Zerza Mediterrano — Restaurant in New York

The weekend before the NYC coronavirus shutdown, I took my friend Jérémie to Zerza while he was visiting town. As we sat upstairs savoring our lamb tagines, blissfully unaware of what was to come in the next few months, I mentioned that some of my friends had recently been on vacation to Morocco, but that they had gotten tired of eating only tagine on their trip. To which Jérémie just laughed and said that this was not possible.

Three and a half months later, I can vouch for the accuracy of his statement. Thank you, Zerza, for staying open and feeding me through the entire coronavirus shutdown. Sometimes I was so stressed during that period that food had no taste, and I would only eat once a day. But when it feels like the whole world is ending outside, nothing can make it better like a great home-cooked tagine. I don't know what kind of crack they put in it that keeps me coming back, but this stuff is comfort food in the truest sense - it is a warm hug when social isolation renders actual human contact impossible.

Five stars for the food (six for the duck confit), five stars...

I have been coming to Zerza (In Essex Crossing Mall ) which is a Moroccan Mediterranean eatery for quiet some time now and I must say I Absolutely Love their Falafel 🙌🏾. As a Vegan, I've tried many places that serves Falafel and almost always they are under sized peices and over priced. Not Zerza, The Falafel is ALWAYS made fresh in front of your face. That peices are large and the fresh spices that are used are so flavorful... The staff are very Friendly and Accommodating. This is my place, I will always come here and I am recommending that everyone...

I got chicken tagine with couscous and lentil soup, and idk everything was pretty bland! It seems like they have pleased other customers, so I’m not gonna say they’re a total flop, but I wouldn’t go back myself. The lentil soup was soo watery and bland, I had to add a lot of seasoning and bouillon to make it hearty, and the couscous wasn’t salted, which would be fine except the tagine was also undersalted! The chicken was cooked well, and nothing was dry or overdone, but it was just beyond for me. I also wasn’t impressed by the pita, seemed...