Spit-roasted meat shaved into flatbread with pickles and garlic sauce. Karam's counter on 4th Avenue in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, sells it as a sandwich.

Shawarma is a street food of the Levant that originated during the Ottoman Empire: meat stacked in an inverted cone and roasted on a slow-turning vertical spit, then shaved off. The name comes from the Turkish word for turning. Bay Ridge is the largest Arab-American community in New York City, and its ethnic restaurants line Third and Fifth avenues. Karam turns shawarma on the spit by the door and rolls a Lebanese-style sandwich of beef and lamb shawarma in flatbread with pickles and garlic sauce.

Where to eat Shawarma in Brooklyn

1 editor pick for Shawarma in Brooklyn, ranked by editorial score. All Brooklyn signature dishes · Shawarma across every city.

  • Karam

    Order A falafel or shawarma sandwich, or one of the topped flatbreads from the pizza oven.

    Karam is a family-owned Lebanese restaurant on 4th Avenue in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, with a counter for falafel, shawarma sandwiches and pizza-oven flatbreads.

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Make it at home

Serves Serves 613 hrEasy

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 pounds boneless chicken thighs or breast
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons tomato sauce
  • 4 tablespoons plain yogurt
  • 3 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 1 head garlic, peeled and crushed
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 6 pita breads
  • 4 tomatoes, grilled or roasted
  • 6 teaspoons Lebanese garlic paste
  • 1/2 pound salty cucumber pickles

Method

  1. Slice the chicken about 1/2 inch thick.
  2. Blend the lemon juice, tomato sauce, yogurt, vinegar, garlic, oil, salt, oregano, paprika and nutmeg, pour over the chicken, and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
  3. Grill the chicken on a panini press or barbecue over medium heat for about 15 minutes.
  4. Shred the cooked chicken thinly.
  5. Spread 1 teaspoon garlic paste down the center of each pita, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of chicken, pickles and grilled tomatoes, roll up tightly, and serve.

Editor tip. Use mostly breast with some thigh meat; the thigh fat helps the chicken stay juicy on the grill.

Common allergens: Gluten.