Story by Dave Eckert | All photos courtesy of Meddys
Shawarma, pronounced sha-War-ma in the U.S., and Sha-war-ma in Great Britain, has been around a very long time. Even so, and even though I consider myself a serious and well-traveled food and beverage journalist, I’ve had very little experience with, and hold very little knowledge of, shawarma-until now, when editor Renée Demott suggested I write an article exploring shawarma.
Let’s start with its origins. Shawarma is a Middle Eastern dish, originating during the Ottoman Empire. It consists of meat cut into thin slices, stacked in an inverted cone, and roasted on a vertical spit. The surface of the rotisserie meat is shaved off once it’s cooked. Traditional shawarma is made with lamb, but you will find versions made with chicken, turkey meat, beef, falafel, and veal.
So, where do you find good shawarma in Kansas City, and what do people love about cooking and eating it? For guidance, I turned to Facebook’s Hardcore KC FOODIES!
One of the KC eateries recommended to me the Habashi House in the City Market. Owner Moudy Alhabashi was brimming with pride as he discussed shawarma. “Shawarma is more than just meat. It’s memory, culture, and connection. Our beef shawarma is made the traditional way: seasoned, stacked, and slow-roasted on a spinning vertical rotisserie. It’s mixed with lamb koal for that authentic Middle Eastern flavor that takes you straight overseas,” Alhabashi shared. “For me, shawarma is deeply personal. It reminds me of my childhood, the meals we shared back home, and my time working in a restaurant in the Middle East. I remember watching shawarma being made and thinking, ’How will I ever learn this?’ Now, after years of practice and passion, I’ve mastered it.”
Learn more about Alhabashi and Habashi house on Instagram and TikTok or visit their website at HabashiHouse.com. And, be sure to stop by the City Market to try the traditional beef shawarma or other favorites: chicken gyro, lamb and beef gyro, or falafel sandwiches. Another place suggested to me is Meddys – a regional chain out of Wichita with 13 locations, including four in the Kansas City metro.
Owner Alex Harb created Meddys with the intent of bringing authentic Lebanese-Mediterranean staples from his childhood to diners in the Midwest. He opened the first Meddys in 2014. Meddys serves multiple shawarmas, including: chicken, steak, lamb, salmon, and falafel. Harb says his love of shawarma runs deep. “What I love most about shawarma is that It’s comforting, flavorful, and deeply rooted in tradition, but also incredibly versatile. At its core, it’s a humble street food, yet when made right, with high-quality ingredients, perfectly seasoned meat, and the right balance of textures and sauces, it becomes something truly special,” Harb shared. “What makes shawarma unique is how every culture in the Mediterranean has its own version, but they all share the same soul: slow-roasted meat, bold spices, and that unmistakable aroma. It’s more than a dish-it’s a story passed down through generations, and every bite connects you to that heritage.”
To learn more about Meddys and their culinary offerings, visit Meddys.com.
Finally, a visit to Kari’s on 39th and a chat with co-owners, and husband and wife, Kari and Fuad Cottrell. Kari handles the front of the house, and Fuad, a native of Jordan whose father owned a restaurant there that Fuad worked in growing up, runs the kitchen. Fuad’s kitchen features a heavy emphasis on traditional Middle Eastern dishes, including a delicious chicken shawarma that I partook of not long ago. I asked him to describe the cuisine at Kari’s. “It’s very authentic, but also healthy. We use olive and coconut oil for cooking to make the dishes lighter and healthier. We want the food to be delicious, but also healthy,” he told me.
What about shawarma, which Fuad says he had several times a week growing up? “No one really knows where it originated. Some say Egypt, others say Lebanon. Each version may be a little different, but in the end, shawarma is just three ingredients: garlic sauce, pickles, and shawarma meat. It’s not a chicken sandwich,” he explained. No, it certainly is not. Cottrell’s chicken shawarma is perfectly prepared with tender chunks of chicken, the aforementioned pickles, which I personally love on a sandwich, and an out of this world garlic sauce that, honestly, the Cottrells should bottle and sell!
Kari’s on 39th also features a daily buffet, both vegetarian and meat-centric and other favorites such as meat and vegetable platters and a gyro wrap! Visit Kari’s on 39th just east of Bell or check them out at Karison39th.com.
