Best Shawerma in Riyadh

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Living in Riyadh for the past three years, I can say that I have become an expert on shawerma. Actually, shawerma was not my favorite choice of fast food when I used to live in Hassa, but coming to Riyadh and going through the crap of many restaurants with high prices and bad food, I had come to the conclusion that shawerma seems to be a safe and cheap choice. However, with like a zillion restaurant in Riyadh offering shawerma, I started to be so picky about it.

So, after testing some of the well-known restaurants such as Mama Noura, Al-Karawan, and Shawermer, I found that Ya Mal Al-Sham restaurant was serving the best shawerma in Riyadh. And even though they were selling the sandwich for 4 riyals, one more riyal that you would usually pay for such thing, I was willing to pay the extra riyal for its goodness and deliciousness. However, good and delicious things do not live forever. Later on, Ya Mal’s shawerma had worsen very much. They started to make it greasy, and with so little chicken that a friend of mine has called it “the pencil sandwich.” Now, they are selling it for only 3 riyals, but it is still not as good as it used to be.

I had to go experimenting with shawerma again. After a few weeks of experimentation, I can say that the best shawrma in Riyadh currently is served by Shawermer. During my first stage of experimentation, Shawermer’s shawerma was bad; so bad that I thought it tastes like fish not chicken. But I think that they have improved much since then. Actually, when it was opened few years ago, Shawermaer introduced a new concept in the business of making this kind of food. They offer only shawerma (recently they added basbousa to their menu), and they have a unique style. They are the only restaurant to offer it with several flavors, such as cheese, hummus, and lemon and garlic, and they also offer the sandwiches as meals with Pepsi and French fries, a step that several restaurants followed later.

How about you Riyadh people? Who do you think offer the best shawerma sandwiches in the city? I’m not a native, and maybe I’ve been missing on something good, so have your say!

20 thoughts on “Best Shawerma in Riyadh”

  1. I never liked the shawerma in Riyadh. It actually sucks… You should come to Jrdan to have good shawerma. But then again.. I don’t eat chicken so im’ only refering to beef shawerma, and my brothers (who eat chicken shawerma) claim that Riyadh’s Mama Noura shawerma is the best shawerma on earth.
    But I agree, Ya Mal il Sham is much better than Mama Noura. I actually used to skip Mama Noura when my family would get it. The restaurant I miss most in Riyadh is this cheap Turkish restaurant across the street from Jame3 Salah Il Deen.. they make REALLY yummy cheesy pies.
    Wow. I miss Riyadh. It’s been a while.

  2. When I first arrived to Riyadh, I never thought I would miss anything about it when I leave it. But now, I can say for sure that I would miss a whole lotta things from here.

  4. Mama Nura is good , especially the meat’s Shawrma

    There is a restaurant called something like (Mashwiyat Al Nuaymi)in Eng. Musa’ad Al Angri St. (Layla Al Akhyaliya St. سابقاً) in AL Worood Dist. they serve a very good Shawrma, it is also meat

  5. Living in America sucks, cause all arab resturants in my area offer frozen shawarma dishes, not fresh. I really miss it, my fav is ya mal il sham. shame on u ahmed for bringing this topic up. E7mid rabik 3ala il ni3ma :)

  8. Ahmad,

    You’re making me nostalgic for Riyadh! When I was there (couple of yrs. ago) I thought Yamal Ash’am had the best shawermas. I had Mama Noura’s, but didn’t think it was as good. And Yazeed, another thing that sucks about the states is other than orange juice, there’s really no such thing as “fresh juice”! :( Yamal Ash’am has some yummy fruit juice.

  9. My, I was first introduced to the shawerma when I lived in Al-Khobar some thousands years ago, a short stint to live and work there before coming back to the states. The best place there was a little hole-in-the-wall place in the Safe-Way shopping center along the coast road, the name long since forgotten. If you ever come to Houston, TX try the one at FADIS MEDITERRANEAN GRILL.

  10. Definetly Mama Noura near the Military Hospital, damn tasty. I hate the fancy shawermas with extra stuff, just like the chicken, fries, mayonaise, and the pickle.

  11. Riyadh is filled with shawarma places…but only a few places have tasty shawarma. The best place for shawarma is G-FARAH! You cant get any better then that, i promise you. Its as fresh as you can get! It is located on Tahlya street.

  12. I would say that Ya Mal Al Sham is the best shawrma ever.But an advice .. Don’t eat more than 3 or u will become Fatty !

  13. i would say that ; FATERAT CHEESE is new restaurant in RIYADH but i can say it ; the best Shawarma and Faterat in That restaurant.. i advice… FATERAT CHEESE is the best and Fresh turkish Restaurant in Saudi arabia

  14. اصدقائى واحبابى محبى الطعام الفاخر بالسعوديه يسرنى ان ابشركم واعلن لكم عن مطعم اكله مره حلو فهو يعد فطائر البيتزا على اعلى مستوى وصدقونى لو اكلتم منه مرة ماراح تستغنوا عنه ابدا فهو استاز البتزا والفطائر فقد مررت عليه بالصدفه ولكنى اصبحت زبون دائم عندهم
    بيالرغم من انه يبعد عنى حوالى 40 او خمسين كيلو الا انى ااتيه من فرت طعمة ال ممتاز
    فهو فى الدرعيه وانا فى البطحة لكنى اتيه مخصوص وهذا المحل اسمه شيز فى مجمع اسواق الموسى بالدرعيه فاذا ذهبتم اليه لاتنسو عصائرة الطازجه دائما مغرم اكل شييييييييييييييييييييييييييز
    وما تنسوا تقولولى رايكم

    ahmat

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