Zizi Limona

Cool place, staff is really nice.
Their Brunch is really affordable, we tried the Shwarma plate and Shakshuka.
Both were good, the Humus is also very tasty.

A shot in the dark, a leap of faith, off a whim… all apply, and the results were better than I had initially hoped for. Myself and my dining partner for the night wanted to try something a little off the beaten path… somewhere more quiet than a spot in Manhattan, and somewhere more «exotic» than my home borough of Queens (she had also been a Queens domiciliary for some time before shipping up even further north). After assessing our situation, the only conclusion was to try out something in Brooklyn, which is still a relatively alien borough to me, despite having established myself as a resident of New York City proper for the better part of the past 5 years.
Our rendezvous here was just a few days prior to Thanksgiving 2015… so we decided that we might as well give our bellies a bit of practice. A Unilocal check-​in bestowed unto myself and my dining companion (that particular evening) a free hot (boozy) apple cider. The cider was much appreciated, though it wasn’t the coldest night, it did fight off some of the nippiness (fact: booze is scientifically proven to warm you up).
The neighborhood was relatively residential, up-​and-​coming but not totally gentrified to hell like the rest of the bits of Brooklyn closest to the East River… i.e. the local inhabitants were non-​white families as opposed to Caucasian yuppie invaders (not that there’s anything wrong with that…).
The inside of the joint is nice and cozy. Not particularly sexy, a bit rustic, but it has a charming air to it. As it was a Monday night, and we were early for dinner service, myself and my dinner companion that evening had the place to ourselves (save for another couple) that evening.
To start things off, we opted for the roasted shishito peppers to share. Roasted just right and served on top of black eyed bean salad (which were tossed in a citrus-​y vinaigrette), the subtle heat of the peppers and the acidic refreshment & heartiness of the bean salad was a great opening move. We then decided that we each select a dish that we could share with the other. As a carnivore, I selected the short ribs, and as a lean omnivore, she opted for the shakshuka.
The short ribs were tender, but still had a pleasant firmness to them. They had a pleasant sweetness that paired great with the umami of the wild mushroom risotto that accompanied the ribs. Two ribs per serving, so we each got to enjoy our own bone-​in rib, and gnaw on the bone (akin to canine) after consumption of the meat.
The ribs would have been the star of the show… had it not been for the shakshuka. This dish was a revelation. Having never had shakshuka before, I didn’t know what to expect. The poached eggs (especially the yolks) enhanced the dish with their natural creaminess, and the tomato base of the shakshuka was the perfect amount of tart and acidic. Pretty much a roasted dip, and served with some pita as the vehicle to transport the tasty stuff from bowl to mouth to stomach… A very interesting dish, one that I likely would not have ordered initially due to complete clueless-​ness. I extend the deepest gratitude to my dinner companion that evening for her daft shakshuka selection. Well done.
All in all, a very pleasant dining experience, and one that has certainly opened my eyes as to the gastronomical possibilities, south of Queens, in Kings County.

Love it here. The food is awesome, consistently awesome. Great Hummus and the Slow Cooked Braised Short Rib is down right hedonistically tasty. I never have a bad meal here. It’s also not priced like a crazy place. Great service too, the wait staff is friendly, fun, and knowledgeable. A refreshing laid back experience in Williamsburg.

Really really delicious food-​one of the best hummus’s in the city (and I’ve been around). Really friendly staff too! The ribs were amazing as well. Definitely going back.

What an experience! Zizi Limona is definitely a gem in Williamsburg with great Mediterranean food, excellent service, good music and great ambience. I recommend the Wild Salmon and Basbosa cake it was pure stomach joy. Quinn our server was the best he was very helpful, informative and personable. I will definitely be back soon.

I was so impressed from the moment I stepped foot into this gem of a café for brunch.
We were greeted by a waiter, Chris, who was so fabulous and entertaining it made ordering food an absolute pleasure.
We ordered 4 of the $ 13 pri fix plates. So each person gets a starter consisting of Cauliflower Tahini, Crazy Baba and Green Quinoa Salad. Absolute deliciousness. A great appetizer while waiting for the entrees.
Then we got the Shakshuka, Mediterranean Breakfast, French Toast and Eggs Armada, in order of Best to least best. And of course unlimited mimosas for $ 10 a person. (A bargain)
The shakshuka had an interesting twist to it as they topped it with harissa. It gave the dish the perfect balance of spicy, savory and foodgasmic. The Mediterranean breakfast is very filling for one person. I loved the french toast a lot but I feel like maybe there could have been something a little sweeter added to it. It was perfect in the savory department and the shaved halva on top is phenomenal. An absolute must get if you order brunch there. The Eggs armada had delicious hash browns on the bottom. The crostini was perfect, crispy and fresh, topped with smoked salmon and poached tomatoes. I think the sauce they put under the smoked salmon doesn’t work for the dish so maybe if they changed that it would be a great dish.
Service gets a definite 5*. I wish there were more people like Chris in the restaurant department.
Overall — I would definitely be dining again at Zizi Limona.

