Zena Restaurant

Food great, experience not so. Attracts large parties as its BYO, means no dining experience unless you like only being able to hear that large party. Music needs turning on and up as its obvious other diners do need to be listening in on a Friday night. Book another week day if possible.
Apr 26th, 2023

Food : 5/5 | Service : 5/5 | Atmosphere : 4/5 Recommended dishes Lamb Shawarma, Arabic Rice, Falafel, Chicken Kebab More
Apr 18th, 2023

So, I've travelled up to Manchester to have an Easter weekend of fun, frolics and Spicy Margs. The four of us have been on a lovely walk through the burbs of Greater Manchester and are hungry like the wolf. We phone Zena Restaurant on the off chance that they'll have a table for four on Easter Saturday - lo and behold, they do! Upon our arrival, we were greeted by a young gentleman (with the kind of amazing hair and good looks that Jack Grealish could only dream of) who promptly walked us to our table - and then the fun began... Three of us were meat eaters with one a card carrying vegetarian, so our gem of a veggie ordered a set of sharing starters that we could all get into - namely, the hummus, stuffed vine leaves, mutable (baked aubergine mashed with tahini and yogurt, topped with herbs), the labneh (yogurt) and the Spinach And Cheese Bourak... Absolutely gorgeous, and a stone cold winner for starters. It was at the time of ordering these that we also ordered our meat mains. Deliberating over what to do here left two of the three meat eaters with some big choices to make - as the third meat eater had abdicated her portion of responsibility to the two of us, having self-nominated to go grab a bottle of wine (it's BYOB for those who fancy alcohol with their meal). This writer is a veteran of the Levantine restaurant circuit of East and South London so his mind immediately turned to something that would continue the theme of sharing and was nothing short of a carnivore's feast. Our waiting staff member was a really attentive young woman who also happened to be the boss's daughter. So we knew that what we were about to ask of her was going to go straight to the top... Rather than order three individual meat mains, this writer and the aforementioned staff member engaged in a conversation that went something like this: W: So, I wanna know - can we get the mixed kebab that is on the sharers menu for three? SM: So you want the sharing menu for three? W: No... Ok... So, you know the BIG OVAL PLATTER, you know the one with the mountain of meat? SM: (Smiling) Yeaaa I know the one, haha W: Yessssss! We'll have that please! (cue much whooping, laughter and high fives) As you can see from the photo attached, the Oval Platter was not the mixed kebab. This was a far greater thing, a feast fit for a bacchanal. Kofte kebabs in union with lamb and chicken shish and additional lamb chops (about five?) all garnished with fried red onions, parsley and niceness with a mound of rice and vermicelli in the middle. This was everything and more. I'd like to say at this point that this exchange and the hospitality and vibe from all the staff members was absolutely wonderful. We're talking Champions League levels of hospitality and welcome - which really does make for a wonderful dining experience. Along with the magical meat feast, our certified veggie ordered in the Mushroom Bil Zait (gorgeous and flavorful) and the Ful Madames, both of which repeatedly hit the spot. All in all, we were treated to top notch Levantine cuisine cooked with care, love and attention - three qualities which were ever present in the staff with whom we interacted. No feast can ever be complete without a sweet treat and the team at Zena did not disappoint. One of our table had been in Turkey and had loved warmed up Halva - and to our request, a dish of hot halva drizzled in honey arrived and knocked all of us for six. This was accompanied by a Muhalabieh, a milk pudding set dessert, which acted as a cool palate cleanser. We washed everything down with a small cup of Arabic coffee and the feast was complete. As I sit here writing this review back in sunny South London, my mind drifts back to magical Manchester and one of the many nailed-on highlights would have to be the time the four of us spent at Zena in West Didsbury, Manchester. The foods of Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan that Zena brings together for their customers are of top quality matched also by the levels of hospitality, evident upon arrival. Thanks to all at Zena Vegetarian options: Gorgeous, plentiful and diverse
Apr 10th, 2023

Excellent experience overall! The grilled items were cooked to perfection and the staff are lovely, hardworking and extremely polite and friendly. Had a lovely time time for iftar!
Apr 6th, 2023

Vegetarian options: Plenty of vegetarian options. Recommend the mujadara. Food : 5/5 | Service : 5/5 | Atmosphere : 5/5 More
Apr 2nd, 2023