Zikrayet Lebanese Restaurant and Lounge

Was craving some Lebanese food and this was decadent. The Kafta Arayes is immensely good and flavorful. The arayes are must try. The shawarma bowl is quite good. The beef in the shawarma bowl is quite tender and juicy, and it tastes especially good with the sauce. The rice on the side is immensely flavorful. It was infused with some coconut-esque additive that made it addicting to eat. The mixed grill platter was good, featuring good quality meat. The Toot Ala Beirut drink was not as fruity tasting as the menu might lead you to believe. The Lebanese mojito was great and creamy tasting. The falafel tastes okay. The atmosphere is quite nice and spacious, as this is a lounge there is plenty of room and booths to get nice and comfortable. A bit on the pricier side, but was definitely a great choice to dine for some Middle Eastern food.

I don't usually eat here, but when I do I enjoy it. Hookah is very good. Service needs a lot of improvement. Waiters don't check-up on customers and ignore eye contact so they can be waived. I guess that's all you gotta do when customers are automatically charged gratuity.

Went here recently after a while and remembered why I stopped going. Servers were polite when they were around but, when it came down to paying a few had to go up to them as if walking to over to our table, would’ve inconvenienced them. Also slightly sarcastic and less professional. Hookah is horrible - Harsh, even the coconut charcoal here is terrible (which I’m surprised about). Usually when you walk away feeling that bad from a hookah lounge it’s because of poor cleaning of the hookah, bad coals and old and dry flavors being used that burn quickly. If you’re drinking, you won’t notice, but for those who do not drink & are strictly halal expect chest pains, terrible headaches, throat ache. Happened to a few at the table. They also charge a $10 refill for charcoal and they change it continuously without asking and then upcharge you. Weird. Food is mediocre nothing special. They do have a monopoly on that location because it’s the closest and only one near that area but if people were to drive 10-15 mins more they would get better service, hookah and food. I would say not worth it at all. But if you don’t care for hookah and comfortable with eating whatever then they do have live music and a lively crowd on Fridays and I think Saturdays. Otherwise for authentic hookah smokers - not worth it. BTW ask questions they love slipping extra costs in there for side items that should be free?! lol. But I guess that’s how they make their money.

The food was amazing and the staff super nice. The place is also very cute.

It's been over a year since I've eaten here. I don't know what's happened to this place but Never Ever Again! We stopped by for a fresh hot lunch on the run. I'm sincerely appalled at how horrible this food tasted! I don't know who's in the kitchen today but cooking is not their competency & maybe not even their training. I honestly can't emphasize how gross this food tasted. Whatever they gave me was unlike any shwarma I've ever had. Now I'm hangry. I threw it away so fast I didn't think to take pictures.

Not really sure where to start with this place. The service is horrible. Staff are uninterested in serving and seem to lack basic customer skills. The customer needs to ask for everything, even when they aren’t that busy which leads me to believe it’s not a staffing level problem but a staffing training problem. In addition to being incompetent at their jobs, they are also rude and disrespectful, for no apparent reason other than they are annoyed at the fact that they can’t go back to socializing with each other and goofing off with their friends. The menu pricing for hookah also doesn’t make a lot of sense. Want a 5 cent disposable hose? Too bad you have to pay $5 dollars extra. It’s not about the money, just add it into the cost, nobody wants to be given the option to pay 5 extra dollars for a disposable hose or be presented with a used one? It’s insulting to the customer. TLDR: Disappointing experience on two separate occasions spaced over a year apart due to bad service.

Something different for a change. Food was delicious, flavorful and the drinks were strong!! I had the chicken shawarmaand that was really good while my friend and the lamb. Five minutes wait on a walk-in. We were seated outside in tent since the inside was reserved for private party. Good thing the weather wasn't too bad on a Saturday. They do offer hookah at your table as well.

I recently visited Zikrayet Lebanese Restaurant and Lounge and found the overall environment enjoyable, with good music and a pleasant ambiance. However, the experience started on a sour note as the initial server didn’t welcome us warmly. Perhaps it was due to our casual appearance, though I hope it wasn’t a case of bias, as it’s unfortunately common for service to improve with perceived wealth. That said, the second server assigned to us was very hospitable and turned things around. The food was decent, though it didn’t quite meet my expectations. Despite the mixed service experience, the lively atmosphere made it worth the visit.

