Shawarma Bar — Restaurant in London

Disappointing first & last visit here. Came with a friend for her birthday and had arrived early to an empty restaurant & we looked to sit at the first table we saw. Staff looked at us with disdain (we were nicely dressed) and came over to see if we'd reserved- we hadn't, so they said we couldn't sit as they needed that table (it was 515pm) in an hour for a booking. We asked if they could accommodate us and reluctantly they then suggested a table in a dark separate room at the back of the restaurant.. we said no and asked if we could sit outside (there were some unused tables) but that was also a no from Shawarma team. So we pointed at a barside table and asked about that and they eventually acceded. We ordered our food and cocktails and cannot fault the food - it is delicious. However the service was poor & unwelcoming from start to finish. Eg, the table we originally went to, was not inhabited till 630pm so much more than an hour after our arrival, we could have sat there. Midway through our meal we noted the staff organise the unused tables to accommodate another few pairs of friends - yet it was a problem when we asked for us? We were made to feel rushed before and during our food by the staff so when it came for the bill, I requested the discretionary service charge be removed from the bill as we felt there hadn't been a good customer service at all. The male waiter then argued with me and asked why & that it wasnt possible, so I tried to explain our reasons - especially since service charge is not obliged in the UK. He did not like this at all and spoke loudly over me and went to get his supervisor. She then refused to let us speak and proceeded to say loudly that her colleague was correct and we tried to explain our reasons and how we felt we'd been treated but she flat out refused to listen, constantly talking over us saying "sorry you feel like that" in a totally condescending manner. I would recommend the food but the service and treatment from the staff is so awful that I'd prefer to go to one of the many other places on that street. So disappointing especially as it could have spoiled my friend's birthday and this is an independent venue, and we prefer to support those instead of chains but I would not recommend this...

This is exactly the type of neighborhood gem that I would keep going back to, even though this was my first visit and certainly won't be the last!

Food: bursting of flavors, plenty small plates, vegetarian options on offer; have 2-3 outstanding stables that I would return again and again for :) Service: warm and welcoming without over bearing; easy for walk-in on weekday night especially for solo diner Vibe: it is all about the vibe, unpretentious, rustic, contextually appropriate background music, effortlessly chill Wine/Drinks: full bar with low/no alcohol options. Short and well curated wine list Price: very reasonable for the quality and the neighborhood. That makes a return trip easy, ha.

So what did I get and which I will come back for (dined solo): Shawarma Cauliflower, dressed in tehina, pomegranate, zhug. Must have!! I have plenty roasted cauliflower in my life now at various middle eastern / mediterranean restaurants including some with Michelin star fame. However, the one at Shawarma Bar has to be one of the top 3 for what I can remember!!

Iraqi hummus, aubergine, hard-boiled egg & s’chug. I opted for this one rather my usual benchmark dish - baba ganoush. It was oh-so creamy, nutty with hint of spice; the decorating zhug and pickles helped lighten up the dish and add contrasting textures. It was rich and came with a pillowy, warm pita that I didn't touch at all :) Barely finished 1/3. Probably better for share.

One pet pee: I love aubergine but the one slice accompanied the hummus was oddly out of the place - a bit dried / bland, didn't add to the flavor or the texture.

Braised mushroom, sweet potato and spiced tomato sauce. Prob my least favorite tonight, a tad too sweet, starchy than my liking. Or maybe just didn't go well with the other plates I got, both of which were quite earth and scrumptious.

Also a note, the starter here are not exactly tapa size. For one, I ordered 2 starters and 1 size; finished half and boxed the rest home :) Lunch is solved.

Will be back and...

Shawarma Bar – Still Hitting All the Right Notes

Second visit to Shawarma Bar after a brilliant meal last year, and pleased to say it’s still as good as we remembered. We hadn’t booked but were more than happy perched at the bar – the atmosphere was laid-back, the service attentive, and the whole evening just flowed.

Started with a carafe of the 2023 Vermentino (Antonio Camillo, Tuscany). Crisp, fresh and worked really well with the opening plates.

We kicked off with laffa bread and two starters: – Grilled romano peppers, manouri, confit garlic, oregano – great balance and full of flavour – Labneh, grated tomato salsa, herb salad – the standout of the two; vibrant, fresh and stunning with the warm laffa bread

Moved onto a bottle of the 2021 Tchiiinn! (Vin Noé, Gamay). Flavour-wise it was great, bright and lively, but the natural fizziness isn’t quite my thing – something to be aware of if you’re not into pét-nat-style wines.

Food-wise, the braised chickpeas with wild spinach, chilli and feta was ridiculously good – comforting but packed with flavour. The saffron and lemon chicken thigh with smoked aubergine cream was the star of the night for me – tender, rich, and full of character.

The lamb kofte kebab with yoghurt and zhug had lovely flavours, but probably the one dish we’d swap out next time for something else.

Throughout the night, the team were warm, welcoming and impressively on it given how busy it was.

We wrapped up by taking our wine outside – a really lovely way to end the evening.

Standouts Laffa bread Labneh, grated tomato salsa, herb salad Braised chickpeas, wild spinach, chilli, feta Saffron & lemon chicken thigh, smoked aubergine cream

Shawarma Bar – still a...