Imagine you are on a date.
You suggest going to Zankou Chicken. Your date is somewhat wary, but nonetheless intrigued. You show up and manage to find parking in the run-down lot behind McDonald’s.
So far, the bar is set incredibly low, and it’s getting uncomfortable. You weave your way to the register, while asking multiple people if they are in line, and then it’s show time—you order a chicken tarna plate. Yes, you always ask for an extra pita—it’s free.
Stay confident, you’re almost there. You know that if you go during a popular time, there will be a pretty long wait.
Your expectations are falling lower and lower, and you can tell your date is trying to mentally calculate how much it would cost to Uber home and while claiming to be “going to the bathroom.” But then the buzzer rings. Your palms are sweating. With knees weak and arms heavy, you finally get your food.
The moment you open the container, and the sweet garlic aroma drifts out, you both finally understand. This is it.
This is the promised land; the land of milk and honey. All fear is removed as you both smile and scarf down pita and hummus. Your eyelids become heavy and your body feels warm.
You leave Zankou, and it feels like entering a portal back into reality. Gone are the happy sounds of the underground Zankou community, the Armenian heaven on Earth, the meeting ground of all kinds of people with one common interest—chicken.
Zankou Chicken is a family-owned Armenian chain with locations all over the Orange County and Los Angeles area. The closest to APU are the Pasadena or Anaheim locations. Despite its hole-in-the-wall exterior and wood-paneling interior, Zankou is a must-try for any hummus, garlic or pita fanatic.
But what the restaurant is really known for is its chicken. It offers rotisserie chicken and chicken tarna plates as well as wraps. Plate options come with chicken, tahini sauce, hummus and vegetables. The wraps are pieces of chicken, tomatoes and garlic spread all wrapped in fresh pita.
Wraps are usually a no-mess meal, but if you’re looking for more food at a cheaper price, order the chicken tarna plate and make your own wraps. The plates can easily feed two, with leftovers galore. For non-chicken lovers, there are also tri-tip shawarmas and falafel plates and wraps, as well as shish and lule skewers.
But, chicken fan or not, the must-try is the garlic sauce that comes with anything on the menu. This dippable sauce is good with everything from the chicken to the pita. Although the sauce leaves a potent garlic smell on your breath, its delicious flavor makes it all worth it.
Most importantly, the price is very affordable for college students, and comes with plenty of food. A typical wrap costs around $5, and nothing on the menu is over $12.
Overall, this restaurant gets four out of four Jon Wallace heads.