ZaZu Mediterranean Street Food

This is the best Mediterranean place to have your favorite chicken shawarma. The place is so clean, service is great, price commensurate with the quality of food with fresh ingredients. From the portions and presentation of every servings will exceed your expectations and will keep you coming back to try every item on their menu.

The food is pretty good and well priced with very spacious dining area. It’s one of my top places in the area when I want something quick laid back when it come to the experience.

I ate their Loaded Fries Shawarma Chicken and garlic sauce, which was decidedly yummy. My goodness! The depth of the taste was phenomenal. Their spices are subtle, but memorable. I chose their garlic sauce and my friend chose the Tahini sauce on her beef Shawarma. The food is plentiful here. It was enough for me to be able to take some home. I was too hungry for that the first time, to do that. I've went back yesterday with the same friend. The fun part is that they give points that you can use for each purchase, which I had missed seeing before, but my friend had not. I signed up on the spot and received 50 points the equivalent of $5.00 off my meal. Stupendous! For my second visit, I had the Beef Sharwarma and my friend had a wrap. I was expecting shredded beef, but it was ground. Again, the spices added depth, but there was also perhaps a bit of greasiness from the ground beef. Although pretty, there was an almost overwhelming amount of chopped tomatoes on top, plus the requisite pickles. I opted out of the red onions, again since I have an onion sensitivity. That might cut the slight greasy taste bringing up the rear. I did not finish it, abs decided to take it home. Don't get me wrong it was still quite good, moist, ...yet still a little greasy. I will, return. The food options, taste, and the bonus points, all make it worth it to go.

I was a little skeptical going to this place. But I am surprised that this place is actually good. Got the OF Falafal special. Got hot sauce on the side. Their Falafal are freshly made to order. They were soft and delicious. Their stuffed Falafal were crispy from outside and soft from inside. Their Hummas was delicious as well. They tasted delicious. Friendly staf answere the questions I had. Would definitely go back to get more food.

it’s fine for a vegan option if you are in a pinch. don’t think i will go again. stuffed falafel side is a good snack. tahini dressing bland: cauliflower bowl needs some sort of dressing. eggplant and hummus were best part.

I absolutely LOVE their food. The beef or chicken shawarma is always my go-to and my husband thinks they have the best fries (they do!) Kal B who rings us up every time is so so so friendly. Love his customer service! Makes me want to continue supporting this business and eating their incredible meals. Thank you so much!!

Great modern takes on classic middle eastern street food. The branched, chipotle style menu makes for quick and easy customization. The shawarmas are on real vertical broilers and the falafel is crispy and spiced correctly. The fries are crisp and the combo prices are amazing. You can feed two people well for under $20 here. Catering is available as well. Update: I came back on 9/21/23 They have a Peet’s coffee bar now and are open early. The coffee was fantastic. The black tie was bitter and sweet and reminiscent of Vietnamese coffee. My girl got The pumpkin spice cappuccino and it was quite good! They also offer breakfast snacks now as well! Love this place

Operation falafel is a homerun! They have great vegan options and the place is warm and welcoming. They are the kindest staff/team and they are willing to make sure you are happy. The food is delicious and I will surely be back. The price is good for the portion size. Great for a quick bite

Had falafel and chicken shawarma. Absolutely delicious! This is become my lunch spot! They had real food. Their proteins and dips are undoubtedly better than CAVA!

The beef shawarma is basically a meager scoop of regular ground beef on top of lettuce and another scoop of yellow rice?!?! They add cauliflower with onions...and tahini sauce. C'mon folks I know Mediterranean food...either u were out of beef or u were just pretending, either way this is not a beef shawarma. For that price, u can get better just by walking a bit further to 23rd and 6th, the Turkish place on that corner may be a bit on the expensive, but the quality is highly justified. Nope...don't waste your time folks. This place won't stay open for long.

