NYCReview
photo credit: Noah Devereaux
Tanoreen
Included In
We talk to strangers more than the average person might, potentially because everyone in this city has a lot to say about food (or because we’re so delightful). For years, we’ve asked about and been asked for great Middle Eastern restaurant recommendations, and New Yorkers keep telling us we’re looking in the wrong city. Maybe we’re better off just driving to New Jersey. We’ve heard that before, too.
If you’ve found yourself wondering where to eat fantastic kibbe or musakhan, plan a meal at Tanoreen. This restaurant makes some of NYC’s best food from the Levant, and it’s a great choice for a laidback group meal, whether or not you live near Bay Ridge.
Run by a Palestinian-American mother-daughter duo, Tanoreen serves a range of dishes from Palestine, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon. Start with some extra-lemony baba ghanoush, then be sure to prioritize the Palestinian dishes. Anyone who eats meat should try the fetti with sumac-spiced lamb or chicken, a huge portion of short grain rice and inch-long cuts of vermicelli noodles topped with tahini-yogurt sauce, crunchy almond slivers, and fried pita chips. And don’t leave Tanoreen without an order of knafeh for dessert, which takes 20 minutes to bake in the oven. Gooey in the center, with crispy kataifi on top, this brick of sweet cheese is worth every single second of the wait.
Everything at Tanoreen works best for sharing, which makes this place an especially good choice for a night out with a bunch of friends or some family members who still force you to plan dinners for them. Even when the dining room is full, the energy always feels relaxed and family-friendly, like somewhere you’d find in a small town (maybe Nazareth, where both Jesus and the chef grew up). The next time someone tells you to drive to New Jersey for great Levantine food, send them here.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Hannah Albertine
Baba Ghanoush
photo credit: Hannah Albertine
Mushakan
Kibbe Balls
photo credit: Hannah Albertine
Fetti
Grilled Combo
photo credit: Hannah Albertine