Petra Shawarma — Restaurant in Albert-Eden

Yesterday, 6 January 2022, I went with my kiddo for a late lunch before heading to the airport to travel home to the South Island. Our time was limited given that I needed to catch a flight however the timing was not the issue.

We walked in and the place was dead quiet. No customers. We were greeted by a brother and sister team who welcomed us. The brother showed us to an outside table at our request. All good at this point.

After looking at the menu, we decided to share an entree of hummus and pita and to split a main as the later looked quite large and we were not that hungery. After bringing us the hummus, the brother asked what else we would like to order. Upon placing an order for one main we were told that was not acceptable. In the brother’s words “ my sister will get pissed” if people want to split mains. I HAVE NEVER BEEN TOLD THIS AT ANY REPUTABLE ESTABLISHMENT BEFORE. Sure, there may be a charge to split a meal but, never have I been told this was unacceptable.

Given our really limited time at this point, we both ordered the same main. I know, shame on me for not just walking out but, the food was fairly good and we had no time to go elsewhere. I also had no energy to argue at that point.

So, we ate one main and had the other packaged for take away. This part was also an ordeal. We were given no serviettes or cutlery. I had to explain I needed the cutlery to spread the hummus on my falafel. Again, at no other dining establishment have I been asked to give a reason for requesting cutlery. Next we were given a take away box that would fit 1/2 of our uneaten main. Reluctantly we were given a second container.

Paying was a treat, especially as it was for a meal we did not want. The sister asked how we enjoyed the food. I offered that it was too much which is why we wanted only one main. She just smiled and watched me fumble on their payment machine as I struggled to find the right button to indicate NO TIP. Graciously, the brother did help me.

Despite the food being good, I WOULD NEVER RETURN. Good luck telling your future customers what they are required to order. Auckland has far too many other eating establishments with excellent customer service to frequent one where customers are treated so poorly. I would not recommend unless you like being told what you are...

Delicious food and warm service with a smile! They were short staffed tonight so there were long delays with our food arriving. But this family owned and operated restaurant more than delivered on taste! For starters, we ordered the Fatoosh (a salad including cucumber, tomato, capsicum, croutons, and pomegranate dressing) and the Koomba (a fried, sumac coated, minced meat and bulgur wheat ball). The Fatoosh also came with pita bread and hummus. I enjoyed the Fatoosh which was full of freshness and crunchy textures, perfectly balanced by the tangy dressing. It was enough to serve two people as a starter. The Koomba was sticky in the middle, and the sumac added a smoky flavour. We also ordered a Peach flavoured Barbican drink (non alcoholic malted beverage) and cardamom tea (a pot to serve two). The Barbican drinks are delicious and less sweet than other soda type drinks. The tea was heavily fragrant with a hint of bitterness. I requested honey to add to the tea which complimented nicely. For mains, we ordered Beef Mandi (grilled beef with rice and side salad) and Lamb Shawarma (flat bread rolled and toasted with a grilled lamb, pickle and onion filling, house made garlic sauce, and side salad). The Mandi was tasty. The meat was chewy and appeared to have a spice rub on it giving it delicious flavour, and the rice (beautifully multicoloured in shades of yellow and orange) was loose and fluffy. The Shawarma was also excellent with generous amounts of lamb pieces and salty, mildly tangy pickles. The garlic sauce was surprising in that it had a smooth creamy texture like a purée but our waitress likened it to aioli. The raw onions inside were quite strong but personally I'm not a fan of too much raw onion anyway. The portions were a generous size and both dishes were easy to share between two adults. All in all, a lovely evening and we...

Sorry I can't score better, really had high hopes for a good shawarma in New Zealand. Most of the service, the place and ambience I'd score 5/5. However, the portions are really really small, I am not a huge eater but left starving after a starter and a main. Prices are inadequate at best, the Falafel 10/10 at $7 but $5 for a small ramequin of garlic sauce however is bad I am sorry, note that the falafel comes without anything, no sauce, no toppings. The Shawarma tasted good but is done in 5 bites... at $25 ( lamb), please, I know the price of lamb and labour in hospo and your gross profit on that must be $20!! The side of salad with Mama's dressing was 3x3cm. Two forks!! Mamas wouldn't let you starve like that. I forwarded this to the waitress, whom I must say was welcoming, smiling and soft spoken, also 10/10, but the answer I got was "I am sorry, that's the way it is and you should have said you were hungry".. I hope she's just been briefed by the owner/chef to say that, do you see the irony? Obviously I am hungry if I go and eat out. She asked what were our plans for the rest of the night, well, we went to another restaurant and had another meal entirely, yet having spend $35 per head in Petra Shawarma. Sorry I had to score you, maybe my fault for not reading the low reviews which are clear and numerous saying the portions are too small. I work in hospitality for years and manage/d many restaurants, I know some reviewers are unfair, but in this case I'll say they are absolutely right. Take action now or more will come, revise your portion size or...