SHAWARMIN GRILL — Restaurant in Saint Paul

Staying in a local hotel for work, convinced that my food options would be dismal. Quick Google search reveals this place, which I assumed was an Americanized "Mediterranean" grill with some token Middle Eastern options...located in a strip mall. Well, the location is pretty much just that, but boy, was I wrong about the food. The hummus is nothing like what I call "Old City" hummus (the Arab kind, not the Jewish kind), which is what I personally prefer. In contrast, Shawarmin's is far creamier and it has even a slightly sour edge. Something different for me and I really, really liked it! Reminds me of Iraqi hummus I had years ago, but somehow not. Is it Lebanese? The falafel was some of the best I've had locally. Very light (not gummy or overly oily like it is so often) and full of flavor. Comes with wonderful grilled eggplant (again, reminds me of Iraqi food, but it also comes with purple cabbage which reminds me of Lebanese food). Positively delicious. The pita is not the typical pita you would expect with the "pocket." This is a large circle (folded twice) and thin. Perfect for scooping up hummus! Reminds me of something I had in Jerusalem called "Laffa."Currently biting into a piece of pistachio baklava and I immediately get heavy rosewater. Like Turkish but definitely not Turkish. Oh, wow, is this place Lebanese? I'm embarrassed to say that I still haven't figured it out. Nevertheless, I feel like I struck a gold mine in the most unlikely place. I ordered curbside, but was early so I decided to go in and get my order. I encountered such gentle and lovely people working there...and the fantastic music. I should have stayed to listen. I need to find an excuse to return as soon as possible, but right now my...

Trick not a Treat…

After reading the glowing reviews, I decided to try Shawarmin for dinner on Sunday, October 31,2021. Therefore, I placed an online order through GrubHub which should have been my first warning. The pictures of the food for this establishment was not what I received in my order.

First, I was extremely disappointed when I received my order because it was not what I ordered based on the pictures at a value of $62.37. The super grill and the lamb entrees with salad were not worth the price. I asked for the dressing for the salad to be put on the side which they did, but also put dressing on the salad.

Secondly, I ordered four sauces for a total of an additional $4.00 but did not receive them. I called and spoke with someone, I presumed was an owner of the establishment to tell them that the sauces were not included. I was told that I would need to come to the store and get the sauces. I replied, that I didn’t have transportation at the time, hence the delivery. I was told to hold while he spoke with someone else. I could hear another person in the background saying, “ it was not their problem”. No one came back to the phone, I was left waiting to speak with someone for three hours to which my concerns where never resolved.

Finally, if you plan to visit this establishment based on the glowing reviews reconsider your plans and definitely do not...

We ordered on a Friday evening for dine-in, but was served our food in takeout containers. The soda fountain is also out of most soda options.

I ordered a build-your-own pita with chicken shawarma. I expected the ingredients to be inside the pita, but instead, I was served a complete mess directly on top of my pita. The pita was already cut, but instead of putting the ingredients in the pita, they were piled on top of the pita, making it a soggy mess that I had to eat with a fork. The chicken was also dry and flavorless.

The staff also started switching off the lights at 6.30pm while we were still eating although their google site states that they closes at 8pm.

I'm giving 2 stars because their fries were tasty (not too crispy). The gyro meat and falafel also tasted better than the sad chicken shawarma.

Edit: looking at the photo, the build your own sign has been up for more than a year. "Start from the right". Under "choose your style", the options are "bowl", "sal" and "pita".

I do not appreciate that their response to "your build-your-own pita was bad" is "that item you ordered does not exist". I'm not interested in a refund. I just wanted to share my experience. I'm sure some people would love the food here and have positive experiences. But that is unfortunately not mine and I would like to honestly...