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 Luda E.

i really enjoyed the atmosphere, and the hooka tasted great. :)

by Lindsey P.

Eh.  For the price, Layla's is a lot better.  For the service, Layla's is a lot better.  It really is pricey for the quality- I got the Zikrayet salad, and it definitely had canned veggies on it.  Unimpressive, to say the least.  Their food really is just ok, and the service is lacking.

by Ken C.

Bad service and discriminated if you are not Lebanese on the weekend happy hours.

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.

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 Heather D.

This place just opened up a couple weeks ago in the John Carlyle area of Alexandria, and seems quite promising.  It has a modest interior with a lounge area that has large cushy couches in red and black.  The restaurant has tables outside to have lunch or a drink on the patio.  We tried this place for lunch and the food was very good.  When you sit down you receive complimentary pita bread and a trio of savories: greek yogurt with spices, olives, and olive oil with dried herbs.  The pita bread came warm, but was a little thin for my liking.  We tried the hummus, which was amazing.  You could really taste the lemon juice, and it was very refreshing.  We also both ordered the beef shwarma sandwich, which was very flavorful and delicious!  It was just the right size for lunch.  The only strange thing was all the lunch sandwiches were served with french fries.  They were good but it would have been nice to have something a little bit more authentic.  The prices were very reasonable, and they had a wide selection of sandwiches, entrees and appetizers.  They have a nice bar area which looks like it would be a lot of fun after work or on a lazy weekend.  The staff was very friendly, and they were really trying to make a good first impression.  They definitely did - I'm excited to come back here for dinner.

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 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 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 Courtney R.

Duty calls: work happy hour. I generally avoid these because I don't want to get tanked in front of my coworkers, but I like Lebanese food and it was a stone's throw away from the GW satellite campus, where the class I was skipping the first hour of to check out Zikrayet in the first place was, so it all made sense. Right?We got complimentary labne, pita chips and olives, but there was major confusion about the happy hour specials. It plainly states on the Zikrayet Web site that drinks are half off and appetizers are 25 percent off (strange amount, I thought), but none of the staff seemed to be aware of this. One of the happy hour crew had to pull the page up on his iPhone to show our server, who then "agreed" to let us revel in the happy hour prices. Luckily, the wife of a coworker who was sitting next to me was an adventurous foodie. We decided to share things and ordered up a storm. Basic favorites like calamari, hummous and falafel (all delicious) were nibbled alongside more interesting dishes like sambousik (my favorite, think mini spiced empanadas), makanek (Pita House's is better) and Kibbeh Nayeh, raw lamb. This was the first time I tried this kind of kibbeh, and although it looked a bit like cat food it was damn delicious. A half-order ($8) was huge and fed about eight people (who were noshing on other dishes, too). The hookahs were nice, but I mean a hookah's a hookah. We had watermelon, grape and some other gay tobacco. Did you know I can smoke with my nostril? Skills.I don't really like the atmosphere. While it was clean and semi-attractive, it felt very "strip mall." For smoking a hookah, I'd much rather be cozy-crew amidst the pillows at Casablanca on King Street.The waiter was a bad ass, he gave me his last two cigarettes and his lighter when I asked if they sold cigarettes (they don't) and he knew my beer-ignited state of mind needed that completing ritual. Overall, it was a great experience and the food was definitely above average.

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 Tim M.

So I have been here about 4 times now, and thinking that it would get better, but it hasn't.  The food is very good, very authentic, and delicious.  The problem and many have written it already is that the service is terrible.  Not only is it terrible, but its verrrrrry slow.  I brought my father in law and my wife here at 5pm and we were going to hit a movie at 7:30 at Hoffmann, but weren't able to get to it, because we were still waiting on our food.  I'm not kidding.  Another time, I went for lunch and it took half hour to get two cokes.  Not only that, but I asked another waiter to grab them for me since I hadn't seen my waiter in half hour, and he told me that he wasn't my waiter.  I said I don't care if you are or are not my waiter, get my waiter to get the sodas or I walk.  But once you eat, you forget about the wait, so if you have nothing to do after you eat and you have some one that can talk, then its fine.  Otherwise, go to Laylas which is good food and you can be in and out quick.I should talk about the decor, its nice contemporary, a little out of the way in the John Carlyle area.  The prices are steep for what you get, I would highly advise going to another restaurant to get a better meal for the deal.

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 Christine M.

I've been there a couple of times since it opened.  I liked the place well enough in the beginning but am losing patience because of bad service and the quality of food seems to be inconsistent.  If you're dying for Lebanese during lunch, you might want to call ahead and just get it to go.  (If you're dying for Lebanese grub at all, I recommend Lebanese Taverna on 5900 Washington Blvd in Arlington.)The food is okay; well, it's a toss up really.  One time I had the lamb kabobs, and they were really tender, juicy...all around nom nom nom action going on.  Another time I had the lamb kabobs, they were tough and definitely not worth the price you pay for them.  Probably won't be spinning the roulette on that one ever again.  I've also had the hummus, the shawarma, foul, grape leaves...a lot of different things, but none of them are really consistently good the second and third time around.  But sometimes when you really want shawarma, any shawarma will do.  Oh yes, the price....this place is a bit on the expensive side.  On F and Sa nights, they have a belly dancer, which is cool, but the shisha selection isn't so varied.  The last time I went for shisha, they were out of two flavors that we wanted.  Not good.Overall, my feelings towards that place is...eh.  You would be better off going somewhere else.

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.