Ara's Shawarma

I recently visited this shawarma spot for the first time, and I’m genuinely impressed with how good the entire experience was from start to finish. I ordered the chicken breast plate, and it was easily one of the best versions I’ve had anywhere. The chicken was perfectly seasoned—flavorful without being overly salty—and cooked just right so it stayed tender and juicy. The portion size was generous, and everything on the plate tasted fresh, from the rice to the salad to the sauces. What really made the visit stand out, though, was the service. Mike, the server helping me, was fantastic. He greeted me with a warm welcome the moment I walked in and took the time to explain the menu without rushing me. He checked in at all the right times—attentive but never intrusive—and made sure everything was exactly how I wanted it. You can tell he genuinely cares about making the dining experience a good one. He made me feel like more than just another table. Staff members like him are a huge reason people keep coming back. The restaurant itself was clean, ambience is ok if I being honest , it could have been better like their other location at Encino . The food came out quickly, and Mike made sure nothing felt chaotic. Overall, this place definitely exceeded my expectations. Great food, great value, and exceptional service from Mike. I’ll absolutely be coming back—and I’ll be recommending it to anyone who loves a solid chicken shawarma plate done right.

I tried the Shawarma Beef Pita at Aras Shawarma, and it was absolutely delicious. The beef was tender, well-seasoned, and full of flavor. Everything tasted fresh, and the pita was warm and soft. The sauces paired perfectly with the beef. Portions were generous and very filling. Mike was very helpful and provided great customer service, which made the experience even better. I’ll definitely be back to try more items on the menu!

Visited today for lunch and the food was amazing. What makes the chicken shawarma pita stand out is how well the flavors work together. It’s filling without feeling heavy and feels both hearty and fresh at the same time. Overall, the Mediterranean chicken shawarma pita is a delicious, well-balanced meal that is comforting, flavorful, and easy to enjoy, making it a great choice for lunch or dinner. Overall, Mike’s friendliness sets the tone for excellent customer service. His positive attitude and genuine warmth make a noticeable difference and leave a lasting good impression.

Amazing food. I found this spot on TikTok. Drove 45 mins and they did not disappoint. The whole staff was friendly and the food came out quick. Would highly recommend and will def be back! Thanks to the amazing food and staff

First time trying Ara's today it was great food was so good and tasty, also fresh. The manager Mike was also amazing very attentive and nice he even gave us free drinks! The place is clean and nice vive. We will definitely come back again. Oh Mike also gave us a Dubai chocolate bar to try it was so delicious bomb!!! Recommend 100% he was very generous & welcoming. This review is looking pretty epic! Nice!

Tried this place for the first time. I love it! I got the lamb plate. The food was hot, delicious, fresh and hit the spot. The service was awesome. Michael was so sweet and helpful. I love the artworks on the walls. I can’t wait to go back.

The food is amazing, their shawarma and plates are great. The manager, Mike, is very nice. I’ve been to this location a couple times before and the other employees are very kind. The atmosphere is calm and not loud. I really enjoyed the place and I think people should visit to get their shawarma. The Dubai chocolate is also great, and people should get it in my opinion.

Me and my boyfriend were craving Mediterranean and this was the only place open after 10pm. It was our first time trying and they made it unforgettable! Mike was so friendly and gave us great recommendations. Everything was amazing!! We got the chicken shawarma wrap, and chicken/beef kabob plates. This is our new favorite local spot forsure, thank you so much!!

went in for Dubai chocolate covered strawberries and it meet our expectations. Taste amazing and great costumer service .Definitely recommend for a sweet treatt. Will be back soon !

This place deserves 5 stars one of the best Mediterranean I've had JB WAS GREAT awesome costumer service 10/10

I was excited with customer service of cashier David he does really good job by providing good customer service and greets well customers overall I was happy with my experience in Aras shawarma.

