Zorba’s to Expand Its Menu and Change Its Name

by Charles McGuigan 05.2025

Sometime in September, Zorba’s Pizza Express, which has been a mainstay on the MacArthur Avenue for more than 30 years, will be getting a new name. And though they will continue serving up pizza and subs (which they are still doing), their main offerings will have a much wider Mediterranean flair with substantial Middle Eastern offerings. 

“The reason we call it a Mediterranean restaurant is that if I decide to do some special dishes with pasta and other things, like Greek food, I can play around with it,” says Ahmed Alhasani, who owns the business with his brother Mohammed. The pair recently purchased the business from the former owner, Mario Contreras, who, after forty years, retired from the restaurant industry. 

For several years the Alhasani brothers owned Shawarma Bistro out in Short Pump. And you have sampled their wares at the Richmond Folk Festival or Hardywood Brewery from a food truck that looked like a fire engine and was called 2nd Alarm Grill, a nod to Mohammed who is a full-time firefighter and paramedic at Chickahominy Fire Company 10 up in Hanover County.

Once re-branded in early September, the new restaurant (a name has not yet been decided on) will serve up a variety of mouth-watering dishes from throughout the Mediterranean region. 

“We’re gonna do shawarmas, falafels, kebabs, manakesh, grape leaves, humus, baba ganoush, tzatziki, lamb shanks, rotisserie chicken,” says Ahmed. “We’re also going to have a lot of vegan options.” Deserts will include basbousa, baklava, rice pudding, pistachio cake and other sweet treats. The new restaurant will also offer catering service.

“And everything will be made fresh in the house,” Ahmed tells me.  “Except the ketchup,” he adds. 

Toward the end of August the Alhasanis will close the existing restaurant for a week or as they prepare for a grand opening in September. 

“We will do a full re-branding,”says Mohammed. “We will be painting the restaurant, training staff, and bringing in the new menu items.”  

In addition to the remodeling, they will also be installing brand new kitchen equipment.

Along with inside dining, the brothers are also planning to fully utilize the outdoor patio area fronting MacArthur Avenue.  “We are currently looking for a contractor to create a cover for our outdoor diners,” Mohammed says. “We want something that protects customers from the weather.  We want it to have a modern and a clean look.”

The brothers also plan to streamline the ordering process. “You will put your order in at the counter and we will give you a number and we will bring the food to your table,” Ahmed says.

“We will try to do something modern and something that’s easy for everybody,” says Mohammed. “We will be using a POS (point of service) system. They will be hand held devices, small tablets, that our servers can walk around with.”

“Our success is always from the community we serve,” Mohammed says. “We love this neighborhood. We love this community.”