Shawarma Snack Center

Note: So sorry for the not-so-good quality of the photos. I just used my camera phone which is not really apt for low light conditions. :)

There are a lot of hole-in-the-wall Middle Eastern restaurants around Malate but Shawarma Snack Center definitely stands out. It was my older sister, Richelle, who introduced me to this place. It has two outlets on each side of the road, one is the fancy restaurant on the left side (if you're coming from Robinson's Place Manila) and the other one is the canteen-style restaurant on the right. The fancy restaurant also offers Mediterranean dishes. We always eat on the canteen-style restaurant because of the more laid back atmosphere.

The Fancy Restaurant on the left

The Canteen-Type Restaurant on the right

Some Middle Eastern artifacts on the canteen

What I like most about this place is that they preserved the authentic Middle Eastern flavor. Although the taste of some of their food are inconsistent, I still consider this the best in town. We have yet to try other dishes but we usually come here for the Special Beef or Chicken Shawarma Sandwich because just one is enough to satisfy your hunger. As I have seen, the servings are big so I would suggest that you go in big groups. There are some food that are reasonably priced and there are other that is quite expensive, considering that it is just a simple dish. But the aroma of grilled meat is so enticing, you'd want to try them all.

Front of the menu

Back

Here's the lowdown on our all-time favorite: the Special Beef Shawarma Sandwich (Php75):

The pita bread is consistently deliciously chewy and lightly toasted. The beef is tender and easy to chew but there are some days that the beef they serve is tough. On the other hand, the chicken is always perfectly done. Either way, the meat that they serve with the sandwich is grilled just right and has a distinct peppery flavor. The garlic sauce is what I particularly like in Shawarma Snack Center compared with other Middle Eastern Restaurants that I have eaten in before. The sauce is not oily and the garlic flavor is now complemented with herbs (I'm guessing celery). The herb flavor complements the vegetables in the sandwich, which makes it more flavorful. 

Shawarma sandwich with garlic sauce

My sister, Charmaine, tried the Shawarma with Rice (Php 165), which I think is expensive but she said that it's really good and tastes better than the shawarma rice you by at the mall. She personally liked the side salad that comes with the beef.

Shawarma with rice

As for the place, I do hope that they start to maintain the shop because it's starting to show signs of wear and tear, not to mention the aquarium on the right side which is now busted. I like their framed papyrus pictures but it's so sad to see most of it get ruined by moisture. 

Hello, brother! The framed papyrus with the word "Egypt"
is already bunched up. Behind my brother is the busted aquarium.

Aesthetics aside, for me, this is the go-to place in the Manila area if you want to tickle your tastebuds with authentic Middle Eastern/Mediterranean cuisine. In the many years I have eaten here, Shawarma Snack Center never disappoints. So go ahead, try this for yourself.

Visit them at:
45 Salas Street cor. Mabini Street,
Malate, Manila