This place is pretty good. I got a falafel pita and it was packed full. The falafel itself is delicious and they definitely don't skimp out on their sauces. After tax n stuff it cost $14... Steep but the food was filling and this spot is in a pretty pricey area in general.

I live a block away from this location. I hardly see anyone in there during lunch or dinner, but I figured they must do a good delivery business to stay open. I decided to give it a try at 12:30 pm on a weekday. I was the only person in the restaurant. I ordered the eggplant pita and the stuffed falafel. It was ordinary. For roughly $16.00, the portions were very small and left me hungry. The falafel were not much bigger than a silver dollar and were bland. The pita was small and had very little filling, but tasted good. Based on my single experience, I will not return nor recommend this place.

An excellent clean restaurant where you can sit and eat yummy falafel that is not spicy. A selection of sauces too. I thought for $1 the pita bread was kind of small.

I ordered delivery from here. The delivery app messed up the order and it had to be resubmitted. The restaurant did an awesome job of quickly preparing the food and getting it to me nearly at the originally scheduled time. I ordered the build your own bowl. It was a good portion size; definitely enough for two meals if you are not too hungry. All the ingredients tasted very fresh. You can choose a base, up to five toppings, a main, and a dressing. I got falafel for the main. It was very dense and a bit on the dry side, but paired nicely with the hummus and veggies. I also got their fries, which were skinny, shoestring style and had just the right amount of salt. I would definitely order from them again.

The restaurant itself has a really nice aesthetic. Great design as far as the interior goes. As for the food itself, it's overpriced. So much so that I can't recommend eating here. I paid $17 for a regular bowl. There was nothing about the food that I couldn't get nearby for much cheaper. About 5mins away there's a similar restaurant nearby that's cheaper. I would recommend that spot before this one. Even better, there's a myriad of halal carts nearby that offer similar meals for a lot less. So it's very hard to recommend this place. The food itself is just fine. Doesn't stand out from the rest of the pack or justify the price tag.

Boy oh boy! They take their falafel seriously & this Dubai chain impresses with it's signature creations. I had to try their $15 falafel bowl to feed my post-workout hungry belly. First off, the bowl is huge and looks satisfying - two types of falafel (Regular & STUFFED) gracefully sitting stop of heap of goodness (greens, tomatoes, spiced rice, picked onions & the creamiest hummus) served with tahini. The Falafel is perfectly crispy on the outside but soft inside & melts in your mouth. I tried each item by itself before mixing it all up to enjoy the flavors dancing on my tongue. Overall, a satisfying experience but the flavors are rather subtle for my liking. Naya's garlic sauce might make this bowl epic. If the thought of falafel comes in your mind, don't think anymore just take the first train and get down here!!

This is my first time ever try their food and I'm impressed! My colleague recommended this place because they have the best hummus. The space is pretty big and the interior design is pretty cool. I got regular size self build bowl which comes with 2 base (rice, quinoa or salad), 2 proteins and 5 toppings to select. I love it when I can pick two different proteins which gives me more option to try different meats. So my bowl has quinoa and mixed leaves, falafel and beef with toppings like onion, beets chickpeas, hummus etc. The bowl is not too huge and I got pretty stuffed after finishing it. The hummus was so fresh to mix with all the food in the bowl. And I asked Tahini as dressing which gave some highlight flavor to the bowl. It was so satisfying. My colleague complained they used to have kofta but not anymore. She was very disappointed about it and asked me to include this comment in my review. Lol Overall, I like this place so far. Hope to see more of them open in other boroughs.

The workers were so kind and the falafels were delicious! I look forward to going back and trying more items!

Great value for when you're feeling cheap. The two for one pita deal is worth it. Not the biggest pita in the world, but like I said, gets the job done if you are hungry. The prices for the next extras like soda, water, etc, aren't bad. I'm happy.

Fantastic Mediterranean spot. Ordering was super easy on the kiosk (wish they were positioned a bit lower though) and the food was AMAZING. definitely planning to go back.

