Boston Shawarma - Maybe The Best Fast Food Near Northeastern
“Business is good,” said Boston Shawarma manager Faezah Homdani. Still, I am hard- pressed to believe that business couldn’t be better. To say I discovered Boston Shawarma would be ridiculous. The small, Lebanese restaurant is located on 315 Huntington Avenue in Boston, Mass, right by the Northeastern University campus. That being said, this review is meant to be most beneficial to Northeastern students, whom I suspect many have never ventured through Shawarma’s door.
For those who have made their way here, they likely remember being welcomed by Fledine Gille, Homdani’s main employee. Gille is first at the store every day, and even though Shawarma is open from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (long, late hours for Boston), he will turn the lights on and serve you at 10:30 and maybe earlier. No matter what time of day you stroll in, the small TV in the corner will be playing Lebanese music video after video on a TV station like MTV from the early 90s. There are six tables to sit at and a bar with stools by the big window overlooking Huntington Avenue.
There are plenty of students who eat at Shawarma, but a variety of people come in for many different things. Today I saw a kid come in just to buy cigarettes. Another man stopped by to get 20 baklawa. But most of the people do come for the food.
The sandwiches, with meat roasted on the shawarma machines, are all “wrapped in freshly baked pita bread and prepared with lettuce, onions, herbs, tomatoes, pickles, tahini sauce or garlic spread” according to the menu. You have five of these sandwiches to choose from, and all are made up either of ground lamb or beef, or chunks of chicken or beef. For those looking for Vegetarian variations, there are an additional nine sandwiches including hommus, tabbuli and stuffed grape leaves to name a few. For both the meat and veggie sandwiches, you have the option of adding hommus or baba for an additional 50 cents.
Salads and homemade pies are also on the menu. The salads include of course, the Shawarma salad and four others I have not yet tried. Two spinach pies, two meat pies and Manaish-bil-Za’atar (oregano, sesame, oil) round out the pie list, but there are plenty more desserts. The pastries include three different size baklawa, three different kinds of rice pudding and a few other cakes.
Perhaps the best deal offered at Shawarma is the dinner plate. Available in all variations of meat and veggie sandwiches, the dinner plates also come with small plastic bowl of rice tahini sauce, hommus and pita bread, and a salad of cucumbers, tomatoes, and lettuce. Sometimes the salad will come with green peppers as well. While all of the dinners are great, I personally favor the Kibby and Soujok right now.
The soujok is served as a heaping pile of spicy meat over a bed of yellow rice. A good idea with this spicy dish is to mix both the rice tahini sauce and the hommus with the meat. This is a great combination and cools down both your mouth and the meat. While you’re at it, you may want to make a sandwich with the pita bread, hommus and meat. The salad also can be a cooler. And of course, a drink would be the most sensible option here.
A large bottle of water is probably the best way to go here because a smaller drink isn’t likely to last the length of the meal. However, with a sandwich, salad or other item, the Goya nectar drinks are healthy and delicious. While the guanabana (a member of the custard apple family) is my favorite of the Goya drinks, the pear, the fresa (strawberry) and peach mango are all good.
At the end of a meal at Boston Shawarma, there is a feeling of fullness, healthiness and completeness. A plate in particular, accompanied by a good drink, is very filling and healthier than many other quick stop eats nearby. For Middle-Eastern sandwiches, salad and desserts, or a change in pace from the dining hall and nearby mediocre pizza establishments, or just good food in general, Boston Shawarma is all that.
For those who have made their way here, they likely remember being welcomed by Fledine Gille, Homdani’s main employee. Gille is first at the store every day, and even though Shawarma is open from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (long, late hours for Boston), he will turn the lights on and serve you at 10:30 and maybe earlier. No matter what time of day you stroll in, the small TV in the corner will be playing Lebanese music video after video on a TV station like MTV from the early 90s. There are six tables to sit at and a bar with stools by the big window overlooking Huntington Avenue.
There are plenty of students who eat at Shawarma, but a variety of people come in for many different things. Today I saw a kid come in just to buy cigarettes. Another man stopped by to get 20 baklawa. But most of the people do come for the food.
The sandwiches, with meat roasted on the shawarma machines, are all “wrapped in freshly baked pita bread and prepared with lettuce, onions, herbs, tomatoes, pickles, tahini sauce or garlic spread” according to the menu. You have five of these sandwiches to choose from, and all are made up either of ground lamb or beef, or chunks of chicken or beef. For those looking for Vegetarian variations, there are an additional nine sandwiches including hommus, tabbuli and stuffed grape leaves to name a few. For both the meat and veggie sandwiches, you have the option of adding hommus or baba for an additional 50 cents.
Salads and homemade pies are also on the menu. The salads include of course, the Shawarma salad and four others I have not yet tried. Two spinach pies, two meat pies and Manaish-bil-Za’atar (oregano, sesame, oil) round out the pie list, but there are plenty more desserts. The pastries include three different size baklawa, three different kinds of rice pudding and a few other cakes.
Perhaps the best deal offered at Shawarma is the dinner plate. Available in all variations of meat and veggie sandwiches, the dinner plates also come with small plastic bowl of rice tahini sauce, hommus and pita bread, and a salad of cucumbers, tomatoes, and lettuce. Sometimes the salad will come with green peppers as well. While all of the dinners are great, I personally favor the Kibby and Soujok right now.
The soujok is served as a heaping pile of spicy meat over a bed of yellow rice. A good idea with this spicy dish is to mix both the rice tahini sauce and the hommus with the meat. This is a great combination and cools down both your mouth and the meat. While you’re at it, you may want to make a sandwich with the pita bread, hommus and meat. The salad also can be a cooler. And of course, a drink would be the most sensible option here.
A large bottle of water is probably the best way to go here because a smaller drink isn’t likely to last the length of the meal. However, with a sandwich, salad or other item, the Goya nectar drinks are healthy and delicious. While the guanabana (a member of the custard apple family) is my favorite of the Goya drinks, the pear, the fresa (strawberry) and peach mango are all good.
At the end of a meal at Boston Shawarma, there is a feeling of fullness, healthiness and completeness. A plate in particular, accompanied by a good drink, is very filling and healthier than many other quick stop eats nearby. For Middle-Eastern sandwiches, salad and desserts, or a change in pace from the dining hall and nearby mediocre pizza establishments, or just good food in general, Boston Shawarma is all that.
Free delivery is available at 617-536-3577.
Pictures of Boston Shawarma coming soon.
posted by Ricky @ 11:08 PM
1 Comments:
I remember finishing up one of your meals here, it was yummy. I also remember finishing up your yogurt drink that was similiar to persian doogh because you weren't thrilled by it. :)
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