So once again I ordered and I am eating Ara's Shawarma for lunch this week and it is definitely not disappointing I can tell you that not only it's not disappointing. In my opinion it's probably the best Middle East food in Los Angeles. If you haven't tried it, please order it online. I'll go there and pick up. They have three locations. North Hollywood Hollywood and now Encino I recommend their beef Shawarma plate, and with their new marinate, the meat is super juicy and super tasty I also ordered a beef Loula plate, and again same thing it's so juicy and tasty I usually order a Greek salad to a company these meals I also love their rice, so fluffy and delicious and their roasted potatoes not greasy at all Yeah, for Ara's Shawarma‼

Big shoutout to whoever's in that kitchen, because y'all have officially pushed me into cooking at home now. For real my food wasn't salty, they committed a crime with that salt shaker. I ordered the lamb with a side of fries. The Presentation was a solid 10. I was hyped. Then I took the first bite and instantly got the same feeling I felt as a kid when I saw headlights in the driveway and thought my dad was finally taking me to the carnival and this time for reals. Only to find out it was some random dude making a U-turn at the driveway. That's exactly how my first bite felt. The only thing safe was the little side salad, probably because homeboy in the back didn't even touch it. Would I try this place again? Maybe... after my blood pressure drops back down from this experience.

A review in haiku: Delicious sh'warma Parking is hell, better walk Or ride a scooter

*Delayed post from April '25 Stopped here for a quick bite and found parking in the small lot in front. The space itself had a local street vibe with graffiti art on the walls and small tables. We ordered at the kiosk at the front and grabbed our order when it was called out. I was surprised at how busy it was both inside and for take out, especially after trying both chicken and pork wraps, since the meat was super dry from overcooking. The pork had a smoky flavor reminiscent of Chinese barbecue from some overlapping spice. The pepperoncinis added delicious spice and the pickled vegetables in sauce were also great, but the pita wasn't able to hold everything together, so be prepared to eat it with a fork and knife. I think it would have been more balanced with additional vegetables like lettuce or cabbage, and perhaps more creamy sauce to add moisture to the meat. It would help give more textural difference in the wrap too. We also ordered a cup of strawberries with chocolate. Sadly not all the strawberries were ripe, giving them little flavor, but the chocolate was very rich and thick, almost like Nutella, but without the hazelnut flavor. The pistachio sauce was very watery, therefore ridding it of flavor since it was so diluted. However, the golden knafeh flakes added a delightful crispy texture that kept every bite interesting.

I finally decided to stop by here for lunch, I tried their Pork Belly plate, it was delicious! I gotta try their other dishes and chocolate desserts. Uniformed firefighter can get a free plate of food. The place is nice and clean. Service is friendly and professional.

Shawarma was very good but my wife was super disappointed with Dubai cup /: I had the beef and the chicken both very good service was nice

Great smiles from the jump. JB , greeted our whole family and gave us many options and sourced the cravings desired. Coming from the Bay Area down here was worth the wait. We were recommended everything we ordered and did not disappoint. Aras Deserts were prepped with care and Hot hot hot. Got to try the new chicken shawarma wraps , and there's cotton candy + pomegranate bars!

We decided to check this place out since it recently got a lot of traction for the viral Dubai chocolate. We've only been able to find the chocolate at Island Pacific grocery store in Granada Hills but for the smallest chocolate bar, not really worth the $12.00. We popped over here and drove through traffic after work to spend $30 on their version of the viral Dubai chocolate bar lol. But also to grab dinner which the shawarma was just okay and I tried their falafel which was my first time having it and it was EXTREMELY dry and pretty dense. I basically had one and I was done. They give you hummus but nothing can save it. They also had the strawberry cup with the Dubai chocolate/toppings if you're interested in that. I'm sure the price is also just as expensive. They had a smaller bar for half the price of the bigger one but we refrigerated ours to preserve it longer and it definitely lasted us a while! Very good, especially fresh, but $30 for a chocolate bar is pretty wild. They were busy when we visited so the food and chocolate took a while. Small restaurant with only a handful of seats. Parking is god awful so beware! They might have street parking but I got lucky with someone leaving and me squeezing into the tight parking spot. Probably would only come back to try their strawberry cup which seems to be available everywhere now. IG: @ammysalamii

