Shawafel

I’ve walked past this place daily since it opened, however, I never stopped in to try their food until last night. Went there with my girlfriend and the food was excellent, portions were extremely reasonable, the staff was very courteous and helpful, and the environment was very clean and open. I think I found my new go-​to place for a great, inexpensive and quick meal. Highly recommended!

If I could give this place 5 stars for cleanliness and customer service I would. I wanted to try the falafel based on Unilocal reviews. Everything on the menu sounds interesting. Being my first time there I asked the friendly guy behind the counter what was popular, he recommended the Shawarma, since I am not a big red meat eater, I chose the chicken, with falafal as an appetizer. The Shawarma was made fresh to order. The wrap was warm and a little crunch filled with ingredients. I was surprised it is about a foot long. The only thing I was missing was some sort of dipping sauce, I would have easily given this 5 stars. This is a great place if you are looking for vegetarian options.

Delicious and high-​quality Lebanese food! I got the meat and chicken shawarma platter served with hommus, tabouleh, pickles, garlic toum, and tahini sauce, plus the baba ghannouj spread, and all were delicious. It is probably enough food for two lunches. Also really nice staff.

Decided to try this place on a whim after a coworker went and raved about it! Fast, friendly, and SO good!

This gem has probably the best falafel in the DMV area.
I’m from the Middle East originally. So my falafel standards are very high. Fastidiously high. I’ve been trying to find falafel that would truly meet my high standards and this is the first time I can say without a doubt that it’s simply excellent. Take my word for it.
To make matters even better, the place is the real McCoy — soft authentic Lebanese music playing in the background, a friendly staff, clean, welcoming and yet down to earth in pricing terms.
By the way, they also deliver and offer take-​out, but eating in offers the best experience.

this place quickly became a staple for us soon after it opened. Great food – we’ve had the shawafel (a mix of falafel and shawarma) and the separate shawarma and falafel sandwiches. All are good, I usually get the meat (I think a mix of lamb and beef) and my wife gets chicken. Good baga gaanoush (I assume the hummus is good too but we haven’t tried it), and they even have ayran.
The staff is also very friendly and helpful. Great new spot for Arlington.

I’ve been here more than a couple times and enjoyed it immensely. The chicken shawarma in most places around DC is so dry that it is almost inedible, this is not one of those places. The meat is tender, not dry :) and very flavorful. If you are looking for a quick bite and don’t feel like cooking m, I would recommend this place.

If you’re a fan of middle eastern food (shawarma, falafel, doc.), you’re going to love this place. Fast, super fresh & absolutely delicious. Definitely worth a visit!

This place is a home run. Fresh food, real food, tasty food and FAIRLY PRICED FOOD. Wide variety of meat lovers dishes and vegetarian dishes. Just go!

The meat shawarmas were very good and quite filling and the fries were excellent. The restaurant was bright, open and airy.

Just got the Shish Taouk sandwich and I have to say it’s excellent. Generous portion, delicious garlic sauce with chunks of white meat chicken. Simply delicious! Highly recommend this place !

Only been here once, but everyone was super friendly and I really enjoyed the chicken shawarma. Will be back soon to try the falafel and hopefully be able to stay a bit longer to check out the atmosphere. Love that it is within walking distance!

Very good place… I have tried a few of their schwerma sandwiches and all are very good with great seasonings and the sandwiches are huge. You can actually taste the herbs and mint. Good stuff. The Lebanese fries are awesome too! A little pricey but you are paying for quality.
Very good place, get the sandwiches and fries!

I recently moved to the Courthouse area and discovered this place less than a block away from me. #Winning. The simple genius of this spot is combining Shawarma and Falafel in one epic sandwich wrap, hence «Shawafel». I’ve been here a couple times and have tried it with Chicken Shawarma and Beef/​Lamb Shawarma. Trust me… you can’t go wrong with either variation. It has meat, falafel, tomato and lettuce: fresh and simple. Both meat options are hanging out on a traditional rotating roaster. LEGIT. Don’t forget to ask for tahini, tzatziki and spicy sauce (they don’t volunteer them, thus you must ask for them). The sauces really take the wraps to another level of awesomeness. I also tried the fries during one of my visits. Personally, they’re not worth your time. They were a bit soggy and limp lacking the crispiness that I prefer. But if you like your fries like that, then to each their own.
Overall, it’s a great spot for quick and tasty food. I look forward to working my way through the menu… since it’s pretty much next door.

