Rustic theme, surrounded by heaters, amazing Lebanese Garlic Bread and Flavourful mezze and wraps sums up my visit to Zaida. To know the details, visit below.
It’s such a casual-looking place, Lebanese food, set slightly back from the street, that I must have walked by it a hundred times and never tried it. My loss. We split a falafel salad, four yummy kibbehs, and some hummus with ground beef … and it was slightly too much food for us. And it was all pretty much absolutely delicious. Couldn’t fault anything about it. I even had to take some of the leftovers home (I hate wasting food!)
Have been a long standing patron of Zaida on Crown St. Whether it’s the Mezze or the Salads or the Dips - one cannot go past Mediterranean food cooked fresh and delivered to your doorstep.
**Jasmine reviews:
Went to this cafe for the $20 banquet - lunch time special. It comes with dips & refillable bread, salad, falefels, chicken and kafta skewers and chips. The falefel was very delicious with lots of flavours. My favourite was the very juicy Kafta. The garlic sauce was creamy and not too spicy, which I really like.
The meal was worth the $20, everyone was full and there were a lot to offer in the banquet.
the chips are amazing! its thin, crispy and full of flavor! Love the chicken wrap as well, it was well worth the long walk I made to get there and wouldn't mind doing it as often as I can :)
If you like Lebanese food you should definitely give a try to this small restaurant in Surry Hills. They have a backyard, which is very pleasant when it is not too warm outside. I went them with my colleagues for our Christmas lunch and they have a banquet option for 20$ per persons. So I had an overview of a lot of their dishes and everything was so good. I loved the hummus and the baba ghanoush, we had as much bread as wanted so it was really hard to control myself. But when the fattoush salad (dressed with a pomegranate syrup) arrived I regrated because this meal is amazing and you want to save space in your stomach for this one. We tried their skewers and the meat is good quality too. So if you are craving for some Lebanese food just have a look to this simple but very nice restaurant.
I recently ordered the mixed grill platter and really loved it.The lamb skewer and baba ghanoush in particular were very flavorful.The chicken kebabs were nice too but maybe a lil on the dry side.Overall great experience though on the pricey side.
Don't Believe The Hype
+4
In terms of middle eastern food its one of the best ive tried in Sydney because they dont over salt like many others. It is reasonably priced (cost us about $25 a head for group of 5 of us). It is relatively small so you may need to book on a fri or sat. I prefer sitting out in the back courtyard.
Zaida is consistently amazing, hands down best Lebanese food in Sydney. Fattoush salad is out of this world and so is the fried cauliflower, falafel, lamb squewers and chicken. Great for a BYO night too or to take visitors.
Really enjoyed Zaida. The dips and bread were fresh and tasty. The Kafta meat was really tender and flavoursome. Baklava and Turkish delight were ace. Great service too. Highly recommend.
Booked a table at this place which is just off oxford st, the place is a bit small but the outdoor area at the back is quite nice. The staff member was quite attentive and asked to make sure things were OK and topped up the drinks. We order a mixed and chicken plater, haloumi and olive dish and salad, with plenty of lebanese bread and zaida chips not the French fries type. The 2 platters were more then enough food for 4 people and very filling I preferred the lamb and chicken skewers, then the kafta and the dips that accompanied it, ended the night with some apple tea all in all a very pleasant night and came to about $40 a person which wasn't that bad.
Another amazing meal at Zaida!! This is our go to restaurant as it isn't far from home and the food is always incredible. Halloumi, hummus with mince and pine nuts and the cauliflower dishes are to die for, and the meat on the platters is always beautifully cooked. We bring all of our friends here and recommend it to others all the time. Won't stop coming here!!Valeska Halpin
Loved it. Food was excellent and a reasonable price. Waited a bit for a table, would recommend making a book over the phone (NOT over the app, they didn't even get my zomato reservation). Corkage $4 which seemed a bit steep. But otherwise a wonderful restaurant.
The staff are always friendly! They always help us with what to order and we never leave hungry because all the food is so good that we just want more! Getting mixed plates and all the dips and bread is a must. Thanks for having delicious Lebanese food in the heart of Sydney, Zaida!
Food is very good and authentic. Service is friendly. Will definitely be back
We stumbled across it by accident and were greeted by friendly, attentive staff. The food was amazing, generous and we left incredibly impressed and wanting to go back. Thank you for a wonderful night!
My regular go-to restaurant, Zaida never disappoints with their attentive, friendly service, fresh amazing food and reasonable prices. BYO is handy for when we go with a group of people. Time and time again Zaida deliver on a wonderful evening and each time my Sydney visitors agree!
Best middle eastern in Surry hills!. Came here for dinner with my family and had the chicken tapas, zaida chips and the lebanese coffee. All 3 items were delicious and the service was wonderful and the staff were friendly too. We even got extra chips for free and the place offered a great vibe and a wonderful atmosphere. I highly recommend this restaurant to everyone.
Terrific business lunch. Had a great meal today at this cafe. We shared some plates and dips while sitting in the courtyard in the sun. Would go back tomorrow if I could, the food was very good.
Amazing!!!!! If you like lebanese food, you'll love Zaida! I've been coming here since it opened and it's never disappointed. Great fresh food and excellent service!! Give it a try!!
