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July 24, 2008
Restaurant of the Day: Zaytoons
"Zaytoons has the standard kasbah trappings, with hanging lanterns, dark, tasseled curtains and a decorative hookah or two, but here the food--more than the atmosphere--creates a transporting experience," writes Karen Rosenberg for Citysearch. Time Out New York calls the food "excellent, distinctive, slightly offbeat—and stunningly affordable."
"Falafel is fried to supercrunchy delectability; stuffed grape leaves carry a preserved-lemon tang," says New York magazine. "The soft, pillowy, baked-to-order pitas are perfect for scooping up cool salads and dips like tangy hummus," says the New York Times. Best Street Brooklyn recommends "the salad combo plate, which is perfect for those who can't decide what to order and/or vegetarians (and make sure to try the Turkish Salad as one of the 5 combo items, which is sweet and spicy without the overpowering quality that sun-dried tomatoes usually bring)."
Zaytoons has opened on Smith Street in 1998, and has since opened additional locations on Myrtle Avenue and Vanderbilt Avenue, but not everyone is thrilled about their expansion. Chowhound Larry Brooks says, "I've been faithful to Zaytoons forever but they have fallen off a bit since they expanded." Any thoughts on this mini-chain?
- Name: Zaytoons
- Address: 283 Smith Street
- Phone: (718) 875-1880
- Nabe: Carroll Gardens
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
- Median Entree: $8
- Additional Location(s)
- Short Address: 472 Myrtle Avenue
- Nabe: Clinton Hill
- Phone: (718) 623-5522
- Additional Location(s)
- Short Address: 594 Vanderbilt Avenue
- Nabe: Prospect Heights
- Phone: (718) 230-3200
Value
5 - One of Brooklyn's best bargains
4 - Worth every penny
3 - A bit overpriced
2 - Very overpriced
1 - Total rip off
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Reviews
Best value on Smith Street. The food is consistnetly good and there is no attitude there.
Posted by: Boerum Hill at July 24, 2008 12:18 PM
best middle eastern in brooklyn hands down. love the PH location.
Posted by: tiptoe at July 24, 2008 12:19 PM
Fast delivery. Decent food, though they have gone noticeably downhill since expansion.
Posted by: spnder at July 24, 2008 12:22 PM
Food is decent, but i had a horrible delivery experience at the Myrtle Ave location last week. It took an hour and 15 minutes to come and they were stringing me along every step of the way.
Posted by: itsagas at July 24, 2008 12:26 PM
just tried the vanderbilt location a few weeks ago. service was a little slow, but the food was very good and the atmosphere was nice.
Posted by: z at July 24, 2008 12:30 PM
Tiptoe-
Not looking to pick a fight, but "best Middle Eastern in Brooklyn"???
I enjoy Zaytoons ( though inconsistent comes to mind in the 10 years I've been going there) but " best in Brooklyn"?
Name 5 Middle Eastern places off the top of your head. I don't even think Zaytoons is the best in this -part- of Brooklyn.
Anybody else?
Posted by: Prodigal_Son at July 24, 2008 12:35 PM
The food was decent, but the service was terrible! We waited at least 15 minutes before anyone even gave us a menu, and then another 10 before anyone came to take our order. They weren't even that crowded.
But the worst part were the two HUGE cockroaches I saw, and the mouse. I know every restaurant probably has vermin in the storage area and kitchen, but I don't need to see them while I'm eating. Another friend of mine also saw numerous roaches there when she was eating a few months later.
With so many other good food options on Smith St, we haven't been back!
Posted by: brooklynstyle at July 24, 2008 12:37 PM
Memorably awful service. The last time I went there I had to wait 50 minutes for my salad to arrive after I ordered it. When it did arrive, it was frozen and had chunks of ice on it. Couldn't ask for something else as the waiter basically vanished after that until he came for the check.
Fortunately I won't miss it at all. The food is not great, only okay, there are much better Middle Eastern restaurants around (example Olive Tree on 7th Avenue).
Posted by: Smokychimp at July 24, 2008 12:45 PM
Good value for the very reasonable prices but still very average food. Stick with the basics.
Posted by: FatLenny at July 24, 2008 12:47 PM
itsagas, based on your post, why even give the service a 2 instead of a one; because they eventually showed up? I find New Yorkers have become accustomed to really bad service.
Posted by: Biff Champion at July 24, 2008 12:55 PM
I think it's the best middle eastern food in brownstone brooklyn....I frequent the Vanderbilt Avenue location and find the food to be consistently excellent....the chicken kebab is always moist and delicious (often not true elsewhere), the merguez is perfectly spiced and the lamb also moist and tasty. I've had awful food at the Olve Vine -- truly bad lamb -- and probably won't go back. But Zaytoons has my (all too frequent) business! I think the prices are excellent also.
Posted by: bricktop at July 24, 2008 12:57 PM
falfal sandwich is fantastic.
so is the chicken kabob.
pizzas are also wonderful.
delivery may be a little slow sometimes, but they are real fast if you go there and the wait is still worth it.
Posted by: JIDYT at July 24, 2008 12:58 PM
The food is fine, but I've also seen roaches there. Fountain Cafe and Wateralls Cafe on Atlantic Ave. are both better.
Posted by: Peter18 at July 24, 2008 12:58 PM
Excellent Food who cares about service
Posted by: sebb at July 24, 2008 1:00 PM
I love the Myrtle location. Awesome for take out too
Posted by: web diversions at July 24, 2008 1:04 PM
sebb, unfortunately many New Yorkers agree with you. Personally, I don't care to frequent a place that treats customers like crap or tries to make me feel like I should be honored to be there. I'm not saying Zaytoons is that bad; I wouldn't know. Just saying that I'm surprised some people don't care about service. To me, it's all part of the dining experience. Oh well, our differences are what makes everything more interesting...
