I can actually see the light at the end of this flatbread wrapped tunnel. There are fewer and fewer spots left on my “to try” map, and while I’m sure there will be new ones that open, they’re not likely to keep up with the rate I’m checking them out. Plus, at least half of what’s left on the map are simply other outlets of ones I’ve already tried, and I’d assumed are unlikely to have huge differences from their other spots… though that’s an assumption that is challenged by today’s round-up. Besides, the map of The Chronicles of Shawarma is getting really full!
In my last shawarma post I reviewed the new outpost of Al Zein here in Recoleta, which I liked quite a bit, particularly in contrast to the shawarma I’d had at their original, and main, spot in Las Cañitas, at Arce 488. And it’s worth reposting the photos of those two…
…this is the one in Recoleta… completely different bread, less generous, though packed with the lovely garlic sauce that they offer, whereas this revisit to Las Cañitas, the sauce is served on the side (one is a tangy yogurt sauce, the other a toum style garlic sauce)…
…and the one I first had back in 2010, just over 11 years ago, which was less generous with meat, more with vegetable, and came dressed with a watery yogurt sauce.
The version being served now is actually quite good. The meat, still, could be more seasoned, but it’s certainly not bland anymore, and neither the yogurt nor garlic sauces could be accused of being watery or bland. Not only did I slather the shawarma with the latter, but they’d also put a basket of pita breads on the table, and I ate all of them smothered in the same sauces. I would say that the Recoleta branch’s version is still far better – more seasoned and charred on the meat. The sauces were about the same. The Recoleta one is smaller, with less meat and vegetable, but tastier, and… it is only a few minute walk away from home. Still, this one deserves an upgrade from its former “not recommended” status to “recommended”.
And, another that’s a different branch of what I assume is part of a small chain of spots (there are a couple more on the map to check out), Dalal, Arcos 2517, in Belgrano. I’d recently tried their location in Villa Urquiza…
…and you can see it’s quite different. Really, nothing about either the place or shawarma is the same. The flatbread at the spot in Belgrano is thicker, almost more pita-like, and the meat is carved off in strips rather than chopped up finely. I guess they share the commonality of neither of them having much in the way of vegetable. And I guess at both spots, the meat itself seems to be unseasoned, all the flavor comes from the yogurt sauce. We forgot to ask for hot sauce, so not sure what’s on offer. So, while visually and texturally different, the flavor side of things comes down to the same review – lacking in seasoning and could have used more than just meat in the mix. By the way, the receipt shows that the company is Hermanos Damasquinos, the Damascan Brothers, so I guess that settles the question of origin in style to Syria. The other spot I’d tried, in Villa Urquiza, has a different corporate name behind, it, but whether that’s just a tax thing, or that they’re actually separate, I don’t know – their FB page only lists the Villa Urquiza location, and the corporate page for this one only lists the “home office” in Belgrano. But back to the shawarma… it’s… okay.
Oh, how we wanted to like this one. One of the few places in town specializing in Turkish food. Charming woman running the place, who speaks fluent English as well as Spanish. A place that’s open until 3 in the morning, seven days a week. Shawarma Turca, Av. Olazábal 2514, in Belgrano seemed right up our alley. On a Sunday afternoon, a half dozen tables lined the sidewalk – my sense is that most of the business this place does is probably takeout and delivery. When we asked about hot sauce, she brought three different chili sauces, both commercial and housemade, a garlic sauce, and a dish of pepper flakes that she assured us were brought in from Turkey (I’d say, Halaby, or, Aleppo pepper flakes, being a shared culinary ingredient between Syria and Turkey).
And, oh… how disappointing. A paper thin flatbread that completely fell apart when you tried to pick it up, just turning to a mix of mush and crumbled bits. Tasteless bits of beef and chicken, surrounded by lots of chopped iceberg lettuce, a couple of thin strips of onion, and one half moon of a tomato slice. The garlic sauce was a watery, flavorless nothing, that did little more than help the flatbread dissolve faster, and the pepper flakes had no kick, really, no flavor, at all. We’d also ordered a falafel sandwich, and the falafel came out as sort of fibrous, almost gelatinous lumps that seemed to have been stewed in some sort of sauce. Unfortunately, there was little, if anything, that we liked about either the shawarma or falafel, so that’s a hard pass.
And, off to the other side of town, and Aram, Perú 424, in Monserrat. I’d tried to go to this place a few times in the past and always found it closed – I’d assumed due to pandemic related issues. This was happenstance, heading to San Telmo and spotting it open, so I grabbed a shawarma on the way. Nice flatbread – the thin, wrap style, but sturdy enough to pick up without falling apart. Well-packed with beef and chicken, a bit of tomato and onion, no lettuce that I encountered. The meat lightly seasoned, nicely charred, and the yogurt sauce tasty, albeit a trifle watery. No hot sauce on offer. It was good. Not a wow, but good. And better than the others I’ve tried in the neighborhood.
And, heading further south, we set out to check out the only two spots shown in the southern suburb of Avellaneda. The first, Shawarma Ghali, unfortunately, turned out not to have survived the pandemic. The second, thankfully, was open. Now, Shawarma Damasco, 9 de Julio 93, in Avellaneda, is a takeout only spot. But, they have a bench to sit and wait for your order out front, and as it wasn’t busy, the owner, a lovely gentleman from Venezuela, of Syrian descent, was happy to let me hang out and eat. He even sent out a sample of his falafel, just out of the fryer, for me to try. Nice chat with him – he moved from Venezuela in early 2020, just prior to the pandemic, and opened the place on March 1st, only to get shutdown two weeks later when we went into lockdown. Good on him that he survived his way through doing takeout and delivery!
Now, while the meat is on a proper vertical rotisserie, it wasn’t turned on. He was just carving meat off of it and then taking it back into the kitchen to cook. So, it was missing that lovely char from the grill. On the other hand, it was well seasoned and juicy, and shared its wrapped existence with a decent amount of lettuce and tomato. A bit of tahini, a bit of yogurt sauce, and, quite possibly the best garlic and chili sauce that I’ve had on a shawarma in this entire hunt around Buenos Aires. Rocking good hot sauce. Worth the roughly 45 minute bus trip just for that. Oh, and the falafel was excellent!
A shame the other place wasn’t open to have a second spot to compare, but in talking to this guy, he avowed that part of the reason it isn’t open is that it just wasn’t that good.
And I think that will wrap things up for this round. More, of course, to come!
