Lemón Zëst — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Ordered from this location last night, since the Van Nuys location wasn’t taking online orders at that time- what a bummer… both my husband and I agreed, the sherman oaks spot seems to cut a lot of corners. It’s hard to pinpoint, but it seemed like a lot of the food tasted like other items… the pita bread had a ton of greasy charred remnants on the underside, and it tasted like garlic bread… but not anything fresh, more like they didn’t take the time to wipe down the grill after they cooked something entirely different. The teriyaki chicken, which at the Van nuys location looks and tastes like something to rave about, here, was bland, and overcooked. The salmon was flavorless, and while the chicken kabob and beef kabob looked about the same as we expected, both of us were so underwhelmed by the rest of what we ordered that we just closed it up and put it away. Both of us have been borderline obsessed with this restaurant since first trying it- to the point of buying over $100 worth of food, each time, because as leftovers, it’s soo good- but I just tried it again for breakfast, and it’s just plain awful. I would have attempted to choke it down with the $9+ worth of garlic spread I paid for, but to add insult to injury, they shorted us, instead giving us 5 tiny sample containers, the contents of which wouldn’t even fill one of the 3 side containers I paid for- I even went out of my way to confirm with the guy at the register, that the garlic was in the bag- he said it was- it wasn’t. The drinks were wrong as well, as the peach drink was replaced with ginger beer. Overall the whole meal was really, kinda awful. I’m actually pretty upset we spent so much money on an order that clearly this location couldn’t be bothered to take any time or care in preparing. We will never order from the Sherman...

The LEMÓN ZËST CAFÉ, a Mediterranean style grill, part of a small chain, offers a conventional and vegan menu. The family operated restaurant is sparkling clean with friendly, knowledgeable employees, offering both covered patio, and inside, booth seating.

Ordering is from their reception counter. Cynthia offered a few suggestions, took my order, and handed me a numbered stand. The meal is delivered to your table. There are counter height tables on the patio, or inside, dining height booths and tables.

From their extensive menu, I ordered the vegan "Beef Lule Kabob." Served on a whole wheat pita, the huge entree came with a gorgeous salad of cut iceberg and leaf lettuce, raw spinach leaves, sliced cucumbers, pitted salt olives, cubed tomatoes, pepperoncini, and saffron Jasmine rice, topped with half of a roasted Roma tomato. A balsamic dip, ground sumac, and iced, Mediterranean style, lemon/mint water compliment the meal. It tasted as good as it looks and is certainly enough for two to share.

Validated, one hour parking, behind the restaurant, or in the underground garage is provided. (After the free hour, the charge is $3 every 15 minutes.) Escalators and an elevator serve the underground lot.

At the center of the shopping plaza, in front of a flower filled fountain, is an entrance that bypasses the cafe's low step. Everything, including the large bathrooms, are ADA compliant.

STUFF: Zest is the thin yellow skin of a lemon. It contains the essential oils, that amplifies the fruit's unique flavor. Lemón Zëst Café's Mediterranean menu, pays homage to this...

Definitely come here! You won't regret it. Let me share my experience: I walked in to an empty restaurant. I ordered at the register and waited. And waited... and waited. I love when restaurants do that because I watched them and saw the effort being put into my kabob wrap (which was fabulous, I'm a small girl and ate the entire thing!). Each step was done with love and intention, which is how food SHOULD be prepared. They didn’t care how long it would take; they were on a mission to make it right. When my food was ready it was beyond my expectations. That wrap sent me to another universe; while eating it and experiencing all the heavenly flavors of their fresh ingredients, I was also nourishing my soul. It's like someone's mom or dad made it, not a "fast food" restaurant. It was authentic, made-with-love soul food. Come here if you want to be grateful to be alive...