Zakia Deli — Restaurant in Minneapolis

Lebanese person here, and I have quite mixed feelings on this place. On one hand, their toum (garlic sauce) is lovely and very strong. Really, if you love garlic, I would highly recommend going there to buy it. Additionally, the chicken in the gyro wrap I ate was very nice -- it was pretty much perfectly cooked, and nicely seasoned. They also use real lebanese bread, so props for that.

Now, on the other hand, the vegetables in that same wrap (lettuce and tomato) were clearly turning bad, as they were basically a flavorless mush. The bread as well turned mushy from an excess of liquid in the wrap. The cucumber garlic sauce did not taste fresh to me, nor did the feta pasta salad, which is overwhelmingly sour and simultaneously bitter. Their mjadra wrap did no justice to the amazing dish for which it's named -- it was essentially mushy lentils, mushy veggies, and... dill pickles?? I can almost hear my grandma's disapproval.

Overall, if you have never had Lebanese food, by all means give it a go. That aside, it gets a "most Lebanese people will probably complain" out...

I've been eating breakfast at Zakia for the last few months. The Gyro omelet is very good - could use a little bit more meat but everything seems fresh. So today i thought I was try the gyro sandwich and some potato salad. The sandwich is very tasty - and the gyro meat tastes even better in the sandwich. But like the omelet the amount of meat is weak. If you are a petite eater or not very hungry that would be the sandwich for you. The potato salad dressing was excellent - very tasty. There are no eggs in it - a little disappointing but hey when in Rome .... or in this case Lebanon. :) The potatoes were very "al dente". I'm sure that is still the trend these days because its better for you. I dont care - I want me potatoes cooked and soft. The salad was $3.99/lb. My container was almost full and it cost $6.62. Expensive but now a days?? I wanted some tuna pasta salad but they didn't have any out. I do like Zakia and...

Wonderful place! Very friendly people greeted us as we walked in, and the lady was exceedingly patient with my 6yo as she struggled to order her own "pitta" sandwich. The lady was so kind and encouraging, telling her, "Go ahead. We will make your sandwich! [Together.]"

My daughter felt happy and proud she was able to do this, and I was relieved to have a person who clearly loves little kids helping to bolster her confidence.

As a bonus, she loved the chicken pita! (And she is very, very picky, more times than not finding she can't eat food she's ordered.) And my gyro meat (the #5) was soft, moist, flavorful, and delicious. Fresh crispy veggies, and a soft yummy pita bread. 10 of 10! I love this place!

Also has a beautiful patio, with so many petunias, in planters and elsewhere--they're literally growing out of the asphalt in the parking...