"The falafel sandwich is amazing, and it's gigantic."
(in 17 reviews)
"It's not the most amazing atmosphere but it's casual and it's BYOB."
(in 19 reviews)
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Black Iris
Rating Details »
Category: Middle Eastern [Edit]
Neighborhood: Fort Greene228 Dekalb Ave
(between Adelphi St & Clermont Ave)
Brooklyn, NY 11205
(718) 852-5556
- Nearest Transit:
-
Clinton-Washington Aves (G)
Lafayette Ave (C)
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- None
57 reviews for Black Iris
Review Highlights
I was walking in the rain and stopped here on my way to the Lucky Star bus after a long day of apartment hunting. I had no idea I was in for a seriously delicious meal served by one of the nicest people I have ever met. I figured, at best, I could get something decent and vegan. But I didn't know this place was going to be so absolutely fabulous.
The falafel wrap is massive and quite delicious. Crisp on the outside, soft on the inside balls of culinary perfection. A nice amount of veggies and fruits stuffed inside. And the waiter really rocked the house. He saw me looking a little bewildered while reading the New York City subway map, trying to figure out how to get to the B, and came over to ask where I was from and offer directions. Then we talked about life (love, money, home, etc.) while I ate that totally awesome wrap ($4.50) and drank tasty mint tea (on the house!), and found out where the train was.
And just to show that it wasn't a one hit wonder, the falafel platter ($7), which comes with freshly baked pita bread, a salad (with olives and pickles, which rules) and a side of baba ganoush and hummus is fabulous, and the portion is generous. It was two meals for me.
Also, the hot sauce is the bees knees.
I had carried a bottle of wine in my purse from Manhattan because we were planning on going to abistro. That wasn't going to happen though (there was a huge party taking up most of the restaurant, and someone waiting outside glumly commented that the party kept expanding) and so we started walking around the neighborhood, looking for an alternate dinner location and hoping against hope that we could find somewhere that we could (legitimately) drink our wine.
Thankfully, we stumbled upon Black Iris. I got the chicken kebabs and the boyfriend got the lamb sausage. I chose hummus for my side and he chose baba ghanoush, and our meals came with salad and puffy pillows of pita. There was way more than I could eat, and my chicken was really good: it was really juicy with a good flavor.
Was it the best Mediterranean food I've had? No. Would I go back if I was in the neighborhood? Yep!
Really not spicy or flavorful enough for my tastes: I'm Mediterranean and the food here seemed awful bland to me. The food was mostly colorless and plain looking. I ordered the "Black Iris Pitsa" but not enough flavor for the eggplant vegetables. Good for 'Middle Eastern Lite' I guess.
Go to Zaytoons.
Friend 1 - "Uhm, I don't know about you, but this is the best Middle Eastern food I've ever had in Brooklyn." Friend 2 - "Try the chickpeas! Try the chickpeas!" Me - "::munch munch:: yum yum yum yum"
That's how we started our conversation over a meal of appetizers - Spinach & Chickpea salad (the best thing ever!), Babaghanouj, Grape leaves, Foul Lentil and Hummus. All so absurdly good and flavorful. I ordered the Green Pitza, which was delicious, but be warned - you have to love scallion and leeks to like this. The warm pita kept coming as we ran right through a basket right away... My friend, who is Persian, said the food is fantastic, not as good as my Mom's, but fantastic.
My friends had various Kebabs which come on gigantic plates with your choice of side. Seriously, everything is great. The service is a bit slow - but it's such a relaxed chill out atmosphere, with a friendly/busy server who genuinely loves the food he serves.
All for such a good price! Love it!
The Black Iris pitza is amazingly wonderful! I became addicted to it while living in Ft. Greene, but now that I live in Greenpoint I often find myself riding the G train to satisfy my Black Iris cravings. The dolmas are delicious as well ... even the small order is ridiculously large. Also, since Black Iris is BYOB, it's wonderful to be able to pick up a bottle of wine at nearby shops like the Greene Grape or Thirst. The service is incredibly friendly and the prices are reasonable ... I love this spot :)
For pita's sake, this place is fantastic. I mean middle eastern cuisine sometimes makes me falafel, but this place makes me feel great!