Manhattan has no shortage of fine spots to snag good falafel. Operation: Falafel in Chelsea serves up tasty street cart fare in a pseudo industrial (shipping container chic?) space. The menu offers bowls (rice + greens + proteins + veggies) and pitas. Strolling in just before close on a Saturday night, I kept it simple with a falafel pita. The falafel was hot, crisp, and well spiced, while the creamy tahini and briny pickles brought the sandwich together.

I was in the neighborhood and hungry. Then I saw this new falafel place. The interior looked spacious and nice except for the huge door that wouldn't open. Make sure to bring your muscles to get yourself inside! There are meal deals. Do not expect authentic pitas. The quality of pitas are basic, it fills your hunger. Like you wouldn't expect authentic Mexican food from Chipotle. This is like a fast food falafel halal restaurant with high ceilings and comfortable atmosphere. Good place to eat and read a book or something. There is no free WiFi.

Strolling through the area and stumbled onto this place. Even though it was before they opened, the owner invited us to wait inside and warm up. Not at all what you expect from most eateries in Chelsea. The counter staff was also kind, friendly and helpful. The food is delicious, freshly made and well seasoned. Schwarma is a favorite dish and the chicken was moist and tender. The space is nothing fancy but very clean and cared for, just what you want for a budget friendly meal or take out. Will definitely return.

My coworkers and I have wanted to try this place for a while so we finally went for lunch the other day. This is a quick place to grab lunch or buy at counter and sit. The menu isn't very extensive. I ordered a chicken shawarma salad that I specifically asked for dressing on the side for and was told they don't do that. I asked if the salad would be drenched in dressing and was told it wouldn't be. Well, that was a HUGE lie. The salad was so overly drenched in dressing, that I didn't even need to use the side sauces. It represented a slaw with how much dressing there was. Additionally the chicken was hard as a rock and some pieces even felt like bones. I won't be back. One star for service

Yum, big portions. Saved some leftovers for later. Really enjoyed our meals here, will be adding to regular rotation.

OH MY GOSH... I really want to share just this part about the rice pudding. I figured for a treat to try this side option out of the blue. Take a look at this beauty! (photos included). The taste was also very delicious too! I really found it incredible.

Worldwide falafel joint lands in Chelsea. It's great to have a big new Middle Eastern joint in the 'hood. Like Fle Fle on8th, OF brings Middle Eastern to the people. Ate: Curried lentil soup Vegan bowl with four falafels Total: $19 The veg bowl with stewed eggplant and cauliflower was the star. Little bags of fried Zatar's accompany the meal and they're delicious.. Clever packaging and value price point.

Delicious !!! Fresh !!!!!great prices!! Healthy!! Super nice staff !! Highly recommend for a fast meal! Yummy

Very good for what it is. Salad ingredients were fresh, hummus was tasty, and the gently spiced felafel freshly fried. The small bowl is pretty small - fine for me for lunch, but would not suffice for dinner.

Great portions and value, friendly staff. Excellent addition to the neighborhood! Will come back.

One of the best quick service places I have had in a long time. I got two pita sandwiches for $10 with tax. I was worried they would be small but they were more than enough. I had a falafel and a chicken shawarma. The pita bread was very good. The sandwiches were amazing. I don't know which one I liked more but I know I would get the exact same thing again.

I love that Operation Falafel lets you pick TWO pita sandwiches with different fillings - I got to try one with chicken and one with falafel. Both were delicious - the falafel is really flavorful. The hummus spread on warm pita bread is also amazing!

Well let me start with saying I'm not the biggest falafel fan and what I'm not a fan of is bad falafel and this one folks is the real deal hot and steamy delicious and their sauces are very good as well I have never tried a stuffed falafel before and I highly recommend you do too !. You can actually feel the love in the stuff and the staff here was incredibly nice and full of smiles nice to see you after the last two years we've had!

