Lazeez

Decent enough ‘greek’ place. A tad overpriced but most likely this is tied to being in Noe. The neighborhood is definitely great and its a small quick stop for your gyros or other greek food.
I had their à la carte souvlaki in which they take pita bread and put the souvlaki in there with a bit of sauce. The meat was well done but the dish all in all was just fine; I’ve definitely had better souvlaki. Nothing that really blew me out of the water. ~$ 13 dollars for that didn’t feel right though.

Went here a number of times when they opened but got tired of spending $ 20 for *take-​out* lunch. I’d give the food 4 stars but 1 star for the place/​speed/​price. It would be one thing if it was all organic, free-​range, humanely raised, blah, blah but its none of that. The kicker is their cash register defaults to 15% tip as the minimum. Really? For take out food that takes forever to prepare? There are small counters in the window so if you’re lucky to be one of the 4 or 5 people, congratulations, you can sit down & eat, otherwise hang your head down as you walk out to look for a curb so you can sit down to eat the food you just dropped $$$ on. If you have a ton of money and want to take you food to eat somewhere else then its a decent option.

Very expensive! We get 3 dishes to go and it’s never less than $ 50. It’s good, but for a take out restaurant, the service is incredibly slow. We’ve been there many times since opening and it hasn’t gotten any better. I haven’t noticed any unsanitary practices, but based on other reviews, if I go back, I’ll be on the look out.
I wouldn’t come to Noe Valley to eat here, but if you’re here and you really want Mediterranean food, this is pretty much your only option. It’s not fast, not great and not cheap.
We have given up on it and decided to just order Mediterranean from delivery services.

The gyros are ok, and falafel is good. Gave it two stars as the beef shawarma wrap is almost inedible, hope they improve the quality.

Worth checking out when you want a hot fast meal.
This place is good to have in the area — Noe Valley needs a spot like this.
The food is fast and decent — you can get wraps or platters for pretty much anything. And you will not have to wait long at all.
Seems like the staff is still figuring it out — there are lots of people who seem to be working there who don’t do anything, but it just opened.

I went the other day during the day and ordered a beef shawarma. it had beautiful slices of beef and lamb with just the right amount of sauce. It was perfect.
So I went again tonight and ordered the same thing to go. When I got home and unwrapped it, it looked like a burrito. It was drenched in sauce and the meat was diced up like in a burrito. The tomatoes were mushy and overcooked. Looks like I’ll be only eating during the day at Lazeez

I live down the street and have been eager to try Lazeez — there has been a long line esp on weekends!
I got lamb/​beef gyro (massive, could only eat half) for around $ 10 and fries (also huge portions!) for about $ 4. Idk what others are talking about but saw all food handlers wearing purple gloves.
My lamb/​beef gyro came a little late so the cashier gifted me with a baklava which was a kind gesture. Super tasty too. Overall, I waited no more than 10 min. Food portions were great for the price, clean inside, and delicious. No complaints. I’ll be back!

DO NOT GO HERE! The food is undercooked and prepared without care or caution. The worst food I have had in San Francisco YTD. They will not survive long in Noe Valley unless they up their level of service and food quality. It is way overpriced for what you receive. The Mexican place next door is 10 times better!

Got the veggie combo plate and I have to say the falafel was some of the best I’ve had in SF — or anywhere else. Actually everything was really good and the portions were huge. At first I was a little put off by the wait, but now I’m assuming the falafel was made to order given how fresh it seemed and next time I’ll wait more patiently :)
The only complaint is that they really didn’t provide enough pita to go with the plate. Next time I’ll ask for more. And there will definitely be a next time!

Well I wanted a good gyro… this is about as good as I’ve found in the bay area. I don’t like the bread they use (more of a round lavash than a nice pita) and it’s a bit pricey but there was a ton of meat in there.

Had the beef and lamb gyro and tried the falafel. Both were really good, and generous portions (which they should be, for the price). Seemed like the staff took note of some of the early reviewers concerns with cleanliness/​sanitation — they were all wearing gloves behind the counter.
They’re probably still figuring things out and I’m hopeful it will keep getting better! It’s better than gyro express for sure, and it’s nice to have a fast mediterranean take out option on 24^th.

Awesome vegan mousakka and great falafel.
Quick to go service and the hot line was very clean. Next time I’ll have to eat here as opposed to take out.
Faisal is the man!

