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Al Bustan Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Middle Eastern Middle Eastern [Edit]
319 E 53rd St(between 2nd Ave & 1st Ave)
New York, NY 10022
Neighborhood: Midtown East
(212) 759-5933
- Nearest Transit:
-
Lexington Av/53 St (E, M)
51 St (4, 6, 6X)
59 St (4, 5, 6, 6X)
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 12 pm - 10 pm
- Parking:
- Street
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
Richard D. said: "I don't get the hate for this place. I like it. Just because someone sets up an assembly line and has an open kitchen, all of a sudden it's a Chipotle ripoff. I used to work nearby on 5th ave and never set foot in here because Taim…" read more »
33 reviews for Al Bustan Restaurant
Review Highlights
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"He suggested an outstanding Lebanese wine, which was robust..." In 13 reviews -
"...like the hummus, the baba ghannouj and the tabbouleh for..." In 3 reviews -
"...quail is stupendous; the mixed grill (basically a kebab..." In 3 reviews
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33 reviews in English
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Review from Ankita S.
Manhattan, NY
2/28/2012
We ordered Al Bustan one late night at work through delivery from Seamless Web, so we can't really comment on the service. The food arrived fast enough and was still warm. It smelled amazing.
I had some of the hummus, baba ghannouj, batata harra and the falafel platter. It was all great, really flavorful food. The batata harra (crispy green potatoes) was ridiculously good - a must try, I can't wait to order it again. Can't really comment on the cost since I got it through work, but it was a good dinner for me! -
Review from Nicole B.
Manhattan, NY
5/20/2012
We ordered like 5 different appetizers ( hummus, eggplant, flalaffel, tomatoes onions & meat mixture) for main course I ordered the kaufta lamb. It can with rice, carrot, sugar snaps, & cauliflower. For dessert we got the baklava & it came with sliced up strawberry. Everything was very good lots of food.
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Review from H H.
Champaign, IL
3/24/2012 5 photos
Go to this restaurant is you want excellent authentic Lebanese food. The restaurant is classy, and the tables have white cloth table covers. It is very suitable for a nice date, a celebration, or an evening with friends.
We had a 6 o'clock reservation but finished shopping early and arrived at 5:30. They welcomed us with open arms and remembered our reservation without looking at the reservation list.
As a whole, our meal was terrific. We ordered the "Extra Meze" for four ($50 per person). It was plenty of food.
The tabboule was the best we've had outside Lebanon, and may have been better than some we had in restaurants in Lebanon.
The Sambousik was terrific.
The Falafels were great, and my wife said this was the best Falafel she has had in recent memory.
I also had the Kibbe Naye (raw lamb, Lebanese equivalent to steak tartar). This kibbe was much much better than the kibbe I've had at "Lebanese Taverna" in Washington DC.
Service was excellent (our waiter's name was Fares, a nice man from Lebanon). He went above and beyond to please, which earned him a double tip.
My family asked that we come back tomorrow evening to eat again before leaving NYC. Yes, we plan to do that!! :-) -
Review from Alexandra K.
Astoria, NY
10/4/2011
I ordered from Al Bustan yesterday for lunch, and was pretty indifferent about the experience as a whole.
Pros: They have some of my favorite Lebanese dishes, like moudadara and borgul. The pita that came with my serving of labne will last me weeks. Appetizer portions are PERFECT for lunchtime entrees. Nice plate of olives served with the meal.
Cons: Expensive. For appetizer portions, I paid nearly $20. Not as flavorful or well seasoned as I'm used to from the many Arabic restaurants in the Detroit area. Soup should not be $8. Just saying.
Will likely order from here again . . . but maybe only during the days immediately following payday.Listed in: Mid East Eats
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Review from Michael L.
Naples, FL
8/24/2011
I don't understand the reviews about bad service. I have been here several times and have always received very good, if not excellent, service.
Having said that, I love this place. I don't like to tell people what to order in reviews, but just try having several items. Wonderful. -
Review from Jordan J.
6/2/2011
Came here with a group of 12 for a friend's birthday and had a fantastic time.
We showed up at 7:30 on a Saturday. Ambiance-wise, the restaurant gave off a pretty typical bland midtown nice-ness. We were seated at a long table in the back, with a few plates of olives and pickled turnips waiting for us. I immediately started inhaling these (Note to self: it will take some effort to show restraint upon encountering mega-salty food in a starved state).
Our server suggested a couple of Lebanese wines for us - a red and a white. The red wasn't bad, but the white was delicious - really wish I remember what it was called.
