Zabak’s Mediterranean Café is a combination of young urban Houston with old world recipes and flavors. Siblings Peter, Sandra and Donald Zabak grew up in the restaurant business. The family-owned Mama’s Po-Boy allowed the trio to bring their family expertise to the table. Their parents, George and Karimeh Zabak, of Palestinian descent, operated the deli for nearly three decades – serving many Mediterranean favorites like their signature falafel sandwich. Continuing the legacy, this second generation family-run Café features authentic and flavorful Middle Eastern recipes.
Post Preface
As a blogger, one thing I experience quite often is last minute changes. Specifically speaking, when working with agencies whose restaurants I’ve never heard of. I am all about supporting the underdog, and find value in highlighting Houston’s mom and pop restaurants. A few weeks ago I was contact by a PR agency re: one of their client’s “Food Truck Friday” offerings. The food truck scene in Houston has the tendency to be hit or miss. I blame the heat. Most trucks park where they can, and often times there’s no shade or seating. Because of this, Houston’s food truck culture is more “grab and go”.
I refuse to eat in my car and I refuse to eat in the heat. So, when agreeing to try a food truck it’s imperative that there be a shaded seating area. That was not the case here. The agency rep assured me that this Houston Galleria area food truck park had shaded seating. So, after fighting lunchtime traffic to get to the galleria area, I was greeted by one of the saddest food truck parks I’d ever seen. To make matters worse, there were two wooden picnic tables stacked on top of each other under a popup tent. The park surface was covered in broken gravel, and I could literally see the steam radiating off the tables and trucks. Nope! I didn’t even get out of the car. My lunch date and I spent the next few minutes coming up with a plan B.
Zabak’s Mediterranean Café | Plan B
After doing a quick google search of affordable lunch spots in the area, we came across Zabak’s Mediterranean Café. The description, menu, and cost are what led us to select this as our lunch destination. Zabak’s is located in the shopping center on the corner of Fountain View and Westheimer. Here you can expect quick, and easy counter service. Their large menu highlight’s their daily specials and customer favorites.
When dining at Greek, Mediterranean, or Middle Eastern restaurants, I usually order falafels. They are my jam! At Zabak’s you can get a lunch entree consisting of one protein, two sides, and a drink for $9.00. That is a great price when compared to other Houston Galleria lunch spots.
I ordered their signature falafel plate with french fries and house made baba ghanouj. My lunch date order the gyro plate, which was listed as a customer favorite. We were both very pleased with the cost, quality, and portion size. Additionally, Sandra was so sweet and made us feel right at home. She didn’t rush us and even helped us decide what we should order. I really appreciated her for that. Mainly because I have had some uncomfortable experiences when visiting random restaurants.
In Closing
If you happen to be on the hunt for a quick, delicious, and affordable lunch in a friendly environment, I highly recommend Zabak’s Mediterranean Café. The Houston Galleria area is probably one of the more expensive areas to dine in, so it was nice to find an affordable lunch option on the fly.
Check out my YouTube Video documenting my lunch experience at Zabak’s Mediterranean Café below. Make sure to subscribe to my channel and click the bell for notifications!
