Zamaan Cafe

So good I had the upside down with chicken, very flavorful and we’ll seasoned. My one criticism is that the pitas tasted like they came from the grocery store, neither fresh or warm, but the food made up for this 10 fold.

Best Middle Eastern in Ann Arbor.
If you don’t order the Fulful you dont know what you are missing in life! Its the best spicy hummus ever conceived. Seriously take a shot and get it.
They also make the best hummus I’ve ever eaten, no really order it and you wont regret it.
Wraps are tasty and cheap.
Takeout is the best way to go.

Here’s a place with a very ordinary service and very cold waitresses. The food is not bad but the plates, forks, spoons, and etc look dirty a lot of times.

On a rainy night in Ann Arbor, dining choices walking distance from the hotel I was staying at were limited but this came up on Unilocal search and thought I would try the vegetarian combination (not large sampler — this one had Baba ghanoush and not hummus). The falafels were a major disappointment. Would describe them as small, dry and lacking the rich flavor I have come to expect from better middle eastern restaurants.
My food was not warm even though I waited there for about 10 – 15 minutes for them to prepare it. The pita was also rolled very unceremoniously in saran wrap and also dry and not warm. I would say this place is ok in a pinch but definitely would not recommend. Cannot speak to the hummus sadly as it did not come with the combo I ordered, but the ghanoush, rice and salad were all mediocre as well.

We made a large order for work. They got everything right and the food was delicious. Chicken shawarma, Shish Tawook, and Shish Combo were all excellent. The falafel was a bit overcooked and flavorless, so I would skip that next time, but overall an excellent choice for Mediterranean food.

While I usually just stick with chicken shawarmas at Middle Eastern restaurants, I decided to venture out of my comfort zone and tried one of the eggplant wraps here. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. All the food here is well-​made and prices are reasonable, making this a great choice for a quick lunch break or casual dinner.

First time in the area and stumbled upon this place. Nice non-​chain experience. Enjoyed the greek salad and the Shish Kabob. Service was great. Highly recommended

Great hummus, wraps, and salads for a reasonable price. All the meat well-​spiced. Wraps are a particularly good value and it has become a staple lunch spot, but call ahead.
I’ve noticed the garlic sauce can have funky aftertaste as if the garlic used might have a bit too much green sprout on it. It’s not enough to negatively affect a wrap that contains the sauce, but I’ve stopped getting sides of garlic sauce as a result.
Very occasionally, I’ve gotten a soggy tabouli that tastes like it was sitting in the fridge too long.
It definitely satisfies the craving for Bucharest Grill until my next Tiger’s game.

Love hummus? Then you must come here. Yes, you must
When this place first opened a few years back I brought home home a veggie sampler platter, started with a bite of hummus from it, and immediately knew I was into something good. There’s plenty of places around where you can get good hummus, and some where it may be equal to Zamaan’s (or even better on the right day), but theirs is consistently outstanding, full of, but not overwhelmed by, garlic and lemon flavor, creamy but not sloppy. The baba ganouche is stellar too. It’s smooth and mild rather than chunky and smoky. I like both styles, but Zamaan’s pairs better with other food. When it comes to Mediterranean dips, Zamaan has you covered.
Plenty of other good things here too. The chicken shawarma is great, as are the falafels (and at $ 5, the falafel appetizer plate is a steal). Grape leaves, shish tawook, and maghmoor are also on our faves list.
We were less impressed with the kefta – bland – and with the tabouli, which was so salty and saturated with dressing it was almost inedible. Karnabeet is a favorite dish of ours to make at home, but Zamaan’s is greasy and overcooked. I had a couple of good fatoush salads from them, but in the last two the lettuce was limp and the dressing too oily.
Still, there is that wonderful hummus, which along with a slew of other fine offerings, makes this one of Ann Arbor’s best middle eastern eateries.

I love this spot! I may even like the food a little bit more than the typical Ann Arbor Mediterranean staple, Jerusalem Garden. Their Chicken Fattoush salad is incredible and must be paired with their garlic sauce (which is like crack for any garlic lover). The Chicken Sharma and Kufta wraps are just as delicious. Super friendly staff and food comes out almost instantly. So if you ever find yourself in the North side or just curious – do yourself a favor and indulge in some outstanding flavor.

There are not many Mediterranean restaurants around Ann Arbor — especially North Campus. Zamaan Café offers reasonably priced food that is delicious and quick. Their French fries are delicious and their Schwarma sandwiches have all the expected ingredients.
If I could, I would give this place 3.5 stars as I have had better Schwarmas — however, the staff and food is definitely worth what you are paying for. Come by if you are craving a chicken Schwarma and fries for under $ 8. Otherwise, check out Pita Kebob or Jerusalem Garden on central campus.

Walked in and was confused as to whether it was open or not. Had to ask. It was dead quiet during ‘after-​lunch’ time and the person was cleaning. Ordered my food. Food was great. Did not get a refill on my drink. Was not asked if food was ok. Was passed by. Went to ask for a refill and nobody was up front for a while. Left. Good food, service not so great.