"Thank you so much for making my birthday dinner so special! The service was fantastic, and you really helped to make my day even more memorable.". Ana Sypowicz

I thought this place was "meh" at best. All of the food seemed to come from the frozen food section. Nothing was really that exciting. I read that getting the small plates was our best bet - we had a whole bunch of overpriced appetizers.

Very rude manager , we get check without asking and to move out because all the tables are reserved . Nobody told us the tables are reserved before .

Yet another wonderful experience! Always a good go to! We sat outside today for hookah. I love how attentive the staff is. I believe the owner checked on us today. Very friendly and welcoming. I love the family style feel of this place.

Lebanese flavor, class and hospitality are abundant here. Came in hoping for a quick lunch to-go on a Sunday. Unassuming spot from the outside and once you get inside you get a feel by high ceilings and the choice of furniture. Wait staff were friendly and said hello, very polite. My bartender was Belhassen, who was well coming and very accommodating. I knew my food would take a while because it is cooked fresh so I tried a glass of Lebanese Sauvignon Blanc. The wine was just okay. You can skip it. The owner came by and treated me to a few snacks and a cultural facts. There's a huge painting of Raouche on the wall and he took the time to tell me about it. Sweet! Food! Yummy! Rice was slightly spiced and very warm and fluffy. Long grains with toasted egg noodles. Imagine jasmine rice but with a seamless up-notch. Also had the kafta, grilled chicken, and house salad. Yes! One tip. I'm used to well done beef but if you like it medium, you may need to say this while placing your order. Hummus and nuts were very good! Other things I noticed were the comfortable couches and hookahs other patrons were enjoying. Grape and orange flavor were recommended, if you enjoy. I'll be back soon!

This is my 2nd time at this location in 4 years. Each time the food was great and the hookah was . The service was good. They have a great outdoor seating area, perfect for hookah. This might become one of my fav after work spots to chill. They didn't have a happy hour menu However, o believe they used to have one.

I'm going to give this place a five stars, but the chicken shawarma deserves a 2/5. The chicken shawarma was definitely below average. Way more dry than I've ever had chicken shawarma and I've been eating this dish for almost 30 years. However, my friend noted that the salad that came with the shawarma was good and I did order an extra garlic sauce that it came with because that was excellent but that shawarma, they need to step up their game on that. The lamb shank was just one of the stars of the night. Yes, one of the stars. This is a massive shank and it was cooked perfectly. The meat just fell off the bone and was extremely soft, juicy, and well seasoned. Absolutely excellent. I would love to go here again and order the lamb shank. It was so good I don't think I would order anything else here. The dessert we had, was interesting I would give it a 3/5. It was good for what it was. The rose sauce was excellent with yummy crushed pistachios on top. It was so good we ordered another sauce. But the actual dessert was missing something. The cheese was sour the breading was really soggy. It was just not well put together the cheese and wrap seemed like two separate entities, but ingredients in a dish need to meld together to make a masterpiece. Honestly, the three components of this dish was very disjointed. The entertainment was great however. We went on a Saturday night and they started with DJ Mixxed and then came out a live band who sang in Arabic. They were great, instrumentals were on point and the singer was on tune. Very impressed. The crowd is so lively I got up with other patrons and we all danced in a rotating circle around the restaurant. And the drinks were fantastic. Definitely recommend all the drinks! We also had the hookah, the first hookah machine didn't work and then our waiter changed it out for a working one and it was potent and nice. Great entertainment. Great lamb shank. Great drinks. Great ambience.

Had no clue it was also a hookah bar and lounge, but if the weather was nice there's a TON of patio seating. Food was quite good overall! Next time I'll just get a bunch of small plates because those were all excellent (sausages in lemon butter were PARTICULARLY great). Main dishes were ok and drink prices seemed high...thus the 4 star and not 5 star review.

My husband and I loving it. We meetup with our close friends there whenever they come to our area since we are close to the restaurant, it just feels home when they speak our language and people around does too. My friends love their huqah (i dont smoke, or shisha, so i dont know about it) but everyone does. Food is really good, especially their Taboula is my favorite, and i like the shawrma but its too small and expensive. The place is wonderful especially outdoor, only from inside needs few changes, the couches are so comfortable but some chairs are not really. But the overall service and the guys who works there are so friendly and respectful. They have live music but i never been there for music.

