Zooba

"An Egyptian fast-casual restaurant in Nolita that closed due to struggles stemming from COVID." - Emma Orlow

"An Egyptian fast-casual restaurant in Nolita, closing due to struggles exacerbated by COVID-19." - Emma Orlow

"Our website can’t ring the alarm on command, but just imagine that that’s exactly what’s happening right now: Zooba is now open for Egyptian takeout and delivery in Nolita. And since your hummus and turkey sandwiches have lost their shine, it couldn’t have come at a better time. You can place your order for pitas filled with spicy taameya and beef hawawashi directly through their website here." - hannah albertine

"Rice Pudding “I have a deep love of rice pudding, so much so that I once tried to smuggle a tub of KozyShack onto a plane, only for it to be confiscated by TSA, because “liquid.” So imagine my excitement when I saw this dessert on the menu of one of our favorite restaurants of 2019, Zooba. Besides just having a great Restaurant Week deal, this fast-casual Egyptian spot serves a rice pudding with pulled halva and crushed pistachios that’s then sweetened up with some orange zest and blue agave. The result is what I will now hold all rice puddings to, as it’s got a bit of crunch from the pistachios, some zing from the zest, and isn’t overly sweet even though the cotton candy-like strings of halva sit atop the rice baked in milk. TSA can confiscate this one over my dead body.” -CM" - team infatuation

"Zooba, the Egyptian spot, is getting a facelift, both to its menu and decoration. They reopen as a sit-down spot with things like braised lamb shanks and beets on May 31." - will hartman