Definitely give this place a chance, you will not regret it. I've grown to crave it. His food is amazing and has always been nothing short of respectful.Regarding some of these negitive reviews, they speak for themselves. Myself, I can appreciate his responses to the obvious Karen's.
Kate M.
Quick and friendly service! They have specific locations for specific days which are listed on their website. Got the combo plate and it was ready in practically 5 mins! Their card reader wasn't working that night which was slightly inconvenient. Their falafels are delicious, salad/kabob/rice was pretty good. but I was upset I didn't get any tzatziki sauce (if they even have it?) Good spot if it's nearby. Bring cash just in case!
Raghad S
Delcious fresh authentic middle eastern food! Highly recommend!! Lots of menu options. Ordered the beef shawarma, packed with flavor. I wasn't even hungry and ended up devouring the entire plate. Must give this food truck a try and see for yourself!
Jennifer R.
Amazing Middle Eastern food!!! Highly recommend this food truck, whenever you see it around town, a must!!! You won't regret it!!
Glenn Thomas
Refuses or ignores serving women, femalesYou have very good food. We thought it was a mistake the first time in Mariposa Park, tried it again near the Bosque river. Same women I witnessed both times. We will give it a try 1 more time. Your food is delicious. I don’t take this lightly
Shannon M
Had the combo plate while at Tractor Brewery (WS). It was delicious!! The perfect little plate while drinking!! Definitely recommend!! Will try again!!
Lydia G.
If you're looking for some AMAZING middle eastern food, look no further! Tried the chicken shawarma burrito, chicken taco, fries, and the baklava and let me tell you how flavorful it is! The fries are just simply the best! The owner/driver is so sweet and I will forever be supporting his business. Soooooo goooood!!!
Chloe Bringhurst
Absolutely OBSESSED with Mama Zahira! Riadh is the friendliest, most genuine guy. We got the falafel pita, combo plate, dolmas, and baklava. Everything was made fresh to order and came out hot. Some of the best falafel I've ever had, and the dolmas were seasoned so well. The salad inside the pita and on the side of the combo was made with fresh, ripe, delicious veggies & herbs. I came to Albuquerque from Salt Lake City, and will be taking an order of fresh pita back home with me. I cannot recommend Mama Zahira Foodies enough.
Raz & Imbri P
The only thing better than a picnic in the park is a picnic in the park with freshly cooked food. The only way to top that is to make the picnic a little exotic. Grabbing a lunch from Mama Zahira Foodies checks all the boxes.One cannot beat the simple beauty of Mariposa Basin Park as a dining room, especially since we're still under social distancing guidelines. Mama Zahira's family brings food right to this lovely park every day, giving them the best dining room in all of Albuquerque.Even if you're not staying in the park to eat, the food is worth a stop for take-out. The falafel are crispy on the outside, tender in the middle, and savory in every part. We think we might have even detected a subtle kick of heat. They pair perfectly with the creamy, salty hummus (which if you ask us is the apotheosis of the garbanzo bean).Raz and I agree that the spiced basmati rice is the best we've had in Albuquerque. Raz can't eat corriander leaf, so I got all the salad on the combo plate to myself, and I was very pleased with the bright, slightly spicy flavor of super-fresh tomato, onion, cucumber, and a few other chopped veggies that made up the simultaneously exotic and very homey dish. At $10 the combo plate is a generous meal for one that will fill you up from starving, or a reasonable portion to split between two people with lighter appetites, so it's a great value.If you're going for serious grab-and-go, we also highly recommend the Falafel Pita, which is a perfect proportion to fill one person, and vegetarian to boot, so you can feel good about eating healthy while taking your taste buds on a luxury cruise. We were really happy to find this local, family business feeding the West Side and can't wait to see every one here!
Very, very flavorful food at reasonable prices from a mighty friendly owner. Flavors can be intense, like garlicky hummus or baba ganoush & his spicy falafel, but are Oh So Good!!!Grilled ground meat kebabs are actually one of his milder tasting foods, but the meat is astonishingly smooth & tender. Baklava pieces are a high percentage of walnut filling that is delightfully flavored with rosewater. His yogurt drink is tangy, slightly sour, & quite pungent with a yeasty fermented taste. It's not to be missed if you like different & complex flavors in your food.
Julian G.