Was craving falafel while at work and so ordered delivery and this slightly upscale street food is quite yummy! The stuffed falafel is crunchy but not spicy as I'd expected and I love the tiny 3 pieces of baklava! If you're craving falafel, everything arrives neatly and individually packaged and you can customize what you'd like so you don't get more than you're in the mood for. Definitely would order from them again. Fast delivery, and delicious!

Ordered the 2 x falafel pita and stuffed falafels. Also ordered extra sauces - tahini and garlic. I wish I had gotten tzatziki too!! The falafel pita was tasty and I'm glad the pita wasn't too dry... Lots of places have too thick a bread and are hard/dry and tough to chew while other places are too thin and then the sauces leak/stuffing doesn't hold. I'd say this pita sandwich was perfect in that regard. Was just surprised to see the sandwich completely flat, that's not how it looked in the pictures. I didn't kind much though because it still tasted great. The stuffed falafel was probably my favorite - wish I could replace those into my sandwich! Soo flavorful and tasted great with the tahini

I've been searching for a great falafel place and finally found one. I stopped into Operation: Falafel on my way to work. What a find! The falafel is moist and flavorful. And the condiments that go with it are perfect. Plus the sauce really makes it. Do yourself a favor and try this place!!

Tasty. But why is everything served cold??? No one here in line. Ordered the falafel and schwarma pitas. Both served cold. The falafel was like chilled! Gross. Sorry. Disappointing.

I ordered a regular bowl from Uber Eats and it was a bang for a buck! The bowl was only around $15-20 and it is large enough for two meals. To say the portions are generous would be an understatement!

I went here for a quick lunch. I ordered the chicken Shwarma sandwich in a pita. It was a great price at 6.99 but I quickly learned it's a tiny pita sandwich not your traditional big chicken shwarma and it was loaded with a bit too much taziki sauce for my liking. Took this to go and it was only a few bites so forgot to get a pic

I really wanted to like this place because hummus has to be my favorite thing to eat and the fact that they were selling it in cute little jars was a game changer plus I loved the visuals of the place! However from the customer service to the taste of the food, I was let down. They seemed understaffed when I went on a weekend where I had to wait on line for quite a bit to order and when it was finally my turn, the girl left to pack a few orders or something without even telling me "one minute." I thought she would be right back but she took so long that one of the girls from the back came out to take my order. I was the only one left on line so maybe it would have been smart to take my order before leaving so you can work on two orders at the same time? The hummus wasn't good. It all had so much lemon juice that it ruined the flavor. The only one I liked was the pesto hummus because it had no lemon juice. Spicy hummus and spicy eggplant were ok but same lemon issue. The chocolate hummus is down right disgusting. It tastes like they mixed their original hummus and Nutella so you got a heavy after taste of...you guessed it, lemon juice. Please don't order this. Trader Joe's surprisingly has a better one. I got really grossed out because my spicy hummus had dried crusty bits of hummus on the outside of the rim like it had been previously used. None of the others had that and looked clean so I'm confused. Also none of my jars were filled to the top like the ones they gave to food influencers like Muslim Foodies. I also tried one of their chicken shawarma rice bowls which was kinda a joke. There was maybe a pinch of chicken in the most tiny little shavings. It seemed like there was more but it was just rice underneath. It also had an overwhelming amount of hummus that took over the whole dish. The salad and cauliflower were great but there wasn't enough. For the price, it wasn't worth it and you can get much better and cheaper plates at any cart nearby. Also they don't have any falafel pita pockets?? Like how is that even possible. I'm really sad this place didn't work out because again, the interior and concept are great. And I can see it being good for people on their lunch break in the area but unless there's better management or a change in recipes, I don't see myself going back.

