Zait & Za'atar: Mediterranean Dhaba

What a nice neighborhood place! They have both counter service and dine in. I had the chicken shawarma plate and rose lassi. My kid had a falafel sandwich. It was all great.There are many vegetarian options and a wide and interesting number of drink options.I will plan to come back.

I came here very unfamiliar with the cuisine (Middle Eastern). I was pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed the food we ordered.The Samosa looks like a potato filled won ton. It's crispy on the outside with a slightly spiced center. The sauce that accompanies the dish is very spicy, which I loved.The Chicken Shawarma plate was very good. It's apparant that the chicken is of good quality. It's seared and seasoned perfectly. My kids liked the "green rice" that the chicken sits on top of.The best dish we ordered was the Butter Chicken & White Rice. WOW, this dish is delicious. It's packed with flavor and has a little heat.Staff was nice and helpful; we'll be back soon!

Stopped by here for lunch as I was running some errands in St. Paul. Cute little place in the corner of Selby and Fry in the Mac groveland area. Order at the counter and have a seat in the small establishment which is clean and simple. Blue moon mojito Tarty with a string mint flavor and aroma. Refreshing on a hot day. But 6.99 for a non alcoholic drink seemed a little high. Pani puriThe pani puri was good. The puris were crispy, the filling was plenty and the pani (water) was flavorful. Although a little cumin heavy.Gyro burgerThe gyro burger was recommended by the lady on the counter as something unique and something they are known for. While the patty was cooked well and the veggies were fresh on it, the bun was a little soggy. And there was no unique flavor to the burger either. For $12.99 for the burger and no fries, I think you can get much better value elsewhere.Overall I was disappointed and might go back there for the pani puri and maybe some more traditional middle eastern fare to give them a shot.

Was excited to try Zait & Za'atar, but overall the experience was disappointing. Considering the number of great Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food restaurants in the Twin Cities that provide better value/experience and more delicious food, I don't think I'll be returning.I ordered a large baba ghanoush appetizer with pita and a samosa appetizer. The baba ghanoush was alright, I've had better and have had worse. The samosas were delicious. I found it interesting that the menu has a lot of Indian food items, must be why they call it a "Dhaba" (meaning roadside Indian restaurant). My boyfriend ordered a desi coffee and a "specialty" dish called lamb shami kebab with paratha. He liked the desi coffee but found several issues with the lamb paratha dish. It's a bit sad that it's on their menu as a "specialty" dish. First, it was very small (see picture) and only came with one paratha even though the menu stated it would come with 2 pieces. My boyfriend asked our server about this and she agreed to bring a second piece, but it shouldn't have been necessary to ask. My boyfriend said that the lamb was very bland and he had a hard time telling whether the kebab had any meat or if it was only chickpeas. Additionally, the dish was the most expensive thing we ordered at $16.49.All of these concerns were brought directly to our server and the cook. We were also the only people in the restaurant. We're the type of people who try to give restaurants polite and direct feedback if we receive a bad dish or something doesn't meet our expectations so that they have the opportunity to correct the problem. While they apologized for our experience, no effort was made to improve our experience by taking a couple dollars off the bill or providing something like a free drink or dessert as compensation. While this certainly wasn't our expectation, doing this would have made the experience feel better and may have encouraged us to return and spend more money there.

Zait & Za'atar became a favorite lunch spot for my husband & myself a couple of years ago; it's the perfect biking or walking distance from our house and the food is fresh & tasty. I will say, there was a period where the restaurant was temporarily closed & remodeled. Once it reopened, the quality and taste were nowhere near what they'd used to be. We gave them a few months hiatus and tried again--the quality and taste are back! I usually order a Falafel Plate (Turmeric rice topped with 5 falafels and tahini sauce served with house salad). The rice is perfectly cooked & seasoned, the falafel are crispy and fresh, & the salad adds a crunch and freshness to the plate that I love. I could eat their tahini on just about anything!In the summer, we've also tried their ice creams. The Rose Pistachio is perfectly balanced & not overly floral/perfumed, with lovely chunks of pistachio. I really want to try the other flavors, too!

Ordered food for pickup at Zait & Za'atar. Parking was really easy and the staff was super friendly. It also looks like they have a great dining room so next time I would like to dine in!We ordered:Chicken Shawarma PlateBaba Ganoush (Small)Msakhan Chicken PlateFor two, this was the perfect amount! We had some leftovers. We took the food home and it was still enjoyable! Definitely a versatile spot that is great for takeout and is probably even better dine-in! I've never had Msakhan Chicken before but saw it was one of their more popular dishes on Yelp, I'm really glad yelp has this feature because it got me to try something new and it was great! Would love to try this dish at other restaurants too.

this place is a gem! the service was a 10/10. the welcoming atmosphere. the food was so good. our son ate his kids meal and then 1/2 of my moms falafel sandwich, we know to get him that next time we come! thank you for everything

After hearing and reading many good things about this place, finally got a chance to eat here. Was disappointed right off the bat to know that this place did not have any Turkish tea.If I had to describe this place in one word, that word would be 'mid'.Ordered the chicken platter and a side of Zait fries after inquiring from host that what is this place known for (she recommended the fries) and the fries were ok but the chicken platter was disappointing. Maybe I had too high of hopes for this place and built up the anticipation?The rice and chicken were not very flavorful/seasoned. And the salad was very heavy on the Romain lettuce.Adding a star as the serving size was very generous.

The msakhan chicken sandwich and shawarma fries were both delicious and very flavorful. The mango lassi was a great complement to the unique hot sauce on the side of the sandwich order. The woman working was nice and welcoming, and the dining area was quaint and comfortable. Can't wait to try their other stuff!

Great food, just the right amount of spice. Baba Ganoush was very tasty. Portions were very generous. Will definitely be going back.