My friends and I were craving Shawarma and decided to check out a new spot. We ordered delivery and got lamb, chicken, and beef dishes. All the dishes were good. I don't recommend getting the fries unless dining in. If you are a soggy fry lover then maybe that option is for you. Short and sweet review until the next time. Parking: small private lot VERDICT: One and done

Saw this small resto in instagram and kinda looks good. What made me more excited is that they have this starwberry chocolate dessert dubai style. Came here 1 day with wifey, ordered their promo beef shawarma combo which includes fries and a drink for a lesser price and 1 chicken wrap same for a lesser price, and they were good. They have a huge menu posted on their wall, we just tried their promo that's all. I liked it more than my wife. Their fries are so crunchy and good that you won't stop munching once you started it. We also ordered their strawberry chocolate dubai style for $17! a little expensive but hey I guess this is the same wherever you go. This one my wife loved it! The place is really small, only few chairs and tables, it's more like a to go places. Service is ok. medium speed. The cleanliness of the place is reasonable, they could have done better.

*Only rating for the Dubai Chocolate Strawberries and Bar* I'm sure that you've been seeing the famous Dubai Chocolate anything and everything on social media, so you can imagine my excitement when I finally got my hands on the strawberry cup of goodness. I've previously had a version of Dubai Chocolate in crepe and it was pretty good. It helped me understand the hype and as a big pistachio lover and all things chocolate, I got it. However, I never imagined how much I would truly enjoy it with strawberries! The worker was very nice and made conversation with us while he was making out delicious treat. We do plan to come back and try their menu, but this trip was purely for desserts. The first bite was a perfect balance of sweet, crunchy, and juicy experience. Was it hard to share this cup, yes it was! Perfectly ripe strawberries, partnered with sweet, melted chocolate and pistachio cream, topped with the crunch of the knafeh. I do think that the pistachio cream from Ara's is a bit runny and diluted and I prefer my pistachio cream thicker, this was a great dessert for the day. They also sold the Dubai Chocolate bars, but I prefer the strawberries over the bar. A must try!

I stopped by yesterday for lunch, food was delicious but customer service!? I been reading the reviews on this and im like, why? I wasnt mean to the guy at the register, he wasn't nice at all. That guy looked miserable, like he didn't want to be there. I would come back even after that bad experience with yesterday customer service because food was great! Food was a 10 for me! Everything looks clean and neat.

I like that this place is open late and the staff is friendly. The food was solid, nothing crazy. I also got a dubai chocolate. It was good, not the best I've had but also solid. The price for everything was a bit high in my opinion.

Ara's Shawarma! WOW! Great food with Awesome pricing! Strawberries and chocolate to die for!!

Open late and their wraps are the size of your forearm. After having a day deep in work, not eating, one of their wraps will fix me.

Great food good price good service the chicken breast was very tasty we will be back soon

This place has one of the best shawarma wraps around and the sauces absolutely make it. We got the fries and hummus and falafels, too, which were all good, but the chicken shawarma wrap reigned supreme.

As a great European vibe to it and the chocolate strawberries are absolutely amazing, but I have to tell you the chicken plate and the beef Shawarma pita were the two hits that I got to sample when I came in tonight. I really enjoy the environment. I like the fact that it's open late on a Saturday night. Everything is made fresh so give yourself a little extra time but you won't regret it. It's a lot of fun come and try everything they have here. You won't regret the BFP I can tell you that. !

Friendly staff and yummy Dubai chocolate covered strawberries Wish they had a non creamy hot sauce, warm pita wraps like on Instagram, and more seating

Went here on a random weeknight and was severely disappointed. The cashier was super nice and the inside of the restaurant seemed clean. The food was pretty bad. The shawarma was dry, bland, and was over-sauced. Was hoping for so much more

I love this place! I order the chicken breast plate every week. The hummus and cabbage salad is delicious. The service is always good, the restaurant is very clean, and highly recommend Ara's if you're in the NoHo area.

