Zula, a massive club and restaurant, has landed on the Coney Island boardwalk

By Scott Lynch

It’s exceptionally pleasant at Zula, hanging at the expansive rooftop bar, lounge, and party space that sits atop the historic Childs Building on the Coney Island boardwalk. You’ve got long views of the beach and the famous Steeplechase Pier, cool ocean breezes, dappled sunshine (or moonlight reflecting on the water), and terracotta sea beasts dating back to when Childs Restaurants first opened in 1923.

The vibe downstairs in the restaurant-proper is pretty cool too, a massive room — seating capacity is more than 300 — with monumental arched windows running the length of one wall, a polished wooden bar that’s reportedly one of the longest in Brooklyn, kitschy amusement park relics and murals, and a laser-show-ready stage for DJs and other performers. And the building itself is magnificent, a Spanish Colonial Revival stunner harkening back to Coney’s heyday. It’s all very historic and dramatic.

The Spanish Colonial Revival building dates back to 1923; the line out front is for the Coney Island Amphitheater next door (Scott Lynch)

The whole shebang is a collaboration between Abdul Elenani, who co-owns the popular Palestinian spots Ayat (with locations in Bay Ridge and Industry City) and al Badawi (Brooklyn Heights), and Seyran Say, who runs five Turkish restaurants in Brooklyn, Queens, and New Jersey. The landmark Childs Building is the property of the city, which leases it, along with the Coney Island Amphitheater next door, to the entertainment company Live Nation, which in turn gave control to Elenani and Say. And so, after two failed attempts to revitalize the space (Kitchen 21 in 2017; La Trombola in 2021), we get Zula.

A splash of kitschy rooftop class (Scott Lynch)

“I love this building; oh my god,” Say tells Brooklyn Magazine. “When I saw the place I thought, I’m going to bring life, bring people, to this area.” The last two restaurants didn’t make it, Say believes, because they relied on foot traffic to fill the enormous space, an impossible ask when you’re a little down the boardwalk from Luna Park and Deno’s Wonder Wheel. Hence Say and Elenani’s emphasis on DJs, live bands, and parties. “We’re going to do live music events for Ukrainian people, Arabic people, Russian people, Turkish people, Albanian people, American people.”

The parties will be fired up both inside and out — note that, unlike Elenani’s other restaurants, Zula serves booze — and, if their vision of the place becoming an event destination is realized, it’s going to be lit. But Zula can also be used as a regular restaurant and bar, where you can come and eat a big meal, or get a snack and a drink, with or without smoking hookahs and dancing on the tables or whatever.

The menu, overseen by chef Kaan Sen, is stacked with classics, including some lively hummus, which goes great with the lemony chopped “shepherd salad” and yanked-off hunks of chewy flatbread, and stacks of juicy stuffed grape leaves.

Hummus, $9.50, and shepherd salad, $15, with a view (Scott Lynch)

Seafood plays a big role here too, with dishes like octopus carpaccio, pan seared anchovies, and lakerda, a Middle Eastern specialty starring salted, pickled bonito, in the spotlight.

Beef kebab, chicken kebap, Turkish kofte with kashkaval cheese, and lamb chops are all good options as well, or thrill your table with the theatrical family mixed grill, featuring all kinds of different roasted meats and vegetables stuffed into an enormous loaf of pide, a Turkish bread similar to pita.

Mixed grill, $35 (Scott Lynch)

Pide also comes topped like pizza with cheese (feta, mozzarella, or kashkaval) and/or meat (ground beef, pastrami, or sujuk, which is like extra-funky pepperoni). Or just get Zula’s pizza, which Elenani has had great success with at both Fatta Mano and al Badawi. Crowd-pleasers like burgers and chicken sandwiches are also available, and both come with excellent fries.

Turkish sujuk pide, $22 (Scott Lynch)

Zula is located at 3052 West 21st Street; the entrance is on the boardwalk next door to the Coney Island Amphitheater and a couple of blocks west of the Cyclones stadium. Current hours are Wednesday and Thursday from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday from noon to 1 a.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to midnight, and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Closed Monday and Tuesday (718-973-4336)