Came here on a Saturday and someone was doing sound check for an event later in the evening. Thing was, the music was obscenely loud that it felt like I was in a club rather than a restaurant. Also it felt way too bright in there well. Food wasn't too bad, but the rowdy vibe in the restaurant was not for me at all.

I ordered the mix grill entree and loved it. I only wished they had given me more white sauce and warmer rice. If you're going to order this, know in advance that it's $29 (as of 8/14/22) and very filling. Maybe save 1/2 of it to-go. I would definitely go back to try their other entrees. On another note, I did read some of the negative reviews. While I didn't personally experience or witness instances of racism, I will definitely keep an eye out and update this review if needed.

I've always driven by and seen lots of people enjoying the patio. I stepped in on a Thursday evening to relax a bit. The staff is super friendly and attentive. I was able to sit at an open table on the patio and order quickly. I ordered the watermelon hookah and an old fashioned. Well four old fashioned. I wasn't hungry so I didn't try any food. But the drinks and hookah was awesome. It's a great vibe if you are looking to get out and chill a bit.

We visited from Chicago, so prior to going to this place, we've made reservations. Place seemed decent to be at. When we first walked in, I told that waitress we've had reservations for outside. Her response was "we don't take reservations for outside" we had a confirmation both on the phone and text message that reservations have been made. Then she took us to the owner or manager and he was hell bent on "we don't take reservations for outside" so we were seated inside. It was 9 of us. We sat down and we got waited on by someone who works there. He was super nice and definitely deserved a raise for how he was handling everything. Food was definitely not bad. DJ was amazing. One thing that completely sucked about that place, was their hookah. It was nasty. Very disgusting and disappointing for the price we've paid. Our bill came out to $500. I definitely wouldn't recommend the hookah. Food and music were good! Overall, I wouldn't go back because of the hookah and the unpleasant experience with reservations. Not to mention they kept saying there was no mazaya tobacco but the guy that did the hookahs said there was but only for one hookah. But someone how had enough for 2 or 3.

Beautiful, well decorated place. Very spacious. The staff is very nice. They gave us wine recommendations and even free samples.

I feel very delightful that the general manager, Omar F, Hussein , Ahmad, or other mail associate servers and maître d' were polite, professional, cordially unbiased and not at all, racist." The general manager saw how bustling and inundated they were on an August 19 Saturday evening, but recognized that the two tables out in the Promenade/terrace section,... close to Foster's establishment & Eisenhower 7-Eleven convenience-store weren't being occupied, . The manager was very groomed and imperially polite and graciously seated me; when I asked the server to add another quick-flame Coconara charcoal they did so without being dismissive and disdainful. COLE & I used to try the Shawarma, smidge extra tahini? and Shish tawaook' for carry out. But this experience was awkward and dreadful. I guess Illuminati and 229K earners quote per year are less snooty" in Annandale aha places. My French-Moroccan friend Amelle was astonished and even exclaimed, "what kind of restaurant charges impos3s" 19 or 20 % percent discretionary tip" for ONE individual".??! However, I do recommend ZIKRAYET for the customer service OR genuine manners of wait staff. I felt It's kind of like going to Baskin Robbins paying $seven dollars for basic TWO-ounce scoop of Madagascar-VANILLA ice-cream. 1 star, not so much as a quality and quantity of basic fodder meals.

Service was terrible. Went there for an event and the waitress barely came to our table. She only brought us bottled water and after an hour of being there we had to track her down to take our order. After 2 hours of being there they only brought out 2 out of 5 items we ordered and they waited till I asked about my drink that it was sold out. When we asked for the check, they charged us everything we ordered even though we never received it and added a gratuity. The ambiance and location of this place was really nice but I'm very disappointed with the service.

This place use to be good, but now they have gotten greedy. Yea there is no cover charge, however they will try to put a 30.00 person charge minimum for you. Sometimes its hard to spend 30.00 just on food. They expect every person to order dinner, desserts, and their own hookah. We quit going because of this.

The hospitality is superb!!! I got the chicken Shawarma which was sooo good! Absolutely will be coming back!

Their food and service is top tier. They have hookah which is better than most places in NORVA, but it can take a while to get the order.

I ordered the shrimp and rice! It was pretty good. Hookah was nice. Well lit. Urban music. Servers were attentive. I will be back!

