Atlas Shawarma

Er, YUM.
William G said it all far better than I could, but what a find. I took myself here for birthday lunch thinking, ‘Really? Could they be selling falafel sandwiches for a mere two quid? I’m not so sure…’ And lo and behold, balls of fresh dough were being placed in the oven, nuggets of fresh falafel were crisping to order in the fryer, and the sign above the counter in this tiny joint read that indeed, they were £2. And it is absolutely four naan breads for a single pound.
As you’re whizzing by on the bus you might not even notice this place exists, but if you look carefully you’re likely to see a queue snaking out of it — as there was when I pointed it out to my boyfriend upon travelling by recently. He noticed the crowd and took it as a good sign, and believe me it is. Gem! It’s no frills, no neon, just a simple small Middle Eastern delight serving authentic snacks.
I hopped straight back on a bus to the short trip to my house and enjoyed my falafel at home, and it was indeed good. Hot, fresh and made with great ingredients, including oven fresh bread… Between this and Falafel I’m now spoiled for choice for my favourite lunch dependent upon which end of the Curry Mile I’m at. Atlas is closer to my house, Falafel nearer Oxford Road. What more could one ask?

Atlas Shawarma secures a firm place in my heart for serving some of the best vegetarian food in Manchester for the least amount of money! Find Atlas by looking for the short queue snaking out the door onto Wilmslow Road just before Claremont Road, opposite the renowned Jaffa.
Atlas is a takeaway with premises just three metres wide and three stools to perch on by a side-​counter. However, this is a very serious food business focused on doing just a few things well — fresh tandoor naan, kebabs and falafel (see photos for the menu). I can’t speak for the kebabs, but talking to the Arabs in the queue, there were a lot of not just customers but *big* fans of this place!
As cooked to order, the falafels take a little longer to serve but you can be served and out in 5 minutes from the time you order. Broadly speaking, I’ve found two very different types of falafel in Manchester — the stolid ‘staple food’ type (which need dips to be palatable) served at places such as Jaffa and Caspian; and the lush, green, melting type typified by Rusholme’s eponymous Falafel café — Atlas’s are of the Falfel-​type! Fascinated, I watched through to the back of the kitchen as the custom falafel-​making tool* dipped five times from the chickpea-​and-​fresh-​herb mixture to the fryer.
Once cooked, your falafel arrive on a naan bread which has just emerged from the tandoor for you to chose your salad, yoghurt and mayonnaise — I skip the onion and mayonnaise but the rest of it is good, with the tomatoes very juicy. Thing is, with food so clearly cooked to order, I feel it a huge sin to do other than perch on a stool and devour immediately! Such warm, clean, nutritious, juicy goodness!
Lastly, at a modest £2 for a falafel wrap and 50p more for a kebab, you only need to be a little convinced by my review to checkout Atlas. Atlas also sells tandoor naan at 4 for £1. In a nice touch, neighbouring Marmara Grill allows sit-​in customers to enjoy Atlas breads with their (Marmara) food.
So many businesses are named after legends, but how many businesses are actually legendary? Watch Atlas’s tandoor specialist at work (making breads in a spotless white dress shirt!), and you can see some of the commitment to hard work that the demi-​god Atlas must have had as he accepted his punishment of supporting the weight of the Earth on his shoulders. Feel inspired to go forth into the world with similar integrity.
*This is a small metal tool in the shape of a hemisphere on a stick, which seems to operate along the lines of an ice cream scoop.