Saja & Shawarma — Restaurant in Paterson

I went on 08/05/25. I ordered Double Beef Shawarma meal with Fries and the 2 Broasted Chicken with Coleslaw. This was for me and 2 others which filled us up. Before we start with our review, we want to make a disclaimer by saying just because this place is Halal and Middle Eastern owned does not mean we gave points. Best of luck to them! Now let's get down to the review...

》》》》 Beef Shawarma Meal with French Fries Overall Rating: 3.3 /5.0 ★

Person 1: The beef Shawarma was great, loaded with flavor from all the mix ins but unfortunately lacked proper seasoning. French fries taste good at first but smells like heavy curry. Rating: 4★

Person 2: The Beef Shawarma was pretty mid (not great, but not bad). Fries were gross. Rating: 3★

Person 3 (me): I am the one that ordered the food. I believe they overcompensate on design than having food flavors mix well together. The beef for the shawarma was dry and filling it with the pickled veggies helped a little but did not have effect on the flavor to be honest. The garlic sauce was pretty good but can use a little more garlic and less acidity for sure. It did lack flavor. Fries are good at first but wow do they smell like curry (its the seasoning that is being used). Rating: 3★

》》》》 Broasted Chicken with Coleslaw Overall rating: 2.3 /5.0 ★

Person 1: The chicken had no seasoning and cooked slightly under well done which was a little gross to me because I like well cooked chicken. I believe the chicken may have not been cleaned properly prior to cooking because there was a couple fried feathers on the breast sticking out. The fried skin was too moist because of the grease. Coleslaw was different because it had corn and wasn't too bad. Rating: 2★

Person 2: Fried chicken wasn't great. Had much better chicken elsewhere nearby. The chicken was a little too moist from inside and out for my liking. Didn't really enjoy it much. Coleslaw was delicious. Rating: 3★

Person 3 (me): There was feathers on the chicken breast. I am not a fan of places who quick clean their chicken and just flour mixture it on up and proceed to fry it. I like to have boned chicken well done and does not have the scent of raw chicken and sadly this did not pass at all for me. Chicken was too moist and honestly this was gross. Maybe change your oil or cook your chicken a little longer? Coleslaw was good. Rating: 2★

》》》》 Note to Owner: Do not take this critical feedback negatively. We equally had an open mind trying your establishment and unfortunately there was a couple things to work on to better your food (flavor and cooking times) especially since you have serious competition around you. Some may like it and some may not.

Person 3 (me): I do think that you overcompensate on designing your dishes for the camera rather than having better flavors. Your food is not bad but when you have competition around you, you need to stand out and be unique to make people come back, not one and done customers. You do have serious potential which you should take advantage of.

Atmosphere was nice but damn can it be hot in their.

Service was on point and kudos to having great employees.

Overall Rating of the...

I did not simply eat shawarma here. I ascended. I evolved. I became one with the garlic sauce.

From the moment I stepped into this culinary temple, the aroma hit me like a warm Middle Eastern hug from a long-lost relative I never knew I had. The pita? Softer than my most vulnerable emotions. The chicken? Marinated in what I can only assume was a blend of ancient family secrets, celestial blessings, and the tears of joyful angels.

And the garlic sauce… oh, the garlic sauce. It didn’t just enhance the meal—it whispered sweet nothings into my soul, healed old wounds, and unlocked memories of past lives where I was a spice merchant in a bustling Damascus bazaar.

The way the juices mingled with the crisp veggies was a harmony Mozart could never dream of composing. Each bite was a plot twist. A romance. An epic. My taste buds signed a long-term lease and refusedi to leave.

I went in hungry. I came out a believer.

Final verdict: If you haven’t been here yet, are you even...

I’ll start off with service and atmosphere 5/5 very nice and welcoming people, nice small little joint. But I’m also not going to give false hope to people, just because it’s a halal place I’m not going to give it 5/5 stars. I’m also not trying to bash the place at all. But it’s way too overhyped. Honestly didn’t have that super high expectations but dang. Chicken shawarma 6.5/10 Beef shawarma 6/10 Both meats were on the drier side. And too much pickles make the entire dish waaay too salty.

And lastly the main reason i came here is because of the halal rotisserie chicken. Man i knew when i saw the price that this was not going to be good. $26.30 for a medium sized chicken with 1 scoop of rice and 1 pita bread. Very dry, but suprisingly pretty well seasoned. Whole chicken 6.5/10 Overall 6.5/10 Unfortunate for a...