12 Chairs Cafe

"The menu at this Israeli spot ranges from goat cheese salads and vegetable couscous to lamb burgers and chicken schnitzel. In other words, you can go to couscous with pretty much anyone without worrying if they’ll be able to eat anything on the menu. As an added bonus, just about every dish is less than $20, and they’re open every day from 8:30am-9pm." - matt tervooren

"If you want to eat healthy at 12 Chairs, the go-to order is a salad. They do a bunch of them, including one with chicken schnitzel. And while that might not be the healthiest choice you could make, you’ll feel better about eating schnitzel when it’s on a bed of chopped salad. Other healthy options include couscous, fish, or shakshuka. There are two 12 Chairs locations and they serve the same affordable Mediterranean menu, but the Williamsburg one is brighter, more spacious, and better for an extended hang with friends." - hannah albertine, bryan kim, will hartman

"We know you’re on the edge of your seat, so we’ll just tell you now: 12 Chairs does, in fact, have more than 12 chairs. It’s actually a good-sized space that’s never too cramped or busy, and it looks like a wine cellar in a farmhouse. Between their traditional Middle Eastern dishes (lamb kebabs and grilled halloumi, for example), sandwiches, salads, and some pierogies and schnitzels for good measure, the menu here has something for everyone. They even serve breakfast all day." - Kenny Yang, Bryan Kim, Carina Finn Koeppicus, Willa Moore, Sonal Shah

"There’s no actual toll to get into Soho, but everything is so expensive, it sometimes feels like you need a special E-ZPass to spend time there. The loophole: brunch at 12 Chairs. This is an Israeli restaurant where you can get challah French toast or hummus falafel for $11. Just know that it’s probably going to be full of people who have also figured this out." - hannah albertine

"You know better than to be democratic about choosing restaurants for big group dinners (it got awkward when Ryan asked Taylor to provide a doctor’s note for her celiac intolerance). So don’t ask anyone else’s opinion - just tell them all to meet you at 12 Chairs. It’s an all-day spot in Soho that serves a long menu of Middle Eastern dishes, ranging from salads to lamb kebabs to vegetable couscous. Two things that nobody can complain about: everything on the menu is under $20, and they serve breakfast all day." - matt tervooren