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Shalel, New York, NY

Shalel

4.5
4.5
281 Reviews
$50 and over
Mediterranean
65 W 70th St, New York, NY 10023

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 20 times today

About this restaurant

  • Charming
  • Neighborhood gem
  • Romantic
Shalel has served New Yorkers since 2000 and is dedicated to the variety and excellency of Mediterranean cooking. Shalel draws its inspiration from dishes and design of the coastal Mediterranean: Morocco, Palestine, Israel, Turkey, Greece, Italy, the Côte d’Azur, and Spain. Shalel's unique underground space is a relaxed, candlelit setting where highlights include Shalel’s namesake waterfall, indoor plants, fresh cut flowers, and an “alimentari” market of various Mediterranean products. Walk down the rose petal covered stairs to this underground restaurant.

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $50 and over
  • Cuisines
    Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Cocktail Bar
  • Hours of operation
    Bar Mon–Wed, Sun 4:30 pm–11:00 pm Thu–Sat 4:30 pm–12:00 am Dinner Mon–Wed, Sun 4:30 pm–9:45 pm Thu–Sat 4:30 pm–10:45 pm
  • Phone number
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Catering
    We offer a weekly Shabbat menu and are open to catering inquiries.
  • Private party facilities
    We have several private rooms appropriate for special events - please inquire by phone at 212-873-2300.
  • Delivery & takeout
  • Neighborhood
    Lincoln Square
  • Cross street
    Just east of the corner of Columbus Ave & W. 70th Street.
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Public transit
    Bus Station Columbus Ave & W 69th (M11 - M7) and Central Pk West & W 70th (M10 - M72) Subway Central Pk West & 72 St. (A/C/E), Subway 72 St. and Broadway (1/2/3)
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Delivery, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Vegan, Wine

What 281 people are saying

Shalel reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.5
4.5 based on recent ratings
  • 4.6Food
  • 4.5Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 4.2Value

NoiseModerate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Shalel offers a "unique, transportive atmosphere" with "wonderful service" and "delicious Mediterranean-inspired food." Guests rave about the creative cocktails, such as the "pomegranate margarita." It's an "ideal spot for a romantic date or special celebration." However, some diners noted that the "service can be inconsistent" and "portions are sometimes small."

281 Reviews
  1. Mel VIP

    New York City67 reviews

    4.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 3
    Entering this restaurant takes a leap of faith, or at least courage. It is at the bottom of a narrow external metal staircase to the basement of a lowrise apartment building on a quiet side street. Then walk past the puddles about 20 feet to get to the front door. Once inside, the place is, uh, funky -- a series of small rooms, universally dark, with small tables and benches with cushions. Oriental carpets covered the floor in the small chamber we were in. Seating the sofa-like benches was a bit low for us. The table itself was perhaps 18" deep. Thankfully, the food is excellent. It made the entry adventure worth it, for sure. We shared an appetizer -- SPANAKOPITES ($18), more than enough for two-- "feta, mozzarella, myzithra, spinach, onions, wrapped in phyllo dough." We ordered two chicken entrees -- CHICKEN BASTEEYA ($35) "saffron, ginger, and cinnamon braised chicken, toasted almonds perfumed with orange blossom water, flaky pastry, topped with cinnamon sugar" and the RAS-EL-HANOUT CHICKEN KEBAB ($35)--"roasted vegetables, basmati pilaf, tzatziki, warm pita. The mix of spices of every dish was perfect--delicate, flavorful, surprising -- but not "hot". We'll probably come back here for the food.

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  2. Jordan VIP

    Washington DC2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Beautiful quiet underground experience. We sat near a mini waterfall which was beautiful. Food was second to none and so were the cocktails.

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  3. Lynn

    New York City1 review

    5.0

    Dined on April 15, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great food, wonderful ambience, and most importantly, exceptional service.

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  4. Tom

    Nashville15 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on April 15, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    What a terrific place. Interesting and unique ambiance, wonderful service and absolutely delicious food. This was our first time to Shalel, but won’t be our last! This is the rare restaurant that makes you feel like an old friend, provides a slightly adventurous menu to captivate your imagination, and then delivers on it with flavors that you can savor and that are unique enough to add to your dinner conversation! Noise levels are conversation-friendly, too, which is a treat in NYC, and their dining areas are broken into smaller rooms that contain 1 to 4 tables to add just enough liveliness. The cocktails are perfectly executed and we were able to chat with the bartender about our preferences. We enjoyed both the pomegranate margarita and the the amaro drink ( can’t remember the name, but made with artichoke spirits). Food portions are generous, and so many of the appetizers are hard to pass up that we made a meal of three appetizers and a main, which was perfect and left us very satisfied with just room enough to share a dessert (also a generous portion). I can heartily recommend the butternut bruschetta, the lamb cigars and cauliflower with halloumi. All excellent and the lamb kofta tahini is multi-layered and full-flavored. Delicious spices without being hot spicy. A side of their delicious tzatziki is a nice accompaniment- ask for it! Shout out to Zoie, our server, for making us feel very welcome and for steering us to dishes that we absolutely loved. Final note: a great dining experience with super service, ambiance, cocktails and an unrushed vibe could easily have cost quite a lot more. We thought it was not only a great overall experience but also a really great value! 10/10 and five stars all the way!

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  5. Caroline

    New York City2 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on April 12, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    We had a wonderful experience at Shalel! We went for a celebration, and they delivered. The atmosphere is truly transportive and the service was fantastic. The highlight was their traditional and inventive drinks we tried - the pomegranate margarita was the best! We found it was expensive for the portion size but outside of that, the food was delicious, and we had an overall outstanding experience. We hope to be back soon!

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  6. Jeanette

    New York City1 review

    5.0

    Dined on April 4, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    sooooooo beautiful fun amazing delicious romantic vibes.

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  7. Brian

    New York City6 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on March 31, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Great find. Did not realize it was underground! Great ambiance and food.

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  8. Carter

    Baltimore2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on March 29, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Unique location, servers did not rush us, great atmosphere, easy to hear person came with, outstanding food.

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  9. Elissa

    Palm Springs5 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on March 28, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Spectacular ambiance, cocktails, and food! What a beautiful and memorable start to our stay in New York.

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  10. Marcel

    New York City21 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on March 27, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Sat in the cutest little grooto alcove. Food was delicious. Will return.

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

Shalel offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (212) 873-2300.

Shalel is rated 4.5 stars by 281 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. New York City
  4. Manhattan
  5. Lincoln Square

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 20 times today
Google Map for Shalel

65 W 70th St, New York, NY 10023

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Cross street
    Just east of the corner of Columbus Ave & W. 70th Street.
  • Neighborhood
    Lincoln Square
  • Hours of operation
    Bar Mon–Wed, Sun 4:30 pm–11:00 pm Thu–Sat 4:30 pm–12:00 am Dinner Mon–Wed, Sun 4:30 pm–9:45 pm Thu–Sat 4:30 pm–10:45 pm
  • Price
    $50 and over
  • Cuisines
    Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Cocktail Bar
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Public transit
    Bus Station Columbus Ave & W 69th (M11 - M7) and Central Pk West & W 70th (M10 - M72) Subway Central Pk West & 72 St. (A/C/E), Subway 72 St. and Broadway (1/2/3)
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Delivery, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Vegan, Wine
  • Delivery & takeout
  • Phone number
  • Catering
    We offer a weekly Shabbat menu and are open to catering inquiries.
  • Private party facilities
    We have several private rooms appropriate for special events - please inquire by phone at 212-873-2300.
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