Zengi

Restaurants

Restaurants and cafés

44 Commercial Street

Budget

Zengi Britta Jaschinski

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Time Out says

Tue Jun 12 2012

With its laid-back attitude and extensive menu mixing Lebanese, Syrian, Iraqi and Turkish influences, Zengi remains a popular option with young Londoners looking for something more sustaining than a sandwich before hitting nearby bars. Most tend to gather on the functional ground floor, a room dominated by an open kitchen in which chefs turn kebabs on coals and retrieve breads and turkish pizzas from the specialised oven.

There’s a non-committal mix of generic Middle Eastern decoration upstairs – framed prints, engraved metal tables, shisha pipes (available to those willing to brave the arguably more carcinogenic air of the pavement tables on Commercial Street) – but also a quieter, more comfortable basement room with intimate alcove seating.

We’ve found the meze here to be hit and miss in the past, but choices on a recent visit were consistently good: moutabal was rich and pleasingly smoky, böregi featured crisp filo pastry and melting cheese and spinach fillings, and the crisp, saffron-infused rice shells of Iraqi haleb kibbeh yielded to reveal pleasantly spiced mincemeat within. A main of chicken shish taouk was artfully marinated and grilled, and mint tea with carrot and saffron halwa made a refreshing culinary coda.

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Address:
Zengi 44 Commercial Street
London
E1 6LT

Phone:
020 7426 0700
Website:
www.zengirestaurant.co.uk
Opening hours:
Meals served noon-11pm daily
Transport:
Tube: Aldgate East tube
Price:
Main courses £2.50-£14
Map
1. Zengi
  - 44 Commercial Street
    London
    E1 6LT
  - 020 7426 0700
  - www.zengirestaurant.co.uk
  - 51.517373,-0.073402

Categories:
Food and drink
Facilities:
Restaurant and bar facilities. Take away. Reservations required. General facilities. Available for hire. Outdoor facilities. Tables outdoors
Occasions:
Unique. Unique London
Type of event:
Parties

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Comments & ratings

(11 ratings)

Went to zengi last time in August 2012 with my group and we loved it and back again yesterday for my anniversary and had fantastic time with fab Lebanese wine and mega mezza was brilliant and fresh would defenatly recommend this place ( ask for a cave downstairs they are really nice for small groups)

Derek holland Sat Apr 13
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I discovered Zengi about 6 weeks ago and since my first meal I have been hooked on the place. The restaurant is always spotless, the staff are friendly albeit a little standoff-ish and awkward at times but the mixed grill is the best Ihave ever tasted. It is simply devine mouth watering chicken pork and lamb and the rice is done to perfection everytime. I have eaten in Zengi about 3 times everyweek since I first discovered this place and it has never let me down once. Top marks guys

Frank Crabery Mon Aug 27 2012
Rated as: 4/5
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I just visited this restaurant for lunch. I had a haloumi and falafel wrap with a side of baba ghanoush and it was AMAZING.

Jasmine Tue Aug 21 2012
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went to this corner restaurant last week with my group friends based on some good reviews we red on the net ,,, and it was good for it. the place is not the most sephesticated i have been , but it was friendly and they had a beautiful downstairs caves for groups which we had one of ,, and the food was good as well as the atmosphere ,,, not bad over all... would recommend it.

nani Thu Aug 9 2012
Rated as: 3/5
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my first time at zengi and my family enjoyed the chicken shish and the falafel was pretty the best we tried in a long time ..well done .

farah khan Sun Aug 5 2012
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very good food ,, relaxed but friendly service and wew are going back again ,, loved it.

saeed Sun Aug 5 2012
Rated as: 4/5
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Overpriced and certainly over rated. Would not recommend.

Stephling Wed Jul 18 2012
Rated as: 1/5
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Sporadic service- plates not cleared- given 2 min warning that mains were coming. The waitress was unable to recommend anything... In hindsight perhaps that was a clue because the starters were mediocre and the chicken and lamb shish dry and tough. The salad had no dressing and Included a (big) pile of onion. Was embarrassed to have invited a friend there. Overpriced and over rated. Definitely will not be back.

Stephling Mon Jul 16 2012
Rated as: 1/5
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The food is below average (in particular, the mains were pretty bad). The prices don't reflect the low quality food you are being served. Overall, the experience was very disappointing.

Leo Mon Jul 16 2012
Rated as: 1/5
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Great restaurant. Strated off havinf a falafel wrap: really nice: home made fresh, which is always good. Went one day in for a meal: friendly staff, menu nice: mixture of lebanses mezes and unique starters from middle east: i ate the zengi mix grill: amazing! flavour deep into the chicken which is hard to find and the lamb shish melts in your mouth. Lebanese wines to top it off. Have returned there again and the food still remains great.

jason quick Wed Jun 20 2012
Rated as: 5/5
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