One of the best thing about NYC is that you can get a cuisine from all over the world without ever leaving the city! You can get some tasty and interesting cuisine, both modernized and authentic, such as Indian, Thai, Japanese, German…. You name it, NYC has it! This time, we got to try some Egyptian street food from a colorful spot called Zooba. They had a good amount of outdoor seating with a roof, simple but fun.

At the entrance, they had 3 large self-ordering station, with easy-to-follow steps and pictures of food that you are getting, which was helpful. The ordering was very easy! You add your name and phone number. and you will get alerts on your phone when the food is ready. You could also order in person at the counter if you are not sure about the self-ordering tech, or if you have questions about the food.

This place didn’t look like much from the outside, but the inside was so vibrant, eclectic, and energetic. I liked the bright colors every where. They had a good amount of seating and space, especially for a fast casual spot. From what I read, Zooba started with a food cart in Egypt, gained much popularity, and now they are in NYC! You won’t get these seating if this was an actual food cart…

They also had a counter looking out to the street with a few bar stools, good for people watching while you eat! They also had counter seats around their prepping station.

They had a complimentary water there, which is always helpful! And I really liked their bright and uniquely designed lights.

We received the notification on our phone, and at the same time, a staff called our name as well. We went to pick up our order from the counter, smooth process. It was a warm day, so we added cold beer to our order. I ordered Vliet, which is a Pilsner, light and crisp. My hubby went with Wrench, which is a hazy IPA, more heavy Like dark ale.

I like a light beer, so pilsner is one of my go-to beer. With a very flavorful food like the ones served at Zooba, Vliet went great with it! The Wench was pretty good too, easy to go down. They were both tasty.

For food choice, we both went with Cheese Hawawshi ($9.75). If you are not familiar with it, Hawawshi is a popular Egyptian street food, made with crispy pita pockets that are stuffed with meat mixture with onions, hot peppers and fresh herbs. Some people think of it as an Egyptian burger. At Zooba, they had them listed as Hawawshi Burgers on their menu.

Cheese Hawawshi is made with Roumy and Mozzarella Cheese Blend, Arugula, Tomato-Onion Relish, Tahina, Pasture-raised Black Angus Beef Patty mixed with Vegetables and their Cairo Spice Mix. It is hot pressed in homemade Baladi Bread. It was packed with flavor, very fresh and nice quality. They were made to order, so came out nice and hot. Bread was crisp and doughy in a good way, but a bit tough to bite off. Loved the sauce that tasted similar to Tzatziki sauce. It was filling and Very satisfying. Pretty good deal at affordable price.

At the back, they had shelves with interesting condiments and such, I couldn’t tell exactly what they were, since I can’t read their language… But very cool to have them on display like that! They have a bathroom to the left corner of the space, at the end of these shelving units.

There is only one gender-neutral bathroom, but huge and modern. Clean and fun interior.

The staffs were friendly and courteous, we really enjoyed the food! I sent some pictures to my Egyptian friend, and he said he eats something like that all the time in Egypt. So you know they are good… I am glad we got to try some Egyptian street food! I would like to go back and try other food and drinks!

I am happy I got to try the Egyptian street food! 

Friendly staffs.

Zooba – 100 Kenmare St, New York, NY 10012