ottawa foodies

The chicken, garlic sauce and hummus were wonderful but the moral of the story is don't get a mixed plate. More than half of the beef was inedible, but it was my fault as getting the beef from a shawarma shop is always a foolish decision. Service was curt- made me miss Maroush where getting a shawarma used to be so much fun.

Place is clean. Good service, good food. Fresh ingredients !

Best lebanese chicken platter in Ottawa IMHO. Lots of garlic. :-) Hot banana peppers with the salad :-) Great hummus. Try the chicken platter. You won't regret it.

Did I mention the garlic sauce ? It's awesome !

We ordered a mixed plate (chicken and beef) and it filled us up. Us being a family of four. Seriously, the plate is THAT big. We also got a couple of sandwiches and didn't even end up touching them because we were so full! When you get the plate "to dine in" as opposed to take out, I've noticed the portions are a lot bigger. And at $11.50, that's a fantastic price for feeding four people (and we were hungry!). Anyhow, the food is fresh, flavourful and the guys behind the counter are the nicest of any Shawarma joint. Definitely my favourite Shawarma place downtown.

Officially revoking my support for this place.
We ordered (delivery) a chicken shawarma plate, small side potatoes and a chicken shawarma trio.
This is what we got. For $31.59 plus tip.
One pita was crumbly and stale.
There was no hummus or garlic on the shawarma plate.
We received two garlic sauces on the side and we assumed that one would go to my roomate who ordered the trio which comes with a small order of pataties.
Strange thing is, we were charged $0.99 for one of them. So, according to Shawarma's King, garlic and hummus are entirely optional to the shawarma experience — so much so, that they feel a $31, three-person order should include only one, measly, little cup o' garlic. Blasphemy.
So, it's worth mentioning that the trio-ordering roomate did enjoy his meal; then again, he hasn't been eating from Shawarma Palace (Rideau St.) for the last month.
The chicken wasn't bad. The potatoes were mushy and oily. Not the good kind. They needed more than the supplied allotment of garlic. The salad was fine. The rice was meh. Without any sauces, the plate looked naked. It was very sad.
To summarize, when I used to live on Waverley, I ate here weekly. It is not the same as it was five years ago. For the first time in a long time, I didn't want to finish the meal. What the what.

Best chicken shawarma of my life last night. Never thought something would top Istanbouli's, but there you have it. 3 sizes to choose from, meat was juicy yet crisped in spots, NO gristle to speak of, veg fresh, service fast and friendly, garlic sauce strong, delish and applied liberally, no fuss when I asked for tabouleh on it, and what made it extra great I think was they put the sandwich into a panini style press for a good length of time, at least 2 minutes, which really warmed up the whole thing and crisped up the pita just a little... Can they replicate this slam-dunk next time is my only concern!

And Yessi's 2010 Garlic Sauce Award goes to ...
SHAWARMA KING!
The boyfriend and I split a mixed beef and chicken platter last night and it was nothing-short-of great.
I believe our dinner came to $12 incl. tax. I had been waiting outside with the chihuahua while Bren ordered the food to go. When he came out to meet me, he held out his hand and let me feel the weight of the bag. "I should have tipped," he said.
Boy, do they load up. I'm not sure the staff could have crammed any more food into that styrofoam container.
When we got home, we were delighted. It had been years since I'd visited Shawarma King. The chicken and the beef were both swell, but it was the accoutrements that made this experience so great.
The potatoes are well cooked and super greasy. The salad was fresh and the peppers, etc. delicious. However, I digress. The stand out of the group is the garlic sauce.
I've never tasted garlic sauce with such bite. It truly smacks you in the face. I loved it. I will probably go by and just buy a container's worth. I urge you to try it, if you want to be able to brush your teeth after a meal and still taste the garlic.
Mmmm! Move over Shawarma Palace. Dare I say I have a new (old) favourite? :)

Bank st. Shawarma king is.. well.. King!
in my book anyway.

I haven't eaten much of any of the other places as this place is nearby my house and the service is friendly and usually fast. I think i've eaten here enough times to know how each employee of theirs makes the shawarmas. i won't name names or point fingers but one of them loads them up real nice and it's always a treat when that person is forced to make it because it's busy or because someone is on break. gotta grab a fork for the sandwiches because it's always an explosion at the end lol.

i always get the large and the guys make it real nice where the wrap is nice and crispy the whole way through. could use a little more garlic sauce but all in all a great treat. I can only go there once every too weeks because the wife wont' come near me due to the garlic :(

They make a decent Shawarma. I really can't complain about the taste of the food.

I do have to say, though, that I've had some odd experiences there. Each time I've gone, I've had problems communicating to the staff which side it was I wanted, and the last time I went they warmed up my potatoes by putting them into the microwave, foam take-out tray and all. (I believe this practice can leach chemicals into the food.)

(Bank location)

(There are a couple of restaurants that have names that are variations of Shawarma King. My understanding is that the one on Bank is owned and operated seperately from the one on Elgin. My comments refer to the one on Bank.)

The falafel here is just right in terms of texture and flavour. I also love the cauliflower, eggplant, potatoes and dolmades. The salad isn't always fresh if you go off peak times.

I think this is the guy who has been referre to as the "Shawarma Nazi" a la Seinfeld's "Soup Nazi". He gives you at least a dirty look if you tinker with the intended ingredients too much. Don't you dare avoid the pink turnips (or "luft").

Well, despite my initial bad experience, I've actually been eating here several times a week, largely because it's a couple blocks away from both home and work.

I don't think the quality has improved, but I am definitely irked about the prices that keep going up every few weeks. I thought Shawarma was supposed to be cheap :/

It's not bad, but I've had much much better elsewhere for less.

Best shawarma place in town. And I've been to plenty in Ottawa (but then again, I always hear great things about Shawarma Palace and I haven't been there yet.

When ordering a plate/platter, I love how they just pile on the food into a little mound. I can stuff it all if I really want to, but if I want to be moderate, then I can easily split it between two meals, it's that much food.

I'm a big fan of their rice, it's not just plain white rice like other places give you.

Shawarma's King used to be the best in the city but since a change in management, the sauce isn't as garlicky and the quality has gone down. Very dissapointing.

Sorry, I found their shawarma very disappointed. Flavourless and overcooked meat. My favourite is Cedar Valley in Orleans. Excellent.

Maybe I'm just fussy but I didn't like the meats in their shawarma. Some bits were rock-hard overcooked, and well the other half was lumps of fat. I ate half of it and threw the rest out, then drove to my beloved Gatineau to get a better one.

I'm a fan of garlic potatoes, so Shawarma's King totally rocks my socks. There's nothing quite like feeling the garlic sauce coursing through your veins the day after you eat it.

Just a great blend of fresh ingredients with strong (but not too much) flavoured sauce. You might want to avoid kissing loved ones for a bit, but well worth a trip out of your way.