Zalim Hot Chicken & Burgers

 

Where:

Zalim Hot Chicken & Burgers

Tel: 201-408-4449

HOURS: Mon-Sun 11am-10pm

3 E Palisades Ave, Englewood, NJ 07631

zalimfoods@gmail.com

 

What I ate:

Nashville:

Buttermilk crispy fried chicken, pickles, coleslaw, chipotle aioli on a brioche bun.

 

Double Smash:

Two 2.5 oz patties, American cheese, griddled onions, pickles, and smash sauce on a potato bun.

 

The word "Zalim" translated into English means, "cruel" which adds some sense to their slogan (sort of) - "Don't be Zalim, just eat ZALIM! 

 

This is a chicken & burger joint with a slight Turkish influence which shows up in their spice levels, naked, mild, medium, hot, & zalim. I tested the waters by ordering the mild sauce on my Nashville chicken and it was about the same heat level as Franks hot sauce which is perfect for me. The chicken was in reality a giant chicken tender which was as juicy as it was tender - excellent stuff here. Although my bun was toasted a bit too much, it didn't interfere with the overall flavor of the sandwich. Again, excellent. I can't wait to order another.

 

On to the burger... 

At first seeing the size of the burgers 2.5 or 3.5 oz, I thought I'd be going home hungry. The burger patties looked way too thin and well done, which in my opinion they were, however, it all worked. It was so good in fact, that I found myself not being able to put it down. And despite my first impression that it would be too small to fill me, double smash burger actually had me slowing down before I finished it.  I was impressed. The potato bun is not like others I'm used to, if a burger bun could be described as "spectacular", this one was. The smash sauce, pickles and grilled onions were all layered in perfect harmony.  Loved it!

 

Check out the photos, some are better than others, but you'll get the idea. I'll be eating at Zalim again next week, and probably once every week from now on.  If you haven't been to Zalim, you're missing out on a hidden gem right in the heart of Englewood.

 

My "overall" experience was a 10 out of 10.

 

PS...

After speaking to some other patrons eating alongside me, I discovered the Honey Butter chicken is the sandwich to get. It's buttermilk crispy fried chicken dipped in honey butter and cheddar cheese. I can't believe that slipped by me.