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Categories: Greek, Mediterranean [Edit]
Neighborhood: GlendaleMon-Sun. 10:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
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Simple, straightforward menu. Acceptable prices. Tastes delicious. All I can say is, Angelenos, know you have something great. (I've yet to come across a place like this in Chicago, but then again, I've only just begun to venture into the middle Eastern/Asian restaurants on Lawrence Ave.)
I doubt I can say anything new that the 100+ other reviewers have said, so, if you haven't been here, you'll like it. I did.
Garlic sauce was awesome as was the pickled veggies.
The service was worth noting, to.
Not quite fried chicken...but its rotisserie chicken done Armenian style.
I am not usually a fan of this type of food, but as soon as I tried Zankou, I was hooked. Such a unique blend of highly intense and tangy flavors dancing around in my mouth.
The chicken itself is really good. Excellent quality, and cooked juicy. I always get the cicken Tarna plate because it comes with hummous, garlic spread, salad, pita bread, and everything else you need to make a really tasty pita sandwich.
Zankou is my delicious alternative to fried chicken.
the garlic butter is the bomb dot com.
i don't know what those purple-pink pickled vegetables are, but they taste great too.
chickeeeen!!
Delicious, moist, flavorful rotisserie chicken served with pita bread! The white garlic paste aioli is delicious on EVERYTHING!! Busy, casual eatery. The chicken is always fresh since there's such a high customer volume. Fast, friendly service, inexpensive. Falafels are okay, but the chicken is best.
This place is whatever nothing special. They seem a bit stingy with their restaurant. If you want something better check out my other reviews.
I would come here for the garlic sauce alone. I know every fan has tried to duplicate it at home, including me, and I don't think anyone's come close. I get minimum 2 sauces for each meal, and I could always eat a third.
I've had the half chicken meal, the shwarma, and the tarna plates. They are all excellent, just depends on what you're in the mood for. The skin on the half chicken is so flavorful, but I can't pinpoint the spices. The servings are pretty big, so I'm never hungry after. Prices are pretty reasonable. I can get a plate and extra sauces for around $10. Worth every penny.
Zankou Chicken is Baba Ghanoush, but this particular location is one of those weird Jekyll and Hyde jobs where they combine two restaurants into one facility (the other half of this split personality is the inferior Sidewalk Cafe).
The two-faced layout is kind of like a Middle Eastern version of the co-branded Green Burrito/Carl's Jr. shit boxes that you might find around town, except that this place doesn't offer the same one-two-punch of dog chow like that venture - here it's just one single blow (again, Sidewalk Cafe.)
That's what makes this whole dual diner experience a little awkward for me. It's like when you're having a threesome with two roommates and one chick is way hotter than the other - you tend to favor the hotter one, which makes you feel sorry for the inferior chick because she just sort of ends up becoming a third wheel. That's Zankou and Sidewalk Cafe! I'll be giving all of my attention to Zankou (happily ordering my 1/2 chicken 1/2 Lule combo plate for $9.95) and all of a sudden, I'll turn around and see Sidewalk Cafe looking up at me with those sad puppy-dog eyes. A guilt trip comes over me and I think to myself "shit, I better give this inferior chick a couple of pumps before she gets all butt hurt." So then I go over to Sidewalk and throw her a bone (tee-hee) and order a side of fries. But guess what? The fries suck, and I knew it all along. Damn it.
One of these two roommates needs to move out and get her own place (preferably the skankier one) because when it comes to hittin' the Baba Ghanoush, two's company... and threesomes are a crowd.
Since eating at Soumarelo (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) the other week, I've had a massive craving for Mediterranean rotisserie chicken, garlic paste and pita. So it would only make sense that the next stop for me would be none other than Zankou Chicken - the chain known for its chicken.
Instead of jumping to conclusions like I did last time, I made mental notes each step of the way this time to arrive at the rating for this review.
Would you like the play by play?
- When looking at the menu:
"Mental Note! Price of 1/2 a chicken meal at Soumarelo - $7.64 (including tax). Price of a 1/4 chicken meal at Zankou Chicken - $7.64 (including tax). I'm getting half the chicken for the same price."