We started with a collection of appetizers for the table - a couple, orders each of hummus, labneh (basically a yogurt spread), falafel, kibbeh, and I think salatat malfoof and loubieh bil Zeit. Hummus was good but unremarkable, labheh was nice and creamy but nothing special, the falafel was quite good, and the kibbeh was tasty but a little dry. For me the big winner was the loubieh, which was a great sweet bean dish. We also got the kibbeh nayeh, their lamb tartare, which was AWESOME. In retrospect, we definitely should have tried another one of their tartare dishes, or at least gotten a 2nd order of this stuff.
We then all got our own entrees. I went with the Kibbet Lakteen bill Saniyah, which was a baked pumpkin/cracked wheat cake stuffed with spinach and chickpeas. Though it was a tad bit dry, I really liked it a lot - it had a pretty heavy wheaty texture to it, and I got a really sizable portion. I didn't get to try too many other main dishes, though I managed to snag a couple pieces of my friend's Kafta Khashkhash, which was fantastic and is probably what I'll go with next time - lamb in a thick pomegranate sauce.
Afterwards we split a whole bunch of desserts. I can't remember everything we had out, but the baklava was DELICIOUS. Just the perfect amount of honey, so good and sweet. We also had some kind of pancake thing that was stuffed with some sort of cheese filling - fantastic as well. I also got a turkish coffee, which was a bit less flavorful than I'm used to, probably wouldn't get it again here.
We then followed dessert up with hookah (not sure what their deal is with hookah since they had to check if they had it or not. It worked out for us, anyhow). For a group of about 16 of us (a few stragglers wandered in late, I'm not sure the staff here even noticed) we got 2 hookahs, both apple flavored. I can't purport to be much of a hookah expert, unfortunately, so I'm not a great judge here - it seemed to be fine though; nothing much better or worse than I've had before.
When we showed up, the place was pretty much empty. By the time we were eating dinner and dessert, it had filled up pretty well. Aaaaaand by the time we were done with our hookah, we were pretty much the only people here again. This gave a pretty good overall experience for a meal that wound up being a pretty long event.
Also, a word about the service, since so many other reviewers seem to have had a bad experience with it. Our server certainly wasn't super-friendly, but I didn't pick up any rudeness from him. Initially he just came off as a bit of a no-nonsense guy, but he was attentive (at first, anyway, once we were done ordering food it became really hard to get anyone's attention), and as the night went on he was friendlier and friendlier. Though the service wasn't great, it wasn't a detriment to the night.
This was a good place to bring a decent-sized group, but for the price I would have liked a few more foods that packed a true "wow" factor. I'll say this is a 3.5, rounding down because of the price. -
Review from Bradford O.
Manhattan, NY
2/14/2011
I had a lovely experience at Al Bustan and find myself shocked by the number of poor reviews here. Maybe I got lucky, but is it possible they've improved?
My partner and I were served by a man whom I presumed to be either the owner or manager. He was extremely helpful and attentive throughout the entire meal. He suggested an outstanding Lebanese wine, which was robust and full in flavor. We decided to share six appetizers, all of his recommendation. Unlike a previous reviewer, I found the humus to be smooth with a very good balance of creaminess and acidity. We also sampled a delicious minced lamb pastry, some sauteed dandelion, and several other tasty items.
Really the only dish that fell short of the mark was the felafel plate. A bit dry and tasteless compared to what I've had elsewhere.
At $50 per person with the wine, I found the price reasonable for the comfortable and elegant atmosphere, quality service, and yummy food. All in all, I'd have to say I would definitely return. -
Review from Sarah M.
New York, NY
12/4/2011
Food pretty good, ambiance sucked, service couldn't have been worse. Food wasn't good enough to bring me back. If you're looking for a good experience, don't go here. If you just want pretty good Lebanese food, it's fine for that.
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Review from Ray W.
Manhattan, NY
9/23/2011
I have yet to find a better Lebanese restaurant in NYC than Al Bustan. I forgot what it's called, but their raw meat dishes are delicious. The service was amazing...but maybe that was because we always came on a weekend afternoon when we were the only people in the restaurant. One thing to keep in mind, their dishes seem to vary with group size...so the more people, the larger the dishes. Or perhaps, they changed serving sizes...
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Review from Suzanne L.
Manhattan, NY
10/27/2011
Solid Mediterranean food, attentive service...nothing at all to complain about. I would definitely go there again. It was on the fancier side, so I would probably opt to go there with "adults" as opposed to on a night out with friends looking for a festive ambiance.
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Review from Akira O.
