Ranked by TableJourney editorial score.
Turkey and lamb fat shaved off a rotating vertical spit, piled into pita or laffa with tahini, pickles and fries, Israel's own spin on the Ottoman doner served fast and cheap across the city.
The vertical rotating spit was developed in the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century, credited by some accounts to a Bursa butcher named Iskender; both Levantine shawarma and Greek gyros descend from that doner kebab technique. Israel's own variation adds turkey to the traditional lamb, cut into thin slices and layered with lamb fat between them on the spit so the meat self-bastes as it turns, a workaround born of turkey's low cost and low fat compared with lamb or beef alone. Mifgash Rambam runs its spit through the day near Nahalat Binyamin, and M25 in the Carmel Market meat alley smokes and fries its version at the butcher counter.
2 editor picks for Shawarma in Tel Aviv, ranked by editorial score. All Tel Aviv signature dishes · Shawarma across every city.
Also in: Dubai.
M25 works the meat alley of Tel Aviv's Carmel Market as both butcher and restaurant, with chef Jonathan Borowitz running a nose to tail grill of Israeli beef.
OrderThe smoked and fried shawarma, plus whatever cut the butcher counter recommends that day.
TipFriday runs two services, lunch until 16:00 and dinner from 18:30; the kitchen is closed Saturday and Sunday.
Mifgash Rambam near Nahalat Binyamin runs a Tel Aviv shawarma counter by day and turns into a charcoal grill tavern at night, skewers and all.
OrderThe shawarma sliced from the daily veal and lamb spit, or a charcoal grilled skewer after dark.
TipDaytime is grab and go; come after 18:00 for table service and the grill bar menu.
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