Grilled meat, freshly shaved from the spit, topped with veggies wrapped in bread, coated with an addicting sauce — shawarma may be a Middle Eastern street food item, but it’s definitely a constant craving in Cebu, especially for late night eats.
Shawarma hails from the Middle East, with its roots tracing back to Turkey.
The magic of shawarma relies on the meat’s turning action (either beef or chicken) on a spit to slow roast, then shaving it off into smaller strips combined with vegetables, toppings, and sauces wrapped in bread.
With the marinated meat, the variety of toppings are now endless; almost anything savory in a wrap can be stuffed with fun ingredients for a modern Middle Easter Burrito.
With the conclusion of our beloved Avengers, we honor our meaty wraps with the best shawarmas at Ayala Center Cebu, where you can find them when your cravings go on full superhero mode.
Leylam
There was a time when Cebuanos had no idea what a “shawarma” was. Thanks to Leylam Shawarma, one of the country’s largest company-owned shawarma brands, Cebuanos were introduced to a taste of the Turkish-inspired wrap which could be found almost anywhere and anytime.
Leylam didn’t just stop with the shawarma wrap, it presented more options on its menu like the wildly popular shawarma rice. Today, the brand continues to evolve in order to serve a wider market.
Loc: Leylam is at Level 2, near Kate’s Bagels
Shawarma Shack
Can’t get enough of just one? The Shawarma Shack offers customers two shawarmas for the price of one all day, every day.
It pioneered “Buy 1, take 1 Shawarma” offer, which has turned out to be a strong selling proposition, not only for shawarma customers but also for aspiring franchisees.
Loc: Shawarma Shack is at the Food Choices, Level 4
Shawarma Sandwich Corner (photo via Emma Zhequia Madrid Bardos)
Shawarma Sandwich Corner
Tired of all the cheesiness? Then go extra spicy and no cheese and head over to shawarma Sandwich Corner and modernize the Middle Eastern snack with flavors and sauces.
Love the spice? It is reported to render customers unkissable for a while, maybe even for a couple of days.
Loc: Shawarma Sandwich Corner is at Level 3, near Chowking
Jafar’s
Considered as a recent entry into the shawarma scene, Jafar’s is a refreshing step from the late 90’s shawarma stall explosion.
Packed with premium ingredients with choices of chicken, minced beef, Angus beef homemade chorizo and other vegetarian options topped with yogurt sauce in a winning formula that is more attuned to local taste.
Loc: Jafar’s is at Rustan’s Supermarket, Basement 1
Turk’s
With over 300 stores nationwide, Turks is currently the largest shawarma franchise brand in the local market today.
Turks serves Pita Doner, a Turkish dish made of 100 percent tender and juicy minced beef or chicken cooked to perfection, wrapped in Turks’ delightful pita bread that’s sure to delight every customer’s bite
The company’s unique recipe targets Filipino consumers’ taste palate, and its pricing is very reasonable together with their aggressive marketing campaigns to boost its strong presence in the industry.
Loc: Turk’s is at Level 3, near Active Zone