I have been coming here since 2016. Zikreyet is the place to go to if you are looking for hookah and authentic Arab/Levantine/Lebanese food. If you are looking for a party then make a reservation for Saturday night to enjoy a live singer and dancing. Be advised that there is usually a minimum on those nights. On other evenings you can enjoy a more chill environment and I have found that this is one of my favorite places to bring my laptop and do work, or even bring friends who are visiting from out of town. It can also be family friendly when there is not a party. The sujuk and cheese manouche is too good for words and my favorite thing to order; the fattouch and chicken shawarma are also my favorites. The staff is great and Robin especially is awesome :)

Mohammad the "manager" had poor customer service skills. Very rude. I've been to Zikrayet many times over the years but will not be returning due to how unprofessional he was.

Review for delivery only: fairly solid. I got the mixed grill entrée from here, which was fairly reasonably priced for the area. The meat and rice were excellent, and definitely well-cooked. I could have used more sauce, but that's a common issue with these sorts of cuisines when delivered. I'd definitely order from here again.

Best Lebanese meal ever! I shared delicious food and good conversation about life with the owner and friends for a four course meal. The lamb shank was the tenderest I've ever tasted. Appreciated the authentic way some morsels were wrapped at the table for tasty treats. I treated myself to a couple of Lebanese beverages to compliment and finish off the fine meal.

They accommodated our party of 10 during COViD and Ramadan without a problem. Live music, the atmosphere and establishment was nice inside and outside with a cool patio, hookah and decent appetizers, food and drinks. Thank you, Zikrayet, for making our night special!

I like to think of Zikrayet as my second home. This is our go to whenever we feel that we need time away from the craziness of every day life. The atmosphere allows you to enjoy time with friends uninterrupted by pressure and their hookah is the BEST, this is a fact not an opinion. Additionally, their menu is delicious and diverse. There is something for everyone. The staff are amongst the nicest and most professional of any other hookah lounge we've been to and management is always a step away and continuously checking on guests to ensure their comfort. There is a live band on the weekends and a dance floor for fun. There is also a full bar!

My friend from Richmond introduced me to this place when she was in the entertainment business... and let me tell you all... this place, is literally MY PLACE. I love it here! I live a few hours away, but it is my go-to place when I need to light up my weekend, or to indulge in a relaxed lunch meal. The staff is AMAZING and the service is top quality. The food.... oh my goodness the food is to die for! I'm Greek but I've been to Lebanon before, and this place hits pretty darn close to it! So delicious! This place is absolutely elite, not to mention the wonderful environment it has to offer, whether you're out for lunch on a weekday, or partying your butt off on a weekend. DJ nights and live entertainment basically every weekend! (P.S. Pictures in this review were taken prior to COVID-19. The restaurant has been doing an amazing job navigating COVID precautions to promote everyone's safety, I just haven't thought of taken pictures during my recent visits)

Bad attitude after making a reservation since one week the manager assigned us to side low table and refused to change it . Not going there again! Went to Phonicia lounge much better food and wonderful customer service!

I've been here a couple of times and each time its been a great experience. The staff is really nice and their food is really good as well. Last time I came here, it was still warm out so there had their outdoor patio open. I've only tried their appetizers before (hummus, baba ghanoush, etc) but this time I ordered the kunafa to satisfy my sweet tooth. It wasnt the best but I've never had kunafa before so I had nothing to compare it to. It tasted old and microwaved.

This place has great Middle Eastern food. Most dishes are tapas. I loved the hummus and baba ghanouj. It has a great outside patio and is open late usually till about one.

This location is so professional and kind. Omar and his colleagues are so welcoming and accommodating. I also had my lap top and they assisted me with a location that allowed me to focus on my work and very attentive. They have genuine care for their customers/clients and they have no idea how much their kindness meant to me. Sending love and blessings to you all *hugs*

Ordered mixed grill. Great choice if you want to sample different types of meats . It came with chicken, lamb, and beef. I ordered the Knafe for dessert and my daughter ordered chocolate fondant! She finished her dessert! I never had the knafe so I tried it here. It' was served warm with honey. If you like sweet stuff the this is for you. Overall experience was great! They are very attentive!

The food was OK. Ambience is not bad. Hooka was decent. It was whatever place nothing out of the ordinary.

I like this place for hookah and vibes they have happy hour until 730 (wine, food, liquor ) and hookah is $24 can't beat that and the service is really good!

