Anya Von Bremzen

"50 Best New U.S. Restaurants: Zahav - Zero in on the meze—say, Sephardic minted-leek fritters with sheep’s cheese and honey, or kibbe naya, a Middle Eastern lamb-and-bulgur tartare scented with allspice."

John Mariani

"Esquire Best New Restaurants: Zahav - Both the cold and hot mezes, like kibbe naya (spicy raw ground lamb with bulgur wheat) and Moroccan pastilla could hardly be improved upon."

Bonjwing Lee

"The Kibbe Naya here is a particularly fine specimen. The thin pavement of ground lamb was silky and nicely seasoned with spices, flecked with bulgur, and coated with a fine layer of olive oil. It was sided by three mini romaine lettuce leaves. Perfectly folded at the spine, they served as a nice vehicle for shuttling meat to mouth."

Abbey Sharp

"Wow, I was amazed by how flavourful this tartare was from the aromatic garlic scapes and the briny olives. A delicious light dish."

Philadelphia Magazine

"The kibbe naya, essentially a clean-tasting lamb tartare, stands out from the pack of uniformly tasty mezze."

Bill Addison

"And I didn’t miss lamb. It first appeared raw in the form of kibbe naya — coarsely chopped and mixed with bulgur wheat — that we scooped with romaine leaves and dressed with zhough, a verdant spice paste smoothed with ramps. The meal reaffirmed Zahav as one of my favorite restaurants in America."