The best Shawarma in Dubai
Also spelt chicken shawarma, shawarma roll, shawerma and shawrma. A curated shortlist, shaped by your votes.
Editorial picks
Selected from published food guides and local reporting. How the list works
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Number 1.Al Mallah (Satwa)
- Open
- 7am to 2am, from 9am on Fridays
- Where
- 2nd December Street (Al Dhiyafa Road), near Satwa Roundabout, Al Hudaiba, Dubai
Order the lamb shawarma with extra garlic paste and a mint lemonade. The pavement tables fill from about nine at night. Ignore listings claiming 24 hours; the shutters come down near 2am.
What to orderLamb shawarma with extra toum
0 votes
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Number 2.Allo Beirut (Hessa Street)
- Open
- Open 24 hours
- Where
- Shahab Abdul Rahman Building, Hessa Street, Al Barsha 3, near Saudi German Hospital, Dubai
Order the large beef shawarma; a regular will not hold you. The Hessa Street flagship runs all night, though the delivery riders stack up after midnight and the counter slows to a crawl.
What to orderLarge beef shawarma in saj
0 votes
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Number 3.Zaroob (Sheikh Zayed Road)
- Open
- Open 24 hours
- Where
- Ground Floor, Jumeirah Tower Building, Sheikh Zayed Road, Trade Centre 1, Dubai
The beef shawarma wrap, eaten at two in the morning, is the point of this place. Go to the Sheikh Zayed Road branch rather than Marina, and expect a fight for parking.
What to orderBeef shawarma wrap
0 votes
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Aroos Damascus (Al Muraqqabat)
- Open
- 7am to 4am, every day
- Where
- Ground floor, Green Palace Hotel, Al Muraqqabat Road, Deira, Dubai
Take the meat shawarma wrapped, not the platter, and add a plate of hummus. Both floors and the terrace fill by nine, and the wait at the counter is quicker than the table service.
What to orderMeat shawarma wrap with toum
0 votes
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Shawarma Al Farooj (Al Bada'a Street)
- Open
- Noon to 5am daily
- Where
- Ground floor, AA Tower, Al Bada'a Street (308 Road), Trade Centre area, Dubai
Ask for the Mexican chicken shawarma in saj bread, which is what the queue is for. Do not confuse this with the Al Farooj Fresh chain. Nothing happens before midday, so no breakfast run.
What to orderMexican chicken shawarma in saj
0 votes
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Al Ijaza Cafeteria (Jumeirah 1)
- Open
- 10am to 3am daily
- Where
- Shop 1, Jumeirah Beach Road, near Mercato Mall, Jumeirah 1, Dubai
Chicken shawarma, ordered from the car window the way regulars do, with a Corniche juice alongside. The queue of cars along Beach Road is the real wait; park at Mercato and walk instead.
What to orderChicken shawarma from the car window
0 votes
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Al Mashawi Al Halabya (Al Barsha)
- Open
- 8am to 3am daily
- Where
- Al Mashawi Al Halabya, Al Barsha 1, off Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai
Two to get: the small chicken shawarma in saj, and the lamb in samoon bread with tahini and sumac. It is a full grill house, so say you want the counter rather than a table.
What to orderSyrian samoon meat shawarma
0 votes
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Qalat Baalbak (Hessa Street)
- Open
- 7am to 4am, closes 1am on Mondays
- Where
- Shop 3, Ground Floor, Shahab Abdul Rahman Building, Hessa Street, Al Barsha 3, beside Saudi German Hospital, Dubai
Chicken shawarma with extra toum and fewer pickles is how the regulars order it. Sits beside the Saudi German Hospital on Hessa Street. Mondays it shuts around one rather than four, so check before a late run.
What to orderChicken shawarma, extra toum
0 votes
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Rawabi Al Sham (Al Nahda 1)
- Open
- 7am to 2am daily
- Where
- Showrooms 1 and 2, Al Ketbi Building, Al Ittihad Road, Al Nahda 1, Dubai
Meat shawarma in khubz, and ask them to add pomegranate molasses rather than more garlic mayonnaise. The frontage doubles as a butcher's shop, which throws first-timers, and the Barsha branch is a different kitchen.
What to orderMeat shawarma in khubz with pomegranate molasses
0 votes
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Shiraz Nights (Baniyas Square)
- Open
- 8am to 2am daily
- Where
- Street 18A, Baniyas Square, opposite Kuwaiti Supermarket, Deira, Dubai
Join the queue at the street window, not the restaurant door, and ask for the spicy chicken shawarma in Iranian bread. It runs about seven dirhams and there is nowhere to sit, so eat it on the square.
What to orderSpicy chicken shawarma in Iranian bread
0 votes
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Bright Moon Cafeteria (Al Karama)
- Open
- 6am to 5.30am next day
- Where
- Ground Floor, Faraj Bin Butti Building, Street 2A, Al Karama, opposite BurJuman, Dubai
Have the shawarma on a plate with hummus, under twenty dirhams. Finding it is the hard part: it sits on the back side of the building, so come out of BurJuman metro at Exit 2.
What to orderShawarma plate with hummus
0 votes
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Zahr Al Karz (Al Barsha 1)
- Open
- 8am to 2am daily
- Where
- Ground Floor, Residence 1451, Al Barsha 1, Dubai
Meat shawarma in Lebanese bread, extra tahini, no fries inside. Ask for the garlic paste on the side so you can judge it yourself. Anyone expecting a chips-stuffed wrap will be disappointed here.
What to orderMeat shawarma in Lebanese bread, extra tahini
0 votes
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Ashwaq Cafeteria (Al Ras)
- Open
- 11am to midnight daily
- Where
- Ground Floor, Al Hillu Building, Sikkat Al Khail Street, opposite Deira Palace Hotel, Al Ras, Dubai
Spicy chicken shawarma with a mango juice, eaten standing on Sikkat Al Khail Street. There is no seating to speak of, and the shutters go down at midnight. Gold Souk parking is hopeless after dark.
What to orderSpicy chicken shawarma and mango juice
0 votes
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Belad Al Sham (Al Twar)
- Open
- 9am to 1am daily
- Where
- Nasbatha Building, Al Nahda Road, near Airport Freezone Metro Station, Al Twar 1, Dubai
Spicy chicken shawarma is what the regulars order, with the citrus and garlic bite that marks Syrian versions. Aim for the Al Nahda Road branch by Airport Freezone metro; the kitchen stops around one.
What to orderSpicy chicken shawarma
0 votes
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