We were originally planning to head to Rye but they were closed for New Year’s. As an alternative spot for dinner, we end up at Zizi. It was rustic, earthy, and charming. We were seated right away without a reservation. The food was delicious!
We shared the following: Crazy Baba, grilled artichoke & cauliflower, and the cowshuka. Don’t let the portions fool you. Between the freshly baked pita bread and variety of small dishes, it’s enough to fill your stomach! Everything was freshly prepped, bursting with flavors and spices, and incredibly filling. The cowshuka is an absolute must! It’s an all in one dish esp if you love brunch! There’s the poached eggs, grilled skirt steak, sauteed spinach, chickpeas, harissa, and ‘matbucha’ sauce. The scent of smoky grilled eggplant and steak was magnificent. These guys definitely know how to cook! Not too heavy or light. Just right for the occasion since we dined after NYE. Our waiter was friendly and went over the menu briefly. I wish, we came here on NYE. The menu looked really good.
When we asked for the check, we saw a dish with freshly made kadafi. Except it was not made for the dessert, Kanafeh or künefe (turkish). Instead, kadafi was prepped for the salad topping. Sadly, we were not able to order it. The desserts were ok but nothing that really caught our attention. There were some interesting options though– Malabi Brûlée with pistachio powder, toasted coconut, and mixed berries and Basbosa cake, or olive cake with halva, date spread, figs, ice cream, and topped with crispy freekah. The next time we’re in the neighborhood, we will be sure to return to try other dishes!

Zizi is one of my regular brunch spots. Healthy and very reasonable price-​wise. I just wish they had more variety in their specials… that would keep me coming even more regularly! I do love their check-​in deals!

The food was so good! What an amazing experience, and plus you can share all the food with your friends and family. The décor is lovely and the appetizer with the burrata cheese and pita was amazing. Very good hummus and exquisite taste of the chicken dish.
I love the staff here, it has a great feel to a cold day. The dim lighting and coziness was just unforgettable.

Disclaimer: I LOVE MEDITERRANEAN FOOD
Came here for dinner and had a lovely time: delicious food, romantic feel, and super friendly service. We shared 3 «Small Zis» (you can get 3 for $ 20!) and one «Classic Zi» and it was plenty of food for two (we had leftovers). Lots of great vegetarian options!
For our small zis we went with falafel, cauliflower, and shishito peppers. Unfortunately the shishito peppers were spicy to the point of being inedible, by no fault of the restaurant: apparently that just happens sometimes depending on the season (it was the peppers themselves that were too hot). We told our waiter and he let us swap it out for a different small dish (and also took the peppers off the menu for the night, after tasting one for himself). We swapped them out for beets, and good choice — they were possibly the best of the three!
For the classic zi, we got the «hummus masabacha», which was incredible. Warm, flavorful hummus with whole chickpeas. I’ve never had hummus like this before! Came with hot, fresh, fluffy pita.
Pro tip: You can get unlimited extra pita, you just have to ask for it :)
Finally, shout out to our waiter who was super friendly and funny, and made the whole dinner that much better.

Good flavoring
Prices were a bit high
Some unnecessary additions
Pretty good service

Zi zi limona!!! Yes I might partly like this place because of the name but it does have an underrated charm to it. I’ve got to say, I enjoyed sitting here eating by candlelight surrounded by shelfs of jarred tahini and halva. It’s like a vamped up/​dimly lit Mediterranean supermarket where you can drink wine and eat hummus. Sounds great to me.

We checked it on Unilocal (love you Unilocal) and got a free «crazy baba» appetizer which don’t be fooled is NOT babganoush. It’s like hybrid dip but super super delicious. The green color was a little off putting but as soon as we tasted it we were in love. Their hummus is very decent as well. My Main gripe with them though is to GIVE PEOPLE MORE PITA.
One teeny pita to share between two people and two dips disappears in about .5 seconds and then you have to flag down the waiter every few mins for them to get you another. I saw waiters doing the same with groups of 4 as well.
It was getting ridiculous when literally every table was trying to get for pita for their dips. They should really bring you a basket. I sound like a piggy right now I know but go there and see for yourself its not the case and you’re pissed by the lack of bread. That’s just not good time management. Our waiter was a little loopy also but in a good way.
I also tried the shashuka which was very saucy and flavorful and my date got the chicken tagine.
We both thought the chicken was not your typical tagine. It was on the dry side but the flavors were very nice overall.
Love the restaurant and can see why it keeps costumers coming back. If they gave me lots of pita I would keep coming back too.

