Zoës Kitchen
What started back in 1995 in Homewood, Alabama has grown into 171 stores throughout the country. Focusing on being a fast, casual restaurant they serve a nice selection of Mediterranean-inspired comfort food. They focus on made from scratch recipes making sure to use fresh ingredients. They currently have 8 locations throughout Arizona, with more planned in the future. It is a great place to have a quick, but healthy alternative to fast food.
As you enter you can grab a menu from the side of the wall or look above the ordering station. Take some time reviewing the menu, as there are a lot of creative and tantalizing options. Once you order your food, you get to find a seat and wait for the food to arrive. Many locations have indoor and outdoor seating and they are very creative with the use of space throughout the restaurant.
We started with the Hummus ($4.99). It is a large amount of hummus and it is topped with a little olive oil as well as a few Kalamata olives. It is served with sliced cucumbers, but pita and wheat pita wedges are available for no additional charge. You can also request all three, if you are sharing with the table. I do recommend planning to share, as it is enough hummus to feed an individual person as a meal. The pita was fluffy, and yet still firm enough to hold up to the hummus. The cucumbers are cut to the perfect density in order to stand up to the hummus as well.
The next dish we ordered was the Chicken Kabobs ($9.49). You are served grilled chicken that is topped with peppers, onions, and tomatoes. It is also served with two sides of your choice and that is a whole other difficult decision to choose, as there are nine very appealing options. The chicken is perfectly cooked and the added flavors of the vegetables bring out different notes in the chicken. The side items we decided on were rice pilaf and a side Greek salad. The rice had a very rich flavor and the Greek salad was adorned with fantastic, yet traditional toppings. If you are looking for a dish that is closer to a traditional Greek option, I highly recommend this choice.
The next item we ordered was the Turkey Stack ($7.99). This is a delightfully tasty sandwich. Sliced turkey breast, mozzarella cheese, lettuce, tomato and a Feta cheese spread. It is all piled up on grilled sourdough bread that is enhanced with rosemary oil. All sandwiches are offered with one side dish, and we decided on the Pasta salad for this dish. The sandwich was amazing. It had a great combination of flavors that you could taste throughout each bite. The pasta salad had little bits of chicken, cold pasta shells, a spattering of Feta cheese and diced tomatoes. It was a very tasty and unique take on pasta salad. I look forward to that side dish as well as the sandwich in the future.
This is a great place for a quick, yet healthier meal. The service is refreshingly polite and friendly. All the staff we encountered were happy to answer questions or even just to get more pita bread wedges. Often in establishments such as this where tips are not expected, it is amazing to see such service. So even if you are not a fan of Greek fare, I recommend you making a stop in to Zoës Kitchen. You might just discover that not only are there other options, but that you do like Greek food as well.
Location and Website: 7650 W Bell Rd Suite 130, Glendale, AZ 85308 https://zoeskitchen.com