Dama Grill - Best Kebab & Shawarma — Restaurant in Los Angeles

I tried this for the first time today. I live local and had high hopes that this would be a solid go to. Results were as follows.

Pro’s: the staff was genuinely friendly

Con’s: Operationally they seem completely disconnected. Out of about six people working there it seemed as though only two were really putting in any effort to take care of the customers. One of them was the guy making the food and the second guy was bussing tables and anything else that wasn’t getting done. It appears as if they have no system or formula as they run around for each process of packing and preparing your food with no organization and no care about it. I placed my order to go and waited. During that time, a lady came up and placed an additional order and was served long before I was. Doesn’t seem they have a good system for maintaining a workflow and an order flow to serve the customers. It was said that they get big lines, which I think is due less to the quality of the food and more to the inefficiencies and operating. There is one person preparing food and he is working off a comically small Plancha. The layout and workflow of their kitchen is an absolute disaster. Extra credit to the extension cords hanging right over where the customer counter is, which I can only assume is to accommodate the equipment on that counter. It’s a very tough look and should be fixed quickly.

Food: I placed my order and then waited. During the time I waited, I watched the two rotisserie with the chicken and the beef on them, not move once. Their rotisserie should be revolving so that all sides are being cooked. These things did not budge. The only time it moved was when the chef rotated it by hand in order to cut meat off of the “cooked side” obviously by the time he did that the meat was burned and dried and severely overcooked. Both the chicken and the beef, as I got a wrap of both, were cooked way beyond acceptable, and both had a grainy texture that was unpleasant. I would not get food from there again.

Perhaps as they mature, they will realize the importance of delivering a fresh hot properly cooked wrap. They have a very small menu, which I think is great, but it’s imperative that you execute well on that and they are not at all...

Pulled up to Dama Grill for a quick bite and left thinking about the chicken wrap. This spot serves Syrian and Lebanese street-style food, and if you know what to order, you’ll walk out happy.

I tried the Beef Kofta Wrap—it comes with a beef kofta skewer, hummus, parsley, onions, and tahini sauce, all wrapped in thin flatbread. The beef had decent flavor, but it leaned a little dry for me. The hummus and tahini helped balance it out, but overall it wasn’t super memorable. Not bad, just not my favorite.

Now the Chicken Wrap? Whole different story. Seasoned chicken wrapped in warm, soft bread with garlic sauce and spicy sauce layered inside. The chicken was juicy, tender, and packed with flavor. That garlic sauce hit perfectly, and the spicy sauce gave it just enough kick. I’d absolutely come back just for this.

The fries surprised me. Nothing fancy—just golden, crispy, and lightly seasoned—but somehow they were one of my favorite things on the tray. Super satisfying. And the hummus was smooth and rich, with just the right amount of tang. Classic, no complaints.

You order at the indoor kiosk, then wait for your name to be called from the back kitchen. They’ll hand you your food in a plastic bag through a small pickup window. There’s outdoor seating if you want to hang around and eat.

Would I come back? For that chicken wrap and fries? Absolutely. Just know it’s more of a casual, quick-serve spot—not somewhere you go for a sit-down experience. But if you’re hungry and nearby,...

After years of intensive research, I made a list of my favorite shawarma in Los Angeles and Orange County. Dama Grill was #1. I posted my full report on the subreddit r/FoodLosAngeles if you want to read it. Here is what I said:

Visiting Dama Grill on a whim after a string of disappointing experiences was the impetus for this shawarma journey. Though there were some tough contenders, at the end Dama still reigns supreme for chicken shawarma. This place serves exemplary Syrian casual cuisine. The shawarma is crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, clean, light. Great care is taken at every step of the process: the beautifully stacked meat on the brochette, flavorfully spiced with hints of orange; the texture and integrity of the wrap, never greasy or prone to fall apart; the presentation, with crispy bit of chicken and dollop of thum protruding from the top; the pomegranate syrup. I recently tried a very popular and renowned spot in the Chicago suburbs (Baba Saj) and can say confidently that Dama hangs with the best of them in the US.

Food: Impeccable Ambience: The patio is nice in the evenings. Sides/accoutrement: Impeccable Style: Syrian Food reviewed: Arab-style sliced chicken shawarma plate and Syrian-style chicken shawarma (served with fries, thum, pickled radishes and cucumber) Other recommended items:...