I just had one of the best meals EVER!
Working in the Ann Arbor area can make it tricky to get something delicious on the go – and the Zamaan Café proved me wrong. I ordered ahead of time, and picked up the eats within 15 minutes.
The service was fantastic, the food was fresh and flavorful, and everything was packed up perfectly for lunch at the office.
I’d highly recommend the Hummus Bi Shawarma with chick and pine nuts.

Zamaan might be the best Middle Eastern food in Ann Arbor. Palm Palace is tasty (and their bread is definitely better), but the hummus at Zamaan is to die for.
I usually order the Hummus bi Shawarma. Get it with roasted almonds. It is fantastic. The owner and cook is very nice and always greets me when I come in. My main criticism is that the service is consistently bad. But the food is good and the price is right.

Zamaan Café is a delicious and reasonable treat in Ann Arbor. I’ve been there a few times — for take out and dining in with friends. Everything is extremely flavorful — highly recommended! The batinjan bi banadura (an eggplant dish with rice) was incredible — the eggplant and cauliflower were perfect and I loved the added crunch of almonds. The chicken shawarma was really flavorful – the garlic sauce was amazing! The lentil soup is also wonderful — perfect for a cold day. Everything I’ve had there has been so, so delicious.
In our experience, the service was great — so I’ll have to wholeheartedly disagree with the negative comments about service. The staff were very friendly, pleasant and attentive and our food came out quickly.

I came across Zamaan while staying at a hotel close by. The convenience factor coupled with vegetarian options made this café the most suitable option for me.
I ordered the lentil soup, BBB, and pistachio baklava. The lentil soup was the best part of my meal. It had a nice mild flavor that was comforting on a cold December day. The BBB was much less impressive. Unfortunately, the texture of the eggplant was less than desirable (surprising since I ordered the dish based on a previous Unilocal review). You know something is wrong when you are starving, a full plate of food in front of you, and lose your appetite within 3 bites. I would not recommend the BBB dish to anyone… under any circumstances… and I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul («a simple wrong would have done just fine» credit: Adam Sandler by way of «Billy Madison»)
The owner of Zamaan is a nice man who I am sure puts out delicious food, but I did not have that experience. I went in with hopes of having leftovers for tomorrow. Instead, I sit here with 3 bites of an entrée gone and food for the birds. Sorry Zamaan… I won’t be back on this trip to Ann Arbor.

I came here for lunch. I was in the mood for a really delicious chicken Schwarma like I can get at Farm Grill in Novi. Since I work in Ann Arbor, driving to Novi for lunch wasn’t practical. So I stopped by here to grab lunch.
First off, yes, the service is atrocious. Whoever the guy is as owner, manager, whatever, his attitude is bad. I placed my order to go for a chicken Schwarma wrap and lentil soup. Every middle eastern place is judged by their lentil soup.
The Schwarma? Decent. Not Farm Grill delicious, but pretty good. I would order again if I needed my fix.
Lentil soup? Meh. There was no delicious under current of spices. The lemon I added to perk it up, just ended up getting lost. I was kinda disappointed with this.
Overall, it was okay. Ive been pampered by other middle eastern cuisine. It’s a shame that in Ann Arbor I found the mediocre place.

My reviews on this are really mixed. Here’s why:
I will admit. I’m not an expert when it comes to Meditterian food. My co-​workers all raved about it and it was on my way home, so I wanted to check it out.
I will agree with others. the service is horrible! I walked in, looked at the menu and had a «gentleman» say to me «yeah?» I would say that «what would you like» or «how may I help you» would be a more appropriate response, but I took that as my cue to order. I ordered chicken with garlic yogurt over rice.
I will say, the amount of food was adequate. There would be more than enough for me for a dinner and lunch the next day.
The garlic sauce was great! The chicken was over grilled. No, I wouldn’t want it under grilled, but the charred parts kind of left a bitter taste on the chicken.
The meal included a ziplock baggie of pita bread. I didn’t really try it as I left the sauce for the chicken and rice.
The food was ok. I would be willing to give it another shot if the service was good, but it is not. It will be quite awhile before I consider being back.

If you like Mediterranean food, Zamaan is a must try. There are so many tasty choices — at my first visit I went with one of the dishes another Unilocaler raved about — Batinjan Bi Banadura. It’s a vegetarian dish with eggplant, cauliflower, peppers, onions, tomatoes, garlic, and I think mushrooms served with basmati rice. You can add a protein to it for a few extra dollars. The flavors are out of this world — comfort food that I have not had before, but definitely want to have again.
The creamy lentil soup was exactly what I needed to start off the meal and warm up, a Southerner in frigid Michigan must have hot coffee/​tea or soup as much as possible to stay warm. The pepper in the soup added a little a bit of punch to it which was nice.
Service was very slow. It looks like more people opt for take-​out rather than eating in.
I will definitely come back to Zamaan the next time I am in Ann Arbor.

The karnabeet is delicious. It’s this fried cauliflower with tahini sauce. Amazeballs.
The kufta wrap is great.
I also had the eggplant and rice wrap which was pretty tasty for not having any meat in it.