I came here due to an enticing Instagram post, I was expecting a line but no line on a Saturday around 2pm - woohoo! It was quite warm inside and could use some air. Eclectic graffiti art which my kids enjoyed, especially Hey Hey the rooster haha. Beautiful tree and Santa set up for Christmas! I ordered the chicken shawarma combo with the chicken pita, fries and a drink. My husband ordered the meat plate - beef, pork and chicken with sides of hummus and a type of cole slaw. My husband said the meat was fresh and tasty. This hummus was not hummusing for me - it tasted very strange like no hummus I've ever had - had a strange mint aftertaste, but more like peppermint than regular mint. Odd. I wasn't initially blown away by the pita but it grew on me, I didn't taste the rich flavors of smoked shawarma I'm accustomed to, but perhaps because there was so many fresh vegetables added to the sandwich, which I appreciated, but then I think that's also why the flavor was lacking. I felt like wanted a side of that buttery garlic spread which I don't think they have. I ordered the famous Dubai chocolate for dessert - a small size was $15! It was yummy and I loved the crispness, but be warned, it gets quite melty fast! We also got the chocolate covered strawberries and when we were leaving the kind cashier offered my kids a cup of chocolate covered marshmallows with sprinkles. He even let my daughter add the sprinkles, so sweet! My 5 year old asked if we could go back every day to get the French fries! They really are that good, perfectly seasoned and crispy. So good we ordered another side to go. :)

Needed something to eat after doing laundry. I didn't want the usual. I'm glad I saw a review of this place recently. I decided to give it a try. I was very pleased. Service was quick and accurate and this location though small was very clean. I was very impressed with the entree prices...they were mostly under $20. The real draw for me if I'm being honest are the fresh chocolate covered strawberries. I had to eat a few before eating my food LOL. MY lamb chop plate was pretty hefty and filling for the price. I'm definitely happy that I decided to give them a try. Will order for the whole family next time.

Great service, Very delicious Dubai strawberries best I've tried ! Definitely recommend! Best cashier tiko thankyou for the strawberries and the service

I tried the strawberry Dubai strawberry, and it was absolutely delicious! Expect to pay $15+ for it, or $10+ if it's not Dubai-style. My daughter also got a small Dubai chocolate bar for $15 and if you want a large it's $30. The chicken wrap was surprisingly delicious, but I'd recommend ordering in advance since the wait time can be 20-30 minutes. The gentleman preparing the strawberries was very helpful. The place itself is small, with only a few tables, so we took our food home to enjoy. Overall, a great spot, but be prepared for the wait and prices!

The best and most fresh Dubai chocolate strawberry cups. I love the fact that they have white chocolate.

This is not shawarma, it's just beef in lavash. The pieces are big, the dish falls apart while you eat it. There are very few vegetables, it's not worth buying at all. This is not shawarma, it's just beef in lavash. The pieces are big, the dish falls apart while you eat it. There are very few vegetables, it's not worth buying at all.

Ara's Shawarma Place is amazing! The beef pita shawarma and beef wrap were bursting with flavor, juicy, perfectly spiced beef in soft, fresh bread. Five stars, hands down

I've been seeing this place all over Instagram and TikTok and was super excited to give it a try. But honestly... it was very mid. Definitely a letdown compared to the hype. The Dubai strawberries were okay--not bad, but definitely not mind-blowing. They could really use a better-quality pistachio butter to elevate the flavor. I ordered the chicken shawarma wrap, and the texture was disappointing. The chicken crumbled apart and had a very chalky consistency, which made it hard to enjoy. My boyfriend got the beef shawarma wrap, and unfortunately, it had the same issue--crumbly meat with an odd chalky texture. Also, the fact that they add ketchup and mayonnaise to a shawarma wrap was strange and not very traditional. I would have preferred more authentic options like garlic aioli or hummus. On top of that, the pricing felt too high for what we got. The quality just didn't match up to the cost. Service-wise, when we arrived, there was no one at the front to greet us, and we (along with other customers) had to wait for several minutes before anyone acknowledged us. That alone set the tone for an underwhelming experience. Overall, this place didn't live up to the social media hype. Maybe they were having an off day, but I wouldn't rush back anytime soon.

