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Stopped by Wafa's on Friday. The food is as good as ever, and the larger dining area is much more accommodating than her old space. Plus, the location next to a liquor store makes the BYOB policy that much more enjoyable.
The menu has expanded slightly, and Wafa says they're looking to add more items once they get used to the new space.
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Wafa's
100-05 Metropolitan Ave, Queens, NY 11375›23 Replies-
re: Greg
Hi Greg,
I don't know if these were ever on the menu before but over the week-end I made it back to Wafa's with some friends for the first time in the new space and had the fried cauliflower with garlic butter (wow!). And, Wafa brought out some little cheese balls made out of home-made yogurt . Some were rolled in spicy paprika, some in za'atar and sesame seeds, some in crushed pistachios and some in crushed walnuts. Our waiter said he likes to smoosh them inside a pita. Sounds wonderful but those things didn't hang around long enough for us to try that. They were yet another big hit. Everything else was as good as ever—okra, babganoush, fattoush, shawarma, etc.—so nice to have these again after those three, long, cold months.
My friends, some of whom were from Queens and some from Manhattan, were all super impressed with everything—the quality of the food, the large portions, Wafa herself and the fact that it really is a bargain.
Welcome back Wafa!
Ciao,
Glendale is hungry...
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Wafa's
100-05 Metropolitan Ave, Queens, NY 11375-
re: Glendale is hungry
missmasala
Apr 4, 2011 08:29 AM
Those sound like balls of labneh, a kind of yogurt cheese. labneh is one of my fave things on earth, so not surprised you liked them.
I'll have to check wafa's out next time i'm in the area, which is unfortunately not too often.
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re: missmasala
Cheese Boy
Apr 4, 2011 06:51 PM
Does anyone know where to get a zaatar and labneh pizza?
I hear that the combination is super delicious.-
re: Cheese Boy
janie
Apr 5, 2011 08:39 AM
http://www.moustachepitza.com/oven_ba...
Wafa could probably whip you up one also, just ask her--she's a wonderful person.
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Wafa's
100-05 Metropolitan Ave, Queens, NY 11375 -
re: Cheese Boy
rose water
Apr 5, 2011 10:15 AM
Moustache was my first thought too. Or you can get the great, meltingly soft (and generously oily) zaatar bread from Sahadi's, and stock up on labneh there.
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Sahadi's
187 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11201-
re: rose water
Cheese Boy
Apr 5, 2011 09:39 PM
Thanks J and RW ... so I guess I'm Queens or Brooklyn bound soon.
I remember someone here speaking highly of Moustache uptown (might have been RW), and proudly I already have it on my list of places to check out. Their menu looks great !!!-
re: Cheese Boy
rose water
Apr 6, 2011 08:42 AM
probably was me. i really love moustache. i think the downtown locations do fine, but i really want the uptown location to stay afloat. when you go, definitely get the egg/cheese phyllo roll--the pungent cheese and the insanely fragrant buttery phyllo are awesome.
the two recommendations are for very different zaatar breads. at moustache, it's a thin, crispy crust like all of their pita bread "pitzas" whereas the sahadi version is a thicker dough with much more chew (thinner/yummier than but texturally similar to those pocketless pitas they sell at indian grocery places)
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re: rose water
Cheese Boy
Apr 6, 2011 08:18 PM
I will be trying the uptown location for sure and hopefully our tab will help contribute to their buoyancy. We bring big appetites wherever we go.
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re: Cheese Boy
janie
May 6, 2011 08:43 PM
Quick late dinner at Wafa's tonight...excellent as usual...their wonderful falafel was so green, fresh, spicy, and fragrant..with excellent tahini dip........---
Delicious kofte kebab, rice with lentils, meat pie, cheese pie, and I forgot how great the babagenoush is there, so smoky with great texture............so glad she's back in a bigger place---and glad she's being discovered by so many new people....-----
Wafa's
100-05 Metropolitan Ave, Queens, NY 11375-
re: janie
My friends and I tried Wafas tonight and well, frankly after reading all the positive reviews I came away a little disappointed. I had been wanting to go for the past couple of years.
First the positives: The service was excellent, friendly and on the ball. Cheese and spinach pies were very tasty and our dips of hummus and babaganoush were excellent. Portions were very generous. Oh and they had toum! A very pungent well made version actually.
But for our chicken shawarma platters, the seasoning was off on the chicken and it lacked the juicy, crispy pieces of spit roasted chicken. (e.g. Karam's) Instead we got dry (oven roasted?) chicken breast pieces. And a friend's chicken vegetable soup, while pretty to look at was fairly bland. I'm willing to give them another chance though. I will return for more of the appetizers and the falafel next visit.
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Karam
8519 4th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11209Wafa's
100-05 Metropolitan Ave, Queens, NY 11375-
re: deabot
abu applesauce
Jul 6, 2011 02:50 PM
(Not so) Silly question: Is it air conditioned? I'll be in the area tomorrow, lunch time, and I can't imagine sitting down somewhere if there's no AC!
