Zam Zam Foods
Pakistani restaurant · Hawthorne ·
Flavorful biryani, kebabs, and naan; market goods available
Flavorful biryani, kebabs, and naan; market goods available
"Here are a few things you can expect from a meal at Zam Zam: you’ll walk into the bare-bones space, you’ll ask what’s cooking today, and someone in the semi-open kitchen will rattle off a few things. They’re not asking you what you want - they’re telling you what you’re going to get. Sometimes it’s a giant platter of grilled meat and other times it’s a steady parade of la carte dishes until you’re full. No two meals are the same at Zam Zam, and even when you have a general idea of what’s going to hit the table, there are always a few surprises in store. photo credit: Jakob Layman No matter what form it comes in, your meal at Zam Zam will be tremendous—especially the chicken biryani. This is one dish we’ve seen throughout multiple visits: a fragrant, spicy plate of basmati rice and perfectly cooked tandoori chicken, with burnt cloves that make the whole thing taste like a warm pile of cinnamon. It’s a plate of rice you should travel across the city to eat, or come for immediately after landing at LAX (Zam Zam is only eight minutes away). Food Rundown Chicken Biyrani This is one of the greatest dishes in Los Angeles. It’s fragrant, spicy, savory and one of the most complex plates of rice we’ve ever eaten. No matter what Zam Zam is cooking the day you go, make sure to ask if they have the biryani. photo credit: Jakob Layman Beef Kebab The meat itself rich, heavily seasoned, and requires very little chewing. This is the perfect complement to the giant plate of biryani rice that’s hopefully also sitting in front of you. Garlic Naan Not the absolute best naan in Los Angeles, but still pretty excellent. If your instinct isn’t to immediately load it with beef kebab and chutney sauce, we have nothing in common. Karahi This tomato-y stew isn’t as good as their other curries, but it is the best thing we’ve had here for naan dipping purposes. Please act accordingly." - Brant Cox
"Here’s how a meal at Zam Zam works: You walk into this tiny Pakistani market in Hawthorne and 20 minutes later you’ll be staring down at a glorious feast of kebabs, curries, naan, and the best biryani we’ve ever eaten. There’s no menu, so prices are a bit of a mystery, but just know that they’re extremely reasonable. Order: Biryani and kebab plate, $10." - brant cox
"LA has no shortage of iconic dishes: The Godmother at Bay Cities, Philippe’s French Dip, everything at Mariscos Jalisco. It’s time to add Zam Zam Market’s Karachi-style chicken biryani to the list. The tiny Pakistani market in Hawthorne has a tight menu of excellent dishes like beef seekh kabob and tangy chicken karahi, but the biryani will forever be the star of the show. Spicy, savory, and deeply aromatic—it’s one of the most complex and mind-blowing plates of rice we’ve ever eaten, and the kind of dish that every Angeleno should be required by law to eat at least once." - brant cox
"We don’t want to overstate it, but this tiny marketplace in Hawthorne makes a biryani rice that changed our lives, and the fact that you can now get it for takeout or delivery is a true quarantine silver lining. Stop what you’re doing and order now." - brant cox
"If you aren’t exactly sure what you want to eat today, but you know you want a lot of it, head to Zam Zam. The tiny Pakistani market in Hawthorne doesn’t have a menu or even a dedicated waitstaff - it’s just a husband and wife who cook whatever they feel like on any given day. This is ideal when you’re with a few other people and you all want to share gigantic platters of food. One thing that will almost always hit the table is the chicken biryani rice - a dish we’d willingly brave 405 rush hour traffic to eat." - brant cox, brett keating
