Zeta's Grill — Restaurant in Avondale

3/23/24: Update - yup, we came back to Zeta's and it is still awesome. I'm two months late w/ this update, but Zeta's was a memorable experience. Hot, spicy, flavorful foods. Delicious sweets for that sweet tooth. Friendly and fast staff. If you love Mediterranean fare, you definitely need to try Zeta's - I don't care what part of the valley you live in, it is worth the trip.

2/2023: Short version: oh em gee, what a great place. Excellent food, wonderfully attentive staff, clean environment. Definitely worth the drive (from Laveen).

Longer version: stopped in around 4:30ish one Saturday evening a few weeks ago. There was plenty of parking available, were seated immediately, and within seconds a young gentleman came over, inquiring about drinks. I ordered a jallab (date juice), something I had never heard of before and it was a subtley sweet drink. Reminded me of an icee although the ice chunks were slightly larger. It was so good I ordered one to-go before we left.

The menu was pretty extensive and the items were well described. We ordered some hummus and the pita bread that came w/ it was some of the best we have had (and we have had a lot). It was steaming hot and was so light and airy it was like eating a cloud. The hummus was exceptionally creamy. We also ordered stuffed vine leaves. There were some pinkish food sticks on the plate; it didn't smell like anything I did not like so I took a bite, then ate a couple more sticks. Turns out it was pickled turnip. I hate turnips! But damn it if those pickled sticks weren't good. LOL!

Unfortunately I forgot the meals we ordered but if you look at the picks, you will see the portions are large. In fact, I ended up having leftovers for lunch for the next three days. It was great. For desert we ordered the baklava with pistachio ice cream. It was heavenly. The ice cream was a nice compliment to the baklava and although we split it, we were sorely tempted to order another plate to go.

They had display cases with layers upon layers of baklava and other deserts. The restaurant was well kept, the kitchen staff was not hollering orders at each other, they had a large patio, and the staff was extremely attentive. Not just to us but to what was going on ...

Case in point, there was a small family that came in. The parents did not know how to control one of their little monsters. The boy was walking all over the place, touching this and that. One of the items he was putting his grubby little hands on was silverware on a lone table, sitting in the corner. The flatware was wrapped, I assume in preparation for tables being cleared. Well that darn kid was poking his fingers all over it. God knows where his hands have been! I was going to mention this to the wait staff, suggesting they replace all the silverware the monster touched, but the next time I looked over at that table, someone had already removed it all. I can only hope they tossed it all in the dishwasher. So kudos to the staff for paying close attention.

We will definitely...

Ordered the mixed grill for lunch. Menu said $9.95. When I received the bill, it was $11.99. When I brought it to their attention, the manager said the waiter did nothing wrong because they had not gotten around to updating the menu prices? They advertise one price on the menu and then charge you 20% more when you pay. The manager seemed put off and could not see a problem with this. As others have stated, the portions are small for the price. Disappointing after being a loyal patron.

Update. Yes, you are correct it was not the mixed grill I ordered. I stand corrected on this. The problem was the item I ordered on the menu was $9.95. When I got to the register to pay, the waiter rang it up as $11.99. When I inquired about this he said I will get my manager. The gentleman with the long braided pony tail. He stated the waiter did nothing wrong and admitted they had not updated the price increase on the menu. So it is ok to advertise a price on the menu and charge more when paying the bill?. Bait and switch? The manager admitted the two prices were different and corrected the $2.04 (20%) increase . He admitted the menu price was less than the imputed price at the register. I guess the manager must be confused as well. It was more about the managers attitude to a patron that did nothing wrong. Once again you blame the customer. If I had the ability to scan my receipt, I would be happy to do so. You seem to care more about the ramifications of an honest review than the real truth. "It is hard to get someone to believe something when they're livelyhood relies on them to not believe it" . The main point of this review is the prices on the menu are different from the price when paying the bill. I do hope you can grasp this concept. A bit of honesty and integrity would be nice....

Came in the restaurant to sit and eat. Three employees at host stand no one says hi. Two go away. The other an older guy leaning on the host stand using his phone says nothing. He looks up and says what can get for ya. No welcome, no hi and no acknowledgment at all. I was obviously there to eat and I wanted to sit down but the service walking in the door seemed dreadfully un attentive so then I started thinking well if this is how they treat the customers when they come in the door, why would I think they were going to be any more hospitable at the table? So I looked at the guy shrugged my shoulders, put my head down and said do you know what never mind and I turned around and walked away while I was walking out the door he said something smart and snarky to me speaks volumes of your restaurant I don’t care how many ups you have in the newspaper online saying you’re good that type of service is disgusting to me do your damn job, especially if you’re standing at the host stand via 10 of be friendly, be approachable be courteous, be hospitable if you can’t do that then go work elsewhere. If you don’t care about the money that we’re putting in your pockets as a server and if you’re asked to expedite or host or cover the floor , then do that if you can’t do that then don’t be on the floor. I’m so sick of places like this ended up leaving not getting the lunch. I had drove over there to get it makes me absolutely sick. I hate people if you don’t want to do your job or don’t like it please go work elsewhere. Remember you’re not the manager maybe and also remember you’re definitely not the owner operator and if you are that sad, but I can most certainly say this...