Al-Zaituna Restaurant

Gyro hummus is amazing! Service was great.

Just ate here for the 3rd time. It was a slow time (5:30 p.m., Sunday) and my friend and I were the only diners. We ordered and our simple order took at least 15 minutes. I was a little concerned because someone kept coughing in the kitchen. I ordered the falafel sandwich with hummus and my friend ordered the Greek salad with grilled chicken. My sandwich was not outstanding. The pita bread appeared homemade, which was a plus, but the falafel, while crisp on the outside, were gummy and heavy. Inside the pita, along with the falafel were marinated vegetables which lent a sour taste. The hummus was about 1 tablespoon wiped onto the inside of the pita. The sandwich was accompanied by roasted red potatoes, which were simple and tasty. I ended up not eating much of my sandwich, and it left a heavy feeling in my stomach for the remainder of the night. My friend said her salad greens were soggy and that there was just a tiny bit of feta. The tomato included the stem portion. The chicken looked dried out (probably had been frozen which might have accounted for the delay in serving). She had originally ordered a chicken dish that came with tabbouli salad. She asked for a substitution as she is gluten intolerant, but the kitchen would not make a substitution.

This was my second poor experience at Al Zaituna out of three visits. The first was for the lunch buffet which did not impress. It doesn't appear that the kitchen staff particularly cares about the impression their food makes on their customers or I think they'd try a little harder.

I go to AL Zaituna often. I must say, my favorite would be two of their appetizers, and that would be their Hummus and Babaghanouj. Their kafta is sometimes dry but still very tasty. I prefer it a bit more juicy. The Gyro is great! absolutely one of my favorites. The chicken and beef Shawarmas are very good. The bread speaks for itself, it's great.
I recommend
Gyro, Shawarma beef, lamb and chicken.sandwiches, Hummus, Kafta, Babaganouj.
Babaganouch is made from grilled eggplant.
I prefer the sandwiches over the dishes, the sandwiches are the perfect combination of everything.

Atmosphere: As far as atmosphere goes, it is not a very fancy one. Young couples could probably enjoy it, I recommend it more for students, or just a casual place for groups to hang out at.

The hookah is not bad at all, prices are very reasonable.