Zaatar

Different from other Middle Eastern food establishments in Tucson. They make all their own bread, and it is delicious. Their pita is fresher and chewier than is normally served in restaurants or sold in groceries. I had the hummus plate with chicken. It comes with a huge pita and a large salad with a number of olives. Feta cheese of course. Two sauces are included, one is buttery lemon and the other is a vinegary red hot sauce (think tabasco). The chicken was grilled pieces of white meat. The hummus was plentiful, but not as rich and creamy as some, maybe needed some olive oil. A lot of food at a reasonable price, I ended up taking half of it home. I rarely say this, but I can’t wait to come back and try other items. The lamb shank special sounded delicious, the desserts looked inviting, and the meat pie is something I’d like to try. I’d even come here just to get the bread, which is sold separately. Seating is sparse so if you come at lunch, you may be in a line or be better off taking out. I went on a 100+ day and yet it was cool enough inside. As others mention, no ambience, it’s mom and pop, and no frills. Friendly service.

This shouldn’t be rated like you would other places. I’m rating it according to the style in which is displays itself, which is laid back atmosphere and good home cooking. His is the type or Arab food you’d get at home in an Arab household. Was definitely enjoyable and you see everything made in front of you.
The place itself may be shabby but I’m the Arab countries, this is normal for a restaurant that is called «sha3by», which means something along the lines of home style or village-​like.
Anyway it’s really good, the bakery has great bread, and it is worth the trip. The prices are super reasonable given the portions and the sauces and sides are great!

I’ve been here a couple times, both ordering as take-​out or eating at the establishment.
The location is small, so it’s not really advisable for large groups, but hey have a couple tables outside if it’s too full inside.
The food is affordable and they serve classics, like shawarma, gyro, pita, homemade baklava, and delicious salads. I usually go for the gyro meal, which comes with fries and a drink. They offer the gyro meal with falafel, chicken, beef or lamb.
What I like most about this place is the homemade pita, baklava, and friendly, speedy service. The food tastes a little different when you order for here versus to-​go. Sometimes it’s a little sloppy with the tzatziki clumped in on area and not spread evenly, but it all comes out very warm. Another comment I have is about their French fries. Unlike the other sides they offer, like the salad or pita with humus, the fries don’t always come out warm and are very oily. Other than those details, this place is still a great option for Mediterranean food!

Not your regular pita bread… It’s authentic and fresh! Ordered the gyro sandwich and it was delicious. The plates are well served and fills you up big time. The shawarma plate was also just as good. The falafels were nice and crispy– some of the best I’ve ever had. Decent prices for such authentic food!

If you’re looking for small family owned traditional Persian food, this is the spot! Located right next to Caravan another great spot, I really enjoyed the atmosphere. The bread is fresh with their expertise in producing it with their specialty oven and dedication to fresh ingredients. The only downside is the place is small so don’t drive too quickly or else you’ll just miss it! The staff is friendly and truly cares about their clients in my multiple experiences at the place. It’s definitely a hidden gem in Tucson for quality and affordable mediterranean/​Middle Eastern food!

The other Middle Eastern and Mediterranean places in Tucson that I used to enjoy now seem merely acceptable. Thanks Za’atar reminding me what this food can be.
We’ve had a lot of the menu at this point: falafel, hummus, baba ghanouj, lamb special, chicken shawarma and gyros as platters and as sandwiches, pita, samoon, date bread, lahmajeen «meat pie,» cheese bread, etc.
It’s all good. Everything is moist and soft (dry breads and falafel being my common complaint with Mediterranean restaurants), probably because the bread is baked in house and everything else is very fresh, with nicely cooked meats. The slow-​cooked, almost stewy lamb special is my partner’s favorite here. The salads that come with platters are tasty and not just taking up space. Surprisingly, the date bread reminds us a lot of Chinese red bean paste pastries we love.
There’s a lot of heart and soul here. The cook (who I’d guess is the owner, but we haven’t asked), is so friendly, and you can tell he takes great pride in his food.
A lot of reviews call this a dive or hole-​in-​the-​wall, and that makes sense given the location… and the low prices. But when you’re watching fresh bread being made while a large party chows down on gorgeous, huge kebab plates in a very clean space, dive doesn’t seem quite right. It’s more homey than that.

