What Is Iraqi-Mediterranean Food? A Primer
Short answer: “Iraqi-Mediterranean” is the plain-language description Shawarma House uses for a menu rooted in our family’s Iraqi cooking and served alongside familiar Mediterranean staples. It is not meant as a formal category for every Iraqi dish.
At our Ocean Beach restaurant, the label connects the food guests can actually order: vertical-spit chicken and beef shawarma, grilled beef kebab and shish tawook, yellow basmati rice, hummus, falafel, salads, pita, and house-made toum, tahini, and hot sauce.
What the name means on our menu
Iraqi cooking has its own regional traditions, while “Mediterranean food” is a broad restaurant label used for many different cuisines. We use Iraqi-Mediterranean to describe our own family roots and the mix of dishes on the Shawarma House menu—not to collapse all of those cuisines into one.
The Iraqi side shows up in our family recipes and house specialties. The Mediterranean side helps guests recognize staples such as hummus, falafel, salads, pita, shawarma, and grilled kebabs. For the fuller restaurant story, visit our Iraqi and Middle Eastern food page.
Two cooking methods to understand
Shawarma is spit-roasted
Chicken and beef shawarma are stacked on separate vertical spits, roasted as they turn, and shaved from the cooked outer layer to order. That method creates thin slices with browned edges.
Kebabs are grilled
Beef kebab and shish tawook use a different method: they are grilled rather than shaved from a vertical spit. Choose kebab when you want a more direct grilled flavor and char.
How a plate comes together
A typical plate pairs a protein—shawarma, kebab, gyro, or falafel—with yellow basmati rice, salad, hummus, warm pita, and sauce. The exact build varies by item, so the current menu is the best place to compare choices.
The sauces matter too. Shawarma House makes toum, tahini, and hot sauce in-house daily. Toum is garlic-forward, tahini is sesame-based, and hot sauce adds heat; each changes the balance of the same plate in a different way.
What should a first-time guest order?
- Combo Plate: beef shawarma, chicken shawarma, and gyro when you want to compare several proteins in one meal. See the Combo Plate.
- Chicken or Beef Shawarma Plate: the clearest introduction to the vertical-spit preparation. See the Chicken Shawarma Plate.
- Beef Kebab or Shish Tawook: the grilled route if you prefer char over thinly shaved meat. Explore beef kebab.
- Falafel or Vegan Shawarma: substantial plant-based choices served in familiar plate and wrap formats. See the Vegan Shawarma Plate.
- Cream Chop: a Shawarma House specialty available in chicken and vegan versions. Learn what Cream Chop is.
Halal sourcing, vegan choices, and gluten notes
Our beef and chicken are halal-sourced. Plant-based choices include falafel, vegan shawarma, Vegan Cream Chop, hummus, fattoush, and tabouli.
Some meals can be ordered without pita, but the kitchen also handles gluten and cannot guarantee against cross-contact. Gyro and Cream Chop are not considered gluten-free-friendly. If gluten exposure is a concern, ask the team about the current preparation before ordering.
Visit Shawarma House at 4884 Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach. We are open daily from 11 AM to 8 PM.
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