With one possible exception, everything I've had on this menu is bracketted by the construction "the best ___ I've ever had!"
This food is "good" in the Biblical sense.
The one possible exception in the above is the falafel, which is certainly very good, but not the best I've had. This is ridiculous quibbling, and me trying to find something to complain about to lend some credibility to the hyperbolic praise.
The grape-leaves, tabouleh, labna, humus and foul are out of this world, but the pita... Oh the pita. The pita is simply the best pita I can possibly imagine.
Imagine pita.
Then imagine the best pita you can imagine.
This pita is better.
Hot. Light. Flavorful.
It's better pita than you can imagine.
The service is at Black Iris is also outstanding. In very simple ways, one is made to feel very welcome and comfortable. I was there recently and needed to hang out for over an hour after I had finished my meal, and paid my check. In addition to serving me complimentary tea and treats, when I left, the manager made me feel like I had done him a favor by sitting there and reading my book. I have a pretty sensitive sarcasm detector. This was pretty real.
Zaytoons is better and cheaper. Why spend your time eating on paper plates with plastic? I don't get these reviews.
Black Iris, I love you. I was so happy to move to Fort Greene but kind of mourned the fact that I pay more than I should for an apartment that the city has deemed hazardous because it's in a neighborhood I (and everyone else) love...
But then I found you. And you, with your BYOB and your $9 salad/dip platter, made eating out okay again! Your Labana yogurt dippiness is incredible - your servers are so nice and chill - your pita is warm and fluffy and I want to eat it until I'm so stuffed that I need to be rolled home to my hazardous, hazardous apartment.
Black Iris: despite my apartment situation, I didn't even know the MEANING of the word hazardous until I found you. What is truly hazardous is the havoc you've wreaked on my heart and the depth of my feelings for you. If what I want to do to you is wrong, then I don't want to be right.
The food is great and the prices are sooo cheap!! It's also BYOB which is a good thing in my book. Its also cash only but the prices are totally affordable so it's a good trade off.
We started off with the Assorted Plate; some of the stand outs were the Babaghanouj, Tabouleh, and Foul---Everything was really fresh, flavorful and tasty. For our lunch we had Falafel and Merques sandwiches; both of which were very well seasoned and perfectly cooked. The iced mint tea was a great finish to lunch.
The portion sizes are huge and the meals were satisfying. The service was friendly and the food was solid which makes Black Iris a great value so it gets the 5th star!
Black Iris turned out to be a pretty good restaurant. The prices were decent, the service was good and the food was really good as well. We had the chicken kabob platter with salad and rice, as well as a lamb pitza, which was a flat tortilla/pita like thing with ground lamb on top. It was very tasty, flavorful and packed with spices.
The atmosphere is decent, pretty dark, and enough tables to not call this place tiny. I believe for those two dishes everything came out to about $25. Cash only though. I recommend it if you are looking for a good middle eastern restaurant.
This place is good. The service is excellent the food is ok, not the best Mediterranean food I've had but gets the job done. It is also BYOB which is a plus if you want to have an affordable evening out.
I love this place for the mere fact that it's BYOB, the food is good and the service is friendly. The thing I love about Fort Greene service is the laid back, friendly vibe and this place is perfect.
Good food at very affordable price. It won't blow your mind but the food is more than decent and tasty if you are in the mood for it.
Venue: The pictures I have seen online lead me to believe that the place is a lot prettier than what it is. In real life, its just quite casual.
Food: Their Pitzas are huge and cheap. I had the first one on the menu which is minced lamb in red sauce. Aw, tasty. My man had the chicken one and it was very different spice wise from mine. We ordered the spinach and cheese roll for appetizer which was good (would be better if they had some sauce to dip the roll in cuz it is on the dry side) but it was a mistake because it was so big that by the time the pitzas came out we were almost full.
Service: I ordered hot mint tea for myself and the gentleman was very nice to bring us two cups, another one for bf on the house.
