Mr. Kebab & Shawarma brings Middle Eastern food to Gadsden
“Fresh” is the operative word at Mr. Kebab & Shawarma, which opened Oct. 20 at 300 N. 12th St. in Gadsden.
The restaurant offers a variety of Middle Eastern dishes, prepared with fresh ingredients, including farm-to-table meats.
“It’s fresh, not frozen,” said owner Obaid Obaid. “That’s what makes the taste of the food fresh and nice.”
It’s also prepared in a healthy fashion, made using “not a drop of oil,” according to Obaid. Instead, the meat’s natural juices and a specific way of cutting it helps ensure that it stays moist and tender.
That was one of Obaid’s motivations for opening the restaurant, his first such venture. (He also owns a gas station, a phone repair shop and a smoke shop in Gadsden.)
“It’s really hard to find something that’s fresh and healthy,” he said, noting that it’s also been difficult to find Arabic or Middle Eastern cuisine, the kind of food his family is used to eating, outside larger cities like Atlanta and Birmingham.
So far, diners have enjoyed Mr. Kebab and Shawarma’s offerings. The parking lot is full at prime times and the online reviews have been excellent. “I haven’t heard one complaint,” Obaid said.
And while there are some American items on the menu for less-daring diners — hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, chicken tenders, various salads — customers seem to be familiar with the main fare.
“People love the food and know about the food,” Obaid said. “I thought at first they might not know about it, but I’ve been surprised.”
The top seller has been shawarma, which is spit-roasted, marinated meat cut into thin slices. Obaid said the slicing is crucial, that the meat will be dry and chewy if it’s cut into larger chunks.
Diners can get shawarma either in a pita sandwich with lettuce, onions, pickles, spices, tahini sauce and tomatoes; or as a plate with two sides (fries, rice, salad or soup). It’s available in beef, chicken or lamb (the biggest seller, according to Obaid).
Other offerings include shish kabob (beef or lamb skewered with green peppers, onions and tomatoes), shish tawook (skewered chicken with a yogurt-based marinade), shish kafta (skewered ground lamb), lamb chops and ghallaba (sautéed vegetables in a tomato base; beef, chicken, lamb or shrimp can be added).
Shish kabob, shish tawook, beef kafta and vegetable ghallaba are available as pita sandwiches. So is falafel (ground chickpeas, fried), which along with hummus can be purchased as an appetizer.
Diners can order combos featuring a variety of dishes in three sizes: serves two, serves four to five and serves six to eight.
Even though he’s a newcomer to the restaurant business, Obaid said his cooking staff has extensive experience in the cuisine. He’s also pleased with the location, in an old Church’s Fried Chicken building, although parking is tight and there are limited dine-in tables. “We’re doing well,” he said.
Customers have enjoyed the prices, too. Obaid said he’s trying to keep them as low as he can.
The restaurant offers catering for functions and parties, and can send a private chef to a customer’s home. “We can serve up to 400 or 500 people at a time,” Obaid said.
Call 256-459-4574 for information or to place phone orders. The restaurant is open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. Its Facebook page is https://bit.ly/49g0kCF.
This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Mr. Kebab & Shawarma opens in Gadsden
