Zikrayet Lebanese Restaurant and Lounge

by Adrian K.

I visited Zikrayet on Saturday, September 27th, because I was looking to see how this restaurant played the role of a lounge.Before heading out, I called to find out if the lounge area would be filled up around 9:30pm and they informed me that in case it did, I could reserve a table in advance, which was really convenient.Upon our arrival, my date and myself were quickly greeted and seated at our table.  The area where we were seated was large enough to accommodate at  least 4 people comfortably, but I did notice that there was a group of at least 10 people across from us.  By my guestimate the lounge area could easily hold 25-35 people if you wanted to have an event here.After being seated for a few minutes (5 minutes max) our waitress came by with menus.  She returned after maybe 10 more minutes with pita chips, lebne, pickled vegegetables and olives (which they do still provide complimentary), at which point she took our drink and food orders.Since we were in the lounge, we kept it simple and ordered hommus, and hookah (apple of course).  The vibe of the lounge is very conducive to smoking hookah.  The seating is extremely comfortable, the music that the dj/hookah guy plays is pretty laid back, and the waitress checks on us often, but not too often.  Additionally, at around 11:15pm a belly dancer came out and made the experience that much more enjoyable (she performs on Friday and Saturday nights).So, all-in-all this is a great place to visit on a friday or saturday night if you want to do hang out in a laid back environment, or want to pre-party before going somewhere else.  Also, if you have a late night craving for Lebenese food, because the kitchen is open until close, which is 1:30am on Thursday, Friday and Saturday night which is pretty good considering the only other places open that late that serve food in Alexandria are Wendy's and McDonald's.Finally, while the hookah may seem expensive at first glance ($18.5 when we visited), you get 3 coals initially, and more as needed the longer you are there.  We ended up getting around 7 in all (6 plus "one for the road" as said by the hookah guy).  So it was a pretty good deal if you ask me.

by Keri M.

Unlike the other reviewers, my group did not get spoiled at lunch.  We did not get complimentary pita or olives.  Perhaps they've stopped that practice now that their name is out.We ate outside and got pretty bad service.  The waiter came by to check on us only after most of us had already finished our lunches.  The restaurant was pretty empty, so I'm not sure how we were forgotten.The saving grace is that the beef schwarma is delicious.  Plenty of seasoning on the meat and just enough tahini.  But instead of a side of salad, they give you only a side of fries (but the menu doesn't warn you about this).  Ick.  Note: I've found out that on the back of their menu, they offer substitutes for fries.I'll be back for the schwarma because I can't get enough of it, but I won't be happy to go to this place.

by Pipi C.

Go at night, after happy hour, and have the place to yourself. Very good middle-eastern food, excellent drinks, reasonable prices, and lavish service from, if you're lucky, the very attractive lady manager. Won't try the hukkah--and appreciate that it doesn't have a strong odor.Tip: stick with the veggie mezze; they overcook the meats.

by Candace H.

I found another shisha place to love... ! A huge shisha joint in Alexandria complete with drinks, food, a belly dancer, couches, melody arabia, and chic decor.  Top notch.  Not the old school feel of Tarbouch, but Zikrayet is sexy.The belly dancer performed on Saturday night.  She stole a drink from a man's hands and belly danced with his drink balanced on her head.  Talent, man, talent.The drawback is that their shisha flavors are limited to begin with, and they were out of three or four flavors when we were there.If I come back to Alexandria, I'll be here.

by sarah s.

This place is just ok. If I was dying for Lebanese and didn't want to go far from the 'hood, I would go back. Otherwise, I'd head over to Me Jana. I've only been here once, though, and I'm willing to give it another chance- I liked the pita and olives. I liked the hummus. I liked my chicken schwarma sandwich (the fries were an odd pairing, though). I loved the accompaniment to the fries-some white, fluffy, whipped garlic stuff that was awesome. So, while I didn't really dislike anything, I wasn't really wowed like I consistently am at Me Jana or Lebanese Taverna-sorry!

by Virginia M.

PROS... good looking waiters/waitresses. $2 rail drinks during HH(gin and tonic?) But prices are expensive, food eh, belly dancer, eh, empty for HH.

by Victoria H.