I need to go back to try the chicken ouzi and their falafels. Its said on NYtimes that Ted Allen had it when he visited.. ha!~
ps. cash only and it is BYOB!
a great place for a cheap and flavorful feast. I shared the assorted appetizer plate, a pitza, and a sandwich with another person. It totaled less than $30 and was way too much food. I definitely recommend the assorted plate because it is so generous and you get to choose the 5 salads you want to comprise it. They are all fantastic. The individual pitzas are hardly individual, they would be better shared. Same goes for the sandwiches as they are roughly equivalent in size to a pitza had it been rolled up and wrapped in tin foil. I tried the Black Iris pitza (lovely) and the Merguez sausage sandwich (savory, meaty goodness).
The breakdown:
4 star food
5 star portions
5 star (as in cheap) prices
Terrific Middle Eastern cuisine in the Neighborhood. I can't recall the name of the Manager there but he is very generous and super friendly. The pita is soft, the hummus is tasty and the Kebab meats are juicy. I love this place!
Came here before a BAM performance and me and my friend were in the mood for something along the lines of Middle Eastern. We were pretty famished but were intent on seeking out what we wanted as opposed to settling on other things we passed by BAM. We asked a group of bike riding ladies and they suggested Black Iris.
We sat ourselved, but were immediately greeted by our friendly waiter. The place is nothing spectacular, but a fair amount of seating, and a separate area for take out pick ups, a very casual spot.
We ordered grape leaves and hummus to start off with, then for our mains the shisk kebob and vegetable kabob for our entrees. Our apps came out pretty quickly and we devoured them. So yummy! I haven't had grape leaves in ages and these are particularly good. The hummus was a generos portion and the pita was hot. Our entrees came out shortly there after, and again- very generous and lots of veggies and meat with my shisk kebob. The only thing I didn't like was the olives (not a fan) and the pickles (seemed out of place). More hot pita, and we were set. We were plenty satisfied.
The bill was really cheap- 30 bucks. Yay! Definitely kept us full for the rest of the evening's activities.
The food rarely disappoints, and if you're sweet, and a regular, you just might get a little sumthin' sumthin' on the side. No, not THAT. The occasional mint tea, salad on the house, or various other delights to make your patronage all the more worthwhile.
Medhat, commonly referred to as the "Mayor of Ft Greene," will treat you right. And refill your water.
The pita is the shit. The location, just delightful. So please, go here.
I wasn't expecting much from delivery Middle Eastern, especially when the delivery guy had a tough time finding the Brooklyn Navy Yard. I was pleasantly surprised to find my salad platter fairly intact, and my sandwich only a little soggy.
I ordered the merguez sandwich, which had a very pleasant kick to it. The tahini absorbed the spices from the sausage, so since it was spilling from the sandwich it made for a nice dipping sauce for the extra pita I had ordered. While the sausage was dry, the tahini, chewy pita, and vegetables made up for it.
My salad platter was pleasing, despite the fact that after 1/2 of my sandwich I could barely eat. The baba ghanouj was divine...wonderfully smokey in flavor. Hummus was standard for these places, but I was pleased to find that they didn't overdo it with the tahini. I could taste the chickpeas...unlike recent visits to places like Olive Valley. The grape leaves were good as usual, slightly better than the ones from the can (which I still love!).
I sampled some salads I had never tried before. The Lentils and Bulgur were delicious! Slightly crunchy, with a flavor of caramelized onions. I have to say the biggest disappointment was the "Black Iris" salad. It was touted as tomatoes, cucumbers, black olives and special seasoning. The tomatoes were unfortunately grainy, I could taste no special seasoning, and there was not a black olive in sight! I LOVE OLIVES.
To sum it all up...I would order from Black Iris again in a SECOND, and would be more than happy to dine there were I in the neighborhood. Generally a delivery experience is lackluster compared to sit down, so there may be a five star update in Black Iris' future...
Black Iris is one of the restaurants my girlfriend and I go to the most in the city. And it's not because we live close; we're about 20-30 minutes away. But the food there is awesome for it's price, the service--while a little slow at times--is friendly and attentive, and the relaxed atmosphere and BYOB policy really can't be beat.
