Zabak’s Mediterranean Cafe

Food is simply amazing. The gyro meat and the falafel are sooooo good! The food is great and the service is just as good, which you don’t always find. It’s a small family restaurant that treats you like family. Reasonable prices. Zabak’s is way better than Niko Niko’s. A must try for any food connoisseur!

Good food always hits the spot. I suggest a few of the Texas-​inspired green falafels, hummus and the chicken shawarma plate. Yummm. I may have to go for lunch today.

Very yummy and fresh Greek food. I’m so glad I explored this little strip mall near my place because I definitely would have missed it.
It’s counter service. You order up front and they bring you the food.
I got the beef schwarma plate with rice and French fries. The schwarma came with a nice drizzle of tahini sauce on top which added a very light but nice flavor to the the beef. Fries were shoestring and very crispy. My boyfriend seemed to enjoy his gyro too because he basically inhaled it. It disappeared after literally 2 minutes and he ordered another– and then proceeded to finish that one too!
The lady behind the counter was super sweet. Made my experience so much better. I will definitely be back!

1^st time here and enjoyed the Chicken Shrama plate with Baba Ganoush and chopped tomato and cucumber salad, and warm pita bread. Everything was delicious and helpful, friendly staff. I will be back.

Love this place.
Food is always fresh. Staff is friendly and you know it is really good when you see a lot of regulars.

Love this place. Tasty food and friendly staff. My wife and I have it in our rotation as a go-​to for those nights when we don’t feel like making anything. It satisfies every time.
She gets the salad and falafel (large = two sandwiches). I eat one of the falafels and shawarma plate — both chicken and beef are good. Be sure to tell them to go easy on the sauce or get it on the side — it is generously applied.
Not sure who owns/​runs it, but I see the same two faces behind the counter every time I walk in. I should ask the relationship — husband/​wife, brother/​sister — anyways, they are super friendly and always get my order right for takeout.
Thanks Zabaks. Will return!

Love this place, the Falafel is awesome. I am working close by for the time being so this will be a spot that I frequent.

Came here in search of the best falafel in the city, as I’ve heard from so many sources. I’ll say that it was pretty good, but also a little disappointing.
The falafel was fried just about right with a barely crisp crust and perfect thickness. The parsley/​chickpea mix inside was coarsely-​ground, fluffy, and perhaps THE moistest falafel I’ve ever had. Nice! But unfortunately, it turned out to be a bit too moist and mushier than I would’ve liked. For this reason alone, I can’t say that this was the best falafel I’ve had in Houston. No way it’s better than Aladdin’s, Fadi’s, or Sayad’s falafel, for example. Their tahini sauce is also really weak, with just a slight hint of that raw sesame taste but not much else. I do like that you can order any number of falafel you want, but the somewhat hefty price ($ 0.95 each) kind of makes up for that.
I had the chicken shawarma sandwich for my main course. It’s $ 5.99 for a small (6 inch pita) and $ 6.99 for a large (8 inch pita cut in half), so definitely roll with the large for value.
Also unfortunate, but this was terrible. It looks great, but then you bite into it and find out that the pita bread tastes like dry cardboard, the chicken is juicy but has no flavor, and the boatload of tahini sauce strewn on top is even weaker than the tahini that came with the falafel. Overall just a really weird shawarma wrap. They put shredded iceberg lettuce in it too, which you likely won’t find anywhere else. I’m ok with a chicken shawarma wrap like this (still prefer the Lebanese/​Arabic version with garlic sauce and no pita pockets), but this was just not good at all. The sandwich fell apart way too easily and I have doubts that the chicken was even roasted on a spit.
Nothing bad to say about anything else though. The owner and staff are all super nice, and it’s very comfortable inside with counter-​style ordering. It’s a nice place to grab a casual lunch.

Great customer service. The front desk lady was friendly and explained all the options. The food was prepared quickly, had great presentation, and was of course delicious. Really good price for good quality food.

Really love the place. Food is great, and fresh. I’m not normally a salad person, but the Greek salad was AWESOME!
The food coupled with the fantastic service and welcoming atmosphere. I truly felt the folks enjoyed what they were doing.
It’s rare to see that passion in folks while at work and truly a delight to experience it especially in the restaurant/​service industry.
Get out here for the great food and awesome, personal service.

Right when walked in the atmosphere was welcoming and the lady at the counter greeted us and happily walked us through the menu. She was so kind and patient while we made our choices. The portions are generous and the dishes are fresh and vibrant tasting. Great place to stop by for a quick lunch with friends!

I LOVE the falafel here! It is so delicious, crispy outside with soft chickpea and parsley inside. I crave them, they are that yummy. I usually get the beef shawarma with hummus and the tomato/​cucumber salad as my sides. It of course comes with pita. Very good! If you go you must try the falafel!

