Azar's Natural Foods is located on Prescott Avenue in Virginia Beach. It is very unassuming and you probably wouldn't know it existed unless someone told you about it. That's why I'm here.
Azar's is a small diner style restaurant with an adjacent gourmet market. The dining area is filled with cute tables and the large glass door in the front of the room allows for plenty of natural light. The shelves in the market are filled with an impressive assortment of cheeses, pastries, fruits, nuts, meats and wine. I have only been to Azar's for lunch but I really want to go back for dinner so I can try the wine.
The menu is an array of Mediterranean specialties in the form of soups, salads, wraps, herbal pizzas among other things. Azar's provides both vegetarian and vegan choices. I ordered the half and half combination platter for $8.95. Which for me included the chicken taewook wrap and a bowl of tomato basil bisque.
The chicken taewook wrap is prepared with baked marinated chicken, cabbage, tomato, pickles, parsley and a touch of "Mama Lina's dressing" all rolled in a toasted pita.
The bisque was sweet, rich and creamy. It is prepared with a touch of hot pepper which gives it some kick. I was pleased with the portion size in the combo platter. I was expecting smaller but it was very filling and a great value at only $8.95.
Each meal is served with pita triangles and hummus. I'm not a fan of hummus but I'm told that Azar's is delicious. I tasted it and was not moved. I was also not moved by the fact that there was no silverware on the table and we had to spread the hummus with the spoon that came with the soup.
One menu item that is definitely worth trying are the rolled oat cookies. They are a mix of nuts, seeds and oats and sweetened with honey. These cookies taste so good you'll swear you're doing something wrong, but you're not.
Azar's also has a location in Ghent and their entire menu can be accessed on line here.
4 comments:
You make this place look good. I'm going to have to start a notebook so that when I get to travel to that part of the country I can try some of these places.
Love the 'old' Azar's in Va Beach. Been going there for years. I agree with you about Hummus...what is the big deal!!
_Laine
I love flavored hummus- like roasted red pepper and garlic... The plain hummus is not my favorite.
We use to have a Lebanese grocer/diner across from my college that served the same things as this one. I drove by a week ago and it is gone. That was a great place. You make me wanna go find a similar spot...
I love Azar's because it's locally owned and fresh-tasting, but I am sadly not a fan of their hummus or falafel. I prefer Persian-style for these two items, not Lebanese. I also wish they used doughier pita. BUT still work going to support local businesses!
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