ask, and the waitress said she would but gave some explanation indicating that it would just bring in the hot air from the kitchen. I never saw the AC unit turn on.Also, yes tables were extremely sticky as some others have pointed out.Food portion-to-price ratio was not what we were expecting. More on par with a high end restaurant, but with none of the amenities of such a restaurant.The food was truly delicious. But where we ordered a $43 platter, we received a $22 portion. Expectations always skew things, but compacted to any average $15 meal restaurant, we did not get $43 worth of platter. My wife and I had hoped to split the platter between just us, but after seeing the prices, we decided to just share with our 5 year old.My son asked for a salad (instead of fries! with his gyro wrap, and I knew he wouldn’t like the tzatziki sauce as a salad dressing. So I requested ranch instead. When we got the bill, they charged $1.50 for ranch for his salad. Perhaps their side salad doesn’t include a dressing, but that was not explained. Nor did we ask, so I paid the bill.I have no idea of theirs financial stability or how long they’ve been in business, but with all the dining room issues, over priced and up charged items, not willing to properly cool the dining room, it felt like they’re trying to scrape by due to lake of customers."