I love this place. The food is excellent as always, the service is great, the employees are polite, and the owner is very welcoming. The entertainment is also great but I will say that it can get pretty loud indoors when the bands are playing. That being said, the covered outdoor patio area is perfect for me. I absolutely love it. If you want Mediterranean food, an excellent hookah, and a place to enjoy friends and make new ones, Zikrayet never disappoints. Enjoy.

Food, drinks, and hookah are nice! Salmon was my favorite dish. Drinks were pretty strong which is great. Pretty pricey, but it's worth it for a good time.

Orders through Grubhub and the staff didn't realize it until I stopped by to pick up my food. Since they didn't make my sandwiches beforehand, I had to wait an additional 10 min to pick up my food.

I went there for the hookah and the live music, I had a Moscow mule drink that was Devine . The customer service was exceptional , the ambiance and the decor was inviting and I cannot wait to return .

The food was amazing. And the hook up with out of this world and if you come at night was a party going on and I recommend this equation hip I just wanna have fun and smoke this is the place for you

I came here on Saturday night with some friends they have good hookah and I like the music and set up as well...the only reason I refuse to give them 5 stars is because me and my friend ordered a beef shawarma sandwich twice with two different servers and they did not give it to us. But I like the owner because he knew about that and didn't charge me for my 2 hookah refills so definitely good customer service I will be back but now I will never try to order food again from them just hookah.

Great place, very authentic! And the food was really good! Would definitely return next time I'm in Alexandria!

I have been going to zikrayet a couple of years now and love the servers, they try their best and have the best recommendations. The reason why my group of friends go there was because we love the outside sitting and having servers that recommend the chocolate cake. See couple weeks ago the manager said he didnt have an outside sitting and only inside sitting available this dude said no to all the places we wanted to sit inside and wanted us in the middle we were 5 ready to eat,drink,smoke. We said ok but when you do have opening can we move inside he said no and walked away.... See a polite way to say no would have been nice and since he clearly said once we sit inside there was no moving we were hoping to sit outside thank god the server found us a spot outside and we shook it off and sat outside so... tell me why he came running to our table and said this white couple are already moving from the inside to outside my group of friends god mad and showed emotion but its not worth it because this aint the first time he have done it, so my group and i will not be going to zakarayat The total of at least 700$ is lost in the two occasions At least $80+ tip each time for his servers Bias against African Americans The only reason i am giving 2 star is because of the servers

I've been coming for years, but lately the customer service has really taken a nose dive. With the amount of customers they usually get on the weekend, they are severely short staffed. My last visit, we waited almost half an hour for our hookah, which is ridiculous. On top of that when it arrived there was no coal. We asked both the staff and manager for it and they said to wait 10-15 min as they warming a new batch of them. We waited that long and when it didn't arrived, we just canceled our order and left. They really need to figure out a better way of running things.

Great atmosphere and good place to eat, drink and chill. They have a live band sometimes that I really enjoy as well.

Love the food but they take SOOO long for delivery. We usually get the grape leaves, shawarma, some kind of kabob, and kibbeh. It takes well over an hour to get here each time, and they never really get your order 100% right. Either they'll forget a drink, or fries, etc. but it's usually small stuff, not big. The toum is also not always consistent. Sometimes really garlicky, sometimes salty. Food is always good though.

The food was overpriced for the portion and quality. The food was great, for sure, but I paid $12 for some chopped romaine lettuce, a few slices of chopped cucumber, and a few pieces of chopped tomato. Maybe that is standard for DC area, though. The lamb shawarma was good and the salad was well seasoned.

I can't say enough about Zikrayet! This is my home away from home. I come almost every single week and every time I come, I get the best customer service I've ever had! Robin has made me feel like family and Mohammed is the Man! And you HAVE TO try their wings! To die for. If your looking for a great time, wonderful music, excellent food and service and a chill relaxed but fun ambiance, this is the place to be! 10/10 recommend!

If you want a great time and you want excellent customer service this is the place to go to. The food here is amazing. I definitely recommend the wings and everything else but the wings are top-tier. Robyn is the best, so is Mohamed, so is the rest of the staff? they make me feel like part of the family every time I come excellent spot come here. 10 stars!!!!

Great Lebanese food with an outdoor patio There is usually a band that plays middle eastern music around 10, so be sure to stop in then. It is a great experience and you to can dance with the crowd of patrons. Parking is available and free