There are restaurants you go to because you’re hungry, and then there are restaurants you go to because they make you feel something. Laziz Kitchen, tucked into Salt Lake City’s vibrant 9th and 9th neighborhood, falls firmly into the second category. From the moment you walk through the door, the aromas hit you — warm spices, charred flatbread, citrus and herb — and something in your shoulders just drops.
Laziz Kitchen is a Lebanese-inspired restaurant founded by Maurice Abusharkh and Chef Moudi Sbeity, two Salt Lake City locals who set out to share the food they grew up with and the flavors that shaped them. What they’ve built is more than a place to eat. It’s an argument, and a convincing one, that the eastern Mediterranean table is one of the most joyful and generous culinary traditions on the planet.
The menu reads like a love letter to Levantine cooking. The hummus is the real thing — silky, nutty, finished with good olive oil and a scatter of paprika — and it will quietly ruin you for every other hummus you’ve had. The muhammara, a roasted red pepper and walnut spread with a little heat and a lot of depth, is the kind of dish you find yourself thinking about days later. Order both. Order extra pita. You’ll want to drag it through everything on the table.
The mezze format is the way to go here, especially if you’re with a group. Dishes arrive in waves — crispy falafel with a snap to the crust and a green, herb-flecked interior; tender grape leaves; tabbouleh so bright it almost glows; a fattoush salad that crackles with toasted bread and sumac. The shawarma plate is a showstopper on its own, stacked with spiced meat, pickled vegetables, and garlic sauce that borders on legendary.
What sets Laziz apart, beyond the quality of the food, is the warmth of the place itself. The space is casual and welcoming, colorful without being loud, and the service has the feel of being cooked for by people who genuinely mean it. Laziz has also been vocal about its values — inclusivity, community, and hospitality in the deepest sense of the word — which has earned it a devoted following that packs the dining room on weeknights with the kind of energy usually reserved for weekend nights.
The 9th and 9th neighborhood itself is worth the trip. It’s one of Salt Lake City’s most walkable and charming pockets, lined with independent shops, good coffee, and trees old enough to form a canopy overhead. Plan to arrive a little early, wander the block, and then settle in at Laziz for a long meal.
If your impression of Salt Lake City’s food scene is still stuck somewhere in the past, Laziz Kitchen is exactly the kind of place that updates it — decisively and deliciously.
