Zaina

Joe and his staff at Zaina are fantastic and the food is consistently great. Zaina is my favorite Mediterranean restaurant in town. Although I try to mix things up, it is hard not to order the spicy red curry chicken every time. Highly recommended.

My favorite place for Mediterranean food! Fresh and fast! Food is served hot, almost too hot to eat! I have had the gyro and chicken schwerma (spelling?) and have enjoyed both more than words. Staff is very attentive. They make you feel as though you are eating in their kitchen.

The food was okay; nothing great or anything to rave about. Service was quick, as we were the only couple in the whole place. The location is downtown, so be prepared to search for street parking or pay for the garage that’s close. I didn’t like this place enough to say I’ll be back. I have many other Mediterranean places I’d rather visit.

Great gyro platter. We love this place as a work lunch stop. Service is great and the owner is very nice.

The place was empty when I first walked in, with only 1 other customer there. It was nice to have such quick, friendly service. My date & I ordered the chicken schwarma & the sweet kale salad. Overall the meal was average at best. Not very savory, as I’ve come to expect Mediterranean food to taste. The location is nice, as it’s in downtown, but it’s not some place I’ll visit again. Not impressed with the food.

Not a fancy place, but healthy food at a very reasonable price. Friendly owner Joe makes you feel welcome. Service is quick and friendly. I will be back when I am in the Power and Light district again.

Food is not authentic. They used Franks Hot Sauce in the Spicy Curry Chicken. I couldn’t taste the curry and my chicken tasted like Buffalo chicken. It was also really salty. I then changed my order to the chicken gyro and my gyro tasted gross. The garlic sauce was a mayonnaise based sauce. Not good.

Wow! Mediterranean salsa? Really? Fantastic! Chicken kabobs with great spice, creamy hummus and a long grain yellow rice with incredible depth of flavor. Don’t forget about the salad with house made dressing This establishment has a real authentic flare. I’ve not had a better Mediterranean meal in the states. Five stars on this night because I couldn’t give ten.

My office just moved and I found this gem just a few blocks over. Cheaply priced, but excellent food. I have had the Greek Burger and a beef gyro. Both were very filling and tasted amazing. Easily the best Mediterranean in KC.

First time eating this restaurant. Ordered to go. Pros: Quality of the meat, excellent. Had chicken and gyro. Salad was fresh. Timely delivery. Warm pitas.
Cons: small portions on everything. Too many raw onions for me. Lack of enough dressing on salad. Plain hummus taste.
Wasn’t bad, but could use a few improvements as noted.

I was in the mood for some yummy Greek food and this spot definitely delivers. I ordered the chicken gyro and the hummus. The first time had a bit more onion than I would’ve liked, but I’m still newer to the onion eating community, so it might be fine for normal people. The entire thing was great. I wish they gave a few more pieces of pita to devour the hummus, but the hummus was so good, I got the rest with the last bit of my gyro. Great having Zaina downtown!

I walked from River Market to meet a friend for lunch there recently, and despite the fact that my Google Maps wanted to take me on a very indirect scenic tour, perhaps due to nearby construction, when I finally arrived around noon the place was bustling and the aromas were enticing. It did take her food quite a bit longer and we joked they were still growing the grape leaves for the dolmas, lol, but the joke was on us. They were Delicious! Everything was fantastic and reasonably priced and you have a new fan in me.

Fresh. Good Quality. Fast (I only care because I went during lunch and it was busy).
I really like this spot. It’s the kind of restaurant that I love. Full of energy during the day. Food that makes you feel good about your decision.
I’ll be back for sure.

This is a nice little Mediterranean diner in the middle of downtown. I went for lunch with some friends from work, and I was pleasantly surprised. I had the chicken plate with mushrooms and an order of falafel. The chicken and rice were tasty, but could have had more flavor. The salad dressing was different and I loved it. It had a little spice to it and was unlike anything I’ve had before. The hummus was very tasty, but the pita wasn’t warm like I like it. The falafel was good, but wasn’t quite as flavorful as I’ve had elsewhere. The prices were reasonable, and the mint tea was excellent (I filled my glass with ice and drank it like iced tea). Overall, this is a great little place to have a healthy lunch for a decent price.

