Orange County, CA (The Joy of Food) — Zankou, you had me at “garlic sauce,” the Holy Grail in a little plastic container. Known officially as toum, it’s a whipped, thick, white paste that packs a potent garlic punch to start and then finishes with a lemon sting, a happy symphony that lifts everything from meats to vegetables to bread. Basically, I slather this everywhere to masterful effect. This stuff is truly one of life’s little treats so ask for extra with your order. You’re welcome.
This may be fast food, but it’s good food. Even the Zagat Guide called the chicken dinner here “the single best takeout dish in town.”
The family
Zankou is a small family-owned chain with a complicated family history. The location at the corner of Sunset and Normandie in Little Armenia was the first, opened in 1983 by Mardiros Iskenderian after the family emigrated from Beirut. As always, when family is involved, it’s never simple. Today, there are thirteen restaurants total. Nine of them are owned by Mardiros’ four sons and their mother, Rita; the other Zankou’s are owned by relatives (cousins), and these two family branches are at war.
There’s real animosity and ugliness involved — Google “Zankou chicken murders” if this review is putting you to sleep. Ultimately, despite initial desires to be a national chain, some deep-seated family drama is why there’s not a Zankou near everyone today.
The food
The rotisserie chicken here should not be missed. Available as whole, half, or quarter portions, it’s juicy and moist with golden, crispy skin unlike any you’ve ever seen at this price point, endearing a legion of fans and sparking a level of devotion that qualifies a bit as ‘cult status.’
In 2011, a place that resembled Zankou Chicken was featured on “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” where a plotzing Larry and Jeff talk about chicken that’s so good that it could have ended the rift in the Middle East.
Before this, Jonathan Gold wrote about Zankou’s magical chicken in his column Counter Intelligence for the L.A. Times, saying that “such chicken needs no embellishment.” True, but a few flicks of the wrist and douses of the glorious garlic sauce wouldn’t hurt.
There are also spit-roasted meats beyond the modest fast-food counter, the basis of any number of shawerma and wraps on the menu. Most entrees come with a salad of magenta-hued pickled turnips, chopped tomatoes, and banana peppers, adding a bit of freshness and heat to an otherwise hearty meal.
Sides of tabbouleh, mutabbal, and hummus are available, the hummus being my favorite, creamy and decadent and made on-site. The pita is the weakest thing here, wonderfully pliable and soft when it’s warm but hardening into a frisbee before too long. If you take the pita home, heating it up on the stove right over the flame brings it back to life.
While you’re waiting for your order, you’ll see people from all walks of life around you devouring their food just as you’re about to do, proving once again that great food sees no boundaries and brings people together.
Written by Joy
Thanks for reading. The Joy of Food blog celebrates eating well, traveling often, and living la dolce vita. San Diego, California is home base, but thoughts are from all over. Reviews and photos help to highlight wonderful (or not) food experiences from around the world.
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I’m asking for a friend. If this person doesn’t like garlic would they like the chicken?
Yes! On its own there’s no garlic sauce on the chicken. It comes on the side like a condiment to add to your food if desired.
It doesn’t matter if they’d like the chicken. You take friends here who don’t like garlic, and then you take their garlic. The place can get stingy when the garlic sauce is starting to run out!
“Let them eat cucumber.”
Cucumbers are for rabbits.
Nice!
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