I love this place, they have the best chicken skewers! The staff is always friendly and accommodating and has a great atmosphere
What a great restaurant, lots of great food, meats, dips, salad and breads and $30 for two people in Surry Hills is such good value. We don't drink alcohol which also explains the cheap bill, but nevertheless still great value. Really nice and friendly staff. Good leb food, not to mention the handsome leb chef!
Well where do I start, have been frequenting the restraunt for the last 8 weeks! Service is Amazing! Food is Delicious very well priced! Have never had a bad meal.! To be honest every meal gets Better and better!! The Staff are so willing to please Everyone!! What a pleasant experience for a change in Sydney!
Love it!!!. I have been a few times now for lunch and dinner and I absolutely love the place!! The staff are amazing and friendly and the food is to die for!!
I try something new every time I go and it's delicious!
The atmosphere is also great! Although the restaurant is situated on a main Street, sitting in the courtyard out the back feels like you are miles away from the city.
I would highly recommend zaida to everybody!
AMAZING!!!. I have been to Zaida a few times now for lunch, dinner and I have also celebrated my birthday there. The food is amazing, the restaurant has a great atmosphere and all the staff are so friendly and cater to all your needs. Highly recommend to all :)
10/10!! Fresh, delicious, authentic!
The mixed platter was delicious, a perfect size for 2 to share for lunch. The fattoush (salad) was the best I've had; so fresh, incl. good quality olive oil.
I'm looking forward to going back!
Perfect setting with Amazing food. I celebrated my birthday with friends at Zaida, Atmosphere and staff are amazing, Food is Delicious. Definitely a spot I go back to often.Highly recommend to all
Kris
Zaida is a gem! The food was amazing and the staff were so accommodating to my needs explaining specific dishes that were on the menu. My partner and I had the grilled haloumi, grilled eggplant and cauliflower and a mixed grill platter to share, the meats were so tender and there special chips were to die for! Pricing was cheaper than other lebanese restaurant I have visited before... We can't wait to return next week with a few friends to show them this new restaurant we will now make it our regular.
I celebrated my birthday here last week all the food was amazing!!! They even baked me a cake :)
Walked passed and one of the wait staff conviced us to come and try the food (love her assertiveness and energy ). Great service and food. Had the combination swekers and salad and they were good. Chicken was juicy and flavorsome. They treated us with a free baklava too...
Love this place went with a large group for lunch food was amazing! (Alot of it)Quick service friendly staff and a great atmosphere. Work close by so is now my new coffee stop in the morning!! Definitely will keep returning
Nice night. Great atmosphere, staff are lovely and food was brought out very quickly. beautiful wine list and hubbly bubbly was a nice touch for a relaxing evening in good company. Overpriced but food was amazing, needed more of it.
On behalf of Zaida Cafe management, thank you for everyone's feedback it's greatly appreciated positive and negative! Middle Eastern tapas menu is something new we thought we would create, obviously this dinner menu is not working for some customers, we are reassessing our menu and pricing and will work with our popular lunch menu more by now creating big shared platters for couples and groups for dinners.
We are also putting together a new lunch and dinner takeaway and eat in menu with gourmet kebabs to create the traditional Lebanese culture!
Keep your eye out for new things to come!
Once again thank you for your feedback, our first week of opening was a trail basis.
I loved the food there staff were nice and they have great courtyard to sit and relax . I'll go back for sure.
We really couldn’t fault anything at this restaurant! The service was fantastic - friendly and attentive! The menu was jam packed with plenty of options for shared or individual plates. When the food came out, we absolutely demolished it with delight! Would definitely come back
A great place to get Lebanese food in Surry Hills. The food is delicious and the staff is friendly. Make sure you make a booking if you are going there for dinner on the weekends it’s usually fully booked. We have been going here for about 5 years and never had a bad meal.
Food literally always amazing. Great price and value and always a really great combination of flavours and textures. I like Lebanese food and sometimes it can be a bit overly oily, but Zaida is always great. Every dish I've ever had has tasted great. We used to go for work lunches a lot and occasionally they'd forget to bring out someone's meal, but would be apologetic and quick to bring it out after being reminded. Understandable as we'd usually be a table of about 15 during a lunch rush.
the chips are amazing! its thin, crispy and full of flavor! Love the chicken wrap as well, it was well worth the long walk I made to get there and wouldn't mind doing it as often as I can :)
Stopped in for dinner tonight. Ordered two platters - mixed meat and vegetarian. The food was amazing and the variety was perfect. Highly recommend Zaida.
Great selection of well prepared dishes. Staff were friendly but not overly present during the 2 hours we were doing.
Waited a little too long for food this evening, longer than usual however it was tasty, and freshly prepared as always.
The changes to the outdoor area make it feel very boxed in and claustrophobic compared to the open air of past (not sure if this is due to covid-19 or otherwise) it's quite stuffy and drab and does take away from the dining experience. I would prefer an open Alfresco type dining area than makeshift marquee.
Alas, there is always a friendly inner city atmosphere here with lots of people enjoying quality food.
Always on my list of recommendations.
Great food and value for your money. Not a fancy place but very warm.
The lunch special with chips is one of the best deals on the block! A few months ago they were closed for some renovations or something and I about freaked cuz I thought they were like closed-closed. Luckily they were not and now I grab lunch here about once a week. Always getting the falafel wrap with chips, but the other wraps are really good too—I just like keeping meat-free when I can. I do take out most days, but if you’re gonna eat here, the backyard patio is a nice quiet place to eat and chat away from the hustle and bustle of Crown street.
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