Zankou Chicken

Zankou is Top-Rank-ou

Get ready for some lessons on how to eat like an overstuffed turkey, kids, because at this time of year, you need to get down and dirty, with meat sauce and gravy of course! There’s nothing Glutton Girl likes more than a juicy meal. This month, instead of American chicken sandwiches, Glutton Girl makes way towards a more foreign taste. Spotted! T sneaks into Zankou Chicken, one of the many Pasadena restaurants, for a quick eat-and-run with a friend.
Located just a little past PCC, Zankou is beyond the borders of Arcadia, though the distance shouldn’t be an excuse not to check out this delicious diner. But because it is sandwiched between two other stores, parking is somewhat of a hassle, being limited to a few spaces on the street in front of the store and an inconvenient lot out back. Sporting a nondescript, cafeteria-like interior, this Mediterranean restaurant offers nothing exceptional at first sight: a normal combination of spinning seats and benches and famous food reviews and other show-worthy awards plastered over the wooden planked wall. However, at first smell though, Zankou delivers a pungent flavor of grilled meat.
Scanning the above menu, I notice that Zankou Chicken’s name does not disappoint; their menu offers not only a variety of chicken-themed dishes such as chicken plates (a whole to one-fourth), chicken wraps, and chicken kebabs, but also other selections like falafel, shish and lule kebabs, and shawerma. Their food is neither heavily overpriced nor inexpensive, but is definitely worth its cost. Wraps are priced at $5 each and plates range from $6-$10. I order a Tri-Tip Shawerma Wrap, eager to taste the meat from the spinning rotisseries on display behind the counter. And let me tell you something: you have not eaten at a fast food restaurant until you have eaten at Zankou. About three minutes after I sit down, my number is called. Compared to Zankou, McDonalds’ service feels like waiting for rain in a California drought. Heck, they even make In-N-Out’s quick production seem tortoise-like. And it’s not like we are the only customers in the store either. The room is not overly crowded, yet a hefty line waits to order.
My friend orders a roasted chicken wrap so I could have the best of both worlds, so to say. First things first though. I’d have to dock them a few points for presentation. My wrap is encased in aluminum foil and a complimentary side of hot pink pickles and jalapenos accompanies it. After slowing unpeeling the shiny wrapper and hoping to see it uniformly folded, it is to my dismay that the shawerma looked like a messy burrito. There is hummus spilling out the top and the pita bread does not look all too fresh. But what can I say? I don’t judge a book by its cover so I shouldn’t rate a meal by its appearance. In this case, looks can be deceiving…but in a pleasant way such that my first bite was an eye opening experience. The USDA Choice steak strips marinated in hummus and sesame sauce is a rich smoky but sweet flavor that compliments the freshness of the tomato and onions. With a pita tortilla balancing out the intense flavor of the inside, the wrap is especially heavenly with the wonderfully concocted garlic sauce. The chicken wrap is just as delectable with a tinge of tangy tenderness.
Though the ambience of the restaurant is lacking in many areas, Zankou Chicken serves up many must try dishes from the Middle East. The restaurant is a very convenient place to order take out food so you know where to go if you are wishing to bring something new to the Thanksgiving day dinner table. Zankou deserves a big thankyou!



P.S. LOL. Sorry for all the Zankou rhymes -.-

Zankou is Top-Rank-ou

Get ready for some lessons on how to eat like an overstuffed turkey, kids, because at this time of year, you need to get down and dirty, with meat sauce and gravy of course! There’s nothing Glutton Girl likes more than a juicy meal. This month, instead of American chicken sandwiches, Glutton Girl makes way towards a more foreign taste. Spotted! T sneaks into Zankou Chicken, one of the many Pasadena restaurants, for a quick eat-and-run with a friend.
Located just a little past PCC, Zankou is beyond the borders of Arcadia, though the distance shouldn’t be an excuse not to check out this delicious diner. But because it is sandwiched between two other stores, parking is somewhat of a hassle, being limited to a few spaces on the street in front of the store and an inconvenient lot out back. Sporting a nondescript, cafeteria-like interior, this Mediterranean restaurant offers nothing exceptional at first sight: a normal combination of spinning seats and benches and famous food reviews and other show-worthy awards plastered over the wooden planked wall. However, at first smell though, Zankou delivers a pungent flavor of grilled meat.
Scanning the above menu, I notice that Zankou Chicken’s name does not disappoint; their menu offers not only a variety of chicken-themed dishes such as chicken plates (a whole to one-fourth), chicken wraps, and chicken kebabs, but also other selections like falafel, shish and lule kebabs, and shawerma. Their food is neither heavily overpriced nor inexpensive, but is definitely worth its cost. Wraps are priced at $5 each and plates range from $6-$10. I order a Tri-Tip Shawerma Wrap, eager to taste the meat from the spinning rotisseries on display behind the counter. And let me tell you something: you have not eaten at a fast food restaurant until you have eaten at Zankou. About three minutes after I sit down, my number is called. Compared to Zankou, McDonalds’ service feels like waiting for rain in a California drought. Heck, they even make In-N-Out’s quick production seem tortoise-like. And it’s not like we are the only customers in the store [restaurant] either. The room is not overly crowded, yet a hefty line waits to order.
My friend orders a roasted chicken wrap so I could have the best of both worlds, so to say. First things first though. I’d have to dock them a few points for presentation. My wrap is encased in aluminum foil and a complimentary side of hot pink pickles [pickled turnips] and jalapenos accompanies it. After slowing unpeeling the shiny wrapper and hoping to see it uniformly folded, it is to my dismay that the shawerma looked like a messy burrito. There is hummus spilling out the top and the pita bread does not look all too fresh. But what can I say? I don’t judge a book by its cover so I shouldn’t rate a meal by its appearance. In this case, looks can be deceiving…but in a pleasant way such that my first bite was an eye opening experience. The USDA Choice steak strips marinated in hummus and sesame sauce is a rich smoky but sweet flavor that compliments the freshness of the tomato and onions. With a pita tortilla balancing out the intense flavor of the inside, the wrap is especially heavenly with the wonderfully concocted garlic sauce. The chicken wrap is just as delectable with a tinge of tangy tenderness.
Though the ambience of the restaurant is lacking in many areas, Zankou Chicken serves up many must try dishes from the Middle East. The restaurant is a very convenient place to order take out food so you know where to go if you are wishing to bring something new to the Thanksgiving day dinner table. Zankou deserves a big thankyou!