Updated - 6/11/2010 1 Check-in Here
This was my third visit to Al Bustan after the renovation. The food seems to get better and better - especially I love the middle eastern spices that you taste in most dishes, often very unexpected.
Six of us shared: appetizers - baba ghannouj (good), smoked eggplant salad (good), spicy hummus (excellent), spicy beef sausages (good), toasted pita filled with minced beef (excellent), falafel (ok), potatoes (amazing), entree - grilled kafta (very good), stuffed eggplant and zucchini (excellent), fish kibbet (excellent), chicken shwarma (can do without).
The space may seem a bit odd but both ambiance and food feel very authentic. Each dish is big enough to share among a big group and every time I leave the restaurant extremely satisfied. Over the year I feel the sophistication and complexity of middle eastern spices has gradually increased. I am very happy to give 5 stars after tonight's excellent dinner.
19 points on Zagat 2011 (really?). Michelin Inspectors' favorite for good value 2011 (yes more like it).1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/19/2010
Very satisfying comfort food. I'm surprised to read some of the negative reviews here. I had a very… Read more »
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Review from Srini V.
6/17/2007 ROTD 7/2/2007
Do you rate your friends by the number of times they come to your aid? Likely not--in much the same way as you would not rate a restaurant by the frequency of your visits. As I am sure you would agree, the frequency is often a matter of convenience. Why else would someone go to Vong at all?
But I digress. This review is about Al Bustan, that is within close proximity of Vong. Funny how no one seems to have reviewed it yet? I would give Al Bustan a five-star rating based on the frequency of my visits in 2001-2003. But alas, there is more to it.
Al Bustan is a relatively small space, as restaurants go. And is quite quaint, relative to the other establishments in the area, and relative to the ugly midtown area itself. 1.6 stars for ambience.
And the food is quite delightful, including the presentation. I particularly like the hummus, the baba ghannouj and the tabbouleh for the appetizers. The falafel and dumpling stuffed with cheese are also enticing enough to limit your appetite for the entree that would follow. The couscous entree is just perfect. And the desserts are so authenticaly middle-eastern. I would easily give them 2.9 additional stars for the food.
And the restrooms. Classy brass fittings and crisp towels when I was there last. This is one restaurant where a visit to the restrooms could be an appropriate starting point for your dining experience. Let's add 1.2 stars for this somewhat unique feature.
But then I have to take way 1.4 stars for the location--I can't afford to spend two hours for lunch on a weekday, and couldn't be bothered to be in this neighborhood for dinner. And another 1.3 stars have to be ripped out for service that is friendly in an ersatz sort of way. You have to experience it over multiple visits to understand it.
Net-net, a strong three-star dining experience if you have to be caught dead in this lackluster nabe. -
Review from fernando v.
Los Angeles, CA
7/22/2007
Hideous design, awful service, horrendously overpriced, bland, mediocre food = I'll never step foot in here again.
The $2.99 hummus they sell at your local supermarket? You know, the one that probably has xantham gum, and citric sulfide (to maintain "freshness")? It's better than theirs. -
Review from Mark M.
West Covina, CA
8/4/2008
They lose two stars, right off the bat, because they're downright rude here. It has nothing to do with ethnicity or anything, because I've been here with non-Arabs and Arabs alike. Same RUDE (not surly, not indifferent, but RUDE and ROUGH) service each and every time.
But you know, I think their food is unjustly maligned because of this. Their quail is stupendous; the mixed grill (basically a kebab sampler) is just perfectly seasoned and cooked; the tabouleh, hummus, and baba ghanouj are fine, although I just am not a fan of these dishes. I could pass on the rice that accompanies Arabic meals because, well, I think it's Uncle Ben's.
What I am absolutely in love with, and have been ever since being introduced to it first at this restaurant is kibbe nayyeh. You know kibbe? Those fried beef and bulgur patties?
Well this doesn't have bulgur, and it's not fried. It's RAW. Like more raw than tartare or carpaccio. And it's just a bowl of fresh raw mince seasoned with garlic, onion, cumin, salt, and pepper, with a drizzling of olive oil and a sprinkling of pine nuts. W'allah!
You just tear off a piece of pita and scoop this s*** up and stuff yer face with it! Ya hear me? It puts hair on your chest and sticks to your ribs!
Now put some pants on and head over. Yalla, habibi, yalla! -
Review from Karen F.
1/2/2009
tasty, reliable, mid-town located Lebanese (and perhaps a smattering of Turkish?? Or did I get that wrong) cuisine. Solid and good. Also very high priced - but hey - you're in mid town.
It's been around for years. -
Review from Peter F.