The first time I went there I ordered one of the specials, which was awesome, but apparently they've stopped even doing specials, at least at the times we go, so I tend to get the Shish Kabob platter. The food is good, the babaganoush is awesome, the hummus is almost as good, and the freshly made pitas are amazing.
Another great option is to get a cold appetizer combo platter. The foul isn't the best I've had in the city (that would be from Alfanoose), but the previously mentioned hummus and babaganoush are definitely worth getting. My girlfriend adores the spinach and chickpeas, and sometimes even gets a giant plate of it for her main dish. The stuffed grape leaves are pretty standard--neither mindblowing nor awful, and the labana is a revelation: spiced yogurt mixed in with oiive oil.
My girlfriend and I got into the habit of going there nearly every Monday, when most other restaurants are closed. It's never packed that night, though you can tell other couples have had the same idea as we did. In the summer, there's also outdoor seating. The view isn't amazing, but a quiet night out on the sidewalk cafe can be heavenly.
Mother Nature clearly had our best interests at heart last night when her sudden, torrential downpour forced us to choose Black Iris among the handful of nice-looking restaurants on its Ft. Greene strip.
The menu consists of straightforward Middle Eastern fare, but done really well, at quite reasonable prices. We started with some nice, lemony grape leaves. I ordered the assorted cold appetizers for a main course, and the generous portion was plenty to eat. I especially appreciated that I got to choose my own 5 dishes for the platter from among their enticing list of cold mezes. The hit was definitely the spinach and chickpeas with tomato sauce and fried onions. It was delicious. Next time, I'd skip the foul, which was a bit too bland, and prepared with undercooked fava beans.
Dude got the falafel platter, which contained the lightest, fluffiest falafel balls I've ever had, and super creamy hummus.
As a side note, our server forgot to bring my mint tea, and ended up providing a cup for me *and* the dude, on the house. Classy.
I'd give 3.5 stars if I could. I usually reserve 4+ for places I've tried more than once.
Earned every one of these stars...I used to be a super Zaytoon's head but now Black Iris has won my heart. The food is always bangin. My only complaint is that they don't deliver to Bed Stuy, boo hoo.
This review is based on the food and only the food. The service as good.
After 32 reviews, it is hard for me to understand how this restaurant could have a 4 star rating, especially in such an enormous city with a ridiculous amount of delicious ethnic food. After eating here last night, I could not imagine a worse idea than to go back.
The service was fine. Nobody was rude. Actually, the employees were quite courteous and kind, especially when my friend told them his dish was inedible and they took it off of our bill.
That being said, the food was terrible. The dolma we ordered was straight from a can and was not tasty. It tasted as if they has just opened up a new tin when our order was made. The oil was super thick still and there was no good flavor. There weren't even lemon wedges to squirt on it. I have never ordered dolma and not received the lemon wedges.
I had the chicken ouzi, a house specialty. Not so hot. It was so much food it could have fed at least 3 people. There was not a whole lot of chicken in it and the chicken that was there was quite dry. It also came surrounded by salad that had too much oregano on it. I am assuming this was to mask the fact that the tomatoes were at least 5 days old and had been kept in the refrigerator for that long because when I ate a piece, it was grainy and disgusting. I was ready to go after that.
One of my friends ordered the lamb. He asked me to taste it and I did and it tasted like cheap roast beef. He was so disgusted he told the waitress it was inedible and she took it off the bill. He's never done that (neither have I) and felt pretty bad but also knew it was necessary because the meal was awful.
The one thing that gets them a star (because it's always good to end on a positive note and it is hard to give their food anything but the middle finger) is the mint tea. It was delicious (even though it's pretty hard to fuck up a cup of tea).
Brooklyn is wealthy when it comes to falafel.
Near by me in Clinton Hill/Fort Green, I not only have a great place like Black Iris, but there is Bedouin Tent, Zaytoons, and those guys in the back of Ralph's Internet Cafe (though they are never there when I stop by lately). They all have nearly identical menus at first glance.
