Shawarma Shack — Restaurant in San Diego

I recently placed a catering order from Shawarma Shack, and unfortunately, it was a subpar experience. The beef shawarma was overcooked and tough, while the chicken tikka had an average taste with small portions. The tabbouleh was notably dry even with the dressing provided. The sides and hummus portions were so minimal that it became embarrassing for us as hosts serving a group of 25 people. Despite the initial courtesy of the person taking the order, the lack of response to my concerns showed a lack of care on their part, which is what truly led me to leave this review. Regrettably, this experience has led to the decision not to order or dine at this location again. Two stars given for the initial politeness during the order process.

-Response to owner’s response below:

The only person who made this catering order difficult was you, I am assuming this is Yousif writing the response as that’s who I spoke to for the order. You took forever to get back to me and did not provide me with my options as promised in a timely manner, I kept having to message you and remind you to send me the details. I also never cancelled to re-order so I don’t know where this info is coming from. The order was always for pick-up, so please review your notes. My husband got there at 11:15am to pick up and when he was told it was not ready, he then returned at 11:30am and picked up the order. I don’t know what the timing of the pick up has anything to do with the lack of quality and minimal portions. My husband and I both mentioned we are having about 40 guests, although we only needed the catering order to accommodate 25 since we will have other food there - from what you tried to make it seem like, we were NOT trying to feed 40 people with an order for 25 people. We cater all the time for large groups and this was our first time trying your restaurant, I even told Yousif on the phone that — again, the food order was for 25 and I expected the sides to accommodate for that amount, not be an embarrassment. Imagine going into the hummus with a spoon and trying to scoop some out and you instantly hear your spoon hit the tray it’s in. You would be embarrassed too. Yes, the dressing was given on the side as you mentioned although that doesn’t have to do with anything either because even with the dressing the salad was dry, hence more proof of the small portions provided. Instead of taking my review seriously and working on bettering your catering service, you became defensive in your response to my feedback and even brought up details irrelevant to the whole situation. Definitely not expected from a business owner or manager as their response. Also, as a member in the community as you said I am, I text messaged Yousif privately first letting him know about the negative experience and weeks went by with 0 response, how is that professional coming from the restaurant side? & now I am made to feel guilty for posting an honest review? I gave you over two weeks to respond to me and you never did. The only message Yousif originally sent me was on the morning of 11/26 (the day after our event) asking me to leave a review with the links for BOTH Yelp and Google and instead of leaving a poor public review, I messaged him my feedback directly on the same day of 11/26. When I didn’t hear from him at all, I left the public review on 12/15 and on BOTH platforms of Google and Yelp as he requested. Now that the review has been posted on both Yelp and Google, that is a bother to you saying it was unnecessary… yet you originally asked me to leave you a review on both. I guess it wouldn’t have been an issue if you received a good review right? Very confusing. I assure you if I would have received a response from Yousif, I would not have written publicly because I at least would have known my feedback was heard and recognized. This whole experience along with your response is unfortunate. I wish you the best with your business and Merry Christmas to...

The food is good. The service and attention by the couple that usually runs the register is good and they are very kind. However, there is also a younger guy that works there and he is absolutely terrible. The last time I was there, his accuracy for recording what I wanted was bout 70% and required a bunch of follow up from the couple. He also added an item that cost extra that I didn't ask for, but not really a big deal because all my experiences up to that point had been very nice and with the couple. I showed up today, almost 20 minutes after they opened and the cook (and the entire kitchen staff) said they couldn't do anything because no one was there to work the register. He called someone and said they had to hurry because there was already a customer. Lo and behold, the younger guy finally pulls up and is clearly disheveled and wholly non apologetic that he is late/holding everyone else up. I made sure to order very slowly and methodically, according to the steps set out in their own menu. Of course he messed it up again, to the point, to where the cook had to ask me what I actually ordered. And of course, he missed items and of course, he added another item that cost extra. But, I wasn't able to catch it. They usually give you the option of getting a receipt in paper or in email. Oddly enough, that option was closed out prematurely and I wasn't able to choose. Either way, if the young guy is the one who is taking your order, make sure he repeats every single item to you. As a person who worked in the service industry for a decade plus, this kid is terrible. As a person who loves to support local businesses, a complete bummer because I won't...

4.5 stars. This is a great fusion of Mediterranean and Mexican cuisine. On a Sat afternoon, it wasn't too busy but if the parking lot in front of it is packed, parking could be a problem.

I got 3 Shack tacos with gyro, chicken shawarma and the falafel, the shawarma wrap with their spiciest sauces, and a bunch of toppings including the jalapenos, and the side of falafel.

The tacos were the best of them all - falafel then gyro then chicken shawarma. The gyro was a little too salty for my liking but the chicken shawarma didn't have enough spice on it, so that's why I preferred the gyro to the shawarma. The falafel was easily the best of them all as the falafel was soft and crunchy and actually complimented the tabouli salad, feta and the tzatziki sauce. The tacos are corn tortillas but they feel a little more like rotis.

The wrap was very filling. It wasn't as spicy as I would've liked despite choosing the spiciest sauces and the jalapenos. The side of falafel was very tasty. The falafel wasn't too dry but not too oily.

I had initially decided to give them 5 stars. However, I had to downgrade to 4.5 stars because the tortilla and the wrap got really soggy very quickly. So, they fell apart more quickly than I would've liked. The salty gyro and not so spicy chicken shawarma were my other reasons.

I loved my whole experience and I will definitely be back to eat more of your shack...