ottawa foodies

Have been to the new location in the old Wong's Palace building 3 or 4 times and can definitely say that the quality and quantity has taken a turn for the worse. I'm not sure if it's under new ownership but the portions are much smaller and chicken isn't as well seasoned as it was before. I've eaten lots of shawarma and used to love the shawarmas at the old place and I wish I had a photo of the truly sad shawarma I got last time. Barely any chicken in it and wasn't crisped up on the charcoal how I like it, was only on a couple of seconds.

I discovered Shawarma Palace many years ago and it changed my life. The chicken shawarma plate, which piles rice, salad, potatoes, garlic sauce, picked beets, pickles, pita and humus onto a foot wide plate is the antidote to anyone with a big appetite (or two people with medium appetites). The plate is topped at the end with chicken that is shaved off the rotating vertical roasting spit by the efficient servers.

When they ask you if you want garlic sauce, the answer should be "yes", unless: 1) you are a vampire; 2) your significant other declined the garlic sauce and you value your relationship; or, 3) you have a date in the next 3 days.

If the chicken plate sound like too much, the shawarma sandwich is more manageable, and also tastes good. I've not had much experience with the beef, kebabs or other menu options.

If you order take-out, note that because of the take-out container, you will not get as much quantity on your chicken plate as you would eating in.

The atmosphere is nothing fancy, but eating in is comfortable. The place is cleaner than typical shawarma joints one can find around the Byward Market, and their high turn-over should help keep the food fresh. There can be a long line up to order during peak hours. This was the one Ottawa restaurant I was craving when I was out of the country for four years.

... and one more photo.

Here's a photo of the super clean counter with all the fixins'.

I dropped by here for lunch today and got the small chicken shawarma trio combo, which cost $12.35 after taxes. The food was fresh and delicious, and the interior of the restaurant is a clean, pleasant environment with nice decor. I liked the Middle Eastern music they were playing, but some might find it a bit loud (I'm sure the nice counter staff would accommodate a request to lower the volume).

I am hesitant to say this as I have not tried every single shawarma place - but I have yet to find a better shawarma in the city.

Fresh
Not Greasy
good garlic/Hummus
seasoned onions
available in large size

I have had well over 10 sandwiches here and have yet to be dissappointed. Not once has anything been off.

Consistent. Curteous. Quality.

I've always really liked Shawarma Palace on Carling. I've only been to the rideau location once, and was really put off by how busy it was and how you had to fight for (and clean off) your table. Carling has been great, and to me the potatoes and garlic sauce are top notch! I haven't noticed if the meats were dry because they are drowning in my hummus & sesame sauce:)
And I must say that I'm always impressed with how careful the counter guy is at spreading the sauces and at arranging the place. It really shows the pride he has in his work, this doesn't go unnoticed.

Here is a picture of the chicken shawarma platter. I have had a lot of huge shawarma platters before but none this huge! This fed a family if two adults and two kids. The cashier kindly gave us 2 pita breads. This is one of the best I have had. I love the spices in the rice. The hummus was very smooth.

Shawarma platters are so massive that I've started going vegetarian when I expect to eat one by myself. The usual platter of salad, rice, potatoes, garlic sauce, and hummus was veganified by topping it with a tangy dolma and accompanying it with a side plate of falafel, grilled eggplant, zucchini, and broccoli. This huge tray full of food was around $13 and I ate everything except 80% of the garlic sauce and the potatoes buried beneath it.

The platters here are huge and delicious, but don't keep making the mistake I do by ordering the dry and gristly beef. The chicken is way better!

I've just created a new vendor entry for this location, as it really seems quite different from the Rideau location.

Had a Chicken Shawarma sandwich to go ($4.50 small, $7.50 large). My large was overall well put together and flavourful. Nicely grilled too! My only complaint is that the meat itself just isn't very tasty compared to other places. This time the chicken was moist but it had a bland stewed flavour. They were reasonably busy at 1:30pm on Sunday, but I'm not sure they go through enough volume here to keep the meat at its peak.

I saw some people getting the dine-in platter and it's incredible, a little larger than I've seen at other shawarma places. Probably the biggest pile of food you can get in town! With a side of extra potatoes and garlic sauce, this could feed a small family for under twenty bucks.

[EDIT] I forgot to mention that the service is nice here. The guys making shawarmas are friendly in the expected gruff-macho way and the woman at the cash is pleasant too. This is a huge improvement over the quarrelsome and uncomfortable interactions I saw on multiple visits a couple years ago! Some things do get better. :-)

The Shawarma Platter from the Carling location was not that great. In fact, I can't understand why they're so busy all the time when Mr Pie and BBQ is just up the street. The beef had a lot of fat and gristle and the chicken was dry. The rice and potatoes were good. The pink pickled turnip sticks tasted more like cucumber pickles and lacked the crunch I like so much. One big plus: they offered two pitas without me having to ask. Most places seem to give you one, which just isn't enough with a huge platter. The food prep guy told me there'd be a surcharge to get half beef and half chicken, but the cashier charged me the regular price.

I just had Hummus from Shawarma Palace Carling location too, and it was wonderful! I've never been found of Hummus, but this was not offending to my taste senses. As fresh foodie said, it was a perfect balance. I think I will come here for a Hummus fix. I was also fortunate that my chicken was from the new cone and was juicy!

The hummus here is particularly top notch! Creamy and rich, with a perfect balance of lemon and garlic. I had an order for a light supper before a movie. They offer you 1 or 2 pitas with it -- 2 is barely enough even if you scoop big. I can't imagine someone eating all that hummus with only one pita. You'd need a spoon!