Holy falafels. This place is the bomb dot com. This place is for carb loading, meat eating kind of people. The chicken shawerma is good, lamb shank with rice is amazing, they make the bread right in front of you and baklava is always fresh.

A last minute dinner but not at the same-​o-​same-​o? How about a place off the beaten path, away from downtown or Foothills, perhaps, divey Mediterranean restaurant? My appetite is thoroughly whet; here we were at Za’atar!
We ordered the lamb special, gyro plate, chicken kabob plate and the meat pie. The lamb special came with a large leg bone and it looked somewhat intimidating for this once-​upon-​a-​time vegetarian. If you consider yourself a caveman, you are at the right place and this is the dish for you. Once the intimidation subsided though, I found the lamb meat to be soft and tasty. I expected the meat to be gamey but I was wrong.
The chicken kabob came with a sauce that had a kick perhaps from horseradish. The gyro meat was also flavorful although tzatziki sauce was tasty in an understated way. Pita bread was substantial, and perhaps the Spartans would have eaten these prior to fighting the Romans. The bread was thick, dense, and heavy; a good indication of home made pita! All the items were good and we enjoyed the dining experience.
Za’taar definitely met my expectations for a divey hole in the wall which provided an authentic ethnic experience for a sleepy Monday dinner.
Note: Don’t expect service or valet parking here. Park on the unpaved lot off to the side. There are no servers to be found. It’s a basic place for good authentic food with no frills.

Fastastic place. Busy place with steady line of customers, dine in and take out, on a Friday evening.
I had the beef shawarma plate, my wife had the chicken kabob plate, and my son had the chicken shawarma. We also had the hummus appetizer as well as bakliva and date bread. All were very good.
The spices for the chicken kabob and chicken shawarma are different. The kabob is grilled and the shawarma is more tender. Both were excellent. My beef shsawarma was very tasty and I enjoyed the tahini sauce it comes with.
The hummus was enjoyable and I liked their baked in house pita bread. I am not a fan of baklava because it is just too sweet for me. But this is the best baklava I’ve ever tasted. It still was too sweet for me, but it was made perfectly. Theirs has a different flavoring in it, my wife thinks it is cardemom. By the way, she is a fan of baklava (she’s the one who wanted to try it) and she thought the baklava was fantastic.
The date bread was good. The date filling didn’t have any husks in it and was smooth. If any of you know what Japanese anman is (sweet bean paste in a white bun), this really reminded me of anman so much. Very similar. The date paste flavor was not strong or overpowering. The bread pastery is thicker and more dense than anman.
Prices were reasonable, the shawarma plates were $ 10 and the kabob plate $ 9. Four triangles of baklava was $ 4 and the date bread was $ 1.
Friendly service (there is just one cashier/​order taker) and three cooks, one on grill, one preparing the meats, and another doing the baking for their homemade breads and pies.

OK… so it used to be your favorite taco place, El Taco. Get over it. You’d never know that when you walk in. Ovens spitting out housemade pita and other baked goods that are stored in a glass case. They stare you down and practically dare you not to open it up, take one out, walk over to the spit of shawarma and act like you’re in your Mediterranean grandma’s house.
I ordered food to take out for me and my wife. My wife’s gluten intolerance forces me to be a PITA (not the kind you eat) and ask all kinds of questions lately. So I fire off my questions and come to the conclusion that the chicken and hummus, with rice instead of pita, should fit the bill. It’s gyro plate for me, but those pitas are still staring at me. I gotta have one. I also get an order of falafel, two, that set me back a whole buck.
Both came with a small side salad, dressed in a light vinaigrette. My gyro meat was really tender and tasty. The tzatziki served on the side was really good and not overpowered by dill. The pita had dried out a little and broke when I tried to rip off pieces of it. I snuck some of my wife’s hummus and thought it was good, but maybe not the best I’ve had. The falafels had been placed in a container with salad and tzatziki and were not as crispy as they once were. but tasty anyway.
The girl who patiently answered my questions and took my order was really nice. A big sign overhead displayed their lunch special, gyro sandwich, fries and a small drink for $ 7.50. Seems like a good deal to me. In the famous words of Arnold Schwarzenegger, «I’ll be back.»

