Al Zein Shawarma & Mediterranean Grill — Restaurant in Johns Creek

I don't know where to start... This will be long but worth reading! I promise! I love this place SO MUCH I can write a book! 2 years ago, when they first opened, I went with my family to give it a try. When I had the first bite of "Kibbeh" I literally cried. Tears of joy ofcourse! I could not believe how delicious it was. Then I tried the Falafel! It blew my mind! Then the Shawerma! I thought I was dreaming! I've been in Atlanta for 20 years now, never had tastier food!!! My family and I became regulars. We not only enjoy eating their authentic Syrian food, but we also enjoy the exceptional service and cozy atmosphere. I always feel home when I'm there. I could almost smell my country (Sham) everytime I go... I have tried everything on their menu and everything is delicious! This Ramadan, they served Iftar buffet. How can I describe it? Royal!!! The amount of dishes, the quality of food, the variety, the presentation, the generosity!!! It's beyond real!!! I have posted pictures & vidoes for all of you (who didn't get to experience that yumminess) to enjoy! I have to comment though on this person's hateful review because it not only bothered me, it also kept me up at night! His name is: "Reda Bouali" this is what he wrote: "We went for the Ramadan iftar buffet. The organization was awful, and the food was disgusting. $40 per person is way too overpriced. I wish them good luck, but never again. Food: 1/5 | Service: 1/5 | Atmosphere: 3/5" I have one thing for him to say: Mr. Bouali, I don't know WHERE you usually eat, WHAT you usually eat and HOW MUCH you usually spend on what you eat, but what I am sure of is, there is NO WAY on earth you spend ONLY $40 and are able to eat ALL OF THIS AMAZING FOOD!!! I will actually leave it for people who are reading this, to watch the video and see the pictures and judge for themselves!!! Your comment is very hateful and sadly untruthful... I am actually somehow glad you decided not to come back lol No need for that negative energy. Going back to Al Zain, I want to take this chance and thank all the amazing staff for all the hard work. It shows! A special thanks to Ammo Abou Saleh the owner and chef, his beautiful wife Um Saleh for the amazing dishes & deserts, their gorgeous daughters, Alaa & Nadra for help managing the restaurant. Everything you all do is exceptional! And I consider myself lucky to witness your growth & success! Thanks again for everything & see you soon! الله يوفقكون ويرزقكون كمان وكمان وتسلم...

We visited around 8:30 pm on a Friday night. The place was packed because they hosted an iftar buffet. I really enjoyed the lively atmosphere. There were a lot of families, guy groups and girl groups. It was wonderful to see the hustle and bustle of Iftar event outside of the Middle East. Our food came out fairly fast considering how busy they were.

Overall, the food was good. My complaint was the french fries were cold and my broasted chicken was lukewarm. This tells me that they had a lot of stuff pre-prepped because of the rush they were expecting. I’m sure both the chicken and fries would’ve been amazing had they been hot. I substituted the coleslaw for Fattoush. I enjoyed the fattouch salad but I felt the dressing needed more lemon and salt. But despite that it was still fresh and edible.

The hummus was not my favorite because it was bland and tasted just like tahini more than anything else. It definitely needed more lemon or something to help it out. Baba ghanouch was decent but again needed more lemon. The falafel was good, but the star of the show was definitely the vegetarian grape leaves. Lemony and fresh. You could tell they were homemade.

The meat Shawarma had good flavor and seasoned appropriately. The rice that came with the Shawarma plate was delicious. I’m not a rice person, but I loved the spices and flavor. The pickles and garlic sauce were yummy.

The food portions were decent. The service was amazing. There was complementary hot tea and coffee. The Dubai strawberries dessert concoction was very good but I did not think it was worth $15. The Kunafe although delicious, came with a hefty price of $12. In my opinion, the portion was not worth that price tag.

Are they cheap no but what is these days. For the two of us we ended up paying about $100 with tip. We did have one appetizer, two entrées, two desserts, and one soda.

Overall, I would still recommend this place. I will be returning but not during Ramadan. I’m hoping the next time I do return that my chicken and fries...

I recently dined at AL Zein Mediterranean Grill restaurant and unfortunately, my experience was far from satisfactory. My dining companion and I decided to try their shawarma offerings, ordering both the shawarma wrap and the shawarma platter.

Firstly, the shawarma wrap was a letdown. The bread used for the wrap was disappointingly hard, making it difficult to enjoy the meal. Additionally, the chicken inside the wrap was overcooked and dry, making it tough and unpleasant to chew. The overall taste was lackluster, and it failed to deliver the delightful flavors one would expect from a shawarma.

The disappointment continued with the shawarma platter. The plate was undoubtedly filled with meat, but that was about the only positive aspect. Just like the chicken in the wrap, the shawarma meat on the platter was dried out, resulting in a similarly unappetizing and difficult-to-chew experience. I found myself struggling to finish the platter, and my jaw literally started to ache from the effort it took to chew that tough meat.

Regrettably, the food quality at AL Zein Mediterranean Grill did not meet our expectations at all. It is disheartening to visit a restaurant with the anticipation of savoring a delicious meal, only to be left with a subpar and disappointing culinary experience.

On a more positive note, the restaurant's ambience was pleasant. The atmosphere was inviting, and the décor created a soothing environment to enjoy a meal. However, given that the primary reason for visiting a restaurant is to enjoy the food, the ambiance alone is not enough to redeem the overall experience.

In conclusion, I cannot recommend the shawarma dishes at AL Zein Mediterranean Grill based on my recent visit. The dried-out and hard-to-chew chicken in both the shawarma wrap and platter left much to be desired. Unless significant improvements are made to the food quality, I believe diners would be better off exploring other dining options...