The hardest part about going to Mazzat restaurant? Choosing what to get. In my book, eating food is not just about nutrition; it’s about pleasure. With over 170 options on the menu, you could turn pleasure into a daily experience.
2. The Exceptionally Fresh Ingredients
Restaurants that use artificial flavoring in their dishes can suck it. Every single dish at Mazzat is prepared with fresh ingredients: lemons, tomatoes, parsley, mint, lettuce, you name it. It’s all fresh. “We’re trying to put the Lebanese fast food industry back on the map,” says Ali Ghaziri, owner of Mazzat. And undoubtedly, he’s succeeding at it. For anyone who loves popular fast-food chain Barbar, but hates the chaotic experience that comes with it, Mazzat is the perfect – nay – it’s the only alternative.
3. The Freshly-Baked Bread
Dear bread: You are the best thing that ever happened to me. Mazzat restaurant bakes their bread fresh daily in their own bakery beneath the restaurant. But wait. It gets better: in about two to three months – bless this place – the bakery will start making manakeesh and pastries. Eat the bread here and no one will ever accuse you of having a carbohydrate deficiency.
4. The Cleanliness
Let’s be real here, folks. It’s not often that a Lebanese restaurant will give you a completely behind-the-scenes look into what goes on behind the food counter. But the cool people at Mazzat were so confident in the cleanliness of their restaurant, they let me see everything. And I mean everything. Let me tell you something: the back kitchen and food-preparation areas were so immaculate, I would’ve eaten my meal off the floor if they told me to. It’s just that clean. Sing it with me: “Ain’t nobody dope as me/ I’m dressed so fresh, so clean (So fresh and so clean clean).”
5. The Sauces and Seasonings
There’s a world of dips and sauces to be explored at Mazzat. In fact, I was offered a platter of them to enjoy with my meal, including mint spread, mayonnaise, tom garlic dip, tartar sauce and a special blended sauce that resembles Thousand Island Dressing. Pour it, slather it, drizzle it, dip it, eat it with a freaking spoon if you want to. No one’s going to judge you. Condiments are the proverbial crack of the foodie kingdom.
6. The Shawarma
I was so wrapped up in a “Holy Sh*t, this is so delicious” moment, that I forgot to take a photo of the shawarma plate until I was nearly finished eating it. Fair warning: the shawarma at Mazzat may cause you to descend into a temporary food coma. It’s heaven.
7. The Sandwiches
I’m so in love with their sandwiches, I wish I could write a love letter to each one sold at Mazzat restaurant. For ten bucks, you could eat two sandwiches a drink and fries. To that I say: “Shut up and take my money.”
8. The Mixed Grill
When it was over, tears swelled up in my eyes and I screamed aloud, “Why?… Why?!?”
9. The Falafel
Falafel is, and always will be, vastly superior to pretty much everything else in the world. We’re going to need some therapists over here because mass numbers of people are about to develop an addiction to Mazzat’s falafel sandwich.
10. The Fact That The Restaurant Never Closes. Ever.
Mazzat is open 24/7, bitches. And for that, I’d like to ask for a moment of silence. Hush now — to stand in awe of this food-lovers paradise. If you can’t enjoy the food at Mazzat, then clearly you have no taste in food, whatsoever.
