Damascus Kebab: Queue for 1 hour & end up with meh shawarma

Damascus Kebab in Bukit Bintang has seemed to have an odd chokehold on those who visit KL for the past year or so. The insane queues for this shawarma starts from 10pm and will last till 3am, and sometimes even later. While most coverage of the restaurant always seemed to revolve around the crowd and willingness of Malaysians wanting to queue, I’ve always been curious, is the food THAT good?

I made my way to Damascus on a late Thursday afternoon, thinking that I would bypass the crowd but how wrong was I. To dine in, we were told that the waiting period would be around 15 to 20 minutes which somehow dragged to an uncomfortable, sweaty 40 minutes.

What I tried at Damascus Kebab

After an exhausting wait, we managed to secure seats in the restaurant and the interior was cool and welcoming, contrary to the scorching heat. My impression of shawarma has  always been that it’s street food, convenient to just grab and go.

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So, then TELL ME WHY WAS THE SHAWARMA PRICED SO EXORBITANTLY?  The menu featured more traditional Arabic food items than shawarma with the likes of mandy rice, hummus and kebabs. We ordered the Hummus with Bread (RM14.90), Mandi Chicken Regular (RM24.90) and the Chicken & Beef Mix Arabi Shawarma (RM37.90 for 12 pcs).

First to arrive was the hummus which at first glance proved to be disproportionate to the amount of pita bread served. The hummus itself leaned too much into the chickpea flavour without the necessary salt and spice tinges to back it up. The pita bread that was served alongside in prepackaged plastic bags (a red flag?) was tough and at times, a little stale.

Next, the Chicken Mandi which defies its name and was not a dish featuring a chicken taking a shower. This dish embodies the essence of Yemeni tradition, featuring tender and flavourful spiced chicken served alongside impeccably-seasoned yellow rice. I’d say that the chicken mandi was the tastiest of the lot with the rice being its highlight.

The rice was flavourful and boasted strong hints of cardamom and other spices. The chicken itself was tender and almost falling off the bone. Paired with its spicy sauce and salad, the dish was a solid carb option at Damascus Kebab. Although for RM24.90, the portion could’ve been bigger!

And finally, the highlight at Damascus, the shawarma! In comparison to other shawarmas that I’ve encountered, a surprise addition to the shawarma here was their reliance on coriander. Besides that, the best compliment I could give this shawarma was that it’s…. meh?

At almost RM40, there was definitely not enough meat nor did it pack a punch. If I was someone on a lunch break looking for a filling meal, the shawarma at Damascus Kebab would definitely not be my first choice. The pita bread suffered the same fate as the one served with the hummus. Its staleness even brought down the overall taste of the shawarma. On top of that, it did not justify the almost 20 minutes waiting time.

Final thoughts

Would I visit Damascus again? No! I don’t throw the word overrated a lot but if there’s an overrated restaurant list, Damascus Kebab would top it. Upon some research, I found out that there are better shawarma restaurants around the Bukit Bintang area at cheaper prices and shorter queues, so you can find me there next time!

Expected damage: RM20 – RM40 per pax

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