Lebanese shawarma in Dearborn is a stacked spit of marinated chicken or lamb shaved into pita with garlic sauce (toum), pickles and a hot pepper if you ask.
Dearborn hosts the largest Arab-American population in the US, founded around the Ford Rouge plant from the 1910s onward. Lebanese immigration after the 1975 civil war and the 1990s Iraq wars built the West Warren Avenue corridor. Al Ameer opened 1989 and won the James Beard America's Classic in 2016, the first Michigan venue to do so. Shawarma here is closer to Beirut than to Brooklyn: thin pita, garlic sauce thick and white, no tahini in the wrap. Sahara on Michigan Avenue dates to 1968, the older sibling on the city's Lebanese strip.
3 editor picks for Lebanese shawarma in Detroit, ranked by editorial score. All Detroit signature dishes · Lebanese shawarma across every city.
Al Ameer ★ 4.8
dearborn · 12710 W Warren Ave, Dearborn, MI 48126
Al Ameer on West Warren Avenue in Dearborn serves Lebanese cooking in metro Detroit since 1989. James Beard America's Classic 2016, the first Michigan winner.
Sahara Restaurant ★ 4.4
dearborn · 22815 Michigan Ave, Dearborn, MI 48124
Sahara on Michigan Avenue in Dearborn serves Lebanese cooking in metro Detroit since 1968. Family-run, the older sibling on Michigan Avenue to Al Ameer's Warren strip.
La Pita Mediterranean ★ 4.3
dearborn · 22681 Newman St, Dearborn, MI 48124
La Pita on Newman Street in Dearborn serves Lebanese and Mediterranean cooking in metro Detroit. Family-run, halal certified, banquet hall on site.