Shawarmaniac

Food alone should be 5 stars. But they do not know how to operate customer-​centric like a professional takeout restaurant… long waits and inexperienced staff. Just dumbfounded sometimes… but you learn to work around it since there’s not much in the area.

Wow. Best shawarmas in town. We had lamb shawarma and chicken shawarma. The owner is very nice and courteous.

Shawarmaniac just kills it! The food is great, fast, reasonably priced. It’s healthy and incredibly tasty. It’s also always a rare treat to find an Eastside that provides sustainable take out containers — no Styrofoam. All that, plus the people are super friendly and inviting. I imagine I must be in Lebanon for a moment.

Had lunch here today. Ordered it online and drove about 18 minutes to grab pickup. When we got the Shwarmaniac, our food wasn’t ready, but the employees found our order and made it quickly. On our way home, my fiancé and I kept digging into the garlic fries (fantastic! Some of the best fries we’ve ever had!) and we devoured our shwarma wraps when we got home. It was so worth the wait! Everything was absolutely delicious! :)

The food is consistently good and the service is quick. I usually order to go and don’t eat there because it can get smoky. Definitely recommend this place.

Placed an order they gave me the wrong order which I didn’t realize till I was home. The owner called to apologize and offered to give me a comp meal for the mistake. Very classy and great food to boot. I even liked what I didn’t order. A++

Cauliflower wrap is excellent! Delicious and it’s a large wrap.
Falafel’s were great and their Garlic sauce is best in the world. If you love Garlic, this is the best sauce in the world!

Absolutely best food I have ever had in Washington. Their salad is really good & their rice bowl is amazing & for under $ 10. Nice staff too.

Their menu was a bit daunting, so I asked the guy taking the order what he gets. Lebanese chicken shawarma — Lebanese style. I’m not sure what the doubly Lebanese-​ness of this implied, but the result was an extremely delicious flavor explosion in my mouth. Every time I’ve been back sense, I double down on the Lebanese. Warning: must love garlic.
Newby tip: the TV in the corner flips through pics of most of the menu items.
One interesting tidbit that I didn’t notice in my initial stop was the copious number of healthy labels on their food: grass fed beef & lamb, halal, gluten free, dairy free, vegan, vegetarian, etc. It seems this place has something for anywhere on the picky diet spectrum

My wife and I decided to eat here on a Friday evening and the gentleman that took our order was quite friendly and helpful, since this was our first time.
The restaurant was very clean, and the food was delicious. I had the lamb shawarma plate, and my wife had the chicken. The salad, and lentil soup was awesome and the lamb was tender and delicious. I ordered mine spicy, but in my opinion it wasn’t too spicy, but just the perfect blend of hot and flavorful. We ordered some fries as well which turned out to be a mistake because we had too much food, but thats not a bad thing really.
I recommend this restaurant whenever your in the neighborhood and desire some great food… we will be back next week as well.

Really good food, made to order choices in how you like, your food prepared, spicy or not spicy, onions and pickles. Fair prices good portions, fresh, no GMO, fast.

One of the top Shawarmas I’ve ever tried.
Very good sauces, Fresh Ingredients.
Put it in simple, everything is just in the way it should be.

A second visit left us very disappointed. Please see my first review before reading this one.
Service was not good, obviously understaffed. Our food was thrown together in a to go box with condiment containers thrown on top of the food. That’s really not very sanitary. The pita was thrown on top of everything and when removed it was covered with food. This was really not impressive.
The interior was even dirtier than the first time we came.
They need to hire more staff and provide a better quality product and place to eat. They have really great food. They are sabotaging themselves. Sad.

I finally tried Shawarmaniac and I’m a fan! I ordered through Bite Squad delivery and the food arrived fresh, hot, and delicious :)
I had the beef kafta kabob — extra spicy — with rice, pita, and hummus. It was super flavorful and I loved the spice. The salad was excellent with awesome pickled veggies just like my grandmother used to make! It even came with a delicious lentil soup. Really great value for the money.
I’ll be back — next time for falafel!

Super friendly owner, casual atmosphere and quality food, made fast. Not fast food exactly, they make it to order, but it is quick. They have a variety of vegetarian items, and plenty for meat eaters. The sauces and hummus in particular are terrific.
Words I have never before uttered: I really like their pickled turnips. Really. it’s a totally new (for me) food item I leaned about from the owner. They garnish the wraps with these salty, addictive purple pickled vegetables. I even took home a side order to snack on, and try on different foods.
I’m partial to the lamb or chicken shawarma, but the falafel bowl is a great choice too. Parking in this small strip mall can be a hassle, but there’s a few dedicated spaces in front, and more room in a back lot. Enjoy!

