Zait & Zaatar

If I could, I’d give zero stars. I ordered an entrée here but the cashier said they don’t service cups of water. I asked them for faucet water but they said they couldn’t serve that either. The only option they offered was bottled water and they also gave me attitude. It’s against CA law to not serve water. This place is ridiculous

Yummy authentic Lebanese food. The restaurant is clean. Specially their restroom. That’s why I’m giving this place 4 stars.
+1 star: chicken shewerma plate is bomb. The chicken is seasoned perfectly. Cooked just right and it’s not dry. The rice is soft. Salad was seasoned perfectly. They didn’t drown the salads with dressings (like some places do).
+1 star: freshly made pita bread, oven baked pizza. The dough of the pita bread is chewy and not dry tasting.
+1 star: garlic butter sauce is very delicious. Tangy, creamy and goes perfectly with the pita, chicken, rice or just anything you can imagine.
–1 star: chicken and cheese bread. It was warmed for me, but it was lacking flavors. The bread was to thick, all I tasted was the dough and not the chicken or cheese flavor.
–1 star: hummus is too smooth and salty to my taste. I like my hummus so have texture and a little less salty.

My favorite place to eat so far. My favorite plate is chicken and beef shawarma, the rice is amazing. I come here 3 times a month at least. Keep it up guys and thank you for the great service and food

Came here based upon the reviews, and was extremely disappointed. Service was unfriendly– the guy who took our order clearly did not want to be there… no greeting and just looked at us like «What do you want?» He treated the couple in front of us the same way, and it was not even busy. The food was mediocre, my chicken was dry. We got a couple of plates: Sheesh Tawook, Beef Shawerma, and Steak Kabob… tried them all and nothing extraordinary. For the price they charge, I expected better food and service. Will not be coming back.

Small inside seating area but plenty of seating outside in a covered patio.
Service was not very friendly but the food was decent, though not great. The grilled chicken was a bit bland and very dry. The beef shawerma was kind of tough but had good flavor. My favorites were the baked goods. The bread is so fluffy and soft with a nice outer texture. The fillings vary but I liked the cheese filled ones. There are meat options but they come with a lot of parsley or spinach or something and it’s very heavily seasoned. I prefer a lighter taste.
Prices are ok and the dining area is clean. Music is a bit loud.
I don’t know if I’d come back but if I find myself in this plaza then I’d consider dropping in for more of the baked breads.

I may have been drunk throughout the whole way through this visit but it was some bomb ass food. Like the customer service was so great from this one guy who had a lot of curly hair and a beard (Hasoon) but it was some Bomb ass food like five stars to this restaurant!!! yay!!!

Service is good, food is on point. I come to eat here at least 3 times a month. usually order cheese empanadas and cheese pizza comes with no sauce, it’s called (manaish) chicken shawarma plate very good so is the beef is good and Juicy. The beef Kafta and shawarma sandwich are great. The chicken shawarma I recommend with no fries or fries on the side. Food is halal and very clean.
This place is a must try

Hmmm… Went here yesterday and had the kabob combo. The portions were decent but the beef was well done because it was cut smaller, the chicken was cut small also. The flavor was good but I really didn’t like the rice. I wish they had ice water for customers instead of charging for drinks… Overall it was good but could have been better.

Great food, good service. They get busy quickly so make sure if you go there as a group to grab a seat outside and have someone go make the order. They serve the food in clay plates which adds a great traditional touch that I found to be very creative and makes the whole experience even more authentic.

My husband and I have been coming here for over a year and never tried something we didn’t like. Great quality, fresh, flavorful and consistent. This is our must go place for Lebanese food.
Our favorites are the chicken or beef shawarma plate and the grilled beef kabob. Their hummus and saj bread are really good. If you are not so hungry the wraps are a great call.

I went here yesterday, a Sunday for the first time. I like middle eastern food but my family only likes certain foods. Plus I recently became a vegan and my family is not. So living in Anaheim which has, from what I have read some of the best middle eastern restaurant around I decide to give this one a try first.
Pros: my kids and husband who are very picky loved the grilled kafta and Shawerma chicken. Kids ate fries with their meal my husband loved the rice. I had two falafels and the salad and hummus left over from the plates that the rest of my family didn’t eat. We also got the nutella and strawberry wrap, it came with two wraps and was plenty for my family to share. And we loved it.
Cons: price $ 40 bucks for 2 plates, a side a falafals, side of fries and nutella wrap. no drinks
Also after paying what I feel is kinda a lot and waiting for about 15 — 20 mins for my food they did not give me my saj bread which I should have gotten 4 pieces. the wait time was long and its pretty busy so the line can take about 10 – 15 mins alone. I doubt we will go back anytime soon mostly because of the price but if we decide to splurge one day maybe… but you could easily make these foods at home and have twice as much food for the same price.

