Al-Sham Restaurant

I came here one evening looking to get my shawarma fix. They hit this on the nail that time and every time since, both chicken and lamb. The Maroosh is my new favorite — it’s tasty and HUGE (Yes, that’s what she said.) You really can’t go wrong with anything you get… at least, with my many experiences here so far.
With a wide selection of items, everything fresh, nicely seasoned and home made, all at a price that keeps my wallet happy, are you really surprised Al-​Sham is my favorite lunch spot?

Took over 50 minutes to receive our food when dining in. However the pizza steak tasted great. If not for the long wait, 5 stars all the way!

Eat your chicken over rice very carefully!!! I found way too many pieces of bone in mine. Now my tooth hurts.
The chicken maroosh sandwich was pretty good tho.

I have yet to try something from this restaurant that I didn’t like. The food is so good! From their cheese steaks to their rice platters to their pizza. Everything is on point.

The New York chicken and lamb is amazing. I order it every week and the service is exceptional. I highly recommend if you haven’t tried. They also have American dishes.

Firstly this was an adventure of ordering out we came on Unilocal looking for macaroni and cheese and left with some of the best take out food I’ve had in a while. Not only were the prices fair (2 entrees 2 drinks and an app for $ 30) but the delivery was expedient and the driver was courteous. When we received our food (one NY chicken over rice, and one NY lamb over rice. And the chicken samosa.) Everything was tender, well seasoned and delicious. I would absolutely order from here again. Definitely order the chicken samosa. 5 stars is modest.

My go to here is the Maroosh sandwich (chicken, lamb — it don’t matta!!)
You wont be disappointed. For $ 8 you get a BIG sandwich on a delicious toasted (panini’d?) roll. Inside you get the «all da meatz» spiced to perfection, an arabic pickle, tahini/​garlic whatever sauce they use (it definitely contains illegal substances — it’s just that good), and lots of fresh tomatoes+parsley
The roll/​veggies are always fresh, the meat is always good quality without those bits of mystery gristle.
I need to try more of what they offer there — I’ve had plenty of middle eastern/​levantine food so if the Maroosh is the good everything else probably is, it looks that way anyway (they have a BIG menu)
My star rating is based on how much I would miss a spot if it went out of business — and that’s where 5* come from. It’s a jewel in NE Philly.

Iam a frequent customer of al shams. The workers there offer excellent service and high quality food. The chicken maroosh and chicken and lamb gyros are absolutely delicious. I also recommend trying the chicken samosa appetizers. They are amazing! Food is amazing however I can’t say the same for the hookahs they pack.

I’ve eaten here a couple of times and sometimes the food would be dry and other times the food would be very good. Still would be an great option for the very hungry! One of the best places in northeast to get middle eastern food

The menu is a short novel but I had an idea of what I wanted ahead of time. I got the NY Chicken and Rice and it was fire. I loved the hint of the fried onion in it. The crisp parts of the chicken really stood out. It could’ve used a bit more chicken, but it’s taken into consideration. I will look for that next time and make a subsequent assessment. Place loses one star on the basis that one menu item per their Unilocal associated menu had the pizza listed @ 1.00 lower than they charged. Consistency is key. My friend loved the Al-​Sham breakfast sandwich. I will be back and I do look forward to it. The falafel was also great; and very adequately priced.

Always the place I go to get my chicken/​lamb fix! It maybe more expensive than your typical halal food trucks but it makes up for it with the taste and portions.

Food here is pretty good, not great. The hummus, falafel were standard, but flavorful. Pita was thin, and could have been fresher/​warmer. My mixed kofta kebab platter (beef & chicken) served over a bed of rice (asked for yellow, but got brown) was tasty and moist. Had a bit of onion-​tomato gravy on it, and a nice creamy garlic sauce on the side. They also have tahina, cucumber yogurt and spicy mint sauces which I would have liked to try, but cost extra. Did not care for the hot sauce, it had an odd off-​putting flavor. The side salad sucked. My friend loved her NY chicken on rice, calling it «comfort food».
The atmosphere is nice. When you walk in it looks like a pizza take out shop, but you are led into an adjoining room which is nicely decorated. A table full of hookahs come out later in the eve I suppose. The service was friendly and accommodating. You get a decent amount of food, but the prices seem a bit high. Overall it was a decent dining experience, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to come back.