Posted by: Biff Champion at July 24, 2008 1:06 PM
I've been frequenting the Smith Street location for about 7 years now -- and of all the restaurants on Smith Street, this is the one where I feel the most at home. I love their fluffy pita bread, their hummus, their moujadarra (rice and lentil salad), their falafel, their Turkish salad, and their BYOB policy. And if you want a cheap lunch, it's hard to beat the Zaytoons Veggie Sandwich (hummus, babghanouj and tabouleh rolled in a pita) for $4, or a bowl of lentil soup for $4.50.
Posted by: Kara at July 24, 2008 1:07 PM
I've only been to the Vanderbilt location. The food is always excellent and the service was fine.
Fatoosh on 5th Avenue is also quite tasty.
Posted by: SnarkSlope at July 24, 2008 1:33 PM
response to prodigal son: hey, apparently, there are plenty of others who agree with me. name any mid eastern restaurant in park slope/PH/BH and I've eeaten there. There used to be a place on atlantic avenue right near fountain that was great, but they closed down. i stand by my statement.
Posted by: tiptoe at July 24, 2008 1:49 PM
why are we discussing/casting votes on restaurants on a real estate blog? why aren't we discussing U.S. Economy: Home Resales Decline to 10-Year Low?
Keep up your diversification mr. b, you know the game. heck, you worked on wall street for years.
Posted by: WTFF at July 24, 2008 2:04 PM
Decent food, nice people.
Thought it lacks in atmosphere, I think Fatoosh in Brooklyn Heights has the best falafel in the area.
Posted by: NsPx at July 24, 2008 2:15 PM
BYOB makes this place great. I have always had good service, food not the best (waterfalls, or the baba at Fountain) better, but kibbeh is very special.
Posted by: chrishavens at July 24, 2008 2:51 PM
Its generally mediocre with a few standouts. The pita is very good. The pickles are fantastic. Many of the salads are good. The pizza is overrated.
The places on Atlantic are much better.
Posted by: mattt at July 24, 2008 2:58 PM
tiptoe 1:""best Middle Eastern in Brooklyn"
tiptoe 2: "name any mid eastern restaurant in park slope/PH/BH and I've eeaten there. "
Ah, it all makes sense now. Nevermind.
Posted by: Prodigal_Son at July 24, 2008 4:00 PM
My friends live across the street from the Vanderbilt location and I must say it's both convient and cheap! It's an excellent switch from the regular Indian/Chinese/Thai stuff nearby and the portions are right on! We always split the Chicken Shawarma or get a Veggie pizza. It's also a great spot for vegetarians. Haven't tried the myrtle location (which I live near) but it always looks cool and friendly inside.
Service is a pain but I've had worse!
Posted by: BSandCHBorderBaby at July 24, 2008 4:07 PM
One of the best REASONABLY-priced restaurants on Smith. I usually stick to basics like falafel or kebabs. Also good MIddle Eastern in this part of Brooklyn are Olive Tree on Court and Bedouin Tent on Atlantic. Can be cramped inside when crowded.
Posted by: Carol Gardens at July 24, 2008 5:06 PM
I was too lazy to make a personal profile on this site... until I saw Zaytoons as the restaurant of the day.
They possibly have the worst service in the city (I've only been to the Myrtle Ave. location) and it's so unfortunate since their food is pretty good and inexpensive.
Read my review on menupages.com - it details my two bad experiences there.
I had ordered delivery there quite frequently... now there is no way I would ever set foot in the place again. There is no need to treat customers like crap when they are supporting you.
Posted by: MikeD1116 at July 24, 2008 5:32 PM
This is ok. But certainly not real good.
Try Mr. Falafel on Seventh Avenue and 4th or 5th street I think, in PS. Great food, good service no ambience.
Posted by: LM at July 24, 2008 7:06 PM
I used to live near Zaytoons and my husband and I ate their many times. The food is always really delicious and the prices are incredible (really cheap!). We usually sit outside because the inside is not so nice. The food is so good that it's not worth getting upset about the service....
Posted by: slopedoglover at July 24, 2008 8:06 PM
I have been eating at Zaytoons for years and now enjoy delivery from the new Vanderbilt location. The food is always fresh and lovingly prepared. The service has always been perfectly suited to the level of dining that they offer. The wait staff has always been pleasant. The delivery is always prompt and hot. I have never had a single problem with any of their locations. I love the food. It is always exactly what I expect- very consistent. I have even made special requests and have never had an issue. The only " improvement comment "that I can offer is that they should step up their housekeeping. The dust is quite hairy at all locations.
Posted by: superstooper at July 25, 2008 12:00 PM
Food is good but inconsistant. Sometimes the tabouli or lebneh has come way over-salted and one time inedibley so. The falafel and pitzas are decent. I have had much better middle eastern in Virginia where I grew up but this will do for now I guess..except maybe not myrtle ave after reading all the cockroach comments. I always sensed it was a little dirty there. Gross.
Posted by: treehouse at July 27, 2008 3:54 PM
I go to the Myrtle location. Friendly service. After Hummus Place in manhattan, it's crap. But if i'm at home, it's it. Good prices.
Posted by: typhanii at August 28, 2008 1:21 PM
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please see my Zaytoons review at:
http://www.stephenpwilliams.com/stephen_p._williams/Chow.html
Posted by: stephen at July 24, 2008 12:17 PM