Black Iris is my favorite for sandwiches. Their sandwiches are huge, cheap and tasty. Like all of the places listed above, they make the pita fresh and wrap the sandwich rather than stuff.
The lentil soup, hummus and cold salad selections...stuffed grape leaves, foul, etc...are good but not great. I would hit Bedouin Tent for that kind of thing if I was feeling picky.
The folks at Black Iris are friendly and fast. They offer quick delivery too (cash only).
If you standing on Dekalb and staring at Red Bamboo, turn left and walking to the end of the block for Black Iris instead.
5 stars for the immortal sandwiches, minus one for the mortal hummus and lentil soup.
HOW -TO BLACK IRIS FOR DUDES:
1. order lambajin pitza and tomato&cheese pitzza
2. turn the lamba upside down on top of tomatocheese
3. eat the pizza sandwch
4. i hope you brougt beer
DO NOT Attempt on a first date
Unremarkable. A second star for being Mediterranean, but it's really rather subpar.
The vegetable kabob here is awesome, the vegetables are always really fresh and cooked perfectly. The plate presentation is also really good especially given the price! The pita bread is always warm and fluffy (cooked fresh unlike most other places!) and I also really like their falafel. Their baba ganouj is amazing and the hummus is also solid. Also, BYOB and NO CORK FEES.
The waiter is very friendly and he provides pitchers of water so no problems with water service. Great food, low prices, good service... mmmmmmmmm. My only complaint is that the ambiance is a little lacking but whatevvaaaa, Black Iris rules. Way better than Zaytoons.
Delicious, not expensive, they give you lots of food, and it's BYOB.
Delivery and Eat-in - Both great! The food is good and fresh, cheap and the service is outstanding!!! The falafel is lacking a bit but all-in-all I am a very pleased customer!
This place gets minus one star for the lack of service when we came here one Sunday night for dinner. They were obviously wayy understaffed and the wait both to order and to get our food was quite long. Though the service, when we actually got it, was quite friendly.
That having been said, the food was amazing! I ordered a lamb shish kebob main course meal which came with a salad, a choice of rice, hummus, or babaganoush (which was delicious), and fluffy pita. It was the perfect meal that night, with just the right combination of flavors and craved food items. The lamb was very good, savoury on the inside and nice and crispy on the outside with a smoky taste. Their special mint tea was also very delectable. The prices are really good here as well; our entire meal came out to about $20, for 2 main course dishes. I'm really glad we discovered this place nearby. We walked home that night with the most content stomachs ever, after succeeding in leaving exact change on our bill so we wouldn't have to wait another quarter hour for the change.
Oh, and it's BYOB!! How could I forget? Definitely coming back to this place!
I've gotten takeout and eaten in there a few times now. While the waitstaff is friendly and it is BYOB, I've never been really turned on by the food. Also, the takeout tends to be not great. I wasn't going to mention Zaytoons, but I have to disagree and say that they are waaaayyyy better, except in the falafel area, I concede that the sandwich is pretty kick-ass. I go here for middle eastern only when I can't get people over to my side of the neighborhood for Zaytoons.
Great food at very good prices. The two of ordered a chicken ouzi and a lamb pitza. We couldn't quite finish the ouzi, which was amazing, and we ended up taking most of the pitza home. Plus a piece of baklava to finish it off. All that for ~$25.
The interaction with the waiter was a little odd at first, but he turned out to be a very friendly guy. It was a quiet night, so he spent some time chatting with us.
In fact, it was oddly empty in the dining room--just two tables of diners besides ourselves. According to the other reviews, sounds like this isn't unusual, but it is somewhat surprising. But not really a negative, as you're not going to have to wait for a table, and you'll most likely have your pick of the lot. We had a nice view of the mellow corner of DeKalb & Clermont.
We didn't take advantage, but it is byob, which is another plus in my book. I can def see coming back with some beers or a bottle of wine. As others have mentioned, all this makes it a nice budget-friendly alternative to the other spots in DeKalb.
