Middle East is known for its exotic and rich cuisine and flavors. However, many food items are associated with the wrong origins. One of them is shawarma.

Middle Eastern non-Arab countries like Israel take their cuisines very seriously, and rightfully so. Their foods include a variety of delicious yet healthy ingredients. Shawarma is a delicacy in Israel, and the best thing about it is that it can be enjoyed as a snack or a full meal. Available everywhere from street corners to luxury dine-ins, you can indulge in this nutritious and flavorful food item, almost like a guilty pleasure.

Shawarma is particularly widely available in Tel Aviv. It makes a great lunch option since it’s not too heavy. Shawarmas are fulfilling and equally satiate the taste buds.

Israel is undoubtedly a dream destination for every foodie out there. You can explore the country and enjoy some of the best culinary masterpieces. The country is also famous for culinary tourism and has been developing in this regard every day. You’d be surprised to know that many restaurants across the country offer full-service culinary tours to food enthusiasts. They help you find the best eateries across towns with delicious Israeli delicacies.

In this post, we’re going to give you a tour of all the places where you can find the best shawarmas. Let’s delve right into it!

Unwrapping the Facts: What is a Shawarma?

Before we move further, let’s discuss the origin of this authentic Israeli wrap. Shawarma has become a staple go-to food item for the locals. 

Additionally, Israelis also love to indulge in delicacies like Falafel, Chummus, Pita, Shashuka, Sfenj, Khachapuri, and Burika.

Recommended Reading: The Flavors of Israel: Israeli Snacks You Must Try

How Is Shawarma Made?

Shawarma is a wrap but can also be consumed in the form of a taco or stuffed bread. The main distinctive feature of a shawarma is its filling. Without the right ingredients, you can’t enjoy the true taste of shawarma.

The topping consists of spiced, sliced meat that can be chicken, beef, mutton, lamb, etc. The meat is roasted on a special shawarma burner, as you can see in the picture below. 

This burner has a rotating rod on which the meat pieces are balanced and the burner cooks the meat as it rotates on the rod. The meat is then sliced using a sharp knife and used as the main ingredient for shawarmas. Cooking the meat like this makes it more aromatic, flavorful, and juicy.

The meat is cooked at slow to medium intensity heat for a few hours. So wherever you spot a man slicing meat from an inverse cone shape burner, you’ll know that it’s a shawarma place. The slow-roasting technique is key to getting the shawarma right.

*Interesting fact: The word shawarma is an Arabic rendering of Turkish word ‘çevirme’ which literally “turning,” indicating the rotating burner is used for the slow-roasted meat.

This meat is then mixed with sliced veggies, spreads, sauces, and olives and wrapped inside pita bread or a laffa. Laffa is traditional Israeli bread known for its thick, dense, and doughier texture than the regular pita.

Recommended Reading: Delicious Israeli Dips Besides Hummus

What’s interesting is that you’ll find many shawarma-like wraps across the globe. However, that might be a traditional roll or what westerns call—a gyro. While shawarma and gyros might have the same ancestral roots, they’re quite different from each other.

Best Shawarma Places in Israel

Now that you know what shawarma is, it’s time to get to know all the classic spots in Israel that are famous for their shawarmas.

The truth is, if you ask ten different Israelis about where to find the best shawarma, they’ll probably give you ten different answers. This is because shawarma is a versatile dish that can be customized according to every taste palette. Therefore, finding authentic, classic shawarma isn’t difficult in Israel, and you’ll also come across various eateries offering their improvised versions. Some of the most popular ones include deconstructed shawarma platters and stuffed pita tacos.

So here are our top picks for the best shawarma spots in Israel.

Haj Kahil

Located in Jaffa, this popular eatery in Israel is named after the family who’s been running the biz for over a century! Yes, you read that right. To be exact, this shawarma place is 120 years old and has been a favorite of many generations.

The taste, quality, and deliciousness of shawarmas available at Haj Kahil have been passed down to generations and still haven’t lost their touch. The restaurant is particularly famous for fresh shawarmas and fried chicken kebabs. You can find an expansive variety of shawarmas at Haj Kahil, ranging from the classic wrap to Turkish shawarma.

Dabush

Dabush is casual and a popular food chain in Tel Aviv. It attracts people of all age groups who love a good shawarma. The food chain has been serving the classic Israeli delicacy for almost two decades now. For a unique shawarma experience, try out their cumin-spiced turkey shawarma, seasoned and cooked to perfection.

The seating at Dabush is quite limited. They usually arrange tables and stools outside. However, that doesn’t stop shawarma enthusiasts and foodies from gorging on the messy goodness.

Bino

Bino is located near the Jaffa clocktower and is known for its unique take on traditional Israeli food dishes, shawarma being no exception. The restaurant serves delicious lamb meat shawarma, which is also their best-selling item. In addition, you can also find different lamb-based Israeli dishes such as apricot-braised lamb and seared lamb with couscous.

Hakosem

Located in Tel Aviv, Hakosem is another eatery every foodie must visit in Israel. The word itself means “magician” and the restaurant is also known as Falafel Hakosem. However, the restaurant isn’t limited to serving falafels.

Hakosem is known for tasteful dishes, especially the ones that have just the right balance of fat and protein. They serve tasty shawarmas that aren’t too greasy.

Keter Hamizrach

The word Keter Hamizrach means the ‘Eastern Crown’. It’s also located in Tel Aviv and is popular among Israeli celebs and movie stars. They often visit the place and chances are you’ll spot at least one of them when you visit the eatery.

The eatery serves one of the best shawarmas in town and if you’re a turkey lover, this is your calling. They serve shawarmas with a kick of dill-onion salad, seasoned to perfection. We recommend you to get a shawarma and a plate of this exotic salad to make your day more enjoyable.

Hello Teiman 

Do you want to taste all the possible variants of classic shawarma? Then Hello Teiman is the place to visit. They serve shawarmas in various kinds of meat including turkey, chicken, beef, mutton, lamb, or you can get one customized with a mix of more than one protein.

You’ll see different types of meat rotating on the burner at Hello Teimen, slow roasting on medium heat, diffusing an intoxicatingly delicious aroma into the air. This place is a must-try for all the meat lovers out there who want to take their shawarma experience up a notch!

Experience the Jewish Culture and Start Learning Hebrew Today

That being said, you can’t enjoy the full experince of your Israeli shawarma without knowing Hebrew. So, would you like speak Hebrew fluently while ordering your dish in Israel? Learn Hebrew online in the US or Canada today! Whether you’re going on a culinary trip to the Holy Land or immigrating, learning Hebrew will help you settle quickly and easily. Moreover, Israel’s rich language will also enable you to connect and relate with the Israeli culture, food, music, people, and more!

At Ulpan-Or, our native Hebrew teachers offer beginner-friendly Hebrew language lessons online along with self-study material so that you can start learning Hebrew right away! Our products and services also include digital courses, E-Tone, and interactive E-books, among many others.

Contact us today for more information about our language classes.