Chicken or Shawarma? Choosing Between Zankou’s Best

When you first arrive at Zankou, it can be a refreshing experience with a touch of the overwhelming. How does one choose a plate among all of that delicious food? From the moment you enter the restaurant, the smells rush you from all directions. The meat is rich and flavorful, the pita freshly baked.

Grab an extra side of garlic sauce and read on. Our advice just might help you make that crucial choice between chicken or shawarma.

Zankou Chicken

Zankou uses a special technique to vertically roast chickens over open heat. The process allows the chickens to cook over an hour, dripping juices onto the roasts below. It’s no big secret, but the result is perfectly crispy skin and juicy meat.

The rotisserie is very different from the chicken tarna, which is a Zankou Chicken trademark. Tarna, which means “turn” in Armenian, is sliced just like shawarma. It’s cooked on a vertical roaster, and even uses some of the same spices. It’s almost like a chicken shawarma, but only by inspiration. The taste is unlike shawarma, and made even better with a hint of garlic sauce.

Tri-Tip Shawarma

Since the 1800s, the Egyptians have been preparing this vertically roasted dish. It’s somewhat of a calling card for Middle Eastern food (some food bloggers even make a game out of finding the best shawarma their city has to offer).

Zankou’s shawarma is prepared with their own blend of Mediterranean spices and caramelized over several hours. It’s tender with crispy edges, hand sliced and placed over a warm pita. If you’re not hungry yet, you will be when you see the plate.