You would think after that horrendous food poisoning incident in San Jose that sickened close to 200 people and sent over 12 people to the hospital last month (
), restaurant owners would take extra precaution to ensure that their employees practice safe food handling processes to prevent foodborne illnesses.
Albertino M. had warned me against visiting Lazeez (he visited the day before) but against my better judgement, I went anyways. Here’s a link to his review:
.
A good lamb shawarma is my test of a solid Mediterranean place. Unfortunately, Lazeez doesn’t offer lamb shawarma. Instead, I inquired about the chicken and beef shawarma but the aloof cashier told me it wouldn’t be ready for another 20 minutes. That’s funny, because the guy who ordered after me received his chicken shawarma in several minutes. In fact, four people who ordered after me received their order before me.
Good food takes time so I thought to myself…
Well, the 18 minutes I was there waiting for my kefta shawarma, I watched the cooks in action. I saw one cook come down the stairs from their second level (storage area?) and proceeded to chop veggies with his bare hands. Then, I saw another cook touch the railing as he came down the stairs and proceeded to smear hummus with his b-​a-​r-​e fingers onto the lavash!!! Yes, I know the «glove law» in SF was repealed but both these cooks did NOT wash their hands after coming back from whatever they were doing upstairs. I then watched as that same lavash exchange another 2 set of bare hands. Uhhh… are we in third grade playing hot potato?! Unless you’re a high volume, fast food restaurant, it should not take 3 people to assemble one shawarma.
Onto the food…
Well, I received the most overpriced, pathetically skimpy, and poorly made shawarma for $ 12. I know this is Noe Valley but c’mon now:
. As a comparison basis, I got this shawarma at Valencia & Kebab that opened last week in the Mission and they even provided complimentary baklava for $ 8.50:
.
After one bite of Lazeez’s shawarma which was 80% lavash with a hint of very bland hummus and gloopy tahini, the wrap unraveled on the bottom and the filling spilled onto my lap (they didn’t even provide any napkins for a to-​go order nor was there a utensil & napkin station).
I’m all about the 5 second rule, but I just could not…
Where were those fingers at before it was finger banging that hummus!!!

I’ve been here three times now – which is frequent considering they opened about two weeks ago. I visited the first day of opening – and had a questionable experience (they ran out of meat). I still had hope – so we visited a second time (it was decent, but different from the first, taste-wise…and in a more unattractive way).Tonight was the night – the third time. Again, it was different from the first and second times (and the orders have been pretty much the same for the bf and I… meat shawarma & chicken shawarma). I have one last shot in me, as long as I order something different. A gyro perhaps? But considering the inconsistency, it appears they are still trying to figure things out – so it may take some time. All in all, thus far: decent, but inconsistent. Nonetheless, definitely easy on a night when you don’t feel like cooking & have no idea what to purchase from whole foods across the street.
Also– the tzatiziki tastes more like thick onion dip than refreshing, cucumber yogurt goodness, which is unfortunate.

New place on 24^th to try out. A little pricey but I think the meat gyro was worth the price ($ 10.50 for combo beef and lamb meat) it was hearty and quite a bit of extra meat for your buck. The place itself is smaller than I expected it to be but clean and nice overall. The only down side is the pita bread started to kind of fall apart after eating about half of it. I’d go back for sure. I do recommend to try it and enjoy it since it is something new and different in the neighborhood

Well call me a white girl… I enjoyed my beef shawarma. I don’t know shawarma from anything, generally anything I’m not able to cook (as long as it’s flavorful) is good to me. I thought the meat was incredibly seasoned, my lavash stayed in tact, and I found the portion satisfying for the price.
My partner had the gyro. Now, gyros I know. You couldn’t walk 2 blocks in my hometown without tripping over a greek restaurant, so I’ve had a lot of gyros and I’m picky. I didn’t find this gyro to be anything worth writing home about.
The seating inside is pretty minimal, definitely a take-​out destination.

