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Zankou Chicken's Chicken Tarna Plate a la Styrofoam
The Official Recession has been upon us for fourteen official months. It’s still not a reason we can’t enjoy life. This is LA -- we’ve got plenty of inexpensive options! A Recession Obsession is food (or an activity) that is fantastic whether times are good or bad -- because it's that damn good. We last loved on Baja California’s finest fried bargains: fish tacos, and today...
Much has been said about Zankou Chicken. From the drama, to the fine food, to the name drop in one of Beck’s songs -- Zankou has earned it’s status as “LA institution.” As many restaurants close their kitchens, Zankou continues to grow. This family-owned restaurant now has seven Los Angeles locations, plus one in The OC.
A meal at Zankou is usually enough for a hearty sit-down plus some leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch. Rarely will one of these plentiful portions cost more than $10 per person. Zankou Chicken is a definite Recession Obsession.
Zankou's Falafel
Armenia’s Finest
The food is fantastic, though some wail that “the best in town” tag can’t attach to certain menu items (i.e. falafel.) The good news is it's not necessary. Zankou offers an excellent mix of Middle Eastern strengths that are both fresh and healthy.
Zankou’s prices have been slowly rising as their popularity has swelled. Don’t worry, they’re still wallet-friendly.
- Rotisserie chicken. Pita (wrap) sandwiches. The famed Garlic Sauce. Hummus. Chicken tarna (marinated chicken on a spit.) Shawerma (marinated beef on a spit.) Kabobs. Tahini.
This cash-only establishment can feature some pretty gnarly parking lots. Save yourself some headache and park around the corner -- but don't pay to park somewhere. There's a recession out!
Photos by Caleb Bacon for LAist
Do you Zankou? Have a favorite location? Comment below!
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Yum. I haven't tried Zankou Chicken, but I will check out the West LA branch. Any other recommended branch?
I remember 14 years ago there was a small Armenian bakery on Santa Monica and Normandie where I usually get some awesome pastry after the school bus drop us off at the intersection.
Pinoy the Armenian bakery on Santa Monica and Normandie you speak of is Sasoon. It will guarantee a $5 meal and is the best place to get lamajoun and borek. Armenian pizza. If you haven't yet, try it you'll like it. It's take away only.
zankou chicken is the best chicken in LA! they also have one in anaheim CA too. i HIGHLY recommend it. :)
FYI - the hollywood location on sunset blvd and normandie now accepts credit cards! :)
I'll add this place to my list. ;)
Love the Zankou, but parking at the West LA location on Sepulveda is sheer hell at peak times.
LOVE Zankou! LoveLoveLOVE!!!
The Sherman Oaks/Van Nuys location has decent tabouleh too.
I hit up the Van Nuys and Glendale Zankous pretty frequently, and both actually take debit/credit card now! Usually they run one register for cash-only customers though.
I've been hearing about their food for years. I can't believe that there's one just a couple miles from home. Definitely on my short to-do list.
OM NOM NOM. I love Zankou...used to go to the Sepulveda/Burbank one all the time but now that I live in WeHo its the timesuck one in Westwood...
There is one on Sunset in E. Hollywood, too, I think.
Yup. That one is still standing.
Good choice for this series.
Zankou is one of those places where if you only have enough money for one good meal on a given day this is a place where you'll get you money's worth, and enough food to last you a couple of meals.
And it's sooooo good!
More great news for Valley folks, too: there's a new Zankou opening up in Toluca Lake/NoHo, on Riverside Blvd, right where the Italian Fisherman used to be...I cannot WAIT to have delicious chicken and garlic sauce for dinner!!!
I hope they open one up soon in the South Bay area. For now, I'm going to remind myself to check out Zankou when I'm in the LA area.
Burbank Zankou is great.. otherwise the Anaheim location used to be my favorite (only because that's where we lived). Very filling.. it's just as well there isn't one downtown or I'd be there too often.
I can't wait for the economy to get bad enough for all people to realize that only guarantees of $5 or less a meal is going to cut it.
At that point a trip to the taco truck for one taco -- cut into three even meals -- will surely be a Depression Obsession.
and that all those restaurants will not be able to turn a profit (especially with rising food costs ) and close. that would be real great, right?
I'm surprised at how many people haven't been to a Zankou! That stuff is tasty!!!
Carrie--I'm so excited they'll be in NoHo on Riverside! See you there!!!
I was gonna say the say same thing Lindsay! Zankou zankicks butt!
I love Zankou's falafel pita but Amer's in Encino is fresher and tastier
I used to go to Amer's all the time...now THAT was good.
I prefer the food at the Glendale branch, but rarely get over there. Instead, I usually pick up my Zankou at the West L.A. location, where, I should warn everyone, they are rather stingy with the garlic sauce. So I've learned to shell out the 50 cents extra for more, and to ask for it when I order rather than when I pick up.
great, now I want some chicken!
A group of friends decided to have a potluck Christmas dinner and the people staging it were going to get rotisserie chicken from their local market (Mayfair on Franklin, or whatever the brand is now) but they found it was going to be closed, so I checked with Zankou, yes, they were open, problem solved.
Wrong, problem MORE than solved. Open, full crew working. Since I was ordered four or five, they put them in aluminum trays after cutting them up, and we were given a lot of the garlic sauce. I had bought a pound at Super King market (my absolute favorite market...I like their chickens too--and if you don't know the market, checkout their items at www.superkingmarket.com) so I had plenty to take home to enjoy on other foods. Seems a large number of other people were letting Zanhou cook their dinner that night...nonstop customers. I was prepared to pay cash so I didn't notice about cards.
And yes, the Glendale location (not far from the 2 freeway) is a parking headache...but so worth it.
End of story: half the people didn't know Zanhou...now they do--made fans of them.
It's simple. Chicken Tarna. (read:Schwarma)
You don't need anything else.
It beats Moishes easily (although Moishe's boothful of attitudinal yentas is reason to go...if you need a little jewish momma passive aggressiveness)
It beats Haifa which is the best all around Israeli food this side of the hill.
I almost blogged about this place since I FINALLY got there recently. I can't believe that you guys highlighted it. Must be synchronicity.
The garlic paste is awesome.
My 2 year old can eat their tahina and hummus all day long.
Don't forget a side of the muttabal (eggplant dip with the most amazing smoky flavor). So delicious!
hmm...they should put one up on Foothill Blvd.
loved it ever since the first time I tasted it
Zankou is delicious. I love their Sunset/Normandie location, especially when the guy who likes to direct traffic in and out of the parking lot is on hiatus.
I would always drive by the Sherman Oaks location when I lived in the hood, and it was always packed. Kept meaning to stop in, but the vehicle lineup was always a little too crazy for me.
Zankou is great. It was my first introduction to Armenian food when I moved to LA.
Parking is a bitch at the Hollywood location so just walk or ride a bike. You probably could use the exercise after you eat this giant plate of food.