Very good Shawarma, very tasty. Gor helped me choose the food. The staff were very nice. I would definitely come back. It was very clean and everything tasted fresh!

Obsessed with this place! The chocolate strawberries are so incredible and so is everything else. We were pulling up to pick up dinner at a nearby location when I noticed there was an Ara's here and we popped in for dessert. Waiting for it I am truly eyeing the meats like okay I wish this was dinner too. Next time!

Really not that great. I ordered a Beef Gyro Pita which was super dry and could have used more sauce and other non-meat stuffing. Angel hair chocolate went to the trash after some bites. Real rip off for what you get.

Overall a decent food spot near my daughter's daycare! Been meaning to try this place for a while now. Called to order lunch and got the Chicken Shawarma with fries and the Lamb Chop Plate. The guy on the phone said it would take 25 minutes. I drove there but the food wasn't ready yet - maybe waited 5 minutes. The lamb chops were really good but my shawarma wrap was really messy and didn't taste as soft and flavorful like I'm used to. It wasn't bad but something was off. Also wrap fell apart as you eat it, both ends are open. Again, not bad but different.

Great food, friendly staff and service, very clean restaurant and kitchen. The food was delicious!! We tried the chicken breast plate with greek salad/hummus and the beef shawarma wrap. The bed of rice was perfectly cooked and flavored. The sauce on the wrap was a perfect.

Me and my friend had Ara's for dinner He had steak plate and I had the lamb chop plate It was delicious and very reasonably priced

Good chicken shawarma, fries, service, and price. Fresh ingredients - try for yourself!

The customer service was excellent shoutout JP for helping us choose the right plates very satisfied for being first time . The restaurant was also very maintained and clean would recommend FOOD WAS AMAZING!!!!!

The strawberries were delicious it's just the price that kind of made me not want it! I ordered thinking it was going to be a big cup but nope just this small one! Overall staff was friendly and the other food items look delicious might give that a try!

I would not recommend this place. It's taking over an hour just to serve two kabob plates. Don't come here unless you have all day to wait for crappy food. I came here because of tik tok but it's a scam. They serve horrible food here. Don't believe anything you see on social media.

Service is always the best and chocolate covered strawberries with the white chocolate Dubai delicious Thank you vic love it

Very disappointing experience. I used to love this place, especially when the young skinny guy was working--he always made the food look good and taste fresh. But lately, the quality has gone way down. It feels like when someone is filming them, they put extra effort into presentation. But when they think no one is watching, it's a different story. I was given strawberries that looked like they came from the back, and when I tasted them, they were bad. I let the blonde young lady at the counter know, and instead of responding professionally, she just smirked and continued chatting with another lady (with black hair) in their own language and laughed. It felt incredibly rude and dismissive. On top of that, the food took forever to come out. Sadly, I won't be coming back.

SO GOOD!! came here because someone posted the dubai chocolate on social media! got two and it was amazing

So good but kinda pricey! Came here and for the first time the parking lot was pretty empty because it's Fourth of July but it's worth it to come and get the Dubai chocolate. They don't have any more white chocolate.

Un F believable. The best food coma. Best shawarma in LA. Beef wrap. Beef plate. Amazing.

Not authentic shawarma at all. The pink sauce is, idk, strange tasting. Very salty and gave me a stomach ache instantly. They use to be much bigger sized sandwich a couple years ago. 2nd and probably last time here.

My Dubai chocolate strawberry cup cured my cravings! Very yummy and definitely filling Service was quick as well. Would return!