I was down the street (post-workout) and only had about 30 mins or so to quickly eat lunch before I had to make it to my next errand. And I have to say, I'm thrilled to have found this spot. There was no wait (on a Saturday, around lunch time) and I got a chicken shawarma pita + a water. Service was nice, super fast and the pita was SO GOOD. I regret not ordering a second one lol -- they have a deal for two. I'm most definitely coming back again to try the chicken shawarma bowl.

This spot was the first falafel spot I've tried and I fell in love instantly! I tried their Chicken Shwarma Bowl and it was perfect. I love that they put cranberries in it to give it that extra pop of flavor. The Hummus is amazing. I also have tried their stuffed falafels with pickled onions and WOW. If you have 2-4 of these they are very filling, I'm just greedy and need to order that and something else LOL. Thank you Operation Falafel for the amazing service!

Man I really wanted to love this place! But I just think for a place names Operation falafel, the falafel was not good enough - it seemed like factory made and old? Like something i'd expect if i bought frozen falafel and then did it myself? We got the chicken shawarma bowl (4/5 it honestly could've been really good because I loved the kale and greens in it, but there was way too much hummus. Overpowering everything, I was trying to scoop it out after I had mixed it in :/ ) and then we got the falafel side (2/5 for the reasons in the first paragraph :((( ) My boyfriend had the Pita combo - chicken and beef shawarma. (4/5 for chicken and 3/5 for the beef) The fried were definitely the best part! Similar to mcdonald's fries because of how thin they were, but they were even more crispy - yum! I'll probably come back and just get their fries hahaha

We tried the vegan moussaka bowl and kofta meatball bowl and both were great lunch options! It's a great fast, but clean feeling lunch option to say McDonalds, Chipotle, or Taco Bell. The kofta meatball bowl was definitely my favourite of the two, but the moussaka bowl was still good. I'll definitely be back to try the falafel!

It's finally here! Operation Falafel, located between the 23rd street subway stop and Whole Foods, has been under construction for THE longest time, but it was well worth the wait! I highly recommend trying this amazing Middle Eastern fast casual spot that came from Dubai. The food, the portions, the cleanliness are all 10/10. New York has no shortage of fast casual mediterranean/Greek spots like Cava, Taim, and Naya. I love them all, but Operation Falafel surpasses all of these places in terms of a solid bowl (still love Cava for my salads). For $10.95, you can get a HUGE falafel/shawarma/vegan or meatball bowl. For the price, you will be absolutely stuffed. I ordered a falafel bowl with additional chicken shawarma on the side. Everything was so delicious and so, so fresh- the cauliflower, the salad with walnuts and dried cranberries, the pickled onions, the rice, and of course the falafel. The hummus portion it comes with is massive! It could probably fill the entire palm of my hand. They don't skimp on quality or portion size. True to its name, the falafel was excellent! I also ordered pita bread, pita chips and hummus on the side for good measure. The pita bread was good, but the pita chips are an absolute must try! I love the light herby seasoning they have on it, and they are super crisp. The side of hummus comes in a sturdy plastic container that travels well. The interior is really spacious and nice, perfect for dining in should you want to. You can also order through Uber Eats right now. 10/10 would recommend, especially for a quick lunch or dinner. Be sure to get pita chips!

Decided to try a bit of everything and all the items were top notch! The original falafel sandwich has the falafel perfectly made, with the right soft texture and flavor. Also went with the vegetable falafel which I thought had a very unique blend of spices with a cauliflower base as well. One must try is the spicy hummus which I thought was delicious, and it comes in a container that you can take home if you don't finish!

Clean, cute place with very friendly service. I was excited to see that it finally opened more than a year after they began signage... Food is a bit quirky, though. Why is falafel not available as a single sandwich? My daughter had to order two! (Or get a second of some other kind of sandwich.) Basically had to throw away the extra, cuz it didn't taste so good the next day. Also, it has some unusual flavors that take a bit of adjustment, especially for a picky teenager. Like lemon and mint. I tried the special falafel bowl. The menu said it came with eggplant, but when I got it home there wasn't any. Instead there were craisins! WTH? Not a good substitution, if you ask me. But the stuffed falafel was super yummy, very comforting and savory and coated in sesame seeds. Much better than the plain, which is some of the "plainest" falafel I've tried, simple and bland. I live near here and might try something else next time, but it was not a great trial run...

