Al SHAMI SHAWARMA — Restaurant in Paterson

So the Shawarma in the place is really good and one the most authentic we had in the US. That said, they really need to get their act together when it comes to customer service. A few weeks ago my wife went there to order 2 pounds of chicken Shawarma and 2 pounds of meat/lamb shawarma, she had to wait over 30 minutes for a take out order that was not during dinner or lunch time and they did not put any tahini sauce in the order like she had repeatedly requested. Yesterday we went there expecting a long wait (30-40 min) but they actually refused to even serve us saying they cannot give us 2 pounds and can only do sandwiches even though both shawarma skewers looked completely full with well over 100 lbs on each of them. We asked what if we ordered sandwiches and they said that would still take 45-60 min. Are you kidding me? The place was busy but nothing crazy. They have like 6 or 7 tables and people on them were already eating. There was maybe 4 or 5 people waiting for take out. I don't understand why they have such long waits. I've been to Ma'amouns in NYC and many amazing places in the middle east where lines were around the block and they still managed to get served within 15-20 min max. I really hope they get their act together because they have a good thing going...

Al Shami Shawarma is a small shawarma joint that recently opened up on Main Street of Paterson, most famous for its impressive selection of Arabic cuisines. But how does it compare to all of the intense competition right next door? Let's find out.

I ordered the Shawarma Combo which was $10 and came with the sandwich (chicken/beef/mixed), fries, and garlic sauce. Everything was absolutely delicious. The sandwich combined with the sauce was just immaculate, and the meat was cooked to perfection and felt fresh. The fries were crispy and salty, but at the same time, not undercooked like other places tend to do. The gentlemen working there were very professional, after about 5 minutes of ordering, I decided to change my sandwich to be spicy. They got it done, and for the sandwich they couldn't, they added in a hot sauce on the side. Anas, the guy working there was really helpful, super kind, and I could tell he took running the restaurant to it's best potential seriously. If I could give one critique it would be to perhaps have the tables cleaned on a more regular basis. Overall, I would highly recommend visiting AL SHAMI SHAWARMA.

PS: Don't miss the back area,...

I've yet to scratch the surface here but the chicken sandwich I had here was truly amazing.

The well marinated and spiced chicken Schawarma was incredible. Layers of thinly sliced chicken mingled with fresh herbs (i also detected fresh mint leaves) wrapped in traditional Syrian bread, a square and paper thin wrap that is rolled with the meat and also pickles I detected.

The sandwich is excellent but you may want to order two, or bring some friends and have them make you a platter of these cut up and served with the white dipping sauce as I've seen in other yelpers photos from here. I filled up on one but I've seriously gotten used to smaller portions in 2016 (lost over 50lbs).

When asked for a menu I was told there wasn't one which from the photos I see is not the case. I'd deduct a star for that but I sense this will be a spot I will return to again and again and will try it all despite the misinformation so no biggie but not cool from a customer service standpoint.

Looking forward to trying...