I’ll start with the good — My fiancée loved his Chicken Shawarma. The Chicken was well flavored, the pita bread is fresh (though not toasted which would’ve made it much better), and the garlic paste it comes with is delicious. The portion is huuge and he was excited to eat the leftovers!
I thought my falafel sandwich was pretty good — nothing out of the ordinary for a falafel sandwich. The sandwich itself is $ 4 and if you want to add hummus or two dips to it, it’s $ 8−10… kind of a hefty price to add hummus, but I would recommend it since otherwise the sandwich is a bit too dry. In fact, I added whop-​loads of hummus myself to the leftovers.
The main issue we had was the service. We came at 5:50 pm, placed our order with the cashier, and were literally the only dine-​in customers. At 6:09pm, I saw the cashier hand a cook our order and he seemed confused. I went up to her and asked if our order was started, and she just shrugged and muttered something about another chef leaving. She really could not care less that we had already waited 20 minutes. I was very puzzled by how she forgot about us, because we were literally the only people in the tiny place and she had been standing there doing absolutely nothing.
Better for pick-​up than dine-​in.

We arrived for lunch and was set to order quickly. We had:
The hummus plate: hummus was good, I personally like red bell pepper or some other add in, with pita bread. The bread was good although I’m not a fan of this bread in general. While waiting I asked if they had Naan bread at which they said no and they’d just sold their last flat bread. I was set to continue with my pita bread but the owner, I believe, said «let me make you one» and he did! Right out of the oven it was toasty and hot and he did so complimentary!
The hubby had the chicken shawarma with rice, while the meat was nice and tender it didn’t have a whole lot of flavor. I make this dish at home with a nice sauce that he preferred over this.
I had the chicken kabob plate and the meat was very nicely seasoned, a bit lemony, with crisp onion wrapping up half the pieces which o really enjoyed.
For the price the portioning was more than substantial. We will be back!

Cute little place, clean with courteous and prompt service.
I don’t eat meat, so I ordered babaganoush, hummus and tzatziki. Sadly, I was not impressed. I will try other Mediterranean eateries.

Great Mediterranean food! A friend had recommended this place to me when I mentioned I wanted to try Greek House because I was craving a good gyro. She advised me to try this place instead and I am so glad I did! I called in an order to be picked up and went with a gyro, Greek salad and an order of baklava. When I got to the restaurant there were a few people sitting outside enjoying their food. The inside is plain with a nice large brick oven to one side. I picked up my food and went home to practically inhale it. The bread was awesome and very noticeably made fresh. It was stuffed with gyro goodness. The salad was a lot smaller than what I expected especially for the price but the dressing was good. Mmmm and the baklava was so great, nice and flaky and light and gooey with honey. I can’t wait to return!

Having come from the United State’s largest Arab American population prior to moving to Tucson, I have been dying to find a restaurant that is comparable to back home. So, when I began seeing rave reviews for Zaatar, who also bakes their own bread, I was excited. I arrived around 1 pm on a Tuesday afternoon and all three indoor tables were full. I placed my order at the counter, which now accepts credit card by the way, for the chicken kabob with pita, salad and garlic sauce. I was hoping by the time my order was up a table would have opened but that was not the case. Luckily for me, my dine in order was packaged to go, so I ate outside. Not ideal as it was hot and I only got a small plastic dixie cup for water. Overall the portions were smaller than what I am used to especially for a $ 9 lunch. The pita was large and fresh but thicker than what I prefer. The meat, onion and peppers were served on top of the pita. The chicken was lean but lightly marinated in a spice blend like a yellow curry. The garlic sauce or toum was pungent and good. They also gave me plenty of the toum. The salad was a tad oily and was not topped with sumac like back home.
Not sure if I will be back for a meal.
Note: They now have their own sign.

