Restos brings you the definitive guide to shawarma sources across the metro.
 

Thank the Turks

Turkey is commonly credited as the ‘birthplace’ of shawarma. In fact, the word ‘shawarma’ comes from the Turkish ‘çevirme’, which means ‘turning’.

But what is shawarma, exactly?

Shawarma is made from strips of meat—skewered and roasted on a spit over a period of several hours—and a combination of vegetables, such as fresh cucumber, onion, tomato, lettuce, cabbage, eggplant, parsley, pickled turnips and gherkins, and, in some countries, potato fries. 

The meat and veggies are rolled into a sandwich wrap of pita bread or lafa (sweet, fluffy flatbread), and drizzled with a dressing—which, in the Philippines, is usually garlic mayonnaise or yoghurt. Hot chilli sauce is optional. And because we have a way of making foreign dishes more Pinoy, we commonly top our shawarma with grated cheese! Yum!

I recently went on a shawarma food trip in the city, and found these noteworthy places to get your Middle Eastern/Mediterranean food fix.

The old favorite

Mention Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Turkish, or Persian cuisine, and one name will be on top of everybody’s list: Mr. Kebab. Famous as an after-gimik hangout and undoubtedly one of the most popular names in the local shawarma and kebab business, Mr. Kebab has enjoyed the patronage of a steady clientele through the years, with its excellent and affordable dishes. Despite today’s soaring food prices, PhP100 to PhP200 still buys you not only a decent meal, but a flavorful, satisfying one at Mr. Kebab’s.

With a branch at the corner of Quezon and West Avenues in Quezon City, Mr. Kebab has made Middle Eastern fare a must, when it comes to eating out. Open for 24 hours, the place is frequented by youths and call center agents. Aside from shawarma, some of Mr. Kebab’s best-sellers are, of course, the various kebabs (skewered meat and vegetables or barbecue), keema (minced meat), and biryani (their version of fried rice). A yoghurt shake is the perfect end to your Mr. Kebab meal. Though non-airconditioned, the place boasts generous helpings and authentic flavors that are enough to make you come back for more.

Great gyros

If Turks have shawarma, then the Greeks have gyros. As for us Filipinos, well, we’re lucky to have both!

Cafe Mediterranean’s ‘version’ (if you can call it that) of shawarma is called ‘gyros’, or ‘Greek sandwiches’. They’re essentially the same: strips of meat, diced veggies, and dressing wrapped and rolled in round flatbread. The difference is in the unique combination of spices to make the sauce. Well, and the potato fries in the gyros! Yes, you read that right. The fries are inside the sandwich, not served on the side. How’s that for added convenience (and flavor, of course)?

And as if shawarma wraps aren’t enough, Café Med also serves two other mouth-watering versions of our favorite: Gyro Plates serve shawarma meat and its other ingredients on a plate, with a choice of regular pita, whole wheat pita, buttered rice, Moroccan rice pilaf, or couscous. There’s also Gyro Pizza—shawarma served pizza-style.

Aside from the usual beef, lamb, and chicken versions, Café Mediterranean offers grilled tuna with curried peas and potatoes!

Shawarma for all

Khaleb Shawarma is one of the big shawarma brands in the country, with stalls at Ali Mall, Trinoma, Market! Market!, the MRT Ayala Station, and in various Isetann, Robinsons, SM, Puregold, Shopwise, and Waltermart outlets in Luzon.

Eager to spread the superb taste of Mediterranean/Middle Eastern cuisine to Filipinos, it offers shawarma and kebab favorites at very affordable prices. The company boasts that it even imports some of its special ingredients from abroad!

I visited Khaleb Shawarma at the Rustan’s Supermaket in Metropoint, EDSA; and I was pretty impressed—first, by their prices: for as low as PhP39, you can enjoy a small beef shawarma or kebab pita (Large sizes cost PhP49 only); and second, by with their packaging: the wrap, which looks more like a cone than a roll, is easy to eat on the go. It’s delicious, too! For the rice lovers out there, Khaleb Shawarma also offers shawarma rice (PhP55), and chelo kebab (PhP55).

Meanwhile, for those looking for a one-stop shop of fast food and snack staples, Boy Busog offers not just shawarma but also siopao, siomai, hotdogs, and burgers. Beef and chicken shawarma are available for as low as PhP45 at their stalls in Ashcreek Center in Greenhills and at Bonifacio Plaza in Tutuban. Shopping and snacks—definitely a great combination!

Maybe it’s the convenience of eating our basic food groups: grow (meat), go (bread), and glow (veggies) in one simple, straightforward wrap. Or perhaps it’s just the wonderful interaction of warm bread, juicy meat, and crunchy vegetables that has our taste buds all fired up.

Whatever the reason, one thing seems certain: shawarma is here to stay. 
 

Even More Shawarma!

Al Shaq’s Shawarma
Shawarma Snack Center
Persiana
Hossein’s Persian Kebab
Kebab King
Prince of Jaipur
Ziggurat
Arya Persian Restaurant

(Dianne May E. Torres is paid to do the things she loves most: writing and editing, teaching, and designing for her own business. She multitasks like no other and works very fast when in the mood.)