Let us get the obvious question out of the way first. ZHUG is not a Lebanese restaurant. We are a Mediterranean and Middle Eastern kitchen with two sites in the city, one on Broad Street in Hockley and one on Bramcote Lane in Wollaton.
That said, if you have typed “Lebanese restaurant Nottingham” into your phone on the way home, we have a fair idea what you are actually after. Labneh. Hummus worth ordering for the table. Warm pita to pull apart. Spiced chicken. Something sweet at the end. All of that is on our menu, at both sites.
So rather than claim a label we have not earned, here is the honest version. This is the Lebanese end of what we cook, dish by dish, so you can decide for yourself whether it is the meal you had in mind.
The mezze you came for
Mezze is where this kind of meal starts and it is the part of our menu that will feel most familiar.
Speciality Hummus is the one to order first, with za’atar, chickpeas, harissa, zhug and paprika. If hummus is the whole reason you are reading this, we have written about it at length in our guide to the best hummus in Nottingham.
Labneh is the other one to know about, a soft cheese with sumac onions, black sesame, za’atar and a slick of olive oil. It is thicker than hummus, cooler and a little sharper, so ordering both gives you two different things on the table rather than one thing twice.
Around those two sit Hummus and Falafel, which brings tahini and zhug into the same bowl, Za’atar Potatoes tossed in za’atar and fresh herbs, a Falafel Bowl with green tahini dipping sauce and a dish of Olives and Pickles for the gaps in between.
You will want bread with all of it. Pita Bread, Pita Pieces or a Gluten Free Pita all do the job. The menu is right that they are ideal for soaking up the juices.
Pitas and bowls
Our Middle Eastern pitas come loaded with hummus, tomato fusion, tahini sesame, zhug, tomato, cucumber, onion and cabbage slaw before the filling goes anywhere near them. Every pita on our menu is vegan until you choose what goes inside.
The Lebanese Chicken Pita is the obvious one here, spiced chicken thigh finished with a pickled chilli. The chicken is marinated in our own spice blend before it is roasted. The Falafel Pita is the one to take if you would rather keep the whole thing plant based.
If a wrap in your hands is not the shape of evening you had in mind, the same food arrives as a meal bowl with fries or rice. The Lebanese Spiced Chicken bowl is the direct swap. Falafel and Roast Veg is the vegan one, with roasted vegetables and tahini.
Two sauces matter more than the rest on this part of the menu. Sesame Tahini is the calm one. Zhug is a medium spiced chilli sauce of fresh coriander, fresh parsley, fresh chillies, garlic and aromatic spices. It is what the restaurant is named after, so it seems only fair to warn you that it is not shy.
Have a look at the full ZHUG menu before you come. It is easier to order the moment you sit down than to read it cold at the table.
What to order first
If you have never eaten with us and you want the short version, order like this.
Speciality Hummus and Labneh for the table, with extra Pita Pieces. Olives and Pickles alongside them, because a table of dips needs something sharp on it. Then a Lebanese Spiced Chicken bowl and a Falafel Pita between two, so you get one plate to share and one to hold.
For four people, add Za’atar Potatoes and a second round of pita. That is a proper spread.
Something sweet at the end
Three to choose from, at both sites. Baklava, Kanafeh and Lebanese Panna Cotta.
Where to find us
The menu is the same at both restaurants. The evening around it is not.
ZHUG Hockley on Broad Street
Our city centre kitchen is at 15 Broad Street, NG1 3AJ, in the middle of Nottingham’s independent quarter and a few minutes on foot from the Lace Market. It is the later of the two, open from 12:00 to 23:00 Tuesday to Saturday, 12:00 to 20:00 on Sunday and closed on Monday. Hours move around bank holidays and big event weekends, so the live times are always on our Google listing for Hockley. There is more about the site on our Hockley restaurant page.
ZHUG Wollaton on Bramcote Lane
Our Wollaton restaurant is at 189 Bramcote Lane, NG8 2QJ, a short drive from the gates of Wollaton Hall and Deer Park. It opens 12:00 to 22:00 Tuesday to Saturday, 12:00 to 16:00 on Sunday and closes on Monday, with the current times on our Google listing for Wollaton. Our Wollaton restaurant page has the rest of the detail.
A table where everyone can order
The reason this end of the menu works for a group is that nobody has to eat around it.
All our meat is halal, at both sites. Every pita is vegan and a gluten free pita is there if you need one. Vegan choices sit in every part of the card rather than in one corner of it. In the mezze, the Falafel Bowl, the Za’atar Potatoes and the Olives and Pickles are all marked vegan. So is the Falafel Pita. So is the Falafel and Roast Veg meal bowl. A vegan at the table orders from the same menu as everyone else instead of negotiating with it.
If the group is bigger than a table will hold, a birthday, a work night out or a family that has grown since the last one, our event and group catering covers it.
Book a table or order in
If you started this search wanting Lebanese food and you have got this far, you already know we do not carry the label. What we do carry is hummus, labneh, spiced chicken, warm pita and baklava, at two Nottingham sites.
Book a table at ZHUG Hockley or book at ZHUG Wollaton, or order online for collection or delivery and put the labneh on your own table instead.