It has earned a shoutout in Larry David’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” been named in a popular song by American singer-songwriter Beck and provided the moody backdrop for a Childish Gambino music video.
Yet, despite drawing the attention of celebrities and singers alike, Zankou Chicken has remained a humble, consistent presence in LA’s lunch scene.
With several locations throughout Southern California, including in West Los Angeles, Zankou Chicken has earned a place in LA’s food scene by combining a deeply traditional Armenian and Mediterranean menu with a modern, American fast-casual format.
“When you come to Zankou Chicken, everything is made from scratch,” Dikran Iskenderian, co-owner and vice president of Zankou Chicken said. “Everything we have, except the pita bread, is made in-house from scratch. We have the highest quality meats and the highest quality produce.”
Zankou Chicken is a true family business. It got its start back in 1962 in Beirut, Lebanon by Iskenderian’s grandfather, who named the business after a river in Armenia. Now, Iskenderian, his three brothers and his mother Rita have taken his vision and made it their own, opening several restaurants throughout LA.
“I think it’s a big blessing,” Iskenderian said. “My mom is a bit tough on us, because for her, quality is very important. Getting things right is very important. All of us went to different schools. We have different backgrounds. For example, I went to UCLA. I did marketing. My brother went to school and learned how to be a chef. All of us have different backgrounds, and we come together and it becomes a powerful team.”
Zankou Chicken does not overcomplicate things with complex fusion offerings that stray away from its roots. The menu revolves around marinated rotisserie chicken, spit-roasted chicken tarna, flame-grilled kebabs and beef shawarma. These are all typically served with Zankou Chicken’s house-made garlic sauce, pita bread and classic sides like basmati rice and hummus.
The garlic sauce, or toum, is made the old-school way: using emulsification, not by cheating with mayonnaise or dairy. The hummuses and eggplant dips are prepared using traditional methods.
However, though the menu focuses on traditional Mediterranean food, Zankou Chicken is always ready to evolve for what its customers crave. Two of the newer things on its menu are the fattoush salad — a lemony dish that comes with crispy pita bread — and what they call “Mom’s Lentil Soup.”
“Mom’s lentil soup is made with fresh chicken broth that we make in-house,” Iskenderian said. “It’s not powder or anything like that. It’s made from our own chicken, and it’s made fresh every single day. I had it just this week. It’s absolutely tasty. It’s wonderful and it’s so good, especially for the cold months, and even now when it is hot. I like spicy, so I put a little bit of Tabasco on mine, or I put some ghost pepper and some extra salt and lemon, and it’s so, so good. I highly recommend people try that.”
Among the more popular items on the menu are Zankou Chicken’s bowls, which feature a base of rice, one protein for an extra charge, two toppings and two sauces.
“People really, really love that because you get the protein, like the chicken tarna, the beef shawarma, or whatever you want in terms of the protein,” Iskenderian said. “It comes with marinated chicken, hand-sliced to order and whatever toppings people want. That’s very popular right now. Our kebabs are always popular because they’re made fresh to order. They’re flame-grilled kebabs, marinated in our own secret family recipe, and there’s three different versions: chicken, obviously, lule, which is ground beef, and the marinated tri-tip, which is we call shish kebab.”
Zankou Chicken Locations
Burbank: 1001 N. San Fernando Boulevard, 818-238-0414
Downtown LA: 611 W. Seventh Street, 215-550-3455
Glendale: 1415 E. Colorado Street, 818-244-2237
Lawndale (South Bay): 17100 Hawthorne Boulevard, 310-295-1102
Long Beach: 2590 N. Lakewood Boulevard, 562-485-5255
Pasadena: 1296 E. Colorado Boulevard, 626-405-1502
North Hollywood (Los Angeles): 10760 Riverside Drive, 818-655-0469
Van Nuys: 6167 Sepulveda Boulevard, 818-781-0615
West Hollywood: 7851 W. Sunset Boulevard, 323-882-6365
West Los Angeles: 1716 S. Sepulveda Boulevard, 310-444-0550
Instead of a sit-down, white-tablecloth Mediterranean restaurant with slow service, Zankou has adapted to the hustle of Los Angeles. It’s optimized for speed: guests order at a glass counter and eat at their own speed. Its traditional food is served at the speed of modern American life. Following the main course, guests can check out Zankou Chicken’s baklava, made using Rita’s personal recipe.
“It is handmade every single day with layers of phyllo, fresh pistachio — we use real fresh pistachio and phyllo to make it,” Iskenderian said.
Zankou Chicken Locations
Burbank: 1001 N. San Fernando Boulevard, 818-238-0414
Downtown LA: 611 W. Seventh Street, 215-550-3455
Glendale: 1415 E. Colorado Street, 818-244-2237
Lawndale (South Bay): 17100 Hawthorne Boulevard, 310-295-1102
Long Beach: 2590 N. Lakewood Boulevard, 562-485-5255
Pasadena: 1296 E. Colorado Boulevard, 626-405-1502
North Hollywood (Los Angeles): 10760 Riverside Drive, 818-655-0469
Van Nuys: 6167 Sepulveda Boulevard, 818-781-0615
West Hollywood: 7851 W. Sunset Boulevard, 323-882-6365
West Los Angeles: 1716 S. Sepulveda Boulevard, 310-444-0550
Dining and Cooking