Reviews 12 Chairs

5. So exceptional here. Service is warm and attentive. The food is packed with flavour and the portions are generous. You can’t go wrong with this menu - there is something for everyone - with many vegetarian and vegan options. The vibe is fun and the atmosphere is inviting. Great for a group with lots of options for sharing, but also lovely for an intimate dinner. The appetizers came out quickly and the pita bread was hot. The falafel was delicious and the Israeli salad was fresh and crisp! Also highly recommend the dips and the schnitzel! Bathroom is accessible and on the main floor. This location does not yet have cocktails- just wine and beer (but a nice selection). Also- patio seating is available.

Went for brunch with a group of 9. Sitting outside on a summer morning was very pleasant. Waitress Anna was attentive despite the store being busy. Food tasted great but be careful of the big portions. Highly recommended.

This place is a fantastic Israeli restaurant! 🇮🇱 12 Chairs Cafe servers a wonderful selection of classic Israeli dishes 🍽️ - definitely try the Chicken 🐔 Schnitzel Salad 🥗, Eggs 🍳 Siniya, and Hummus with Falafel! 🧆 Service is quick and staff 👨‍🍳 is super friendly and welcoming! Ambience 🎶 is wonderful and they have Israeli music 🎵 playing all the time! I wish I knew about this place earlier!

Amazing amazing food and great service - get the lamb arayes!! They are so juicy and flavorful and come with a lovely tahini sauce. - the falafel hummus was also delicious and comes with a yummy mint vinegar (?) on top. Plus a side of olives and pickles Everything is larger than you might expect. We didn’t finish 2 dishes between two of us, and waiter said most people over-order. We could get a seat as a walk-in at 2pm on Friday. Our waiter was sooo friendly and happily moved us inside.

MacDougal is my favorite street in NYC to take a stroll down as it has such a rich history in just a 0.38 mile stretch. At the end of my 0.38 mile excursion, I always find myself running into a sidewalk FULL of people. So full to the point where I have to walk to the other side of the street or move like a prime Barry Sanders in traffic to get passed. This Coachella-like gathering of human beings is waiting to get into 12 Chairs. I whipped out my cracked Iphone 13 Pro Max and did a quick google search and realized it was an Israeli spot. After being to Israel a few times, I developed an arguably unhealthy love affair with the cuisine. Israeli couscous is literally CRACK. Anyways, all this to say I knew I had to get to 12 Chairs. 3 of us came late on a Friday evening, praying to Cthulhu that we would get a seat. Much to my surprise, we were seated almost immediately. Thank you Cthulhu. We sat on the heated outdoor patio and started with 4 small plates: Babaganoush, Falafel & Tahini, Matbucha, and the Beets Salad. All was served with warm pita bread that was to die for. The Babaganoush ended up being a bit of a let down, but that Beets Salad came out of NOWHERE to save the day. It was oddly reminiscent of when Carmelo Anthony went down in 2012 and Jeremy Lin came out of the shadows and put the Knicks on his back for 2 straight months. "BeetsSaladSanity." Easily the best Beets Salad I've ever had. I went with the Areyas for my main, which is pita filled with minced lamb. It was sensational, but was a little light on the portion size. The lamb is so juicy it kinda like squirts in your mouth on every bite. ahahahaha damn that was crazy phrasing but I really aint lyin. Overall the quality of food here is to die for, but I find the portion sizes to be a little light for the price point. I wish I could give 4.5 stars, but will give 5 here and 4 on Yelp. THANK YOU CTHULHU! IG @jnov_ Tiktok @jnov__

I was very excited to try this restaurant. I had high expectations from all the positive reviews. I found the hummus and falafel to have an authentic Israeli flavor to it. The babaganoush was not my favorite but it was fresh and tasted pretty good. The arayes was by far my favorite. They had a delicious lamb flavor and it was well made. We also tried the borek, it was something different. I was not blown away. The chicken schnitzel was ordinary. Nothing wow about it. It was mediocre. I don't think 3 stars is worthy or 4 stars for that matter. If I could rate 3.5 that's what this is. Mediocre with some wow but nothing spectacular. If I go back I'd try a different selection of foods

What an experience! Went for dinner on Saturday night, took awhile to be seated, but to be expected as the place was packed. We did 4 of the small plates which were perfect for our group size of 4. Loved the shouk salad, really fresh. Sweet potato fries, hummus & Israeli wine were really good. Grilled chicken was ok. We enjoyed the chocolate mousse very much for dessert. Whole place was dancing on chairs / tables from 9pm onward. Great, loud music and energy from those dining and staff! Would love to go back!

Holy moly this place was AMAZING. It’s the food of my people so my sister and I were so excited to stop here and they did not disappoint. We got a bunch of small plates to split. Hummus, Baba ghanoush, falafel, a lamb dish… it was all ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. The only slight disappointment was finding out they only served beer and wine (there is a school next door and that is NYS law) but honestly we split a bottle & we didn’t care once we were eating. I’m also GF so I was able to get a side of cucumbers to dip instead of pita.

Came here at 8:30pm on a Wednesday and the restaurant was at capacity. We were seated inside and the vibe was lovely, but the acoustics of the restaurant were not great. Our table was in the middle of the restaurant and we could barely hear each other. We still had a lovely night and the food was delicious! I recommend that when you go you get seated outside. I highly recommend the beets salad with feta cheese 😋