ZOA Moroccan Kitchen announced today that its new location will open Sept. 9 at 6700 S. Rice Avenue in Bellaire. Chef Youssef Nafaa, owner of ZOA and the creator of the Bella Restaurants Group, will launch the grand opening celebration of the fast-casual food chain’s second restaurant with free samples of traditional Moroccan dishes served in make-your-own bowls or as sandwiches. ZOA also will create made-to-order specialties such as medfouna yalla, yalla—a stuffed-pizza-pie. ZOA’s affordable, culturally authentic cuisine delivers modern, fast and fresh Moroccan street food “in a healthy way to the American market,” Nafaa said. From colorful, build-your-own bowls and sandwiches, with Fatima bread (Moroccan pita bread) stuffed with lamb, kefta, or chicken, to traditional Moroccan crepes, ZOA’s signature fast-food dishes can be topped with an assortment of locally sourced garnishes, savory sauces and regional spices.
ZOA’s Bellaire restaurant was scheduled to open mid-August but delays in the construction process postponed the highly anticipated debut to Sept. 9. Nafaa’s original ZOA restaurant made its debut in March 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic at 4710 Lillian Street just off Washington Avenue in Rice Military. The unique dishes and peppy service at ZOA have garnered a loyal following and positive dining reviews on social media, and in 2021, ZOA’s Lillian Street restaurant earned the No. 52 spot on Yelp’s Top 100 Places to Eat in Texas. ZOA also garnered a nomination in 2021 as “best African restaurant” by Houston Press. Nafaa takes pride in ZOA’s fun, zesty take on the rich traditional flavors from his native Morocco. The mission of ZOA’s kitchen is to delight the foodie, the culinary curious and the adventurous, Nafaa said, “every dish inspired by the simple street foods of my youth”—sandwiches and bowls filled with the flavor of Morocco.
ZOA Moroccan Kitchen caters, offers online ordering for pickup and sells Zoa@Home easy-meal-prep combos. It is part of Nafaa’s Bella Restaurants Group, which owns and operates Houston staples Mia Bella Trattoria, Coco Crepes, Waffles & Coffee and Andalucia Tapas Restaurant & Bar.
