Sham Shawarma — Restaurant in Ottawa

Owner LIED about halal food. Not sure if they are halal as when I asked him his suppliers he told us to get out.

EDIT: I see the owner has responded to this review calling me a liar. Which is certainly projection on his part, as he lied to us multiple times when I asked him about his suppliers. I will now provide a more thorough review of the horrendous experience I had in his resturant yesterday.

We walked in to Sham Shawarma on 576 Montreal Road on Monday June 9 around lunchtime. As we are new to living in the lowertown/vanier area we have been exploring new halal options for a few months now. We walked in and asked the restaurant about their meat suppliers, as all diligent Muslims should. The owner gave us the phone number of their supplier and told us to contact them about questions.

We then called the number, and the supplier said they don’t sell to Sham Shawarma, and haven't heard of them. We then asked the restaurant workers and owner why the supplier is saying they don’t sell to Sham Shawarma. The staff then said “well, we used to order from them, and haven’t bought from them for a long time”. The owner then came to the front, and started arguing with my husband saying (1) I thought you wanted the supplier for the beef not the chicken and (2) I’m Muslim, just trust me, it’s halal.

But the owners explanation made no sense because the (1) supplier said they don’t sell to Sham Shawarma AT ALL. And (2) why would I trust someone I just caught lying?

Anyway, these conversations between my husband and the staff/owner of Sham Shawarma continued, and we caught the owner in multiple lies about their halal food and then the owner finally gave us a photocopy of their halal “certificate”. We decided we won’t eat here as their answers were suspicious. We calmly walked out of the restaurant with the certificate with plans to look further into this certificate as the owner had lied once already. I later found the same certificate on Google Images when I searched “halal certification supplier”…

When we got close to our car, the owner chased us down in the parking lot and then grabbed the photocopy of the certificate (that I’m pretty sure was fake) right out of my husbands hand and said the F WORD to my husband, saying that "you didn't even buy anything, never come inside here again". Why would I eat in a resturant that cannot prove it is halal and was caught in multiple lies? Just cause you gave me a random printout of a certificate for a supplier you didn’t verify that you buy from?

My husband and I have frequently asked questions about suppliers before at other restaurants, and have never been met with such hostility and abuse. I didn’t realize asking simple questions about a restaurants halal food would cause such a fuss with the owner, and I am nearly certain they were lying to us about their suppliers and their halal status.

Overall, to others reading this: please be aware that restaurants find ways to cut corners and that includes lying to you. To learn more please watch the CBC marketplace documentary on YouTube titled: Halal claims exposed: Testing Canada’s fast-food chains | Marketplace

After watching the CBC marketplace expose about halal food a few months back, my husband and I have been making sure to ask resturants about their meat suppliers before eating there. We do this often and have had no issues with restaurants being open about their suppliers. Although sometimes only the manager may know the answers as the workers are just there to cook and serve...

I saw Sham Shawarma opening a new location and I wanted to try it. The staff members were amazing, the atmosphere was so good and they were very friendly and welcoming. They were giving some well done tea as part of the opening which was delicious.

When it comes to food, the french fries 🍟 they do are unforgettable, so good (Must Try). The kebbe was amazing I remembered the taste of Lebanon (Must Try). My problem was mainly with the Chicken Shawarma, it was so dry but it had a good taste (not the lebanese style taste but more towards syrian flavor). I don't want to judge from the first time because mistakes happen. I will try it one more time soon.

While the chicken shawarma was dry the meat shawarma was very juicy and very fatty, just ask for more Tarator (tahini) to give it an excellent middle eastern taste.

Overall, the place looks nice, the food is good (just minor adjustments for the Chicken Shawarma it is not...

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Incredible Beef Shawarma – A Must-Try at Sham Shawarma!

If you're craving authentic, flavorful shawarma, look no further than Sham Shawarma! We tried their Beef Shawarma, and it was absolutely delicious—tender, well-marinated meat, wrapped in fresh bread with just the right balance of garlic sauce and pickles. Every bite was packed with bold, smoky spices, and the portion was generous.

The service was friendly, and the food came out quickly. We can’t wait to come back and try more from their menu! Highly recommend this spot for shawarma...