Zohara Mediterranean Kitchen — Restaurant in West Hartford

Terrific Mediterranean food this afternoon. Our waitress, Rhyanne, was very solicitous but didn’t hover. We ordered a variety apps and sharing plates (tabouleh, sfaahas, fattoush, lamb cigars and the most amazing roasted cauliflower head). In our party of four, two ordered entrees: salmon kabob and lamb kofta. We finished with pistachio cake and pistachio gelato.

Rhyanne filled our water glasses throughout the meal (without having to ask). Because we were under a time crunch, we asked for food to come whenever it was ready. It was lovely, everything complemented each other, yet there were distinct flavors. Tabouleh and fattoush are meant to be eaten together (according to me!) and I wasn’t disappointed however, growing up in central California, I loved Halal’s fattoush with sumac. This version had zero sumac but it was flavorful. The parsley and mint were almost sharp ~ just the way it should be opposite the bulgur. I’m normally not a grape tomato fan but they were nicely seasoned in the tabouleh.

The lamb cigars tasted a bit like a gyro with tzatziki sauce. The sfeehas were like enclosed pockets of love. I only previously had as a pizza-like food. The side sauce was tasty but I couldn’t place the ingredients. I had a taste of the salmon kabob and lamb kofta, also flavorful.

The pistachio desserts were dynamite, especially the gelato. Wow, complex flavors with a great ending. My husband had Turkish coffee and enjoyed it. It’s cowboy coffee ie no filter.

The women’s restroom had its own heater and the sinks had warm water. Small things but important when it’s sub-25 outside. Thanks!

The only ding is that the tables are too close and the waitress had to contort herself to get between them. Ripe for food landing on a coat or a person but that didn’t happen today. We made it in and out on time, too! We will be back when we return...

I loved all the vegetarian options but for vegans they had to take the tahini off... which is kind of the whole point of going to a Mediterranean restaurant, and begs the question why you are spending $10+ for a head of cauliflower. The food was very cilantro heavy, so if that's not your thing definitely take note. Plates were very small so expect to order a number of things (tiny but delicious plate of crispy chickpeas, they could double the amount and the cost to them would be less than a dollar). The market humus was delish, the housemaid pita bread is a very nice touch, and the dark matter Cabernet by the glass was perfect. The thing that really got us was the ambiance. You expect warm expansive cozy, spiced air, and instead the place was bright and loud, and the music was late 80s soft pop/rock...just god awful. We drew the line at Billy Joel. Staff was very attentive and the food itself was quality. More vegan options please. Overall would go back for the humus, pita, and wine, if at all because the servings really were quite small. As a rule vegetable dishes should be large as the produce itself is not expensive and when you eat plants you tend to eat more of them than you would eat of something very high in fat. I think it's going to be a couple of years before restaurants catch up on this, we don't mind paying for a great meal but we want to be full when...

Rating based solely on CUSTOMER SERVICE.

Saturday August 10, 2024, 4:00pm

We were a walk-in and pleasantly greeted by the hostess and a staff member immediately sat us outside. He also noticed our menus were dirty and swapped for new ones (those 2 members = 5-stars). After that, we were fully ignored by the outside wait staff that would rather talk to each other and clean tables than to, at the very least, welcome us and give us water. I’ve been in the service industry for 20+ years. That is the very MINIMUM that should be done as a standard. We were ghosts for 7-8 minutes where we finally decided to leave. I calmly walked back into the hosting area and explained the reason for our departure. It seems they could care less given the circumstances.

For such a hyper-competitive restaurant/lounge scene in the West Hartford Center, one would think that elements that are controllable such as customer service, the littlest of things like a quick table greeting to establish rapport would suffice. Such a disappointment on a beautiful day like today. Take your money and business elsewhere for an establishment that truly cares about its customers and patrons.

Please read my profile, I very rarely leave a review as this, but it was fully warranted. I have also frequented this restaurant and others in the center for many years. Again, this review is only based on...