shawarma king #1 — Restaurant in Gurnee

First Experience (Good):

Had a pleasant experience here for lunch. Tender quality meats, well seasoned food (falafel 🧆 🥙, rice, and fries), fresh pickled veggies, and excellent/warm service. Planning on visiting them again soon. Haroon was a pleasure to speak with!

Second Experience (Not So Good):

Restaurant didn’t start out busy, but was packed by the time I was finally acknowledged to place my order. The food took longer than expected to come out but I understand and can’t knock them for this at all. I’m happy to see a restaurant busy.

Spent nearly $80.00 for a family of five to eat, three of them children, and literally everything was mediocre at best.

Put out some napkins, and self-serve items for your customers. Trust that people can be respectful and orderly when given the option to self-serve. Clean the tables and booths for new guests to sit down while they wait for their order.

The falafel was coarse, though it was hot/fresh.

The falafel sandwich was soggy and mushy.

The gyro, was, well…just stick to the shawarma if you have to choose between the two, but even the shawarma needs work because you’ll get chewy pieces in your order.

Fries were over-seasoned and soggy.

Pickled plate (large) was thrown out. The pickles themselves are very soggy and tasteless, and the turnips lacked flavor/bite.

My daughter was looking forward to the lamb chops, but they were a waste of money. They were gamey, fatty, and drenched in tahini sauce. They were tender, but some of the worst chops I’ve had in a very long time. We barely finished one out of the four that came in the dish.

The booth seating is set too far from tables themselves which made it very challenging for my kids to eat.

Soda/drink selection was lacking especially for diet drinkers. Also, it’s an odd selection/variety in general.

The restroom has seen better days. Someone apparently trimmed their beard hair over the sink and didn’t clean-up after themselves? It was a gross sight. The hand soap was huge for the sink size, the urinal was broken, and the floor drain was emitting a foul odor. Also, why is the hand dryer literally over the sink!? You can’t wash your hands without this thing going off. It startles anyone trying to wash their hands. Put out some paper towels for people to dry their hands in the restroom. Put a trash can behind the restroom door for the used paper towel, when they go to open the door to let themselves out.

Trash cans in restaurant have round openings but they don’t easily accommodate the trays or square containers they serve their food. It’s the little things, and...

BEST PALESTINIAN/ARAB/MEDITERRANEAN FOOD!!! 🍉🇵🇸 🍉

I don’t ever write reviews, but this place needs the recognition it deserves. Tried this place for the first time a few days ago and I don’t say this lightly, but this is the best Pali/arab/Mediterranean food you will come by. I am an extremely hard critic when it comes to this cuisine because I myself am Palestinian, but Shawarma King #1 will transport you to Palestine. If you want true authentic Palestinian food with the ✨Palestinian ambiance✨, this is the place to go. I truly felt like I was back home.

The quality of the food was just as amazing as the service. I usually don’t eat ground beef or lamb but you can tell the quality of the meat here was perfection. I am proud to call this establishment a Palestinian restaurant because you can tell everything is made from the heart.

The portions are so big as well, I had plenty of leftovers and I ate some when it was cold and the following day and it was still delicious. I can’t recommend this place enough. The owner is genuine, nice, and so generous. If you want a meal that will satisfy you for the entire day, Shawarma King is the place to go.

We ordered the mixed grill and a chicken shawarma wrap. Both 10/10, and the owner gave us a lamb chop just to try out and it genuinely made me feel like I was back home. 10/10. We came back the next day for some falafel and extras. 10/10. No exaggeration here, everything...

If you like vegan/ vegetarian food go here!!!!

oh my goodness this place is absolutely phenomenal. I’m just blown away, loss for words with how delicious. I moved to this area 1.5 years ago, my friends always say there’s no good food in this area lol.

I came here on a whim, searched Middle Eastern food near me. There is a few Shawarma Kings, I called #2 first and they recommended me to go to #1 because I called later. I believe he said they are open until 9 PM.

My partner and I are mostly vegetarian / pescatarian. I ordered 2 falafel wraps with a side of fries, large Jerusalem salad, baba ghanoush, hummus, (smalls which were still BIG) and a couple of really tasty beverages. Portions were large!!! couldn’t even finish my whole wrap and I have a large appetite, so does he. Everything costed about $50, which is not bad at all for this area, especially in Illinois.

To add a bit more, my partner works in Palatine and he would pick up a A falafel wrap from a place near his work, and I can honestly tell you that this place is way better, the seasoning, the consistency of the falafel, everything. Even the portions. Wraps came with Side of a whipped yogurt garlic sauce? 🤤 I can’t wait to go back again.

Also, the gentleman that worked there I’m assuming the manager? Was very nice and courteous. He also got The entire order under 15 minutes! Thanks so much for the...