Shawarma Palace (Centretown) — Restaurant in Ottawa

I highly recommend the platter options for delivery/takeout, since the amount and variety of food you get from it is absurdly good.

You can get beef, chicken, rice, potatoes, pickled vegetables, a small salad, garlic sauce, and hummus all in the same container for a single price tag. And they don't skimp on meat. To make this clear, they pile a glorious hill of beef and/or chicken ontop of everything else in the tray, the large plastic container struggling to contain it all.

I've had a mixed platter from this place about 4 times now, and each time it has been enough food for 4 meals. Even accounting for GST and a tip, that's still something like 5$ per meal. Admittedly, I think I may have a small stomach, but even if you have a large stomach you're at minimum getting 2 very filling meals.

For the sake of variety, you can even use the pita bread they give you (or whatever bread you have at home) to eat some of it as a sandwich.

If a week's worth of leftovers doesn't sound very appetizing to you, instead you could easily share a platter between a group of people. One time a friend of mine (who later recommended this place to me) ordered 2 platters, separated the ingredients into different bowls/plates for easier access, and then used it to feed a party of about 7 people. He still had leftovers after that. At the time, I had genuinely thought that he had splurged and paid for a catering service. But no, it was just 2 impossibly large meals.

My only problem with the food is that the meat (mainly the chicken) tends to feel dry, and that if you forget to use the sauces (or use them up too early) then some of the ingredients are kind of bland.

Also, I should note that I've never actually gotten a sandwich from here, just because it seems impossible that it could match the great food-per-dollar value of...

I went here two days ago and LOVED it. The food was delicious, service friendly, restaurant clean -- everything was perfect and I thought I found my myself a new local preferred shop. I was so excited to return today, but unfortunately, the experience was horrible. Firstly, the "chefs" weren't listening correctly and forgot to add two sauces and a topping to my wrap. When I asked if they can add it, they said "no, because it's already wrapped, but we can give you the three items on the side". I ordered a combo (with potatoes and a drink). I paid for my combo and additional sandwich for a friend and went to my table. Once I got to the table, I noticed my potatoes were missing. I went to the cash and the cashier (I believe the mother) rolled her eyes and gave them to me. I respected this regardless of the eye roll because I thought it was because of the mistake she gave them to me and didn't mention anything. Needless to say, during the meal, when I was consulting my friend, she came over, shoved a receipt in my face and demanded money. At that point, I just handed her the potatoes back and politely said "I'm trying to talk to my friend right now, here you go." After 5 or 10 minutes, she comes back and demands more money for the drink. I left the drink on the table, because I was not about to wait in line when there were 10-15 people there -- talk about embarrassment. The whole meal, the mother just kept watching me eat and made me feel VERY uncomfortable. I feel sad, because the food is amazing, but I don't think I will be back...

I ordered a chicken shawarma plate, and what I received was an absolute joke—little to no chicken on what was supposed to be a protein-rich meal. To make matters worse, the bread that was included in the order? Missing. Napkins? The sweet sauce? Nonexistent. The utensils I specifically requested over the phone? Completely ignored.

I was at work with no cutlery, expected to eat with my hands like a caveman. When I called the restaurant to address these blatant mistakes, the employee on the phone couldn’t have been more dismissive. Instead of taking responsibility and offering a solution, he gave me a half-hearted ‘sorry’ and then hung up on me when I rightfully expected some form of reimbursement.

This level of unprofessionalism and incompetence is unacceptable. Every other Shawarma Palace location in Ottawa delivers great food and service, but this one? They’re single-handedly ruining the brand’s reputation.

If you value your money, time, and an actual meal that resembles what you ordered—stay far away from this location. There are plenty of other places in Ottawa that understand how to run a restaurant and treat their customers with respect. This place is nothing but a disgrace to the Shawarma...