You might be trying out one of the capital’s dozens of shwarma joints
By AMY SPIROShwarma(photo credit: AMY SPIRO)
Shwarma has become one of the items – along with falafel and humous – on every tourist’s “must taste” list these days. The default shwarma option at most places is turkey, though quite a few offer veal and chicken as well. While I didn’t sample any lamb shwarma for this article, it can be found at some more upscale joints around the city.Just about every place offers the shaved slices of meat – slow-roasted on a rotating spit – in a pita or a laffa, and some also offer a plated meal. Prices vary widely when it comes to shwarma, from NIS 17 to NIS 30 for a pita, and often more for a laffa. A few places charge the same for a pita or laffa, but that likely means you’re getting more bread and salad – not meat – in the larger option. Most places, though not all, will fill up your pita until it’s bursting, no matter what you ask for in it – so the more salads and sauces you request, chances are the less meat you will receive.Shwarma can be found at dozens of restaurants around Jerusalem, meaning this is by no means a comprehensive list, but a sampling of some standouts and popular haunts. I weighted more heavily toward the fast-food joints than upscale sit-down restaurants for this food tasting, since shwarma is, at its core, simple street food.All tested establishments are kosher.Arkadash: A With a tagline reading “giving honor to shwarma,” Arkadash was a must-stop on my shwarma crawl, and I wasn’t disappointed.One of the few places to offer turkey, chicken and veal shwarma, all of its offerings were juicy and tasty, with some pieces that managed to be crispy without being burned or dried out. The shwarma had a nice salt and seasoning level, and was actually hot when I took a bite. The salad bar offers the usual options, plus avocado – a nice, unexpected treat for many Anglos.NIS 26 pita/NIS 33 laffa 6 Shamai Street Hello Yemen: AI wasn’t quite sure what to expect when walking into a restaurant in a gas station on the way out of the city. I was surprised to find it both fairly busy (including the menonly seating area) and looking as if it had been around for at least 40 years, with a truly classic Mizrahi menu. The shwarma – which also came in options of turkey, chicken and veal – was served in exceptionally thin shavings of meat, juicy, with some crispy charred bits, but a few too many ribbons of fat for my liking. It was nicely spiced but could have done with a touch more salt. (If you’re interested, it also sells cholent on Thursday nights.) NIS 30 laffa or pita/NIS 65 plate 1 Weizmann Boulevard (in the Paz gas station) 20 Shekel Shwarma: AThere’s a whole trend of shwarma restaurants around Jerusalem named just for the price of their offerings (most of them NIS 20, some even NIS 15). And while having your price be the focus of your selling point isn’t a great sign (see Duda La Pizza’s NIS 20 pie, “Tried and Tasted,” June 2012), I was pleasantly surprised by the NIS 20 offering outside the central bus station. The meat was juicy and well-spiced and it was a generous portion of food – both shwarma and salads.Plus, the price is the same for either a pita or a laffa stuffed to the brim.NIS 20 pita or laffa 228 Jaffa Road Hashamen: B+ This popular shwarma chain offers both veal and turkey shwarma – or a combination of the two – for the same price. The turkey is moist and tender, while the veal is a bit fattier and chewier, and slightly less flavorful. I received a very generous portion and it was fairly warm when I ate it but not piping hot.NIS 27 pita/NIS 35 laffa/NIS 42 plateFour locations in JerusalemMaoz Falafel and Shwarma: B+ Second perhaps only to Moshiko in terms of the ideal location for ensnaring shwarma-hunting tourists, Maoz offers a nice if unmemorable meal. The meat is good and hot, and well-spiced, though some pieces were a bit dry and chewy.NIS 25 pita/NIS 32 laffa 19 King George AvenueSami: B The shwarma at Sami, a Jerusalem institution for more than 20 years, had some juicy pieces of meat, but also many with dried-out edges and some unwanted fat and gristle. It was a generous portion of meat, and shaved piping hot off the rotating spit, but had too much chewiness overall.NIS 18 pita/NIS 24 laffa 80 Agrippas StreetMoshiko: B Despite its unmatched location and nicely translated English menu (clearly catering to a tourist and Birthright clientele), Moshiko’s shwarma is at best average. The meat tended to the chewy side, including some pieces that were too fatty, and it was only about lukewarm by the time I took a bite of it – about 90 seconds after being handed it by an employee. The meat was also a touch too salty with no complex flavors.NIS 25 pita/NIS 33 laffa 5 Ben-Yehuda StreetMelech Hafalafel V’Shwarma: C+ While I could barely squeeze into this tiny storefront in the center of town, I felt a responsibility to point its patrons to several better locations less than a fiveminute walk away. My shwarma was unsurprisingly cold, since my shavings of meat came from a large pile of pre-cut turkey. It was also a rather skimpy portion, with some chewy and dried-out pieces. It had a good salt and spice level, but overall was disappointing.NIS 17 pita or laffa/ NIS 30 for plate 10 King George AvenueNext month, I’ll be trying to stay cool by sampling frozen yogurt at shops around the city. Have a favorite? Drop me a line at triedandtastedjpost@gmail.com
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