One of my absolute favorites in NY. The food Is exceptional. The service is grand. I wish there was a 6 star rating. I recommend the salmon strongly. The falafel is wonderful too. The tahini is the best I’ve had anywhere. I love this place!

Si si Limona! Once again the reviews and word of mouth worked and we found another amazing place to eat (and remember).
I found this restaurant because I loved Timna, which open a few months ago, so much that I did a research to see where the chef came from and which restaurant he had. I encounter that he was the former chef of Zizi Limona so I had to try it and man it was gooooooood, so good. Same service and top quality food as Timna. A prix fixe menu for $ 13 which includes a three mini taste of Mediterranean classics like babaganoush, cauliflower and taboule but with the special gourmet style that characterizes these places. The baba has feta and basil, so it’s a green! baba. The cauliflower is seared and it comes with a lovely tahini sauce. The taboule is made with quinoa. So everything is as you would expect but so much better.
Then the main entrée was the Mediterranean breakfast which should be called breakfeast! Cured salmon, a killer omelette as simple as just eggs but made to perfection with an incredible spicy tomato sauce. Patatas bravas with awesome aioli, greek yogurt salad with radish and tomatos completed the dish. Lots of food. I even redeem the free hummus when you check in with Unilocal.The homemade bread came warm and as tasty as you would imagine.
My girlfriend had the challah sandwich which was superb. An omelette with veggies and tomato inside a perfect made bread with an eggplant spread.
Nothing else to add just go there and try it! We will come back for dinner for sure!
One more thing: the staff and service is lovely

This place was fine nothing special. Recommended to me by a BK friend because it’s down the street from Knitting Factory where we were seeing a show. Our waitress was really nice and we sat outside but the food was mediocre. Everything basically was on a plate of hummus. And portions were small.
They would also bring out ONE pita for four people. We had to ask for more s fleets five times. Meh.

Solid Middle Eastern with a modern and creative twist. My favorite dishes were the Crazy Baba and Shishito Peppers. Also had the Sesame Cauliflower and Shawarma but those were just ok.
Service was good and they have a good amount of options. They have wine and beer with some specialty cocktails but no hard liquor. A few tables outside and many inside with a bar sitting area.

«THIS IS NOT BABGANOUSH!» was my first reaction when my hummus and crazy baba was set down by the waiter at my table. As a middle eastern who makes my own babaganoush regularly I was surprised at the look of it. colour? Green. Texture? Like cream? Wrong!!!
Once I put that warm pita and dip in my mouth… mind blown. Trust me all you babaganoush conossieurs out there — look past the aesthetics and trust the taste. It’s never as good as home made but it’s the closest I’ve come at a restaurant so if you go here definitely order it. OK rant over baba done.
All the food here is delicious. Cash only the day I went but I think they usually take card. Great place for amazingly delicious middle eastern inspired food. Definitely recommend.

Brunch prix 13 included three mazze and one main.
I started with a hibiscus tea and it came with a mint sprig. The tea was a bit watered down but it was refreshing overall.
The food came out relatively fast and it was flavorful. The three mazze were cauliflower tahini, babaganoush, and a quinoa salad. They were all great and paired perfectly with the pita bread.
I ordered the Shawarma Plate that was chicken served over warm hummus. The only thing I thought this meal lacked was some acid. It became a little heavy and I couldn’t finish.
I really enjoyed the warm pita bread that came out consistently to dip.
Service was average (not particularly friendly).

Loved the atmosphere, the food, and the music. The prices were very reasonable. They also had a very impressive wine list, though I stuck to a bottle of San Pellegrino. My friend got the chicken tangin and I got the shwarma. Both were out of this world with flavor. The only criticism is that I wish we had more pita! (Though in this case you could argue thats a good thing!) Service was outstanding as well. Would definitely make the time and effort to go to Williamsburg just to go to this restaurant again!

This place is fantastic to come with your vegetarian friends, because it has an excellent selection of vegetarian friendly items that don’t taste like ass (see Dirt Candy review) but also has a few choice meat selections for your carnivorous friends.
We came in on a Friday night with a reservation; we were promptly seated without issues. I can make no snarky comments about the waitstaff so in other words, this was pretty much ideal service.
The food is great. We shared the shishito peppers (are these grown on steroids?! they are HUGE), the cauliflower, and the crazy baba. All three were excellent and extremely flavorful. I got the labneh salad on the pretense of eating light; tons of fresh veggies smothered in awesome dairy kind of fits the bill and makes for a really good salad. My friend’s hummus masabacha (I think the more traditional of the two hummuses they offer) was extremely nutty and tahini-​y. Way better than that Sabra stuff. My boyfriend got the lamb kebab which was delicious and cooked to a medium rare — a rarity in these parts.