By Zach Brown, Berks County Eats
With some restaurants, it truly is love at first bite.
The last time I experienced that was with Zaytoon Kabob & Grill. Opened in the spring of 2025, I first visited in August of the same year. The lamb over rice platter immediately earned it a spot on my list of favorite restaurants in Berks County.
A year after they opened, Zaytoon has added to their menu, and I was invited to come try two new additions: lamb kabob and lentil soup.
I stopped in on a Thursday afternoon in early May. Despite being between the lunch and dinner rushes, there was a steady stream of customers coming through the storefront in the Shoppes at Wyomissing. I saw parents with their college students in tow — recently released from their semester at nearby Penn State Berks — along with dine-in and takeout orders as I sat in a booth along the wall.
While I waited for the lamb kabob to be prepared, I had the chance to talk to Bashier, Zaytoon’s owner. Bashier is a Berks County local who saw a lack of halal options in our area, opening the restaurant to fill that gap now that his children are grown.
Meanwhile, Zaytoon’s business is growing — steadily, he says — mostly by word-of-mouth, including unannounced visits and reviews.
After a few minutes, my lamb kabob platter arrived. Five chunks of lamb meat were laid across a bed of rice with a small side salad and two slices of thin bread.
The meat was tender and soft — not chewy — with just a bit of char on the edges. A few red pepper flakes from the marinade hung around, as did the mildly spicy aftertaste. A little bit of creamy white sauce was the perfect complement, toning it down without taking away from it.
Like the original lamb and rice platter, this comes served with a small salad. (The olives were a new addition.) Instead of triangles of pita, it came with two large flat pieces of bread with strong herbal notes.
Honestly, it was too much food for my late lunch. Priced at just over $20, it’s still a good value, especially for dinner.
In addition to the lamb, I had the opportunity to try the new lentil soup. While the lamb was very good, the soup was amazing. It was thick with both bright and earthy tones. I brought home half of it for Julie to try, and she had the same “wow” reaction I did. This will definitely be part of my orders moving forward.
Zaytoon was already a favorite of mine, but these offerings are great additions to an already excellent establishment. If you haven’t tried them yet, I highly recommend them.
BCE Rating
Food: Very Good
Ambiance: Very Good
Service: Excellent
Price: $$
Zaytoon Kabob & Grill
760 Woodland Road
Wyomissing, PA 19610
This story was contributed courtesy of Berks County Eats, a local resource for food and dining information. Berks County Eats is dedicated to promoting the dining scene in Reading and Berks County, PA, offering restaurant reviews, news, and events, and a comprehensive Berks County restaurant directory. You can read more at berkscountyeats.com.
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