I kind of tripped out when reading all the stuff on Mama Zahiras Food truck. The most notable thing that caught my eye was "the wacky Iraqi." Lol this guy is definitely a little bit wacky and a good sport about it. I love me some Mediterranean food every once in a while. When this perk came up, I immediately jumped at the opportunity and I'm so glad I did. This is probably some of the best and freshest middle eastern food I've had in the city so far. The combo plate was what was included in the perk. It came with two sheesh kababs over rice, three pieces of falafel with hummus, and tabouli salad. I'll just say this, it was gone in under five minutes. You ever ate so fast the food kind of stops up down your throat and needs a huge gulp of a beverage to wash it down? Yes... this was me eating this food. The menu is a bit here and there. There are middle eastern items but also things like fries smothered in cheese and jalapeño. I ordered a plate of these and they were also really delish. I'm wanting to try out all the other goodies in the short term future. Overall, really good food, really cool dude running it. I highly recommend.
Glitchy S.
Owner is comedic and friendly, highly recommend this Iraqi food truck, try the $10 combo dish!
Bee C.
What a delightful treat I had experienced! Hidden in the Taylor Ranch Community center parking lot, I did have to drive around to find this food truck but I was glad to find it. The owner was very friendly and the food was excellent. The food was just excellent - yep I said it twice! I got a food combo and my friend got a burrito with an order of baklava to share. Everything was very delightful. The owner used to be in another profession before coming to be the food truck owner. I would definitely eat here again.
Rok J.
Bottom Line: Baghdad on the west mesa! - or - How to make your American car smell like an Iraqi souk! Mama Zahira's food truck offers loads of wonderfully sharp flavors and varying textures to tantalize your tongue at totally reasonable prices for food of such quality. Friendly owner. Come support this guy so the 'Burque food scene doesn't lose this gem. Top Line: Shout-out to Howie's recent review for hoisting Mama Zahira's onto my radar. Being a fan-boi of Middle Eastern cuisines, I felt a moral obligation to check out this gentleman's wares, since he parks his food truck only a few miles away from my current Western Winter Quarters on the west mesa. Ordering was easy, but choosing was tough. All options looked tasty. In the end I went Big Hog style with a combo meal $10, baba ganoush dip $7, four pieces of baklava $5, and a cup of yogurt drink $2.50. This haul will provide me two full meals, plus a few sessions of baba ganoush noshing on the side. The smell of all those goodies turned my car into a delightful aroma therapy chamber for blissing out on the jaunt back home, which can be a dangerous endeavor when playing among the Duke City's hell-bent traffic mayhem. Combo meal was two skewers worth of burger'ish kabob meat, rice, salad, and four falafel patties floating on a pool of hummus. Meat was distinctly unspiced, though extremely well grilled & charred to bring out the meat's native flavor. Texture was super, super, super smooth and tender. Like the burger had been run through the grinder a few extra times, moving the fibers away from chunky toward paste, before being packed on the skewer & grilled. Rice was amazingly tasty with hints of cinnamon, netmeg, & other unidentified spices playing in the mix, before a light late sting of heat crept in at the end. Texture was soft tender & coated with oil, butter, or both. Salad was fresh ingredients (tomato, cucumber, bit o' onion, parsley) with the parsley flavor being very pronounced. A touch of vinegar tang came in late, which brightened up the vegetation. Falafel were dense little fried nuggets of cornmeal like texture with a spicy bite that didn't seem to carry a lot of black pepper taste. Spicy nonetheless. The underlying hummus was very, *very* garlicky flavored. That can be a good thing in my world, indeed. I'm safe from vampires tonight for sure. Hummus texture was extremely smooth & eminently dip-able. Baba ganoush was likewise a very smooth paste. The included crispy, chippy, dippy deep fried cracker-ma-bobs for scooping it up were State Fair food good: greasy oily crunchified tidbits of pure carbohydrate flour ribbons on an artery clogging mission to insure your cardiologist has a long & lucrative career. So good! The baba ganoush was tamer than most I've had. It lacked the typical bite from the eggplant, but was still good. WARNING!!! Olives on top of baba ganoush have pits still in them. Be cautious about biting into them. Baklava was expected very delicate flaky filo dough wrapping. Walnut filling was generous and not the sickly honey sweet kind. It let the earthy richness of the nut flavor play through, along with the rosewater flavor that is a major player in this particular baklava recipe. One of the four pieces had baked too long & gotten burnt on the bottom. When I ate it, the rosewater flavor was prominent enough to power through the over-caramelization of the crust. Which means that it still tasted pretty good. The unburnt piece was just that much better. Yogurt drink carries tart, sour'ish, & distinctly fermented funkiness notes to the edge of overload, without tipping over that edge. The fermented taste was especially strong. If you dislike beer for that yeasty taste some brews have, avoid this drink because it has that tanginess in force. If, like me, you appreciate the flavor fermenting can bring, plus yogurt's tangy bite, this is your huckleberry. Texture is like straight milk, no chunkiness or thickness at all. Save the airfare to Baghda
Definitely give this place a chance, you will not regret it. I've grown to crave it. His food is amazing and has always been nothing short of respectful.Regarding some of these negitive reviews, they speak for themselves. Myself, I can appreciate his responses to the obvious Karen's.