Hmm… is it just me or does anyone else not like eating on their pottery?
I’ll focus on the food but I will say that the plate I was eating off did have a small crack.
(I think I’ll order it to-​go next time.)
But the food was so good that I finished everything off my plate and my friend’s.
I had the sheesh tawook and my friend had a chicken bowl.
Mine was really, really good but I like the sauce on the chicken bowl.
(Don’t remember what it was called but it had grilled chicken and a orange sauce over it.)
I really, like the pickles here and though I’m a regular at Zankou, I think I like this place better.
And that’s saying a lot.
Note: The place itself is small and very limited indoor seating but they do have a outdoor seating in a big canopy area.
Yum yum! I’ll definitely be back!

Loved this place. On Tuesday, May 3^rd: Called at 1115 for a lunch takeout order. Got there at 1125. Food not ready. No apologies. No effort to expedite prep. Waited 45 minutes. Late coming back to work. Spent $ 45. Won’t ever come back…
I received a sincere reply from the owner/​manager concerned over my experience and that alone is enough for me to bring my rating up. I’m still chuffed over my lost lunch hour but the food was good.

First time eating Lebanese food? Pretty good! Hummus was really tasty. Had chicken shwerma plate. Pita bread was great too!
Nice quiet place to eat and can eat outdoors.
Would recommend.

AMAZING. INCREDIBLE. WHY HAVE I NEVER BEEN HERE BEFORE?!
Okay, seriously though this place is to die for. It is a little hole in the wall. It is nothing fancy but I liked that. The whole place is rustic looking which to me made it so much more authentic. You can see the stone oven right in front of you and see them making your food if you wanted to watch.
The inside is pretty small and extremely casual but they do also have outdoor seating as well. This place seems like it would be busy all the time (which means its a great place to eat.)
I had the Beef Shawarma Place which came with thinly sliced beef, tomato, onion, parsley, pickles, tahinini sauce and comes with hummus, house salad, bread and rice. (ASK FOR GARLIC BUTTER !!! It goes heavenly with all the food offered here.)
I literally am drooling just thinking about Zait & Zaatar while writing this review. Go, Try it, NOW.

– ⁶²⁄₁₀₀ Reviews of 2016 –
First I’d like to start off with saying that…
THIS PLACE IS SO FREAKIN’ DELICIOUS. Okay sorry. I know… I’m trying to contain myself. But ahhhh! Forreals. Right when I walked in, I was hit with the glorious smell of goodness. The bakery items smelt awesome! I’m getting hungry again just thinking about it…
So now that I have that out of the way, let’s move onto how clean and nicely designed the restaurant is! I mean, WOW! Is this place new?! Because it surely looks beautiful and well-​kept. The restroom is even nice! But anyway… I love how cozy it is inside the restaurant and if you don’t like sitting inside, they give you an option to sit outside on their little patio. By the way, you can seat yourselves! When I came in I already had an idea of what I had wanted. I found a picture on Unilocal of the Kabob combo plate that someone had posted and so, I showed it to the cashier. It was $ 13.99 w/​o tax and came up to $ 15.11 with tax. At first, I was at shock of how expensive the plate was, but after I had taken the first bite, I had understood why it cost that much! Top quality! It had consisted of beef and chicken on onions and tomatoes, rice, pickled veggies, (bomb) hummus, a salad, a small pepper, more tomatoes, and pita bread. Oh my. The pita bread was delicious!!! It had some cinnamon taste to it, but I don’t know… It was so good. I think it’s the best one I’ve had so far! (That says a lot). I’m pretty picky with my pita bread. Although, I do wish it was more fluffier because their pita was pretty flat, the flavor made up for it! So it’s all good! Still yumz. So anyway, all the other stuff on the menu didn’t look too overpriced at all. The plates ranged from $ 7.99-$ 15.99! All the other wraps weren’t too bad as well. The food is prepared «fresh, healthy, and natural»…as it says on their receipt hahaha. I hope so!
Anyway… The downside of it all is that there is a $ 10 minimum when you are using your credit card. But I’m sure you won’t just be spending less than $ 10 since there is an awesome bakery here too! I didn’t get to try anything, but I will for sure next time! Hopefully soon! :)
Service: EXCELLENT! He managed to give me extra garlic sauces for free since all the other Mediterranean restaurants demand I give them extra cents for a small cup of garlic sauce! So that’s another plus! Good food, great service, beautiful restaurant. Sounds like a restaurant for me! ;)

