AVI CUE
Mediterranean restaurant · Studio City ·
Wagyu beef shawarma, arayes, and loaded fries served
Wagyu beef shawarma, arayes, and loaded fries served
"After landing at Burbank around lunchtime, I had one thing on my mind: shawarma, specifically the juicy wagyu beef rendition here. A whole wagyu pita clocks in at $25 but feels more than worth it—the pita is swiped with tahini and amba and stuffed to the brim with dripping beef, sliced tomato, onion, and parsley (a half portion runs $15). I highly recommend a side of matbucha, a roasted tomato and bell pepper hot sauce with a slightly fermented note and a welcome punch of heat. For something more herbaceous but still spicy, try zhug or the green hot sauce—better yet, get both and alternate. The meal is incomplete without hand-cut french fries, which arrive hot and generously sprinkled with flaky salt." - Eater Staff
"Even if there’s a line out front, meals at Avi Cue in Studio City happen at lightning speed—we’ve never spent more than 20 minutes inside this order-at-the-counter shop. The barebones menu starts and ends with a shawarma sandwich, a wagyu shawarma plate, and fries. Skip past the ground beef-stuffed arayes (the $10 price tag feels steep for what is essentially two bites of food). Instead, if you’re by yourself, focus on the sandwich with juicy, spit-roasted wagyu beef, tomato, onion, parsley, tahini, and tangy amba. It’ll keep you full well past dinner." - sylvio martins, brant cox
"Chef Aviad Yalin’s spit-roasted wagyu beef shawarma pop-up now has a permanent home in Studio City. The wagyu shawarma sandwich is the main attraction, served in a warm pita with tomatoes, onions, and parsley, and drizzled with tahini and amba sauce. Avi Cue’s small but impressive menu also offers loaded shawarma fries and ground wagyu-filled arayes. Any gluten-intolerant diners can order shawarma over a a bed of refreshing, lemony arugula salad." - Mona Holmes
"Add Avi Cue to your rolodex of great, quick lunch spots in the Valley. The beloved shawarma pop-up opened a permanent, order-at-the-counter location right on Ventura. Even if there’s a line out front, meals happen at lightning speed—we’ve never spent more than 20 minutes inside. The bare-bones menu starts and ends with a shawarma sandwich, arayes, fries, and a nutella-stuffed dessert pita. Skip past the ground beef-stuffed arayes (the $7 price tag feels steep for what is essentially two bites of food). Instead, if you’re by yourself, focus on the sandwich with juicy, spit-roasted wagyu beef, tomato, onion, parsley, tahini, and tangy amba. It’ll keep you full well past dinner." - brant cox
"Street food always makes for good Labor Day party cuisine; it’s often designed to be eaten while standing up or walking around, meaning the host needs fewer seats. And the shawarma sandwiches from this Sherman Oaks purveyor of wagyu fit the bill perfectly, with slices of the delicate meat and traditional Middle Eastern toppings stuffed into pita. But don’t ignore the arayes, either, with ground beef filled into a pita and griddled. A few orders of these, and your group of friends will be pleasantly stuffed themselves." - Robert Spuhler