Food is good and the portions and price are downright reasonable compared to most other place in the area.
I’ve had the lamb shwarma and the chicken shwarma/​falafel sandwich and they were delicious, filling, and only around 8 – 9 bucks

Food is delicious, fresh, and flavorful! The staff couldn’t be more friendly, knowledgeable, and welcoming! This is a wonderful addition to the neighborhood.
Had the chicken schwarma– chicken was juicy and moist. Salad was bursting with flavor. Just the right amount of lemon.
Will definitely be my go-​to spot!

When this place opened I was crazy excited for a different place to eat in the Rosslyn lunch scene. I dragged a few coworkers up the hill from Rosslyn one day last week proclaiming «I know where we should eat today!», excited to get some good Middle East eats.
What a disappointment.
First off, I should say the staff was friendly. Sadly there was only two of them – so they were a bit overloaded with lunch orders.
I got a shwarma sandwich with expectations that it would taste as good as it had at every street vendor I’ve had around the world. It did not.
The lamb was undercooked, cold and mushy. If I had to guess I would say it was damn near raw despite its proximity to a flaming spit. Besides that the flavor was just off. Maybe too much tahini? It was dripping all over the place. The bread it was wrapped in, I gotta say was very good.
I also got a side of coleslaw because I like veggies. .. that turned out to be cabbage and a ton of mayo. That’s it. No vinegar. No seasoning. No other veggies. And heavy on the mayo.
Maybe it was opening week and they haven’t found their groove yet? Don’t think I’ll be back unless I see a flood of positive reviews.

Fast and friendly service, but the food is just about OK. I got the meat shawarma sandwich and my friend got the meat platter which was just OK. The platter consisted of some rice, lamb, chicken and came with some tahini and garlic cream.
The pita for the sandwich is on the crispy side and the meat was not as juicy as I would’ve liked it. Because I live a stone throw’s away, I may go back to try another sandwich.

I’ve been to Shawafel twice since they’ve opened in the Rosslyn-​Courthouse neighborhood. Food is fresh, locally sourced and made from scratch. Staff is welcoming, friendly, and their suggestions will not steer you wrong.
I’ve tried the veggie platter (hummus, tabbouleh, pita), grape leaves, meat schwarma sandwich and chicken schwarma and fries. All were delicious. Schwarma sandwiches are VERY filling. I love that the pita is thin so the meats and veggies and sauces in the «sandwich» really shine. Fries are delicious– real potatoes cut with a nice bite to them, perfectly fried in spice blend. So different and delicious.
I’m so happy there is another fresh «fast» food alternative in the neighboyhood. Heads up, they’re working on delivery within a 3 mile radius so that would be even more dangerous as I satisfy my Shawafel cravings!

Don’t let the lack of fanfare for opening day/​week deter a visit to Shawafel. The interior is simple and clean (exposed concrete floors and communal tables). Their menu is posted to the wall above the register and ordering is done through a square-​like system. The menu behind the register was tough to read (font-​size too small) for patrons who want a to keep the aisle clear while making a decision. Printed menus are available at the register (may be best to post a few in the dining area).
I was pleasantly welcomed and greeted by the staff. Order to table took approximately 15 minutes (somewhat longer wait than expected for «fast casual», but this may be due to time of day or 1^st week kinks.) There were only 3 other patrons ordering and dining at 9pm, but I firmly believe this could be a hot pre-​club dining option in short order.
Bottom-​line, the falafel sandwich was well worth the wait and an amazing value for quantity and quality. The falafel was freshly made with a crispy exterior and soft interior, the pita was pliable and soft. It was the perfect balance of hot falafel and cold relishes and sauces. I didn’t miss the «Amsterdam Falafel» self-​service toppings bar as their ratio of components was far better than my self-​service creations.