- When opening my take out box:
"Mental Note! 1/4 chicken meal at Zankou Chicken includes chicken, 2 pieces of pita, hummus and pickles. 1/2 chicken meal at Soumarelo includes chicken, 2 larger pieces of pita, pickles and tons of rice."
- When eating my first bite of chicken:
"Mental Note! Chicken's dry. No real flavor in the meat."
- When dunking said chicken into the garlic paste:
"Mental Note! Garlic paste at Zankou is more like garlic lard. It leaves a greasy taste/consistency in your mouth afterwards."
- After finishing my meal:
"Mental Note! Go to Soumarelo next time instead."
Hm, I've had better Zankou. This location served me up some incredibly weird chicken. Parts of it were super tender, to the point of mushiness. And then other parts were so dry and tough, it was hard to remove the skin (I try not to eat any skin). The wing broke off in a powdery mess. Ugh!
But a whole chicken, an 8 oz thing of hummus and a kabob combo for the gay boyfriend's Uncle Gary was about $30 so I guess I was appeased. Especially since the kabobs were obviously superior and Uncle Gary gave us pieces of his food.
They were very generous with the pita which was very good. I just wish the garlic sauce that came with the chicken wasn't pre-made. It is the sign of the times though the clamor for the delectable garlic paste has gone commercial.
Small parking lot, relatively fast and ugly decor. Great for a quick meal before we headed off to the movie.
I have tried Zankou and I am not a fan of their shwarma or their hummus/tabbouleh, its all very bland to me!
However, ZANKOU DOES HAVE THE BEST ROTISSERIE CHICKEN AROUND! HANDS DOWN , Crispy and tasty outside, soft tender chicken meat inside, with their knock-your-socks off garlic sauce!
If you come here order a Rotisserie chicken and tell them you want it cut in quarters (So you dont have to cut it yourself)
some of the best rotisserie chicken Ive had in a looong time!
i used to love this place... but these days, they have been serving me RAW chicken a couple of times already. whenever i bring it back to let them know, the hispanic cooks give me dirty ass look. i rather eat tacos than a raw chicken.
Food: 4.5/5
Ambience: 3/5
Budget: 4/5
Aeons ago, when the Armenians faced genocidal oppression from Turkey's over-ruling government, they had no choice but to flee. They all traveled very far across the earth and had seeked refuge in the area that is known as Glendale, CA. With that, they brought with them a supreme ability to perfectly season and grill chicken to bless southern California.
Now, the name of the restaurant might deter an average person from eating at this place (Zankou, lol wtf?), but they really have made a name for themselves. I've tried the Shwarma (sp?) once but their chicken is what keeps the masses praising. It really is something else. the flavor is a perfect blend of spices and seasoning, but to get the white meat that juicy and tender is a skill in itself. Couple that with a stack of warm pita bread and their secret weapon, the garlic sauce is the perfect equation for a damn good meal.
Overall, fantastic place to have lunch or dinner at. My concern is their locations. They're very few and far between. But alas, prices are still very reasonable and is a great alternative to fast food and burgers. They offer alot of healthy varieties as well, so dont let that colossal rotating mass of beef fool you.
- Mark Inocentes™
First off it smells like an Armenian's dirty foot in there
but dont let that scare you off.
The Whole Chicken or Half Chicken by itself
is your best bet, it comes with a few pieces of Pita bread
and a few containers of garlic paste.
That's pretty much all you need.
The people that take your order seem nice
but the minute you ask for anything different or make a special order
like asking for extra pita bread they immediately talk shit in their armenian language.
They dont even try to hide it cause they know you have no clue what they're saying, pretty rude.
get your food and take it home.
I've been wanting to try this place for almost 3 years now and I am finally getting it!
I don't really like the parking here so be careful when you come, it gets a little tight in their parking lot.
What I really like about this place was their pita. It was nice and soft and tasted really well with the chicken. The only problem I had with this chicken wrap was that there was too much garlic sauce, so it will taste better if its on the side so it doesn't sog up the pita.
Their tri-tip pita wasn't bad either.
This food isn't really for people that are stuck with hamburgers and fries, I consider this as a ethnic food because it is different. It's not pitas from Jack in the box or whatever, its pita that has stuff like garlic sauce! lol.
Anyways, lost track because of the drool that came out of my mouth.
I will come back here again basically.
ps. it gets pretty packed so if theres a line, get to it.
