Good experience, a bit enclosed but cozy. The service is not the friendliest. They are fine though. The place doesn’t boast a sense of community, but usually filled with people reading and studying, which is good in its own right.

Francisco Amaral

Really enjoyed the Lava sandwich, recommended to me at the counter as the bestseller, and I can see why. The combo with fries and a Coke is nice, but the sandwich is the real MVP here. Only downside: the music was a bit too loud, which made it hard to work there in the afternoon (maybe that’s on purpose, so not a big deal)

Arkady Borkovsky

Great shawerma and everything Very Mideastern Great lamb. Slow Wonderful mint tea

Pascal Draheim

Took the beef and lamb shawarma. It was really Great! The Sandwiches are also a Great Deal.

Ali Bakhsh

One of the best chicken shawarma sandwiches I’ve had in the city and at an affordable price. No frills, all flavor

Salma R

Everything we got was delicious, but the fries were hands down the BESTTT

Annie Vu

The chicken shawarma wrap was delicious and pressed on the grill. They slice it into pieces to make it easier to eat. The toum on the side was a nice touch. They serve Hawa Soda. The vibe is cozy, good for a casual dinner with friends. The bathroom is relatively clean. The prices were normal for the area and it seems to be popular with local students.

Mario M

The food is good, especially the shawarma and falafel! The flavors are nice and the portions are enough! The staff are friendly and the place is simple and comfortable!! a nice spot to grab a casual meal.😋😋😋

+7

Legit Reviews

Tried Lava Shawarma for the first time and it did not disappoint. Fresh, flavorful, and the portions were perfect. Definitely worth checking out.

Valentyna Marchenko

this place was a very pleasant surprise with its quality of food and service. This is the most delicious food I have eaten in New York recently!!! I highly recommend it!

Divya Juneja

I had Dubai chocolate strawberries here. They were really good! A little sweet but not too much. They added Belgian chocolate in the strawberries (I would have preferred dark chocolate though). Strawberries were fresh and sweet. There was a fountain of pistachio butter, which looked pretty. There was someone in traditional clothes serving hot tea to everyone for free. Tea was good! Overall, loved my strawberries.

J T

Halal certified, kids friendly menu, clean and beautiful location. Inside decorations are beautiful and very aesthetic. Food was delicious and fresh, would definitely recommend this place and come again. The service was on top and waiter was very friendly and patient!

B T

No frills, just dang good food here. Been searching for an authentic tasting shawarma for a long time, and this is THE place that I think is the most similar tasting to the ones enjoyed in the middle east. The lamb and beef are my favorite, amazing combination of flavors. They cut the shawarma into bite sized pieces so it's really easy to eat too. Wonderful place.

+2

Balden

Just went here and the food was absolutely delicious. Highly recommend their shawarma mixed wrap, and their falafels and hummus were also great. Also a good choice if you’re a garlic lover (their garlic sauce was hella good). Plus the service was great and our food came super quickly!😋

Aline d'Aline

I love this place and hopefully won't make it crowded after this review. I came here 3 times and the food is fresh, great quality, tasty, the amount in the plate is generous. The chocolate Dubai they sell is delightful.

imtiaz ahmad

Pleasantly surprised with the food and the place. Totally enjoyed the food. Tried Shawarma and amazing. My family tried other food items and were very happy with the food. Their burger and lamb chops were also very good. The place nice and big bathroom which makes this place a nice stop. Highly recommended if you like middle eastern cuisine.

Black Cat LES has an inconspicuous storefront for a Lower East Side cafe. once through the door, the interior opens up into a surprisingly medium/large space. it’s well-maintained and clean. the vibe is very community living room with a variety of seating options. lots of laptop-pers & tablet-ers at work when here last. there’s WiFi for those who need it. there are live events at night like music, readings, comedy, etc. there’s a variety coffee & tea drinks on the menu as well as variety of simple savory eats like sandwiches, toasts, and bagels. got a large drip coffee to fight a chilly weekday off with hot caffeine and it did the job. strong coffee, nice caffeine kick. it was a huge cup of coffee and it warmed up and sped up my walk of endless errands in the neighborhood. the staff is very chill and kind. cafes like this are becoming the rarity in NYC. cherish the neighborhood gems.

Black Cat LES isn’t your average coffee shop it feels like a living room for the Lower East Side. From the mismatched couches to the community events, there’s an unpolished charm that makes you want to linger. Their coffee hits the mark strong, unpretentious, and always fresh. I love that it doubles as a coworking space by day and a creative hub by night. It’s the kind of spot where conversations flow easily, and everyone feels like a regular.

jack zhang

Personally think the chicken has no favor and food is quite pricey. Think for sit-down tip is included in the menu price which is cool.