Disappointing in all respects.
Service: I walked in and was the ONLY customer. The manager literally stood right in front of me at the door, glaring at me with full eye contact, and didn’t say a WORD.
No greeting, no smile, just an imposing stare. At first I was confused and thought maybe he was a lost customer but nope, he worked there. There were two other employees and neither of them acknowledged me either. Strange and a little scary but whatever.
Food: mediocre at best. I’m a sucker for Lebanese food and this place is no Magic Lamp in LB. My chicken shawarma was tough and the pita breads were hard and tasted stale. The hummus was alright but a little watery with no rich chickpea body. Also, they don’t give kabees el lift (pickled turnips and beets). Instead, they give actual American style pickle slices, what’s up with that? That is just wrong.
Overall, I felt embarrassed that I suggested this place to meet one of my friends for lunch. She was also nonplussed by the meal.
We were also surprised that they don’t provide water on tap. They make you buy bottled water or any other beverage in their fridge. It’s only a $ 1.50 for a bottled water or a can of soda (obviously no refills in this format) but I thought it was pretty weird and penny pinching.

LOCATION– Zait & Zaatar is located in the Starbucks plaza towards the back. Plenty of parking in the back.
AMBIANCE– Zait & Zaatar is quaint, but there is a decent amount of outdoor and indoor seating. With the music and plates and all, it truly feels like an authentic Lebanese restaurant.
FOOD– I ordered the house special on a plate, which is a fairly standard dish and a safe bet. It comes with their house-​made thin pita bread, your choice of meat (mine was beef), rice, hummus, salad with tzatziki sauce, pickles, onions, and a side of hot sauce. The portions are HUGE; either you will be sufficiently full or have some leftovers to share or take home.
SERVICE– Everyone was really nice. From the person working the register to the kitchen staff, they were extremely polite and informed me my food was coming up soon when I came back inside and stood there. Whether you are seated inside or outside, they even bring your food to you which is nice. You bus your own plate when finished to the nearest trash can though.
Overall, everything feels pretty authentic from the ambiance to the food and even the patrons. This seems like an appropriate choice for lunch if you’re craving Lebanese food. Next time I do want to try their various savory pastries!

I DO NOT recommend anybody to eat at this restaurant.
We used to eat at this restaurant twice a week, but we are not going to eat there anymore after finding a piece of glass inside the chicken shawarma sandwich (see attached picture) coupled with the manager’s lack of professionalism and respect.
After finding a piece of glass in the sandwich, we asked for the manager/​owner and showed him the sandwich. He only replaced the sandwich and didn’t even apologize. When we asked him for a refund, he refused and was too rude. He said «This happens in any restaurant, and its only a small piece of glass! «Very UNPROFESSIONAL manager:(

Oh my gawd! This place just saved my life! I didn’t eat lunch and ran over there to get a few pies to fill my stomach and discovered they had nutella filled croissants! After 2 cheese pies, 2 spinach pies, and one nutella filled croissant I am delightfully full and happy and spent $ 9.13 for all of it! SCORE!
Zait & Zaatar is truly a hidden hole-​in-​the-​wall (in terms of size) gem in Anaheim. I work around the corner and I’ve eaten here a handful of times and discovered my go-​to menu item is the Philadelphia Wrap (Saj Wrap). It’s got beef, cheese (it’s like mozarella minus the stretchy part), mushroom, onion, pepper, and mayo and it’s the best wrap in Anaheim! The little pies in the display case are great snacks if you don’t want the heaviness of a meaty wrap. Everything is fresh and tastes great here.
The décor and music are authentically Mediterranean. The owner is really cool and friendly and is there from open to close! I saw that they have their own olive oil for sale which the owner said his family makes. There’s outdoor seating and indoor seating and they bring the food to you if you dine-​in. They’re also open for breakfast, so if you’re thinking of getting a breakfast item at Starbucks (2 doors down) I urge you to try this place instead and get your coffee at Starbucks if you must.