Time: 12:31pm/64°F sunny
Purpose: Place was on list since Joshua Simon departed. Message came through about opening asking if I could check it out. Came by Monday and spitfire roaster wasn’t working.
Ambiance: From the outside bottom half window painted with drawing of traditional middle eastern offerings. Inside is a nine person counter seater all high backed chair facing 24^th street. One lower table reserved for wheelchair access. Side wall with drawing of life in middle eastern village setting. Other side is a chain hanging menu above some writing in different languages saying «thank you». Front counter area with iPad, tip jar, acrylic pastry bin, hand sanitizer, toothpicks. A staircase leading to office upstair and unisex restroom. No television or music just average street noise and casual bypasser chatting. Feel kinda cold and uninviting mainly due to how my question was being answer.
Staff: A crew of all male employees four in total. One could be owner as he was directing three back of house worker on specific task. Two of them seems confused and lost on how to comprehend orders. At slower time, I saw nothing being done, not even prep work just milling around. No leadership seen everyone doing their own thing. At one point workers wasn’t talking to each other. A long pulse for some time as, I’m feeling awkward eavesdropping on their convo.
Cleanliness: Grade D-​, I was deciding on what to order. One worker had both his palms underneath jawbone and cheek area looking towards me and cashier. Kinda to say bore and waiting for a order. No attempt to wash hands at sink or wear latex gloves. God damit! That’s gross and its personal hygiene contamination.
Eats/​Drinks: Beef shawarma $ 11.50 was the worst I had in years. Starting with lavash hard and crunchy with each bend it show a crack. How the hell did they mess that up? All it needed was toss on grill about 30 seconds. Lavash were that of store bought 15pcs per package not soft or unleavened. Beef was dried out and flavorless listed as marinated. Taste like meat from out of package no effort in seasoning just thrown on spitfire roaster let it be it. Broiled tomato didn’t taste anything near it, instead like regular salad tomato. Tahini sauce wasn’t enough to cover lavash only small patch in center. Very bland to the point no sauce can rescue this lifeless limb. Air pocket takes up space to make it seems bigger than what it is. Look at pictures to decide for yourself.
Main Features: Shawarma wrap or CYO version.
Products/​Services: Gyro, shawarma, souvlaki, falafel, kabab, platter, combo, vegetarian, salad, soup, tabbouleh, hummus, spanakopita, pilaf rice, baba ghannouj, tzatziki, dolmas, baklava, dates, assorted bottle beverages/​juices.
Punch Lines: Sleeper, not as great, pricey, small portion, sanitation/​personal hygiene, go elsewhere, seats are minimal, kitschy décor, snooty service, nothing special, quite bland, below standards, not as great, street parking (meter), 24^th St business corridor, Noe Valley.
Tradeoffs: A Mediterranean culinary classroom disguise as to fit in area. Students not ready for prime time.
Final Thoughts: Place look promising, but what a let down. I was skeptical being a new place and all, but still gave benefit of doubt. Here’s where the problem lies. Just because it’s in a trendy neighborhood things will be sugar dandy. My experience leads me to believe that they’re not trying to master their trade, but matching their rival prices. Anyone can do that just walk by snap a picture and change your own prices. I understand trying to recoup for initial spending leading up to opening, but to charge base on area might not work out. However, how about the masses? The people who pays your rent and support the business? I just pay $ 12+ for a limpy shawarma with loosely wrapped filling that was a mess to deal with. Now, this was my first time, I do believe in second chance, but how I was talk to and body language suggest otherwise. Do you think I’ll ever return? Go ahead reply if you want, but don’t expect me to waste any more time here. Two stars for ambiance and area thats all I can salvage. Moving on…

Only been here once so I don’t have a lot to base my rating on. Hope this place finds it’s groove and meets the need of Noe Valley eaters!
List-​form review instead…
Pros:
Bright and clean
Friendly service, hope they can maintain this as time goes on.
Food came out pretty fast
Fast/​takeout place instead of a sit-down…pretty much the only other option is Casa Mexicana and sometimes you gotta switch it up so this is a good addition to the mix.
Food is not super greasy
The pita and sauce were super yummy in my gyro
Salad was surprisingly fresh
Huge portions! I was starving and had not eaten all day and I still had a hard time finishing my meal.
It’s not another nail salon…
Things I wouldn’t mind seeing changed:
Prices are not outrageous, but a little higher than I normally want to pay for take-​away food. Then again, I got a lot of food in my serving. I would rather have a smaller portion and save a dollar or two though.
There are 4 chairs at each counter for eating in but there is no way 4 people would all be able to fit at once. So basically only 2 people at a time can eat at each counter and there was this awkward chair-​shuffle going on just to get in/​out of a seat because it was so crowded.
I felt like my meat was dry and not very flavorful. I know grease = more flavor but given the lack of grease I expected the flavor of the actual beef and lamb to stand out a little bit and it just felt bland and salty. (Caveat: I say this as a person whose taste in wines only extends to «tastes red» or «tastes white» so I do not pretend to be any expert in the taste and seasonings department.)
Dinner plate came with salad and rice… I’m not a big rice person so I wished it had come with hummus or something else instead.
Lots of different canned/​bottled drink options but no sparkling water, which is my go-​to if I’m gonna splurge on a bottled drink.

Lazeez is a pleasant surprise on 24^th Street. Very good, reasonably priced Med style food. All of a sudden the place appeared Across from whole Foods. Mostly takeout because there are limited seats to eat in. I had lamb and beef gyro which was well cooked and seasoned with lots of fresh vegs and a fluffy wrap. I’d go again

Noe Valley welcomed Lazeez, a new restaurant to 24^th Street this week, a nice respite from the overabundance of recent nail salon and opportunistic real estate office openings over the past year.
With Mediterranean specialties such as Hummus by the full and half pint ($ 4.95)*, Gyros ($ 10.50)*, Shawarma ($ 11.50)*, Kefta, Falafel and other well seasoned and prepared items, Lazeez is a great new addition to our restaurant starved neighborhood.
Counter seating is available in this small establishment, but most patrons during our visit were ordering takeaway. A fully refurbished space from the previous clothing store tenant, the friendly owner was busily preparing orders with his crew of 3 cooks and one cashier to an overflow crowd on this Friday night.
Welcome to the neighborhood!
*Prices at the time of this review