A practical guide to the words on our menu. Iraqi-Mediterranean cooking spans Levantine, Persian, and Anatolian traditions — these are the ingredients, dishes, and techniques you’ll see at Shawarma House SD. Family-owned in Ocean Beach. Halal-sourced from day one.

Spices & Aromatics

Baharat

The signature warm-spice blend of the Levant and Iraq — typically black pepper, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, paprika, and nutmeg. Our family blend is what makes our beef shawarma taste like it does. We marinate proteins in baharat for days before they ever hit the spit.

Sumac

A bright, tart, lemony spice ground from sumac berries. Indispensable in Levantine cooking — you’ll taste it in our fattoush salad, our fattoush dressing, and dusted on our spit-roasted meats. Vegan, gluten-free, naturally bright red.

Dried Lime (Loomi)

Iraqi cooking’s secret weapon — limes dried whole until they turn dark and concentrated, then powdered or punctured into stews. Earthy, deeply citrus, slightly fermented. It’s in our shawarma marinade and is one of the flavors that makes our Iraqi-Mediterranean roots show up on the plate.

Sauces & Condiments

Toum (Garlic Paste)

The fluffy Levantine garlic emulsion — pure garlic, oil, and lemon whipped into a soft white peak. Bright, sharp, dangerously good. Vegan. Goes on every wrap, every plate, every spit-roasted bite. Order our Garlic Paste on the side.

Tahini

Sesame paste — the backbone of hummus, baba ghanouj, and countless Levantine sauces. We loosen ours with fresh lemon and a touch of garlic for the table. Vegan, gluten-free.

Tzatziki

Cool, creamy Greek yogurt sauce with grated cucumber, garlic, fresh dill, and lemon. The natural cooling counterpoint to anything off the vertical spit. Perfect with our gyro plate.

Hummus

The Levantine staple — pureed chickpeas, tahini, lemon, garlic, olive oil. We make ours fresh in-house every morning, finished with paprika and a generous swirl of olive oil. Vegan, gluten-free. Available à la carte or as a tray for catering.

Salads & Sides

Fattoush

Levantine bread salad — crisp romaine, fresh herbs, sumac, ripe vegetables, and (the part that makes it fattoush) a generous handful of crispy pita chips. Tossed with our house fattoush dressing of sumac, lemon, garlic, and olive oil. See it on our menu.

Tabouli (Tabbouleh)

Bright herb-forward salad of finely chopped parsley and bulgur wheat with diced tomato, fresh mint, lemon, and good olive oil. Vegan. The classic Levantine table starter.

Dolma

Hand-rolled grape leaves stuffed with seasoned rice and fresh herbs, served chilled. A Levantine and Iraqi staple. Vegan, gluten-free. Also called dolmades or yaprak in nearby cuisines.

Proteins & Plates

Shawarma

The defining Levantine spit-roast technique — meat layered onto a vertical rotating spit, marinated in spice, slowly cooked over heat, then hand-shaved off the outside as it crisps. The word “shawarma” comes from Turkish çevirme (“turning”). Our beef shawarma plate is our flagship.

Gyro

The Greek vertical-spit cousin of shawarma — typically a layered preparation of beef and lamb seasoned and slow-roasted. Mediterranean restaurants in San Diego often serve gyro and shawarma side-by-side; we do too.

Falafel

Hand-formed chickpea fritters seasoned with cumin, coriander, parsley, and garlic, then fried golden and crispy. Originally Egyptian, now beloved across the Levant and Mediterranean. Fully vegan. Order our falafel plate.

Kebab (Kofta)

Ground meat seasoned and shaped onto skewers (or kebab molds), grilled over open flame. Halal in our kitchen. The smokier, char-edged sibling of shawarma.

Shish Tawook

Levantine char-grilled chicken skewers, marinated overnight in yogurt, lemon, and Mediterranean spices. The yogurt marinade is what makes shish tawook tender. See our shish tawook plate.

Cream Chop

Our house specialty — chopped chicken finished with a creamy garlic sauce. A modern Iraqi-Mediterranean comfort food. Available with halal chicken or 100% vegan plant-based protein.

Bread & Sweets

Pita

Soft, slightly chewy round flatbread that puffs into a pocket when baked. Levantine kitchens use it as a wrap, a scoop, and an edible utensil. Ours arrives warm.

Baklava

Layered phyllo dough with toasted nuts, sweet syrup, and warm spice. Crisp on top, syrup-soaked underneath. The Levantine and Anatolian dessert finale. Ours uses walnuts, honey, and cinnamon.

Sourcing & Practice

Halal

“Permissible” in Arabic. Halal proteins are sourced and slaughtered in accordance with Islamic dietary law. Every protein at Shawarma House SD has been halal-sourced from day one — beef, chicken, lamb, gyro. Read our story for why this matters to us.

Vegan

Plant-based, no animal products. We offer a full vegan menu — vegan shawarma, vegan cream chop, falafel, hummus, every salad. Our toum, tahini, and most of our sauces are vegan too. Catering can be built fully plant-based.