P.S. LOL. Sorry for all the Zankou rhymes -.-.

Zankou is Top-Rank-ou

Get ready for some lessons on how to eat like an overstuffed turkey, kids, because at this time of year, you need to get down and dirty, with chicken and garlic sauce of course! There’s nothing Glutton Girl likes more than a juicy meal. This month, instead of American chicken sandwiches, Glutton Girl makes way towards a more foreign taste. Spotted! T sneaks into Zankou Chicken, one of the many Pasadena restaurants, for a quick eat-and-run with a friend.
Located just a little past PCC, Zankou is beyond the borders of Arcadia, though the distance should be no excuse to check out this delicious diner. But because it is sandwiched between two other stores, parking is somewhat of a hassle, being limited to a few spaces on the street in front of the store and an inconvenient lot out back. Sporting a nondescript, cafeteria-like interior, this Mediterranean restaurant offers nothing exceptional at first sight: a normal combination of spinning seats and benches and famous food reviews and other show-worthy awards plastered over the wooden planked wall. However, at first smell though, Zankou delivers a pungent flavor of grilled meat.
Scanning the above menu, I notice that Zankou Chicken’s name does not disappoint; their menu offers not only a variety of chicken-themed dishes such as chicken plates (a whole to one-fourth), chicken wraps, and chicken kebabs, but also other selections like falafel (fried ball or patty made from chickpeas), shish and lule kebabs (skewered meat), and shawerma (meat wrap). Their food is neither heavily overpriced nor inexpensive, but is definitely worth its cost. Wraps are priced at $5 each and plates range from $6-$10. I order a Tri-Tip Shawerma Wrap, eager to taste the meat from the spinning rotisseries on display behind the counter while my friend orders a half chicken plate so I could have the best of both worlds, so to say.
After ordering, I head towards my seat since, you know, fast food restaurants don't usually live up to their name. But let me tell you something: you have not eaten at a real fast food restaurant until you have eaten at Zankou. About three minutes after I sit down, my number is called. Compared to Zankou, McDonalds’ service feels like waiting for rain in a California drought. Heck, they even make In-N-Out’s quick production seem tortoise-like. And it’s not because we are the only customers in the restaurant either. The room is not overly crowded, yet a hefty line waits to order.
First things first though. I’d have to dock them a few points for presentation. My wrap is encased in aluminum foil and a complimentary side of pickled turnips and jalapenos accompanies it. After slowing unpeeling the shiny wrapper and hoping to see it uniformly folded, it is to my dismay that the shawerma looked like a messy burrito. There is hummus spilling out the top and the pita bread does not look all too fresh. But what can I say? I don’t judge a book by its cover so I shouldn’t rate a meal by its appearance. In this case, looks can be deceiving…but in a pleasant way such that my first bite was an eye opening experience. The USDA Choice steak strips marinated in hummus and sesame sauce is a rich smoky but sweet flavor that compliments the freshness of the tomato and onions. With a pita tortilla balancing out the intense flavor of the inside, the wrap is especially heavenly with the wonderfully concocted garlic sauce. On the other hand, the chicken is already very tender and juicy by itself. Combined with the hummus and garlic sauce? Out of this world. To die for, even.
Though the ambience of the restaurant is lacking in many areas, Zankou Chicken serves up many must try dishes from the Middle East. The restaurant is a very convenient place to order take out food so you know where to go if you are wishing to bring something new to the Thanksgiving day dinner table. Zankou deserves a big thankyou!