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re: abu applesauce
Hi abu applesauce,
The last time I went a couple of weeks ago, I noticed that there was an air conditioner mounted over the door. On that day, however, it wasn't turned on since it wasn't that hot outside so I have no first-hand experience of its cooling power.
Has anybody been to Wafa's on a hot day in her new space on Metropolitan? If so, please comment on the temp inside.
I hope this helps you out!
Ciao,
Glendale is hungry...
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Wafa's
100-05 Metropolitan Ave, Queens, NY 11375-
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re: deabot
abu applesauce
Jul 7, 2011 11:39 AM
The mystery will continue, as I finished my Queens business earlier than anticipated and never made it to Wafa's. As a consolation prize, I intended to pick up a sandwich from Mama's, and bring it back to the office to make all of my coworkers jealous, but they are closed for a few days! Thankfully I called first (to see if they were open, (as it was early) and I didn't find out the hard(er) way.
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Wafa's
100-05 Metropolitan Ave, Queens, NY 11375
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re: janie
el jefe
Jul 9, 2011 05:26 PM
Tonight, between posts here, I was at Wafa's for dinner. Excellent food as usual.
The a/c was on. I could tell because it was very noisy. It was in the mid-80's outside and about 80° inside. By the time we left I think it was actually cooler outside. I'll certainly be back but I'll have to wait for a much cooler evening.
In all fairness though, maybe I just like it cooler than most. Every table was taken at 7:30.-
re: el jefe
CitySpoonful
May 2, 2012 06:31 AM
Great meal at Wafa's Monday night. We tried the special soup -- brown lentils (the flying sauce-shaped ones) with swiss chard -- amazing! Lots of cilantro leaves and lemon in the mix. Crazy flavorful. Very light -- no oily sheen.
We also tried the chicken shwarma (which I can't speak to as a vegetarian, though it looked tasty!), falafel (eh), babaganous (smokey and heavy on the tahini -- nice, though I prefer the tangy baba at Home Falafel in Astoria; just my preference), tabouleh (amazingly fresh and flavorful; the best I've had in NYC so far), the okra stewed with tomatoes and onions (a little oily but way flavorful; this could've come out of any north indian kitchen!), and the moussaka (again, a little oily but distinctly flavored with tomatoes and onions and ample mint -- i think; perfectly cooked eggplant hunks...soft but not mushy...and chickpeas thrown in for a great textural contrast).
curious about the fattoush (salad w/pita chips, essentially) and the mujadarah (bulgur wheat and lentils) -- any word on these?
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re: CitySpoonful
el jefe
May 6, 2012 02:18 PM
I haven't tried the Fattoush but the Mujadarah is excellent. it's just as described on the menu -- bulgar wheat, lentils, caramelized onions -- but it's those caramelized onions that make the dish. It's a hearty, filling dish that will satisfy a meat eater. I've tried just about every vegetarian dish on Wafa's menu and the Mujadarah is one of my favorites. The only dud, imho, is the fried cauliflower. My wife always gets the lamb platter, which I love too, but occasionally the lamb is a little tough. The vegetarian platter at $10 has to be one of the best bargains in NYC.
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re: el jefe
CitySpoonful
May 7, 2012 10:44 AM
OK, clearly I need to be sure to try the Mujadarah next time. Sounds like an ideal veggie dish. And yes, that $10 veggie platter is a very good deal: both quantity and quality wise.
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re: CitySpoonful
Polecat
May 7, 2012 02:34 PM
Her baklava is also amazing, best I've had. On the nutty side, and not sickeningly sweet like a great many other versions. I also just tried the rice pudding for the first time, and that's also first rate.
Another thing that Wafa's does better than just about everyone else - the minute you walk in, she makes you feel like family, whether you're a repeat customer or a first-timer. Both she and her son are extremely gracious, warm and personable. It's the kind of quality you can't fake. The warmth and substance starts with the people, and extends to the food.
Forest Hills is not a great food 'hood, but Wafa's is definitely a source of local pride.
P.
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re: Polecat
el jefe
May 7, 2012 05:59 PM
You just described what's wrong with most baklava and exactly what I'm looking for. I'll have to try it next time I'm there. And your description of the family and service is spot on. Unfortunately, I agree with you about the Forest Hills comment too.
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I read that they're taking orders for weekends only. You can email them at: wafasfood@yahoo.com
Do you know when and where the new location will be? Can't wait for them to open again. I've been dreaming about eating their food since they closed.
›3 Replies-
re: FoodFanNYC
I emailed them and here is the reply I got:
Hello diprey11,
Ny name is Youssef, Wafa's son who works with her. So yes we are in the process of re-opening Wafa's and it will be in the near future and in forest hills. In the mean time if you would like to place an order just let me know. The menu has not changed as of yet so you can have what ever you want pretty much. Talk to you soon.
Take Care,
YoussefDoes anyone have their old menu handy?
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re: bugleg
Well I do know that Wafa has been catering parties for the neighborhood. And she was the one that told me on her last day open that there would be a new Wafa's come early spring.. So for now we have been placing weekly orders to keep our cravings at a mininiunm . As for the syrian I have not tried it yet but I have plans to go by.
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