San Francisco, CA
12/30/2007
I made a reservation for Al Bustan because it was right around the corner from my hotel and there had been a complimentary blurb on it in my Lonely Planet guide. Before heading over I logged on to Yelp and began wondering what I'd gotten myself into.
My family and i went anyway. I'm glad we did. The food was very good. The service was fine.
It was a tad pricey, but that seems to be the norm in Manhatten. -
Review from Dennis S.
11/23/2008
Where to go if you miss, or want to try, Lebanese food.
We've taken friends who lived in Lebanon years ago, and they very much enjoyed the broad selection of everything Lebanese. Service is fine, decor is what you'd expect from a small Lebanese restaurant in Midtown. -
Review from Meg W.
Oklahoma City, OK
5/22/2011
First and best experience eating Lebanese food. Not sure on the price because I did not even see the bill but I can't imagine it was cheap. We ordered the extra meze. Everything we ordered was vegetarian. We sat in the far right corner at a big table and were the only people in there which made it that much more special. The service was great, the atmosphere was great, the food was unbelievable!
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Review from Hal F.
Queens, NY
11/7/2010
This restaurant is a bit on the pricey side for middle Eastern cuisine. Please note the food is good, except the stuffed grape leaves which came out of a can, the Keba was amazing...really.
Here are some challenges, the space is awkward so if you go for the entertainment, you might not see what is going on upfront, and go deaf as the sound system is ridiculously high!
The service was definitely without a smile...sadly for me I was not seated where the nice happy waitress waited. My waiter was an angry man, clearly unhappy with his lot in life of having to serve people like me and my friends. He didn't appreciate the fact that my friend didn't like the wine he suggested? I was almost scared of him!
At an average of about a $100.00 a person I expected better and more. Would I go back? Maybe, if I am hungry and desperate for some decent mixed grill and good Keba. -
Review from Sri S.
McLean, VA
7/13/2011
Ambiance is nice but service was very poor. You would think on a slow day service would be on point but the servers hardly even came to the table to check on us. Food is good but took very long (wonder how they manage on a busy day) - ordered a bunch of starters but the lack of acknowledgement made it an unpleasant experience.
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Review from Sharon W.
Suffern, NY
6/22/2011
What a great dinner. We started off with a few appetizers for a party of 4. The hummus is to die for, I really am very picky about my hummus, don't miss the Kibbeh bil Lahme Maklieh it was so good. The waiter was so friendly, helped us with what to order though our friend is Lebanese and knew what to get. The falafel was just as good as I got when travelling to the middle east. Everything is good, try to keep room for dessert. Though it'll be really hard. Don't miss this great restaurant in NYC.
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Review from Elizabeth B.
Brooklyn, NY
4/14/2011
I'm not an expert on Lebanese food, being far more familiar with the Greek, Turkish, Egyptian and Israeli versions of the basic cuisine, and if Al Bustan is a good example of the cuisine I prefer the others. The hummus was good, smooth and creamy. Little spicy beef sausages were good. The pita tasted homemade but was only OK. The wine list was hit and miss. My dad hated his Sauvignon Blanc so much he returned it but the Bordeaux was nice enough, I didn't look at the price. The Kafta Khashkhash came with a pomegranate molasses -- as advertised -- that I didn't love. The decor is uscale and elegant, and the service was accommodating.
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Review from Hussam B.
Cambridge, MA
10/30/2011
We had the hummus with lamb meet which was average. The cheese arayyes was below average. The best dish we had was the Fattoosh which was outstanding. the tabbola lacked lemon. the entree was the mixed grill which was also average. overall, i had much better lebannese food. I would go there again but they are pricey.
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Review from Reid P.
New York, NY
7/17/2007
Al Bustan *narrowly* misses three stars. While the cuisine is excellent, the negatives continue to stand out.
Despite the hideous interior and truly terrible service, what appears on the table is quite superb. All items on the menu are made from fresh ingredients and are homemade. Definitely 4 stars in this category.
Now, I will review the negatives. The waiters incorporate attitudes which are perhaps appropriate in the home country - but are certainly not acceptable in Manhattan. I have been there twice, and each time the waiters consistently apply uncomfortable pressure to make customers order as many items on the menu as possible - knowing very well that it will be impossible to finish everything. An appetizer, entree and desert are simply not enough. It is necessary, as I was told, to order one-to-two appetizers per person, one main dish, after-dinner sweets and a beverage (not tap water). While the prices may seem reasonable, this certainly changes when multiple, unnecessary dishes are ordered. At that point, the prices become too high for the quality of the restaurant.