Quick and friendly service! They have specific locations for specific days which are listed on their website. Got the combo plate and it was ready in practically 5 mins! Their card reader wasn't working that night which was slightly inconvenient. Their falafels are delicious, salad/kabob/rice was pretty good. but I was upset I didn't get any tzatziki sauce (if they even have it?) Good spot if it's nearby. Bring cash just in case!
Delcious fresh authentic middle eastern food! Highly recommend!! Lots of menu options. Ordered the beef shawarma, packed with flavor. I wasn't even hungry and ended up devouring the entire plate. Must give this food truck a try and see for yourself!
Amazing Middle Eastern food!!! Highly recommend this food truck, whenever you see it around town, a must!!! You won't regret it!!
Refuses or ignores serving women, femalesYou have very good food. We thought it was a mistake the first time in Mariposa Park, tried it again near the Bosque river. Same women I witnessed both times. We will give it a try 1 more time. Your food is delicious. I don’t take this lightly
Had the combo plate while at Tractor Brewery (WS). It was delicious!! The perfect little plate while drinking!! Definitely recommend!! Will try again!!
If you're looking for some AMAZING middle eastern food, look no further! Tried the chicken shawarma burrito, chicken taco, fries, and the baklava and let me tell you how flavorful it is! The fries are just simply the best! The owner/driver is so sweet and I will forever be supporting his business. Soooooo goooood!!!
Absolutely OBSESSED with Mama Zahira! Riadh is the friendliest, most genuine guy. We got the falafel pita, combo plate, dolmas, and baklava. Everything was made fresh to order and came out hot. Some of the best falafel I've ever had, and the dolmas were seasoned so well. The salad inside the pita and on the side of the combo was made with fresh, ripe, delicious veggies & herbs. I came to Albuquerque from Salt Lake City, and will be taking an order of fresh pita back home with me. I cannot recommend Mama Zahira Foodies enough.
The only thing better than a picnic in the park is a picnic in the park with freshly cooked food. The only way to top that is to make the picnic a little exotic. Grabbing a lunch from Mama Zahira Foodies checks all the boxes.One cannot beat the simple beauty of Mariposa Basin Park as a dining room, especially since we're still under social distancing guidelines. Mama Zahira's family brings food right to this lovely park every day, giving them the best dining room in all of Albuquerque.Even if you're not staying in the park to eat, the food is worth a stop for take-out. The falafel are crispy on the outside, tender in the middle, and savory in every part. We think we might have even detected a subtle kick of heat. They pair perfectly with the creamy, salty hummus (which if you ask us is the apotheosis of the garbanzo bean).Raz and I agree that the spiced basmati rice is the best we've had in Albuquerque. Raz can't eat corriander leaf, so I got all the salad on the combo plate to myself, and I was very pleased with the bright, slightly spicy flavor of super-fresh tomato, onion, cucumber, and a few other chopped veggies that made up the simultaneously exotic and very homey dish. At $10 the combo plate is a generous meal for one that will fill you up from starving, or a reasonable portion to split between two people with lighter appetites, so it's a great value.If you're going for serious grab-and-go, we also highly recommend the Falafel Pita, which is a perfect proportion to fill one person, and vegetarian to boot, so you can feel good about eating healthy while taking your taste buds on a luxury cruise. We were really happy to find this local, family business feeding the West Side and can't wait to see every one here!
Absolutely delicious falafel!!!!
Restaurantji Recommends
Very, very flavorful food at reasonable prices from a mighty friendly owner. Flavors can be intense, like garlicky hummus or baba ganoush & his spicy falafel, but are Oh So Good!!!Grilled ground meat kebabs are actually one of his milder tasting foods, but the meat is astonishingly smooth & tender. Baklava pieces are a high percentage of walnut filling that is delightfully flavored with rosewater. His yogurt drink is tangy, slightly sour, & quite pungent with a yeasty fermented taste. It's not to be missed if you like different & complex flavors in your food.