During the great Kirkland blackout of November 2015, Shawarmaniac stayed opened and dealt with the complete madness with compassion and class.
I lost power and was freezing. I drove around in my car with my cat because I didn’t have heat in my house and couldn’t find any other place that was open for food (that didn’t have a massive line). Shawarmaniac was open and welcoming. It took about 30 minutes to get food that night, but it was worth it. This is the best Mediterranean food in the Juanita/​North Kirkland area. Their sauces are are dairy-​free which is awesome. The sides can be a bit pricey but the portions are large so you’re getting a good bang for your buck.

Garlic heaven!!! OMG get the lamb shawarma platter and get an order of garlic feta fries! It’s just the best thing I’ve eaten ever!!!
My husband and I will become regulars here quickly. We live dangerously close and the mere mention of this place and we are in the car on our way!
I’m trying it extra spicy tonight so let’s hope I didn’t just curse myself! The smells walking up here are the most welcoming you could encounter!

These guys are awesome! This is a locally owned business run by people who really care about providing a quality product and it really shows in everything they do. Even if you live in Kirkland, there’s a chance you may not even know this place exists as it is tucked inside a strip mall and kind of hidden behind a fast food joint, but once you figure it out and find your way inside, there’s no turning back. If the owner isn’t right there are the front counter waiting to greet you, one of his trusted and friendly employees will be right there and ready to help.
I’ve visited these guys on three (or is it four) different occasions and, while they’re menu has a great selection of delicious looking items, I just have to get the lamb shawarma with a side of their amazing garlic fries. One of the things that really stands out with the food here is their use of fresh and quality ingredients across the board. They make and prepare almost everything on the menu with a couple secrets thrown in just to keep you guessing and that attention to detail really comes through in every bite.
One thing I will mention is that seating is somewhat limited here as the location is pretty small so be prepared to potentially take your order to go if you stop in during a busier part of the day. That being said, the place is always clean and the décor is really bright and welcoming. They even have a cartoon mascot and a colorful theme which really makes the place fun and inviting for both adults and kids alike. Do yourself a favor and check this place out, you will not be disappointed.

Through no fault of its own, I totally avoided this place. Hidden away in a sketchy-​looking strip mall, behind a Jack-​in-​the-​box drive thru and a tire place, with a slightly goofy name to boot … Could there be anything worth eating in such a place?
Well, yes, actually.
There’s a good assortment of middle eastern specialties — crunchy, well-​seasoned falafel; moist, flavorful lamb shawarma; delicate, delicious rice; and if that’s not enough, toss in a crunchy, warm, fresh piece of pita and some sauces on the side. Have it your way, and then some. Everything I tried was good, and the price points are excellent, especially for the quantity you receive (hint: A LOT). I especially appreciate that there are vegan options available — I’m not vegan, but I’m glad to have a place to go with my vegan friends that we can all enjoy.
The atmosphere is also really nice — you order at the counter, but there’s a clean, pleasant seating are where you can either eat or wait for takeout. And that’s good, but everyone there is friendly, probably because the owner is so dang friendly. He’s happy to have you there, and if you’ve been there before, he probably remembers seeing you, and is happy you came back. You can’t fake that and it’s a good feeling to hang around.
I’m glad I finally got past the lack of curb appeal and found this little spot.

Absolutely awesome spot! I had lunch here recently and was impressed with the portions versus the price.
With so many options between wraps and bowls I relied on the staff to help me with a suggestion. I went with the falafel bowl and was super pleased with the offerings. For less than $ 8 I got a heaping pile of rice, salad, and 4 falafel topped with fries and house made sauce. There was also a super tasty garlic sauce as well as tzatziki sauce.
The spot is located in a little strip mall and is clearly the cutest, cleanest eatery among the offerings. Having been open for half a year now, it looks brand spankin’ new. Table and chairs appear to be wiped down, the floors are spotless and the whole businesses is almost sparkling. This was a good sign to me! If they’re so careful about being clean out front, I imagine the kitchen is just as organized and tidy.
The young guys behind the counter were courteous, helpful and funny. It wasn’t too busy when we arrived to we shared small talk back and forth. Loved them! Such great customer service.
After my order arrived it got quite busy and in no time there was a line out the door. So that was another good sign — lots of people love this place and I can see why.
The falafel was fried to order so it came out fresh and perfectly soft and crunchy. The fries were perfectly seasoned and the veggies and rice were fresh. The bowl came in a to-​go container too, which was perfect for dividing it into two meals. It’s really that much!
Totally great deal. Excited to come back again and try other options.