Watch out Joe Theismann's, Zikrayet is fast becoming THE happy hour hangout in the King Street Metro area of Old Town!I. Love. This. Place.  Over the past couple of months, I've been to Zikrayet at LEAST once a week for lunch or happy hour/dinner and have never left hungry or disappointed!!!First of all, it's super-convenient to my place of business AND public transportation -- it's in easy walking distance of BOTH the Eisenhower and King Street Metro stations AND right on several DASH bus lines.  The hip lounge atmosphere indoors is well-complemented by plentiful outdoor seating -- it almost makes me feel like I'm back in NYC to be able to pop by after work and have a drink outside with other interesting, young professionals in such a friendly, welcoming atmosphere.  AND, unlike other eating establishments in this area, service in the outdoor seating area is GREAT -- there always seems to be at least 2-3 servers working the outdoor area so you don't feel "forgotten about."Secondly, I L-O-V-E Lebanese food and Zikrayet does not disappoint.  From the stuffed grape leaves to the baba ganoush to the lamb shank - it is all delicious.  The food is well-seasoned, the portions are generous, and the friendly wait staff is quick to keep your glass full while you dine.Joyce, the owner, has been on-site almost every single time I've been there and she's super friendly and is always milling about making sure her customers are adequately taken care of.  Often times, she's stopped by our table to offer us complimentary treats or discount cards for future visits -- this woman pours her heart and soul into her retaurant and it shows.Welcome to the neighborhood Zikrayet!!!!!

by Lydia P.

Early afternoon on the week days, as the second time for me to have late lunch or early dinner in this restaurant.Meet the owner that was really friendly and very hospitable.At the first experience, the owner was happy to greet us and gave us the complimentary pita bread before we start enjoying our meal, and also gave us complimentary fresh green grape after our meal.Awesome! I feel special!Well that's important as the first introduction for their potential regular customers in the future.That's why I come back for the second time to dine here.I want to say, I wasn't disappointed at all!The first time I had my late lunch here, I had Beef Shawarma, that is quiet delicious even though I wish they had Lamb Shawarma, but it's OK it's still good.And the second time, since I wasn't hungry after the big chunk ice cream that I had during lunch time, I had their signature chicken wings that they called with a Zikrayet wings, chicken dishes that marinated with lemon juice, olive oil and cilantro complete with a special sauce from the chef that he call harissa sauce. And again, the chef was giving us a special treatment as well as giving us the desserts complimentary that so delicious!He made it from starch, sweet, smooth with banana and pistachio on top of it! Yum!I feel so spoiled by them every time I come!Not forget to mention, the owner was very kind to let me pick the side of chair I want to seat. Yay! I feel like a Princess seating between those Lebanese style pillow! And this little girl that I call a little princess, walk with her father, greeting us and help to bring the menu to our table! Smart girl!Hospitable, great service, good food and interesting middle east music that makes you want to dance while you're eat!On  the evening this place turn to be a hang out place, happy hour and hookah place!So, another addition for a fun place in Alexandria!Longing for a new place to hang out and have fun?Give this place a try!You won't regret it!Because I my self will come back here again and again!I promise!

by Raul G.

I've been to Zikrayet a couple times - the first immediately after the restaurant opened and then again recently. Zikrayet is a nice addition to the Carlye area restaurant lineup that is a bit lacking in variety. Let's see on my last visit with a group I got to try a variety of the hot and cold mezza. My favorite and stand out was definitely the Fried Eggplant. It was lightly breaded and fried and somehow came out light and crisp. I tried recreating the same dish at home with horrible oily eggplant as the  result. My respect to the chef. My entree was the Lamb Shanks which came with a side of Basmati Rice. The lamb was nice and tasty but a bit on the fatty side. The Basmati Rice was excellent.Two things keep me from giving a higher rating. The first is that the prices are a bit on the steep side. Especially for my lamb - there was so much fat it was literally half the shank. Not good. Either get higher quality cuts of meat or drop the price.The second thing was that our server was an ass. Someone in my party asked for a recommendation and he snapped back a rude response. Not a good way to make a first impression on new customers. Everyone has a bad day fair enough. Though I haven't tried the hookah at Zikaryet they do offer a variety of flavors. The restaurant has a lounge for relaxing around a hookah which is really just one side of the restaurant. Zikaryet also has a belly dancer on some Friday and Saturday evenings. Pretty decent place. If the prices are a little more realistic and the service improves I'll definitely be back.

by Tiffany L.

Just got back from Zikrayet for a wonderful night. It was my first time trying hookah and it was a lot of fun! The food was great. I don't know how they make their Basmati rice, but it is the best I have ever had! Among our group of 7, we all cleaned our plates! The reason why it only got 3 stars from me is because that the food service took a long time. Both our waitress and the manager kept checking on us while waiting, so that made our wait not unpleasant. My friend found a tiny fly in her meal, the waitress quickly came forward to apologize and have her entry re-made. My friend got a complimentary meal and the manager gave each of us a 15% discount card for our next visit.Overall, my experience in Zikrayet was very enjoyable.