Reviews: 12 Chairs (MacDougal)
In Summary: I went twice in one week
Casual | Israeli | Soho (additional location in Williamsburg)
Reservation difficulty: Low - I was able to find an early Saturday evening reservation within a week of booking.
Food: 4 out of 5 - An array of great Israeli dishes that were very flavorful. Depending on what you order, the food is satisfying and filling without making you feel overly full or ill afterward. I appreciated that there are many vegetable or vegetable-forward options that are just as tasty as the meat and fish options. I’m no expert on Israeli food but I went here with a co-worker whose former Israeli roommate recommended this place to her and dined here with another co-worker whose family is Israeli and who also gave it a thumbs-up.
Flavor: 5/5 - The flavors were bold and very balanced. Dishes that came with tahini or hummus came with plenty of it and many dishes added a few extra elements that brought more flavor or texture, like the pine nuts in the beet salad.
Uniqueness: 4/5 - This rating isn’t meant to rank this food compared to other Israeli dishes but rather compared to what is generally available in NYC. This restaurant delivered more than I was expecting and there were many dishes on the menu beyond just the classics one would expect.
Optionality: 5/5 - This menu is large, not just that it takes up half the table but that it offers a large number of dishes that hit brunch, salad, entrees, small entrees, snacks, and sides and in each category, there are both meat/fish and vegetarian options. Out of all the dishes I tried, I definitely had favorites, but there really wasn’t one I didn’t care for.
Service: 3 out of 5 - This is definitely where 12 Chairs falters, however, given the casual vibe of the restaurant and the prices, the service gaps would not prevent me from coming back or recommending this restaurant. If you’re going in the winter, keep in mind when I went in a party of 2 even though we had made a reservation, the only available table was outside on a 40-degree mid-November evening. Since it was early in the evening we waited for a table inside to free up which it did in about 10 minutes. But had we come at a busier time we probably would have been waiting longer despite making a reservation. The first time I dined here with a larger party of 6, we placed an appetizer order, then an entree order, and then ordered a few repeats of the ones we’d particularly liked. When we placed the additional orders, the waitstaff informed us, not very politely, that they do not like tables to place multiple orders and would rather take the entire food order at one time. Understandable for a busy restaurant, but was not something they told us when we first arrived.
Ambiance: 3.5 out of 5 - This depends on what you’re looking for. This restaurant tends to be very crowded and chaotic, and no matter what table you’re sitting at you always feel slightly in the way as waitstaff or other customers squeeze past you. The music is quite loud and on weekends they really crank it up and hand out mini symbols for the crowd to take part in the music. It’s a great place to come with friends for a good time but don’t expect to have an in-depth conversation without shouting across the table. All that being said the decor of the restaurant is very charming. The tables are small square and mostly wooden with the typical oval-backed cafe chairs. The water carafes are large but the water glasses are small and everything is served family style with small plates for sharing.
What I ate:
*All photos in this review are courtesy of Seamless
Beets salad: Tossed with fresh herbs and garlic, topped with pine nuts and goat cheese
A highlight even with beets:
I’ve never really liked beets. In fact, for the most part, I’ve generally disliked beets but if someone places them on my plate I will eat them. I’m not sure if it was a fluke or if it really was this salad, but this dish made me like beets - at least for this particular meal. The pine nuts and goat cheese were great toppings to add some richness and the slightly bitter aftertaste I usually experience with beets just wasn’t there at all. These beets were very mild and the perfect canvass for all the great accompaniments.
Highlights
Arayes: Grilled pita filled with minced lamb, served with spicy cherry tomato salad and tahini
Must order:
This is the dish I came back for and will come for again. When lamb is done well it’s one of my favorites and this serving was incredibly tender without being overly fatty but also well-seasoned and moist. The grilled pita almost acts as a pastry that cloaks the lamb and soaks up all of its great flavors and juices.
Dreamy Calloumi: Grilled Halloumi with tomato, za’atar, and garlic confit
Must order:
This is one of those dishes whose topping really makes it. If I didn’t have roasted garlic in every bite, this would not have been as special of an experience, but if you like halloumi and garlic you really can’t go wrong with this one. Keep in mind, this portion is really small, usually 4 small pieces of Halloumi so definitely just a starter.
Malabi: Signature coconut milk pudding with pomegranate syrup, coconut flakes, and pistachios
Must order:
If you’re getting any dessert, this is the one to get. I tried four out of the five desserts on the menu and by far this was the best. Think of this as the Israeli version of a panna cotta. The texture was very similar to panna cotta but the flavors were much more powerful. The coconut flakes and pistachios complement the flavor of the coconut milk and the use of coconut milk allowed this dessert to be indulgent but not heavy. Both times I ordered this dish I tasted rose or rosewater in the syrup, I flavor which I love, even though it’s not called out in the description and that syrup is something I wish I could drizzle on everything.
Great picks
Cauliflower: Toasted with fresh oregano, jalapeño peppers, and red onion over tahini
Solid contender:
This was one of my favorite veggie sides. The cauliflower was soft and tender but also had crisp edges with a good spice profile. The tahini was the perfect sauce to temper some of the spice although the jalapeños were definitely not overly spicy.
Hummus Falafel OR Falafel and Tahini: Falafel serviced on tomato tahini, garlic and parsley
Choose between one of these to order:
These are both classics done very well. There’s not anything particularly unique or funky about the falafel but it strikes the perfect texture of crispy and holding together on the outside, while soft and fluffy and falling apart on the inside. The decision simply comes down to whether you want your falafel dipped in hummus or tahini.
Baladi Eggplant: Topped with tahini and pine nuts
Order if you like eggplant, skip if you don’t:
Although the flavor profile in this dish was great, as someone who’s not an eggplant person this dish did not change my mind about the vegetable, and yes there have been some dishes that managed to do it. It’s not overly mushy but if you already don’t like eggplant you can probably anticipate the texture you’ll get in this dish.
Moroccan Fish: Filet of sea bream slowly cooked. in spicy Moroccan tomato sauce, serviced with couscous
Great for a group:
The flavors here were definitely a highlight. The fish was fresh and flakey and was a great canvas to pair with the spicy tomato sauce and the fluffy couscous soaks up all the leftover sauce. The only note to point out is that the serving is quite large. This is best for a group of four or more unless this is the only main dish you’re ordering.
Not the best
Shipudim: Two grilled chicken skewers, served vied with a spicy cherry tomato salad, tahini, and potato wedge
Skip this one:
Out of everything I tried, this is probably the one I would not order again. While the flavors were there, I didn’t find the chicken particularly tender, and it didn’t really measure up to other chicken kabobs I’ve had, especially because there are so many other great options to order from the menu