Finally, note that it's cash only, so have enough paper on hand to avoid having to hit the service-charged ATM in the grocery store across the street.
A lot of bang for the buck. The falafel wrap is gigantic and under $5. If I had an army to feed, I would probably take them to Black Iris.
The atmosphere is a bit lacking, although the waitstaff is very friendly. It doesn't have the same vibe that a lot of surrounding restaurants have. Granted, it has great food at a lot lower of a price.
This restaurant would make my short list of take out restaurants, but probably not for dining in.
I can't believe I haven't reviewed this place yet, I've eaten their food so many times. To me, this is some of the best Middle Eastern I've had in New York, DEFINITELY one of the best bargains. The falafel sandwich is amazing, and it's gigantic. It's also $5. The platters are fantastic, especially the veggie and chicken kebabs, and the hummus, ohhhh the hummus, and the babaghanouj, both amazing. I have yet to try the pitzas, that's next on my list, if I can manage to tear myself away from the falafel that is...If your choice is between Black Iris and Zaytoons around the corner, well I think you know where I stand. Grab a bottle of wine from the shop down the street, and dig in.
Maybe it's just me... I used to work at a lebanese restaurant that was transcendent...but I've tried this place twice several months apart and have been really disappointed by their food. The hummus is creamy and smooth but it lacks something...oh right, taste. The tabouli was equally zingless. The spinach pie had mozzarella??!! in it. I don't get why this place gets so many stars. The food is bland and completely unauthentic. keep walking.
This place was great- had food opps for all. It was BYOB (in the city?!) which was great as well. We got the Pita pizza with veggies, no cheese- so freakin good! Also tried the veggie kebab? OMGOSH it was so good- never have I had such good grilled onions... they were amazing. I could have eaten a whole plate of onions only and been satisfied- sounds silly, but they were THAT good. Cute little dark divey place. Great hummus, yummy HUGE house salads. Everyone was pleased. Food great, Bill was amazing (thought it was wrong because so cheap!) and service was GREAT. Definitely come back here.
everthing is good. everything is cheap. everyone is friendly.
I live around the corner and this place is quickly becoming my new go-to spot. So delicious and the main guys (who is always working!) is so, so nice!
Go - Its so delicious!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/30/2008
Woah.. this place is delicious! And, the prices are not too bad.
We had the lentil soup, assorted… Read more »
Great for take-out, I usually got the falafel or chicken sandwich (pita wrapped) with an order of hummus. The hummus itself is pretty blah --maybe that's authentic? -- but I ordered it time after time because the fresh-baked pita it comes with is so friggin' delicious. (And bland hummus really lets the bread shine through!)
For dine-in, it's a little weak. They often lack the critical mass of diners to make it inviting. On the other hand, they'll sometimes bring a hearty lentil soup to keep you warm while you wait. (Actually I think they once did that even while I was waiting for take-out. Must have been a slow day.)
Sorry to say I've never tried the BYOB option. I'd recommend stopping at Thirst Wine Merchants just a few blocks away at Dekalb and Carlton.
The waitstaff here is so friendly, nice and pleasant. It makes every visit so special. The food is good and big portions as well. I really enjoy their pita bread. It is warm and fresh and oh so good.
don't misunderstand me. I really enjoy black iris' low key atmosphere.
But i do remember low key lebanese places in Paris where the food was always fresh. And tasted like homemade by an old lady locked in the kitchen.
Their falafel sandwich is cheap, but somehow unconsistent. Guess it depends on who's in the kitchen.
I too often feel robbed. But it's my mistake, it's what i get for being too lazy to do my own hummus.
Yes it is cheap, but come on ! Grapes leaves shouldn't taste as if they were coming from a can.three days after being open.
The service is nice.
I just wished they had more consistency and they were more fond of their grandma's memory...
A favorite. Let's say you have three hungry friends. You stop in at the closest wine shop, grab two cheap bottles, and head to Black Iris. The unfailingly nice waiter brings you some tea.
Five salad platter
A couple of fresh-from the oven pita
The chicken kebab platter
You're full, drunk, and very happy, and you've only spent like 25 bucks.