My significant other had heard good things about Za’atar so it was on our radar of new places to try. We went for a later dinner on a weekday and there was one open table for us! We ordered the beef shawarma plate and it was perfection! It had the perfect amount of spice and the best tahini that I’ve ever had! Plates are served with rice or pita and a salad. My son is a huge fan of lamb kabobs and had requested we bring those home. Lamb kabobs are not on the menu but luckily there was a lamb special that night. We got that to go before we headed home and my food-​snob son gave it rave reviews.
I have been craving more beef shawarma from Za’atar since our trip there! My spouse and I plan to add an appetizer or Za’atar bread the next time we share a plate! The plate is a nice portion but adding an appetizer would be ideal for two people.

Delicious and authentic. Friendly service, great portions at a great price. This is a very casual restaurant with a homey feel to it. No frills. But not a lot of seating and it can sometimes be very noisy.
The food is wonderful and definitely fresh though. I had the veggie combo and my partner had the Greek salad with chicken. We also ordered a side of tzatziki and baba to start. The tzatziki and baba were some of the best I’ve had, same with the falafel. But the hummus and tabbouleh weren’t my favorite…
The bread. Oh the bread!!! Made fresh and out of this world. Overall some of the best Greek food we’ve had since moving to Tucson and we will definitely be back. A-​OK in our book.

This place is the quintessential small family run business. I really don’t like the phrase «hole
In the wall» but this fits right in. Formerly a drive through taco spot, it’s now a Middle Eastern restaurant (which still has the taco sign outside). Fresh baked pita, naan, Samur bread in house! It’s amazing this tiny place fits the oven and a flat top for the bread. Prices are reasonable and the quality is good. I must say, the baba ganoush was my favorite smokey, rich and creamy. Can you please package it and jar it?! The players are huge! Definitely shareable. The sirloin kabob plate and the chicken kabob platter were both great choices. Good quality meat is the winner here. The hummus was delicious, but I was bummed by the flavorless oil on top. Shouldn’t it be olive oil? I don’t want to speculate here and call it canola oil,
But it sadly didn’t taste like olive oil. The salads in the platters were bountiful but also lacked any seasoning. Overall the food is good and well priced. A few items lacked seasoning but that’s not a deal breaker. I’m highly intrigued by their fresh bread– I can’t wait to return and learn more about the different varieties. The place is small and items are cooked to order, so be patient, it’s not fast food!
Basically, know this: it’s legit Middle Eastern food, it’s fresh, it’s casual, order at the counter, but it’s not fast food.

First visit after the recommendation from a co-​worker and we were so pleased…
The lentil soup was smooth, well-​spiced with something intriguing and served piping hot. My chicken shwarma plate was perfect with well-​seasoned chicken that had some lovely crispness. The rice pilaf was so well-​flavored I could have made a meal of it. The salad had crisp deep green lettuce, tasty tomatoes, feta and ripe olives. It was a large platter for the $ 10 price, and really a delight for the palate.
This is a very small place, very casual and food is served quickly. I noticed they offer family meals for takeaway at reasonable prices.
Looks like we have found another Tucson gem!
P. s. In response to a low star review complaining about the ground meat kebabs … The menu clearly describes the kebabs as «ground sirloin» … I wonder How can you be surprised?

The restaurant is small with limited seating. Went with a small group and they put tables together for us which left only a 4-​seat table and one with 2 chairs. You order at the counter and then they will bring you their order. They had some samples of their bread that you could try. I had the cheese bread which was nice but not much taste. I also had the gyro platter that came with a salad. The pita bread was thick and chewy-​liked it. The gyro meat was moist and tasty but tasted pretty salty. Still I enjoyed it. The tzatziki was good with it. The salad was ok. I would have liked it to have feta which some of the others in the group got on their salad. The service was good though it took a bit of time to put in the order. Their drinks are iced tea or from a soda machine. I’d go back.