Shalel Lounge

Went with a party of 15, three generations ages 10-84 on a November Saturday night. Wonderful ambience, a space and vibe that transports you to another part of the world. Our room felt like a home, with all of us sitting on comfy cushions, able to see everyone's faces. Staff was super attentive, particularly with making those with special needs comfortable. Food was loved by all. Nice drink list. Not too pricey. Great spot.

Went to Shaleh with a friend on a Sunday night without a reservation, and we were seated fairly quickly. The restaurant had an intimate atmosphere, with dim lighting and a charming interior -- definitely a great date spot. The service was prompt and friendly.We tried the spread mezze, vegetarian moussaka, and butternut squash bruschetta. The portions were on the smaller side. The moussaka was on the oilier side. The food was decent, but nothing special, so the ambiance and service played a bigger role in enhancing the overall experience.

One of my favorite restaurants on the UWS. It's kind of like being transported into another world which is hard to do in the city. Drinks and food are excellent. Great for either a date night or an intimate group gathering if you can book in advance. We celebrated my birthday there recently and everyone had an awesome time. Note: the entrance can be easy to miss as you have to take a staircase underground- i think that adds to the charm

Food was good. Service was great. But if you are claustrophobic, ask to avoid the room that is like Jeffrey Dahmer's dungeon. And don't trip on the 3 inch lip when you pull the curtain back as you head to the bathroom (the floors are very uneven).

Brought my mom here for her birthday dinner. Without knowing anything about the location, I booked the greenhouse which was a strange narrow storage closet at the entrance of the restaurant. I enjoyed the natural light and the privacy of the space, but once it got dark, I definitely wished we'd opted to sit in the actual restaurant. The space is really neat. Lots of little nooks and crannies that are unique and cozy. The food was great. We started with the MEDITERRANEAN MEZZE 25 (hummus, tzatziki, babaghanoush, tirokafteri, harissa, grilled pita), SPANAKOPITES, and SICILIAN CAULIFLOWER AND HALLOUMI CHEESE. For my meal I got the CHICKEN TAGINE A LA FEZ, and my mom got the FILET MIGNON KEBAB. All the food came out delicious and hot and our servers were very friendly. They stuck a candle in our olive oil cake for dessert for my mom which was a very kind gesture (although the cake itself was not great).

A very cozy underground Mediterranean restaurant in upper west side. Perfect spot for a date night before a show at Lincoln Center or the Beacon Theater. Service was great. Food was delicious. Definitely recommend the spicy feta. The cocktails could be better. This was my second time here. The first time was just for feta and a drink at the bar. My drink then was just okay as well.

You need to come try the food in this cute underground grotto. The dim lighting and close seating lends itself to be the perfect date night spot. The service was impecable. Our waiter was very friendly and accommodating. The dishes are portioned well at the price point. We celebrated a birthday and they brought us out a piece of olive oil cake at the end. We were stuffed but it was good. It was adorned with gooseberries, lowkey my favorite berry and segmented oranges. As for the apps and mains we got so much. The branzino was perfectly flaky. The edges were crispy but beware it's not deboned so eating it was a little cumbersome. We got the mixed grill plater, it came with chicken lamb and steak. All three meats were juicy and tender and the rice was flavorful and soaked up the juices from the meat. We also got the lamb cigars, tirokafteti, and the spanakopitas. It was all good the spanakopitas were prolly the best I've ever had. They were huge. The lamb cigars came with this spicy sauce. tirokafteti comes with a generous amount of pita. I really have nothing bad to say. We loved our experience here. I do recommend making a reservation as the place is small.

Vibe: 9.2/10Service: 10/10Value: 8/10Sicilian cauliflower with fried halloumi: 8.2/10Chicken basteeya: 8.5/10Mixed grill: 8/10Overall: 8.65/10 (4.33/5)

A hole in the basement restaurant in UWS. I wouldn't say the ambience is romantic, while they dim the light really low that I couldn't even see what's in my food. The decor is morrocan but food is a mixture of Moroccan, Portuguese and Italian. The seats seem crowded and not comfortable. Don't book outdoor seating unless you want to be on a basement alley right under the sidewalk We didn't make reservation so we were seated at the bar, as we were told all the tables were booked. But the table right behind us that we asked for were empty the entire time even when we finished the meal, the restaurant didn't seem busy at all but they didn't want to sit three of us on the table. The service was awful. There were three of us but only two menus were available while the restaurant was only half full. Light was so dim and only candles were available, it was hard to read. Asked for the wine menu, we were also told that the menu disappeared. The food was mediocre for its price, lamb Tagine is $37 for couple pieces of meat on couscous. Flavor was alright, not very authentic to my taste compare to when you eat in Morocco. The only thing that stood out was the cod Croquets. The wine we ordered Shiraz was definitely a low quality wine but at a high price point. I don't see myself coming back here.

I had an incredibly disappointing experience.I made reservations for Valentine's Day a month in advance to have dinner at Shalel.Once we arrived and settled in, we noticed that they didn't have their regular menu and only when prompted did they let us know it was only a $95 per person limited pre-fix menu that had literally none of their regular menu selection.To put it simply, the food was bad. The pre-fixe had none of the dishes that are on their regular menu. Except for a few cold mezze that were a full-price additional cost and a very small portion.The first dish put down was a large amount of dip and less than half of a piece of sliced pita for all of it. For our mains, the fish had a smell distinctly of a previously frozen fillet. When it was time for dessert, my boyfriend asked for the waiter's recommendation and he upsold us on the strawberry shortcake that had an additional cost. When it arrived, it was made out shortbread that was almost definitely from Girl Scout shortbread cookies.Part way through the dinner, we overheard the table next to us saying to each other, "this is disappointing."We very obviously did not eat most of our meal and other than the cursory "everything good here?" and a terse "yes," the staff made no effort to find out if there was something wrong, which there clearly was. This was not acceptable service for a meal that ultimately cost us over $300.Everything came out quickly except for when we put the card down on the check. It took over 15 minutes for someone to come back to us. As soon as we paid, I went to the bathroom and while I was gone, the waiter came up to my boyfriend and told him that they needed to clear the table because people were waiting.The food and the service were absolutely not worth the high cost of our meal. I will not be returning and do not recommend the restaurant.