I had a to go order of the Beef shawarma with falafel and hummus, omg it was amazeballz! This place is a must go to! The staff is super friendly also :)

I stumbled across this place during my lunch break. I was actually short on time so I used my handy Unilocal app to find a place nearby that I can order to go. I was craving a shawarma so I got lucky when I found this place. I called in to place my order and the lady said in 10 – 15 mins it would be ready. I had ordered the chicken shawarma and a side of hummus with pita bread. The lady on the phone will ask if it’s card or cash so make sure you say the right thing since it’s sort of a big deal. Anyways, the establishment is small but they were very fast with my order. My food was good and most likely I will place my lunch order again since it’s close to work. But it’s not something I would crave again and I love Mediterranean food. So that kinda says something…

This is what a $ 13 salad to go looks like at Zabaks. Large Greek salad, tiny bits of dried out chicken (in complete disproportion to the salad). The chicken was $ 3 add on for a salad (gyro meat is a $ 4 add on in the same disproportion). Doesn’t seem like much but when you order 2 of these and your total for lunch is $ 26 on a to-​go salad that wasn’t even satisfying on protein you pay extra for… Well Sorry, not sorry that was not cool zabaks. How are your plates with meat, carbs AND salad (taboulli) priced better than a box of lettuce? There are TOO MANY options within a 2 miles radius to make this mistake again.
2 stars only because their falafels ordered at a prior visit were good.

If you want some good Mediterranean food you should come here. They know how to fix you up a good plate. I got several dishes to try out, I highly recommend getting their chicken Sharma plate and their Gyro plate! The food came out quick, fresh and ready. A meal here only would cost you under $ 10 bucks that will definitely feel you up. Come check it out.

I’m glad there is a great Mediterranean restaurant nearby! It’s a mom and pop feel and the people who work there are very warm and welcoming. I’ve been here years ago, and I’m glad they still have the same service as I remembered. It’s in the same parking lot as Mongolian Hot Pot and Yogurtland.
I ordered to-​go, and when I got there the gentleman that helped me on the phone repeated my ordered and showed me exactly what I ordered. I appreciate that because I hate when you get home with a to-​go order to realized your order was completely wrong!
I got the beef shawarma plate, with hummus and cucumber & tomato salad. A small side of greek salad and 1 falafel. The greek salad was huge for a small! My boyfriend and I split this entire meal and we were both full at the end. Their falafel is very well made. I’m not usually a fan but I was intrigued from the other Unilocal reviews and gave it a try. The beef plate was good too but next time I will probably opt for the rice instead of the cucumber salad.
It’s definitely underrated and a good place to eat.

Great lunch option — but it gets busy. I got here around 11:15 (they open at 11), and there was already a 8+ person line. Although it was pretty crowded, my order was ready much faster than I thought. The owner (?) taking orders was insanely friendly despite the chaos. She’s awesome.
I had the chicken Shawarma plate which come with 2 sides. I haven’t had MUCH shawarma in my life, but I just wanted it to be better. It wasn’t as amazing as I anticipated. The chicken was a little bland, but I definitely finished my plate!
The Hummus was AMAZING! Very flavorful — I do wish the pita bread was slightly toasted.
The falafel was the best I ever had! (Although I’ve only had falafel one time before this, HAHA.)

Waited awhile at the register while the guy was on the phone. The lady next to him didn’t greet us nor try to take our order first so we stood there for a bit before anyone acknowledged us. I got the gyro plate $ 7.49 — a combination of beef and lamb grilled with onions, topped with tzatziki sauce and served on a plate with tabouli salad, hummus and pita bread. My fiancé got the kifta kabob $ 7.99 — ground beef mixed with parsley, garlic and onions, grilled on a skewer with tomatoes, onions and red and green bell peppers. Served over a bed of rice with your choice of one side item and pita bread. His pita bread looked like wheat compared to mine and it was a little soggy too.
Gyro meat was ok. I’ve had better. It was a little undercooked it seem like. Kinda mushy too. I love the tzatziki sauce and their hummus though –it’s prob one of the better hummus I’ve had. My fiancé said his kifta kabob was ok, not the worst, not the best he’s had.
We saw on a sign that it was voted best Middle Eastern restaurant in Houston in 2010. Hmmmmmmmmmmm… I’ve had better gyros though.

Great Mediterranean at a great price. Definitely an everyday kind of place to visit when you’re in the area.
The chicken shwarma, beef shwarma, and gyro plates are all really good. Personally, I like the beef shwarma best. Kabobs are also yummy. The hummus is good, and the pita bread isn’t dry and cold like at some places. Baba ghanouj tasted very fresh. Even their fries are delicious.
They set out chickpeas, pepperocinis, jalapeños, and some pickled veggies at the front for customers to help themselves to because, no, there’s not enough chickpeas in the hummus. Yum yum proteins!
I heard some of the desserts are good, but I didn’t personally try any. My friends got a baklava and mousse cake, and they liked it.