Abou Haidar Shawerma — Restaurant in Cairo

Twenty years ago, as I was walking down the street, I noticed a line of people extending along the pavement and into the street, tens of people waiting for their orders in front of that shawarma joint. I wondered, what's the big deal? I took a closer look. The shawarma cone being roasted on display was huge, I wondered how many cows do you have to butcher to extract so much fat? The smell was overpowering, calling for passers-by to stop whatever it is they're doing and come here, stand in the line and wait for your shawarma! There was something magical in how they wasted so many minutes of their lives, patiently waiting for food that would shorten their lives by even more minutes. I had to try it. But I couldn't wait for so long, so I put it off for another day. Maybe less people would be waiting. Next week, it was the same. A month later, the same darn line. And it was the same year after year. Never less than fifty people waiting for their orders, usually a hundred or more. I needed to taste that magical food, but I just couldn't wait for so long. Until a three months ago when I decided it was worth it. I'd wait. Patiently I took my place in the line, and immediately there were others joining behind me. Fine, just an hour or so and I'll finally find out the secret. The line inched forward. Slowly. I checked my phone, made a few calls, chatted with strangers about the weather, football games, the economy, anything to pass the time, until there was finally one person in front of me. That's it. I made it, I thought. I received my order, and immediately, right there in the middle of the street, began to devour it. It tasted like a symphony composed by Strauss, a movie directed by Christopher Nolan, a novel written by Christopher Priest. I was floating above all existence into a transcendent state of being, uniting with the cosmos into--and it was suddenly over. The sandwich was as tiny as snickers bar, almost swallowed it whole. I wanted more and I wanted it now! But the line was again ahead of me, and I had two options; either leave and forget about it, or take my place at the end of the line one more time. Now you know why I'm still here, three...

انا مش فاهمة المكان ده حصلله ايه، الشاورما بقت اقل من العادية و زحمة مش طبيعية، انا كنت باكل سندوتشات خضار بالخل و التوابل مش حاسة بطعم اللحمة ولا الشاورما نهائي، حرام مكان لينا ذكريات فيه يبقى بإنعدام الجودة و الحال ده Honestly I don't know what going on with this place, I've been eating there ever since I was a baby, every time I'm near it the smell is just too irresistible, it used to be the best of the best, it's still the most popular one after all, always crowded with customers, it was and always will be an amazing memory for those who live near Masr El-Gedida

Sadly, I tried it today and it was by far the worst beef shawarma I've had my entire life, I couldn't even taste the beef, the spices and vinegar are too empowering and not delicious by any means, I ate one bite and gave up the rest, way too wet, could be packaged in a better way, it's not nearly as good as it used to be

To be honest, I'd prefer a syrian shawarma sandwich over this, such a shame to see such a Landmark and historic place become so low in quality and taste Not to mention, the Covid-19 precautions are not taken seriously at all 🙅🏻‍♀️ I'd pass by every single day if I had to, but I won't eat there...

Very good. This is a street vender so be prepared to stand outside on a crowded sidewalk. It was very busy but well worth the wait. I ordered 3 shwarma buns (basically shwarma sliders) and spicy pickled vegetables as recommended by a review on trip advisor. Their menu is in Arabic and they don't speak much English (but can understand an order fine) so if you are like me and don't speak Arabic look up online what to order in advance. The buns are by far the most popular. It is very cheap at 50 Egyptian pounds for 3 buns and pickles (about $4 CAD). They carve the meat the same way as shwarma places in Canada but it is spiced different and they mix the shavings with what looks and tastes like tabbouleh giving it a very unique flavor. I didn't see any garlic sauce. There may be some but it was too busy so I didn't ask. They also call out the order numbers in Arabic. I was happy enough to have some friendly people help me but it might be good to know what the numbers sound like in Arabic before you go. Very good food I would highly...