The interior is depressing and dingy - clearly, no investment has been made.
If it is impossible to resist the cuisine- take out is the only option. -
Review from Shilpa M.
New York, NY
2/11/2010
Grabbed late lunch here while waiting for Indian visa across the street. It was freezing outside and beat standing in line. The younger waiter-manager was gracious. The waitress and maitre'd were rude. You would think in this economy they would want to encourage return clientele. Their business must be slow, because they shortchanged the change on our bill. Dessert platter with mini-crepes was delicious and dripping in honey. Turkish coffee was strong. Kababs were tasty, but overpriced. Better kabab platter at Beyoglu or anywhere in Curry Hill ( lex bn 24-27th). Bland vegetables. It's sad to see such a large space empty, but the attitude problem explains why.
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Review from Manny M.
New York, NY
12/29/2010
A little pretentious for middle eastern food way over between First and Second Avenues. But the food is excellent and there's a $20 lunch menu (but you have to ask for it).
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Review from Sriram D.
Jersey City, NJ
1/9/2010
A very good place to have some fancy middle eastern food. They do have the tranditionalist options like hummus, baba gomash etc. But if you going to drop some serious dollars then why stick to the ordinary. I went of the beaten path and got Sultan Ibrahim. 4 deep fried fish with eggplant and chips, while my firends had the chicken and lamb. We had a bottle of nice Red Lebonese Wine (not sure which one) and also the regular dessert. Very attentive staff and nice place for a family get together.
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Review from Fred S.
Long Island City, NY
9/2/2010
High End. Scrumptious Food. Indifferent Service. Busy Midtown Location. Went there for lunch with my boss. Good food though traditional Lebanese food shouldn't cost this much. Great Sausages. Service aside from the host didn't particularly care about us.
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Review from Hannah L.
1/18/2010
came here last night and it was pretty empty/quiet!
decor is kind of fuddy duddy, definitely catering to the middle aged crowd.
we got lots of food and apps, all were pretty good but nothing super memorable.
was cool to try since it got written up in thrillist, but don't think i will be back. also, it's $$$. -
Review from Roc R.
Astoria, NY
12/6/2010
1 star for amazing decor! but the worst service i have ever received! we had a party of 10 and right away he tells us $50 dollar minimum per head because of size of party or he cant serve us...which is ridiculous! who puts a min on ppl if they aren't doing pre-fix...given it came out to more than $50 a head but its the principle....they were extremely rude in taking orders and got pissed off when liquor was not ordered??? ummm sorry most of the group doesnt drink! when the food did come they gave EVERYONE the wrong dish!! wtf?! FINALLY we wanted to pay and split bet. a few cards.. he says NO we dont do that..we had to FORCE the dude to take the cards...never have i seen such horrible service! MIND YOU the place was empty!! NOW I SEE WHY!! do NOT give these ppl business!
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Review from Audrey T.
East Stroudsburg, PA
12/29/2009
We are entirely confused by the negative reviews--this place just reopened a few months ago, so I think maybe anyone reviewing before summer 2009 is talking about a different restaurant.
Delicious food. Gracious service. Not cheap, but reasonably priced for upscale middle eastern fare.
We sampled six appetizers for lunch and they were all outstanding--and my Lebanese boyfriend is a tough critic. -
Review from Marie C.
New York, NY
2/11/2010
LOVE this place. I had visited the original one several times over the course of the years and was so bummed when they closed. But this new location is so much bigger and more spacious than the other. Beautiful chandeliers and my date and I even got to sit by a fireplace. Granted it got a little warm but it was worth it for the ambiance. We just shared a bunch of appetizers and everything was delicious, especially the hummus they serve with sauteed lamb. I'll definitely be back soon...
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Review from Haley M.
Boston, MA
8/11/2010
All the places we tend to hit in NY have been on heavy rotation recently, so we decided to give them a break and try something new. I liked the decor of this place, and the service was top notch but everything else was completely underwhelming. Admittedly I have a hard time saying that because I don't think I'm very well versed in traditional Lebanese food but most everything I ate tasted like the appetizers I pick up at Trader Joe's - hummus and pita, baba ghannouj, stuffed grape leaves, etc. I got the red snapper which was a small piece of fish still swimming in thick tahini sauce. Tahini soup with a little fish on a plate. It was hands down one of the weirdest entrees I've ever had, and I need to go on record here saying that I have eaten a sea urchin before. I guess I was waiting for a culinary experience to blow my taste buds away but alas, it never came. I guess this could also be viewed as a bit of a back handed compliment to those folks who made the hummus at Trader Joe's.