Was waiting for this place for a while and the wait is over. To tell you that it was worth the wait ? not exactly. When figured out that they are actually a chain i lowered my expectations to a level of 6-7 (or 3-4 stars) . At my first visit i ordered the pita/s combination at a very attractive price of $8.95 (though price is never an attraction/decision maker) and then in the second visit the shawarma bowl with chicken and fries . The food is good , great portions , very clean and very fresh , but the taste is bland and pleasing the American palette but it should be spicier and with a kick . Yes they give their hot sauce (8 out 10) which can change somehow the blandness and actually the fries are fantastic , very nice portion . If you around its a good option but its not a destination .

Ordered a baggie bowl with cauliflower. It was delicious and you pick your toppings. Humus was outstanding and had to order pita for extra fee which was a bummer. However restaurant and bathrooms were clean and they had good music.

One of the tastiest falafel I've ever had, perfectly crispy on the outside, fluffy and well seasoned on the inside. I got the pita pair combo, which is two pitas, a side of falafel (4 pieces) and a soda for $16 before tax, which is quite expensive in my opinion. It doesn't look like a lot of food (pitas looked small but they were stuffed), but was surprisingly quite filling. I liked the chicken shawarma pita but the beef shawarma pita was terrible, couldn't even finish it. Pitas were stuffed with meat, but wish it had more greens in there. I'd come back for the falafel.

Small portions (pita is like 75% the size at other falafel places, hardly any salad & veggies, half the amount of falafel you'd expect). For a second I wondered if this was a joke or if they accidentally gave me something from a kids menu. The falafel itself was lukewarm, spongy, and flavorless. At $7, what they serve you is heinous. But to be fair, it would be heinous at any price. I give 2 stars because the hot sauce was actually quite good and is the sole reason this didn't end up in the garbage. Everything else in the entire sandwich was garbage and the people working there clearly don't care about the product and service. If I hadn't been in a huge hurry, I would've returned and demanded a refund. With so many options nearby that are far and away better, this place had better do a 180 on portion size and quality or they'll be out of business by the spring. And considering said nearby better options, I will never return to Operation Falafel.

First time at operation falafel: amazing experience! Beautiful space, fun vibe, and incredible service. The blond lady (owner?) behind the counter was everything - super friendly, patient... will definitely go again!

This is the worst falafel sandwich I've ever had. It was premade and sitting around for a really long time like McDonald's. The falafel itself was just mush because it had been cooked a long time prior. There were barely any vegetables inside, and the lettuce tasted like it was going bad. The pita was good though.

Grub hub order - mediocre quality and not enough food for the money. I ordered chicken shawarma bowl

Reasonably priced, large quantities, and delicious. Operation Falafel brings some life and diversity back to Chelsea's fast casual scene vs it's surrounding big corporate fast food chains

It's good. I was really looking for a place that makes everything to order. I realized it was a chain type place when I got there, but tried it anyway. Its good and satisfying if you are in a hurry, but if you are looking for a customized, freshly made felafel, you may want to go elsewhere. I got two pitas. The flavors were good but it didn't wow me. Not enough kick. Also, the side of felafel balls were pre made, and Im used to waiting for them fresh and hot and picking what salads I want in my pita. As I said, it's good if you are in a hurry.

Great new falafel/shawarma take out place in Chelsea. We ordered chicken bowl and falafel bowl. Chicken was flavorful. Falafel- they had a traditional falafel which was a little on the dry side but they also had a stuffed falafel which was really flavorful. I would probably order with all stuffed falafel next time. The packaging is really cute. It's a good value for quality food. Would be a good meal to take and eat by the river.