I’ve ordered from Al-​Sham at least two dozen times. I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve ordered. The standouts are the burgers, made with homemade kefta meat and homemade pickles, and the salads, both the lettuce and tomato kind (get the house dressing), and the hummus and baba ganoush (also homemade). The chicken schwarma and falafel are tasty, not the best ive had but definitely better than I expected from a place like this and the best you’ll get delivered in NE philly. The pizzas are good, none of the premade frozen dough that’s invaded a lot pizza places lately, but pizza clearly isnt their specialty. The toppings are good, if a bit pricey. I also highly recommend the milkshakes.
I order online so I can’t speak to their phone manner, but the delivery people have always been great. Beware that the delivery lady is afraid of dogs — I feel bad about my little yappy lapdog.

This wasn’t the absolute worst food I’ve ever had in my life
But
It was pretty bad.
I made the lengthy trek out to NE (Bustleton) in search of cheap, authentic, distinctive flavor.
On the recommendation of clearly demented, high-​on-​drugs Unilocalsters, I ordered two items. One was the spinach «pies.» For a mere $ 5.00, I got four, barely-​bigger-​than-​a-​silver-​dollar «pies» that looked and tasted like doughy mini-​samosas. Scarcely any spinach had to die for this fraudulent appetizer.
For my main course I got a beef kofta (meatball) kebab platter. I can’t believe that anyone who calls themselves a chef would serve what I got. It. Was. So. Dry. It parched my throat… instantly. If I had made this at home, I would have thrown out my work. Disgraceful.
Normally I would add a second star because they were hospitable and the place didn’t seem obviously unclean. However, the fact that this place currently has four stars is a gross felony against the truth. This aggression will not stand, man.

I give this restaurant five stars from service, atmosphere, and most definitely the food! I highly recommend the kebabs, al-​sham sampler and the chicken tikka masala. I usually call my lunch order in, drive over and see my food waiting for me, always on time.
The desserts are about as good as my grandmother and mom would make in their own kitchens. Don’t just buy one piece of baklava. You must try the many different kinds they have.
Sahtein!

I would give this place 10 stars if I could. The food is exceptional. I came here with my family and ordered hummus with pita, ny combo and an okra dish. The okra was out if this world. The service was superb and the people working there are so warm.
This will be my go to place each time I visit philly :) thank you for such good food!

I am offering an update to my previous review some time ago. I visited Al Sham in recent months and have been pleasantly surprised and impressed with the massive improvements and overhauls. They are now offering a very very very large selection, some might say to a detriment, but I can not speak to that since I have not sampled much of the new menu. They are even offering various varieties of lassi. I never thought that was really in their wheel house but…
The food that I did order however was better than it had ever been here. The salad seems much fresher and the portions were good. I ordered falafel salad with side of yellow rice. Was very good.
The prices have significantly risen since I visited and reviewed last though. I am willing to pay for this sometimes if they remain consistent.
My one gripe is that their customer service is not always stunning. Its still hit or miss when it comes to friendliness and communication.
I’ll visit again and review again to see that they are keeping to new standards.

I went there for the new york style platter and forgot to tell I didn’t want chicken and lamb, but got it anyway. I loved the chicken, but thought the white sauce was taziki and it wasn’t. My daughter loved my leftovers and my little one had the chicken swarma and loved it and wants to go back. We definitely would!

This is the first time I’ve tried Arabic style in Philly.
Although, I’m a big fan of Arabic Non Veg dishes, this one wasn’t impress me.
We checked in around 5PM and have ordered Chicken Biryani, Chicken Shawarma and Tandoori Chicken.
Biryani was too oily and never felt like an Authentic one. Quantity and Quality was good.
Tandoori was a bluff. I believe it was not cooked in Tandoori Stove rather they fried it and served.
Bad option.
Finally, Chicken Shawarma was too good and best item to try and fill your tummy.
Overall, okay okay. But not an ideal Arabic option.
May be good for Kababs. Will check next time.

I have ordered from here a few times and I have never been dissapointed. The food is D-​licious! lamb shawarma sandwich, veggie samosa, and falafels are my favorites.