Massimo

Lava Shawarma offers a tasty beef and lamb shawarma—well-seasoned, tender, and satisfying. The garlic sauce was a bit too intense for my taste, but the overall quality of the food was solid. Staff were polite and service was smooth. However, the ambiance was noticeably political, with strong pro-Palestinian messaging throughout the space. While political expression is understandable, some of the imagery and slogans gave off a tone that felt uncomfortably one-sided and, at times, veered into what could be interpreted as antisemitic. It made the dining experience feel more charged than welcoming. If you’re going just for the shawarma, it’s worth a visit, but the atmosphere may not sit well with everyone.

A.C. Lambert

-Casual Palestinian Spot- Halloumi wrap is so rich and delicious. Menus are crowd pleasers variety mixed ranging from burgers to falafel to wraps to hummus to vegan dishes. I will have to return to try something else. Ambience is laid back filled with folk arts, political posters and messages.

+8

Daniella Fodera

Casual, cozy place for tasty middle eastern food. Reasonable prices. Order the Lava Plate. Tasty but the meat was somewhat dry. Falafel was delicious and highly recommend! Coated in sesame seeds and served fresh. I also really enjoyed the complimentary spiced tea!

Came here to work remotely. The place is super grungy with a cool vibe, the Barnstable isn't the warmest person but I didnt mind as its part of the underground "charm" of the place. My main issue was with the wifi- for a place that requires a purchase to get the password, I tried 3 different times and the internet was basically not existent. So if you're planning yo actually do some work- wouldn't recommend it.

Went on 10/5/2025 at 8:10 am and the Barista was just opening. Didn't start taking orders for another 10-15 minutes and was kind of rude. The latte when it finally came out was really good, I got the nutella latte which felt a little juvenile but she did great on that. Just got the bagel and it looks awesome so we'll see.

Purav Patel

I stopped by Lava Shawarma around 10 PM for a late-night bite and ordered the chicken shawarma and lamb burger. The food was decent, nothing mind-blowing, but satisfying enough if you’re hungry and looking for something quick. The chicken in the shawarma was tender and flavorful, definitely the highlight of the meal. The lamb burger had really nice buns, but the patty itself was a bit cold and didn’t quite deliver on flavor. I got my order to go, but there was seating available if you want to eat in. Service could’ve been better, the person at the counter was on the phone while taking my order, and the cooks were eating while prepping food, which didn’t leave the best impression. Overall, it’s a convenient spot for a quick bite, but there’s room for improvement on both flavor and service.

The barista was extremely unfriendly, exhibiting passive-aggressive behavior and clearly hating her job (evident from her shouting at guests towards the end). I visited this cafe for an event, and when I ordered an iced matcha latte (and tipped), the barista was not only passive-aggressive but also impatient. She/they made me feel as though I couldn't speak English while I ordered, even though I have lived in the U.S. for 10 years, speak fluent English, and work in a communication-heavy job. Towards the end of the event at 9pm (despite the cafe's closing time being listed as 10pm), the barista shouted at everyone, saying, "The cafe was supposed to close an hour ago! Nobody is paying me for this hour! Please leave!" This was unprofessional and unacceptable behavior. No professional staff member should ever shout at guests. Despite paying for drinks and tipping, the experience was terrible. Based on this, I cannot recommend this cafe to anyone. If you are the business owner, please address this rude behavior that occurred on June 26 (Wednesday) during the night shift. Improving staff behavior is crucial for customer satisfaction and the reputation of your cafe.

This place needs to seriously think about when and what days they do open mic comedy shows as they are often intrusive and do not have a schedule posted online so that people know to avoid the business those days. For example I am here on a Tuesday where every table is someone here to work and the comedy club essentially has forced multiple people to move for their setup.

Barista made a very rude comment about not tipping after I had paid. This was very off putting and made for a less than ideal experience.

Very bad vibes here. There was only one employee working who was eventually rude and yelled at us and snatched our food away for accidentally taking the wrong order even though the ordering process was very chaotic and you had to guess if an item was yours when it came out. It was taking more than 20 minutes to get simple drinks out and I waited upwards of 30 minutes for a sandwich. Orders were disorganized and thrown out with no names attached which was very confusing. Food was ok although overpriced for the quality, but the rude and aggressive staff member made it a horrible experience. Would not recommend coming here.

The barista is *rude*. Idk if there are several but there is an older lady and does not put names on the coffees. So when people order the same kind of food or coffee they don’t know what belongs to who. Very uncomfortable. Poor customer service - she literally yells at customers. It also took over 30 min to get food