Delicious comfort food! Hearty and filling, and the baklava is a MUST! Try the pistachio one.
Ordered a chicken gyro sandwich thingy and it was perfectly seasoned & left me with a full belly!
Really appreciate the generous business hours too.

I’ve only been here for lunch but I always enjoy the food when I come here. They do a good job of moving the line quickly during the lunch rush. The combo plates comes with a nice assortment of salad, hummus, pita, and rice. I like some variety and to try a small amount of different dishes so it works out great for me. The lab shawarma plate is one of my favorites.
If you are in the area, this is a great place for lunch!

This is one of my favorite go to lunch spots. They consistently bring quality, flavorful food.
The Lentil Soup is hearty, think, and with a nice balance of cumin and sweet that would please Aristophanes.
The shawarma, both the platter and the sandwich, have a very tasty garlic sauce that is available. All options, lamb, chicken or beef are equally good so get whatever you like.
The hummus is creamy and thick, and always served with warm grilled pita.
If you work downtown and have not had lunch here you are missing out (they’re also open for dinner until about 7 or 8 too).
We’ve had them deliver to my office as well for those of you who are super busy at lunch, but don’t remember to pack anything.

I was staying at a hotel nearby and found this place on Unilocal.It was a great decision.
So usually a place will make a ton of stuffed grape leaves the night or day before and serve them cold. Not here! What an absolutely pleasant surprise to have lusciously warm grape leaves and pita. Now I’m spoiled. I’m going to want them warm no matter where I go.
The gyro was toasty and filled to the brim with great sauce and fresh veggies. Hummus was delish. A perfect middle eastern treat in a town where you wouldn’t expect to find such authentic cuisine. Friendly service, reasonable prices, fresh food. Very glad to find this place. Zaina means beautiful. That’s a good name since it was a beautiful experience, everything was clean, food served quickly and a fantastic casual lunch experience from start to finish.

Despite some hastily made signs and pictures of the food displayed on the window, this tucked away spot in downtown KC is a worthy stop for any Mediterranean food lovers.
Growing up, downtown KC was a bit of a black hole. Sure there were workers there between 9 and 5, but the mass exodus just made it a place that I never thought would compare to any other cities I had been in. Obviously a lot has changed over the last ten years, and I love noticing these changes each time I’m surrounded by the tall buildings that make up the KC skyline.
With Zaina specifically, it has that business-​y, downtown lunch spot feel. There are people in suits eating by themselves glued to their phones. The decent line of people waiting to order and the «No Public Restroom» signage all adds to the fast-​paced energy surrounding Zaina.
The food is extremely well-​priced. I had a lunch sandwich, the chicken gyro, which comes with a side — in my case, pita and hummus. The whole thing was a shade over $ 7. Tough to find that anywhere.
Quality wise, I thought it was good. The hummus comes with a touch of spicy chili paste which always makes for a good combo in my opinion. It’s not the smoothest consistency like Aladdin Café or others, but it still tastes great.
The chicken gyro is an honest to god chicken gyro. It looks like the shaved gyro meat of the beef/​lamb variety, just lighter in color and a bit lighter in flavor. The garlic yogurt sauce on it brings it to life.
I used to sling sandwiches back in my day for a stretch in college and I always appreciate when someone takes the time to make it right. This one is like a nicely rolled joi.sandwich. It is each to eat and the ingredients are proportioned nicely.
Is this a must-stop-can’t-miss place in town? No. However it is a great, affordable quick lunch that is perfect for the business crowd or anyone else walking the downtown streets during the day, and one I’m excited to go back to.

I came here on a cold winter night and I got the lamb gyro, a cup of lentil soup and the baklava. I am a Mediterranean Food connoisseur because I grew up with a Lebanese step-​father. I grew up making baklava instead of Christmas cookies, let’s put it that way. The Gyro was good. It was more traditional than the usual food-​truck fare so if you’re used to truck gyros, you might be disappointed. The lentil soup was warm and creamy although I admit I added a dash of salt to mine because it was a little tasteless. And the baklava wasn’t the best. I’m probably biased but I’d recommend the dessert at several other KC places before this one.
I’ll probably go back to try more of their dishes, but thus far, I was less than impressed. Price wise, it was cheap. There was plenty of seating, it was clean and open late (for a downtown location, 8:00 is pretty late!) So they have those things going for them.