What Wines To Bring To Al Badawi

Choosing which wines to bring to Al Badawi should be a low-stress endeavor. We say that for a few reasons. First, this Palestinian restaurant in Brooklyn Heights is BYOB, so any wine you bring will, in theory, be delicious. Second, once you take a seat in the big, greenery-adorned dining room, or at the bar overlooking bubbling flatbreads coming out of the domed oven, the floor for your experience will be set quite high. And finally, the dishes - from grape leaves and crunchy falafel to $200 mountains of roasted lamb - are so varied, so intensely and diversely flavored, that trying to choose one wine pair with them all would be impossible.

So instead, we’re going to call out a few styles, as well as the wines we’ve brought on our visits and the dishes that we enjoyed most while drinking them.

Al Badawi Menu

Crisp White Wines

Any wine you bring to Al Badawi should have plenty of acidity. Ideally, the whites should also be aromatic and veggie-friendly. Riesling is a good option, but this gruner from Pichler gets the nod if you’re going in the summer and need a wine refreshing enough to double as a mobile A/C unit.

Ideal Wine: F.X. Pichler, Grüner Veltliner Federspiel 'Loibner' 2019 $36

Favorite Dish: Mezze Filistini (a big platter of share plates)

Orange Wine

No matter your opinions on orange wine, one thing is for sure: it’s a great option with hard-to-pair foods. Nearly every dish at Al Badawi fits the bill. This natural verdejo from northern Spain has some skin contact, giving it texture and amplified aromatics, but it’s on the conservative - meaning floral and easy-drinking - end of the orange wine spectrum, so it’ll be a crowd-pleaser if you’re going with a group.

Ideal Wine: Manuel Cantalapiedra, 'Lirondo' Verdejo Spain 2021 $30

Favorite Dish: Pistachio Flatbread

Savory Reds

This natural red from southern France has syrah’s bright, peppery notes, as well as grenache’s softer, floral ones. The combo makes it a good option with Al Badawi’s long list of roasted meats, as well as its smoky veggies and seafood kebabs.

Ideal Wine: Domaine Léonine, Bottle Neck 2021 $35

Favorite Dish: Lamb Chops with Hummus and Baba Ghanoush