Bon Appetit.
I don't even eat chicken, but Zankou is a So-Cal standby. It's not fancy, but it's tasty. They hook it up for vegetarians too. Falafels, hommus, tabouleh, tahini salad, it's all good. Great for a quick lunch or when you just want to grub and not sweat the details. Hell, if it's good enough for Beck to rap about it, it's good enough for me.
We head on to Zankou Chicken at Glendale for the first time and ordered a whole chicken. It came with a pita bread and garlic sauce. Got into the car and hmmm smelled pretty good.
Chicken is served. Garlic sauce is indeed good but the chicken isn't what I really expected. Costco rotisserie is still best for me and way so much cheaper.
Parking here is oh so crowded.
GREAT chicken! Ok folks this is what I do... I get the chicken and pita bread from Zankou then I buy mashed potatoes from Popeye's chicken and put the chicken and Mashed potatoes in the pita and FEAST! I know it's kinda weird but it sure is good eating!!!!
Poor me, I live a block from Zankou Chicken. :)
The man and I go here about once a week for a cheap and healthy meal - Helen is a fantastic order-taker and very patient. I get either the Chicken Tarna plate or the Beef Kabob plate. I don't find it too salty or too peppery, the seasoning is just right. The tabuleh salad is also really good. We have taken many friends here and it's always a hit.
Note - The Kabobs take about 10 minutes to prepare, but they are definitely worth the wait!
Prices went up after all these years but it's still a pretty good deal. The skin is heavenly and the garlic sauce is steal- worthy.
There is usually a line but it moves quickly so you barely even notice.
I don't know why of's listed as Greek, it's really Armenian, by the way.
I used to go to the original Pollo Loco on Alvarado close to MacArthur Park before it was bought by big guys and became a chain. Zankou has a number of stores and I hope they wont go the way of El Pollo Loco.. for Rotisserie chicken-take out.. its good. I prefer a bit more spicy seasoning.. but they don't dissapoint. I usually wont eat much of the Pita and or use the garlic spread.. I tried to heat the spread in the stove and it would not melt.. means its not butter based.. and that concerns me. I should ask what they use to make the spread. I also ordered their falafel .. stick to the chicken.. make some salad.. and its a healthy meal.
Who doesn't love Zankou?
Shawerma plate.
Extra pita bread.
Open the pita. Put some beef. Top with hummus and add tomatoes and onions.
Now open mouth, bite down, chew, and swallow.
It's so friggin yummy. OMG. That's all you need to know. Now go to Zankou!
The first time I heard of Zankou Chicken was when I was reading fellow yelper reviews. I was like what the hell is zankou chicken? Is that some type of chicken? To my curiosity, I decided to what else, yelp it. I found one 5 miles away from my house and bookmarked it. I finally decided to go today for lunch since it was close by. I order it to go and got my order in 2 minutes and I was off to the races, speeding home like a demon to see what the craze was all about. I ordered a #10 or 11 combination plate which came with Tri Tip, pita bread, onions, tomatoes, and some spread and other stuff I do not know of or never tried before. Zankou Chicken did not disappoint me at all. For under 10 bucks, I am so full right now. You made the monster in me happy.
Positives:
Food. I also need to try their chicken combinations.
Fast service. I mean really fast, in and out fast.
Huge portions.
ive been going to pasadena's location for years & so far, everytime i come here instead, the wait time for our food is pretty much nonexistant compared to pasadenas.. ive waited 30 mins for to go stuff at the pas one, & i was just here last week, & our stuff came out in like 2 mins.. & it tasted just fine & wasnt nonhot at all..
plus, i think the parking situation here is a lot better than the pas one...
Mmm.. three stars. Maybe I've just ate at this place one too many times, in addition to some others reasons that don't make this place shine.
When I first tried Zankou (dangit, I keep typing Zankyou for some reason) Chicken years ago, I loved it too, I thought it was pretty delicious chicken. But then I noticed that it really doesn't seem that fresh. The chicken looks limp and actually becomes kind of soggy after the first day on the table. But it does retain its original taste, but that could be because it seems like they've overdosed the chicken with too much salty flavor.
