Shawarmaniac Mediterranean Grill — Restaurant in Kirkland

I've been eating at this restaurant for years. I stopped for a couple of years as I moved out of state. Upon my return this past year, the service has clearly and visibly declined and I do not recommend eating or buying at this restaurant unless you want extended wait periods (20-30 minutes) for food prep (even on non-busy days), lost orders off of pickup apps (Uber eats, grubhub) and overall poor customer service.

Good food, large portions, but their service is horrific. I ordered once weekly from them for the past 2 months. Today, I had such a horrific experience that I no longer will be returning again.

My husband orders constantly from Uber eats or grubhub. Every time I come in, they ask me what i ordered, what name the order is under, the order # and they happen to 9 out of 10 times not find the order. I then wait, after the app shows my food is ready, for an additional 15-20 minutes constantly, despite ordering an hour+ in advance.

Today, my husband ordered on 5/26 for a pickup at 8:20 PM. My mom came to pick it up for me. She told the desi guy at the front the order and he said I can't find it. I got her to place me on speaker and I told him the name and the order and he could not find it. He asked for an order # off the app, and I told him, I don't know. My husband ordered it. He asked what app i ordered it from. I told him I don't know. Uber eats or grubhub. I told him at the end of the day, doesn't matter what app, it should be showing up in your system when you have an online order. If it doesn't show up, then you have a problem. Then I explained to the individual that this has happened to me the past 5 times I've been in. Your team can't find the online orders and I end up waiting awhile. This never happens at any other restaurant with these apps.

The individual in the front barely spoke English, it was the most difficult thing to understand or speak to him. It was such a repetitive circle and a complete joke to discuss our order with him. At the same time while we were having issues with our order a line was forming, as my mom was waiting to resolve this issue, he was serving other customers. The etiquette at a restaurant is non-existent here. The person that comes first and is in line should be the one served. Especially if problems with the order. There are people constantly waiting for extended periods for their orders.

Then he told me, my mom she came in without saying a name and just saying "my daughter ordered". I asked my mom in our native language and she said I did say your name. He completely gaslighted and tried covering his poor service. I asked to speak to a manager and he said I am the manager. Which is absolutely incorrect with the poor level of service being provided consistenly.

Then he said send a screenshot to your mom of the order and the name and I'll prepare it?? Seriously??? Such crap service. When you have Uber eats or grubhub, the restaurant receives the notification. If they tap it, the app will say it is done. Which is likely happening here, due to lack of English. Once it is done it disappears and nothing can be seen.

I had to repeat the order 3 times for him over the phone. It was the most frustrating experience. Then he saw the order and said there's an extra in there, lentil soup. I asked and you said no. I said, I did not hear you or understand you. You didnt ask of extras. Nonetheless Extras or not, what type of service is this where you want the app orders from, the order # etc. Any other restaurant i order from NEVER causes these issues and my order is prepared upon entry. It seems to be a restaurant problem. I told him I order from you guys so often, what a disgrace. Prepare today's order please and you will never receive my customer service again. He told me with an attitude, okay that's fine with me.

Overall, save yourself sometime and find a better restaurant. I do not by any means recommend this place. The service was horrendous and the team up front is horrendous. They are short staffed with 2 people. Weren't offered a...

Hello sweet people! Thanks for the awesome location of Shawarmaniac that I got to visit today! I had a great experience and wanted to leave a review. As I was typing it in, I thought I'd run it by you first and get your take on it.

I'm Lebanese, and went with the "Shawarmaniac Chicken" option which I found closer to what the OG shawarma is supposed to be (except the Lettuce, I asked for it to be removed.) I loved the chicken. I found it to be somewhat closer to shish-tawouk than shawarma, but that's even better and not a bad thing at all. I think that's the best thing about the sandwich, I rate it 9.5/10.

I loved the use of Lebanese bread. I got worried when I read tortilla, but then realized it was the real deal. I wish it was toasted and crunchy (either via griddler, grill, flame, etc.) but it wasn't chewy either, so I'm assuming it was put in a griddler just not long enough. It was just fine, maybe give it 7/10.

The fries were superb! That's the first time I have fries in shawarma similar to the ones back home. A lot of times elsewhere resto use any type of french fries (usually frozen ones that are sugared and very crunchy), which I don't believe they belong to the classic shawarma. The ones that were used were soft enough just like home, yet not spongy or bad. I rate them 9/10.

The pickles were a substiution to the classic Mediterranean pickles and I was okay with that but not a big fan, maybe 6/10.

My only main problem is the garlic sauce. I saw two types, the paste and the running sauce. The taste wasn't bad at all, but the paste texture I felt was off and can be done better. I'd give it 6/10, not a dealbreaker just wish it was better. The running one, tasted really well and although I am not used to it, I loved it and would love seeing it being on every table ideally. My problem is how stingy the service was with the garlic sauce. I had to request more, more, more and left with a mediocre amount where the last few bites didn't have enough garlic sauce. The staff were really helpful but just not getting it. We Lebanese are garlic-maniac, and I would've loved for the staff to just get it. I went out of my way telling the cashier, then the person making the sandwich, then requesting more and was given a small cup, then another time for my friend, and then again one more half filled cup... I had to fight for it, so if I'm having a bad day at work, I unfortunately won't really want to come here expecting to fight for the amount of garlic I need to enjoy the meal.

Bottom line, you guys are making amazing shawarma and enriching the community with an awesome spot for delicious shawarma. You guys are heroes and your service is appreciated! I hope you guys find success implementing some of...

Updated 3/9/2024 I have been back multiple times since there are not many shawarma options nearby for lunch, and I have added 2 stars, i have started asking for "extra seasoning" and the seasoning they use is delicious so I don't really understand why they use so little. I even forgot to ask one time and it was still well seasoned, but then i forgot another time and it was bland again, for the inconsistency i just cant raise the rating too much. I would recommend at a minimum asking for the "spicy" it seems to have extra seasoning and isn't actually very spicy at all, if you don't want to literally ask for extra seasoning since they do look at you a little weird and confused whenever i ask.

So in conclusion, i would definitely not travel more than like 10-15 minutes for this place, there are simply better options, but if your a local or on lunch nearby and are craving a Shawarma this isn't a bad spot so long as you make sure your food is well seasoned.

Old Review: Food is VERY under seasoned, and the meat almost felt like it was boiled or something, like it's juicy but there is no flavor OR sear/crust I tried 2 different shawarma and my girl had a salad (she ordered lamb and got chicken) and they were both just flavorless. The staff was nice and all, cant complain about the service but as for the food i would...