I kind of tripped out when reading all the stuff on Mama Zahiras Food truck. The most notable thing that caught my eye was "the wacky Iraqi." Lol this guy is definitely a little bit wacky and a good sport about it. I love me some Mediterranean food every once in a while. When this perk came up, I immediately jumped at the opportunity and I'm so glad I did. This is probably some of the best and freshest middle eastern food I've had in the city so far. The combo plate was what was included in the perk. It came with two sheesh kababs over rice, three pieces of falafel with hummus, and tabouli salad. I'll just say this, it was gone in under five minutes. You ever ate so fast the food kind of stops up down your throat and needs a huge gulp of a beverage to wash it down? Yes... this was me eating this food. The menu is a bit here and there. There are middle eastern items but also things like fries smothered in cheese and jalapeño. I ordered a plate of these and they were also really delish. I'm wanting to try out all the other goodies in the short term future. Overall, really good food, really cool dude running it. I highly recommend.
Owner is comedic and friendly, highly recommend this Iraqi food truck, try the $10 combo dish!
What a delightful treat I had experienced! Hidden in the Taylor Ranch Community center parking lot, I did have to drive around to find this food truck but I was glad to find it. The owner was very friendly and the food was excellent. The food was just excellent - yep I said it twice! I got a food combo and my friend got a burrito with an order of baklava to share. Everything was very delightful. The owner used to be in another profession before coming to be the food truck owner. I would definitely eat here again.
Bottom Line: Baghdad on the west mesa! - or - How to make your American car smell like an Iraqi souk! Mama Zahira's food truck offers loads of wonderfully sharp flavors and varying textures to tantalize your tongue at totally reasonable prices for food of such quality. Friendly owner. Come support this guy so the 'Burque food scene doesn't lose this gem. Top Line: Shout-out to Howie's recent review for hoisting Mama Zahira's onto my radar. Being a fan-boi of Middle Eastern cuisines, I felt a moral obligation to check out this gentleman's wares, since he parks his food truck only a few miles away from my current Western Winter Quarters on the west mesa. Ordering was easy, but choosing was tough. All options looked tasty. In the end I went Big Hog style with a combo meal $10, baba ganoush dip $7, four pieces of baklava $5, and a cup of yogurt drink $2.50. This haul will provide me two full meals, plus a few sessions of baba ganoush noshing on the side. The smell of all those goodies turned my car into a delightful aroma therapy chamber for blissing out on the jaunt back home, which can be a dangerous endeavor when playing among the Duke City's hell-bent traffic mayhem. Combo meal was two skewers worth of burger'ish kabob meat, rice, salad, and four falafel patties floating on a pool of hummus. Meat was distinctly unspiced, though extremely well grilled & charred to bring out the meat's native flavor. Texture was super, super, super smooth and tender. Like the burger had been run through the grinder a few extra times, moving the fibers away from chunky toward paste, before being packed on the skewer & grilled. Rice was amazingly tasty with hints of cinnamon, netmeg, & other unidentified spices playing in the mix, before a light late sting of heat crept in at the end. Texture was soft tender & coated with oil, butter, or both. Salad was fresh ingredients (tomato, cucumber, bit o' onion, parsley) with the parsley flavor being very pronounced. A touch of vinegar tang came in late, which brightened up the vegetation. Falafel were dense little fried nuggets of cornmeal like texture with a spicy bite that didn't seem to carry a lot of black pepper taste. Spicy nonetheless. The underlying hummus was very, *very* garlicky flavored. That can be a good thing in my world, indeed. I'm safe from vampires tonight for sure. Hummus texture was extremely smooth & eminently dip-able. Baba ganoush was likewise a very smooth paste. The included crispy, chippy, dippy deep fried cracker-ma-bobs for scooping it up were State Fair food good: greasy oily crunchified tidbits of pure carbohydrate flour ribbons on an artery clogging mission to insure your cardiologist has a long & lucrative career. So good! The baba ganoush was tamer than most I've had. It lacked the typical bite from the eggplant, but was still good. WARNING!!! Olives on top of baba ganoush have pits still in them. Be cautious about biting into them. Baklava was expected very delicate flaky filo dough wrapping. Walnut filling was generous and not the sickly honey sweet kind. It let the earthy richness of the nut flavor play through, along with the rosewater flavor that is a major player in this particular baklava recipe. One of the four pieces had baked too long & gotten burnt on the bottom. When I ate it, the rosewater flavor was prominent enough to power through the over-caramelization of the crust. Which means that it still tasted pretty good. The unburnt piece was just that much better. Yogurt drink carries tart, sour'ish, & distinctly fermented funkiness notes to the edge of overload, without tipping over that edge. The fermented taste was especially strong. If you dislike beer for that yeasty taste some brews have, avoid this drink because it has that tanginess in force. If, like me, you appreciate the flavor fermenting can bring, plus yogurt's tangy bite, this is your huckleberry. Texture is like straight milk, no chunkiness or thickness at all. Save the airfare to Baghda