But still, my family remains faithful to Zankou Chicken, our first stop for instant dinner below 20 bucks for the whole family when we're too lazy to cook for ourselves. Growing up, it's like I've been trained to say "One whole chicken to go" at the register. It's similar with a lot of my other friends families. Lots of people like it, it's good.
But it's not amazing.
Although thanks Zankou for introducing pita bread and garlic spread to me, two of the greatest things to combine with your yummy chicken.
I haven't actually had the pleasure of dining at a Zankou restaurant but my uncle always brought chicken, pita and the garlic spread to family parties. It was the reason I would anxiously await his arrival haha crap, his kids/my cousins are probably going to read this when it hits facebook. LOL.
The chicken here is so amazing, very easily in top 10! ANDD it's NOT even fried! It's always super tender, flavorful and juicy. The pita bread + garlic spread compliment the chicken so well, you'd almost think they spent hours in the kitchen piecing that combination together.
Oh and one advantage of having your zankou chicken to go, is that you can pop the pita bread in the toaster for a few minutes to give it a nice little crisp, and then my friends, you lather on that garlic spread and watch it melt ... yumm!
I haven't had anything else that they serve so I'm sure I'll be updating this once I try the rest of their menu. For the time being, and likely for a very long time to come, the chicken, pita bread and garlic spread are more than sufficient to satisfy my palate.
what happened? i could have sworn i didnt like this place. i even tried it TWICE, and i remember not liking it. but when the smell of my friend's beef shawerma plate punched my full in the face i couldnt help it. i went back the next day.
i was kind of a nerd about it... i looked up the menu online. (ack! psychotic!) but i had to look it over without the pressure of some fat hairy guy breathing down my neck, pushing me with his beer belly forcing me to make a rushed decision, which then causes me not to enjoy my food.
chicken tarna. did you know it was trademarked? i found it fascinating that a word had to be made up to describe shredded chicken, so thats what i ordered. literally 2 mins later i had a steaming container of non-american food. so lets just cut to the chase... it was f*cking delicious. everything. ohmygawd. but damn, why dont they offer wheat pita? everything that i was eating is much more healthier than a double meat burger and fries, but i feel obligated to enjoy this fluffy, savory, white flour pita. it sucks, because it tastes so good... but its so bad for you.
and you know when its good for you? when you go 4 out of 7 days a week to eat zankou and you dont gain a single pound. awesome.
how much longer did i think i could avoid eating at this location that i see ev er y day going to… Read more »
This garlic paste....is.....a-mazing. Chicken is always fantastic, I just have cravings for this. I was introduced to it from some Armenian friends back in High school, and since then I haven't been able to stop going. Prices may be a little expensive for the amount of food, but still worth it.
Steaming chicken that just flakes off, add in some Hummus, some pita bread, that's it...wonderful.
Armenian fast food at its best. The chicken tarna is delicious with a good mix of crispy and soft texture. The peppers and pickled radishes go very well with the hummus and tahini. Only complaint is it's a bit salty, but hey it's fast food. Oh, and I can't forget the addicting garlic spread (my wife's favorite). Also, as of late, the staff has been a bit more rude and stingy with the peppers and pickles. If you ask for extra when ordering a meal, they'll say "It's in the container" then you open the container to find two peppers, and a tiny serving of the pickled radish.
NEW! Riverside Dr and Lankershim!!!!!!!!!!
Great food!!!!!!!!
- What floats my boat in the Mediterranean Sea? Zankou!
- Was it my first time eating Med food? Yes!
- Was it good, and savory? Yes!
- Any buts? One
- Everything is served fresh, and good, but the meat isn't the most savory of meats I have eaten... this is coming from a meat lover.
- I do give them much credibility for the way they cook it. Once you walk in, you will notice the cool rotisserie grills that are cooking the chicken, beef, and other meat. I was drooling inside as my eyes were hypnotized by the twirling and spinning of the meats... that's the best description I can give of the cooking.
- Final thoughts are pretty simple: I'm coming here again, so look out for an update!
I always get the same thing. Chicken Tarna with an extra
garlic sauce. The food is an acquired taste, and will need getting used to, but when you get used to it, it's addictive. The only problem is that the chicken can be tender sometimes, and other times dry.
So for that inconsistency, I'm dropping one star.
Dude, brro! Zankou is great. As a denizen of Glendale, this place is an important part of my diet.
