LOS ANGELES, Jan. 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Zankou Chicken, the family-owned Mediterranean restaurant long celebrated across Southern California for its juicy rotisserie chicken, hand-sliced shawarma, and iconic garlic sauce, will open its first South Bay location on January 28 at 17100 Hawthorne Boulevard in Lawndale.
The South Bay location marks a key milestone in Zankou Chicken’s continued growth, driven by years of guest demand from the community. The restaurant is designed for dine-in, takeout, and catering. In April, Zankou will introduce its first-ever drive-up service, allowing guests to order on the Zankou app and pick up from the convenience of their cars.
Zankou Chicken prepares its food daily using traditional Armenian and Lebanese recipes passed down through generations, with items cooked fresh and served hot throughout the day. The company does not rely on freezers or artificial ingredients, focusing instead on made-from-scratch cooking and continuous preparation during service.
“Guests have been asking for a South Bay location for years, and we’ve been looking for just as long,” says Vartkes Iskenderian, third-generation co-owner of Zankou Chicken. “We are honored to serve this amazing community, and we’re incredibly excited to finally call South Bay home. More importantly, this opening allows us to grow and develop new team members and continue building something meaningful together.”
The Lawndale restaurant will feature a retro interior design that reflects Zankou’s heritage as it welcomes a new generation of guests. It will operate daily from 10:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and offer catering services for families, offices, schools, and community events throughout the South Bay.
To celebrate the January 28 grand opening, the first 100 guests who place an in-person order will automatically be entered into a raffle for a chance to win one free entrée per week for a full year (52 weeks). Full raffle rules and details will be available in-store.
About Zankou Chicken
Founded in 1962 in Beirut’s Bourj Hammoud neighborhood, Zankou Chicken opened its first U.S. location in Los Angeles in 1984 and has remained family-owned and operated since its inception. The company has grown steadily and deliberately to maintain quality, and today operates 13 corporate-owned, non-franchised locations across Southern California. The brand has earned widespread acclaim, including being named the “#1 Regional Fast Food in California” by Food & Wine, and has become a cultural staple, referenced in Beck’s song “Debra” and featured in Saturday Night Live’s “The Californians” sketch.
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