The schwarma (beef) here is good, but I find myself getting the trusty Chicken Tarna almost everything time I come here.
Well seasoned and juicy, the Tarna plate kicks ass! Grab yourself a pita, slather on some of that amazing garlic sauce, tahini, and hummus, add some chicken, then finally toss on some lettuce and tomato and you'll be in heaven.
This weekend was my first time EVER coming here. I have to say as far as fast food places go, this one is a notch above. The hummus is pretty decent and they give you a whole bag of pitas if you order the chicken tarna plate. I would definitely come here again if I was looking for a quick fix of this type of cuisine. Honestly though, I'm still a bigger fan of Spitz down the street. But it's a different sort of thing, eh?
This location is in a shopping complex, so there's a parking lot, and the girls behind the counter just don't smile. I don't know why.
The decor is pretty cheesy. Simple. Dull. I think the food makes up for it though. It's good for what it is.
Sorry guys, but this place is NOT the biz. I don't understand what all the hype is about? Let's looks at the evidence, shall we..
Hummus- runny, salty
Garlic Sauce- pasty, weird texture, the taste was a little too concentrated? (and i LOVE, LOVE, LOVE garlic!)
Chicken- dry, charred, gave me the runs.
Falafel- stale
Pepsi- good...
So yeah, that was my experience here in a nutshell. Maybe I came on a bad day? Who knows. I'll admit, it wasn't the absolute worst thing I've ever eaten. I'm sure it tastes better than shit? Either way, I'll let other people's reviews boost this place up 'cause lord knows I won't be wasting anymore money here.
Whenever I am ordering at Zankou Chicken, I find myself saying to myself, "Please don't give me a receipt. Please!" But unfortunately for me, I always get one. Dammit! One day I hope the lady at the register will forget about the receipt so I can a free meal! Oh well.
Great things on the menu to eat are the rotisserie chicken or the tri-tip shawerma. Avoid the wraps because they are 1) overpriced and 2) too small to be filling.
Other locations have kebabs, but I've had better at places that really specialize in kebabs. The ones I had at the Pasadena location were dry and chewy. So stick what they are known for...the chicken and garlic sauce.
Go Trojans! Fight On!
I got the chicken tarna wrap. Greasy, garlicky genius! Make sure you don't have a massive make out session after this lunch. I smelled like an Orc's ass. A Delicious Orc's ass.
I wanted a couple falafels on the side so I did just that.
A small side dish of beets for free!
You cant BEET that!
We got back from LA and tasted the GREAT ZANKOU chicken. Its so good it makes me want to move back home =\ The food is still so GOOD. And if I could I would give them 7 stars! The first extra star because the chicken skin is so crispy and the second star is for returning my boyfriends backpack when he left it there. YOU GUYS deserve 7 stars =D
Oh the BellFlower review below needs to rate the FOOD not the other crap. Stick to the subject. THE FOOD is Gggrrrrreat!
OH how I miss Zankou chicken. This brings me back to my childhood years. I remember when my dad… Read more »
Oh Zankou Chicken. I hate the spell you have on me. How do you make your shredded beef and chicken ever so tasty. And what the hell do you do to your humus to make it so damn addicting.
Get the shawerma plate or the chicken plate. I don't recommend the wraps. I mean they're tasty but come on now, half the price for a quarter of the food?
I've been going to this location for the last 12 years. My favorite is this garlicky marinated rotisserie chicken. With extra garlic dip, hommus, and pita bread. Everytime I think of how tender, juicy, and flavorful their chicken, I just start drooling.
An Armenian buddy of mine once gave me some background on this place... apparently the family that owns it has sort of a checkered past. The Zankou patriarch apparently killed half of his family before offing himself, just so they wouldn't inherit the buisness. One of his son's got arrested for chasing a prostitute down the freeway... while his other son was a white collar criminal, got busted for insider trading.
None of this subtracts from Zankou's garlicky goodness though! Seriously, I don't care how scary the "Armenian Gothic'" owners are, this place has some of the best fast food in this part of town.
Neighborhood: Burbank
Category: Mediterranean
Neighborhood: Glendale
Category: Greek
Neighborhood: Glendale
Category: Greek
Neighborhood: Glendale
Category: Mediterranean
Neighborhood: Pasadena
Category: Middle Eastern
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