Shawarma Palace is a small chain of Lebanese-style

shawarma Shawarma (; ) is a Middle Eastern dish that originated in the Levant during the Ottoman Empire, consisting of meat that is cut into thin slices, stacked in an inverted cone, and roasted on a slow-turning vertical spit. Traditionally made with l ...

restaurants located in

Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

History

The restaurant opened its original location in 1996. It quickly became established as one of the more notable shawarma restaurants in Ottawa, a city where the dish has become an unexpectedly dominant

fast-food Fast food is a type of mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. ''Fast food'' is a commercial term, limited to food sold in a restaurant or store with frozen, preheated or precooked ...

staple. Ottawa is home to one of the highest concentrations of shawarma shops in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

, with more locations than major fast-food burger chains combined. The city's shawarma boom traces back to the 1980s, when Lebanese immigrants popularized the late-night shawarma scene among the city's bar crowd, cementing its status as Ottawa’s quintessential street food. The flagship location of Shawarma Palace on

Rideau Street Rideau Street () is a major street in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and one of Ottawa's oldest and most famous streets running from Wellington Street in the west to Montreal Road in the east where it connects to the Vanier district. Ride ...

operates until 2 a.m. on weekends and is within walking distance of the

ByWard Market The ByWard Market (), is a retail and entertainment district in the downtown core of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located east of the government and business district. The Market district includes the market buildings and open-air market alo ...

, a neighbourhood renowned for its vibrant nightlife and bar scene. The business has expanded to multiple locations over its years of operation. In 2017, there were 3 locations in Ottawa. As of March 2025, there are 9 locations in the city and its suburbs. It is also a sponsor and

concession stand A concession stand, or refreshment stand (American English, Canadian English), snack kiosk or snack bar (British English, Irish English) is a place where patrons can purchase snacks or food at a cinema, amusement park, zoo, aquarium, circus, f ...

partner with the

Ottawa RedBlacks The Ottawa Redblacks (officially stylized as REDBLACKS) (Canadian French, French: ) are a professional Canadian football team based in Ottawa, Ontario. The team plays in the East Division (CFL), East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL ...

and

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. The Senators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Di ...

, serving food at games for both teams. In February 2024, Shawarma Palace filed a lawsuit at the

Federal Court of Canada The Federal Court of Canada, which succeeded the Exchequer Court of Canada in 1971, was a national court of Canada that had limited jurisdiction to hear certain types of disputes arising under the Parliament of Canada, federal government's Canadi ...

against

Gatineau Gatineau ( ; ) is a city in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is located on the northern bank of the Ottawa River, directly across from Ottawa, Ontario. Gatineau is the largest city in the Outaouais administrative region of Quebec and is also p ...

-based Le Palais du Shawarma, alleging

trademark infringement Trademark infringement is a violation of the exclusive rights attached to a trademark without the authorization of the trademark owner or any licensees (provided that such authorization was within the scope of the licence). Infringement may occ ...

. The lawsuit claims that the defendant’s use of a similar name created confusion and devalued Shawarma Palace’s brand. As of March 2025, Shawarma Palace does not operate any locations in Gatineau. In response, Le Palais du Shawarma stated it would change its name.

Recognition

The ''

Ottawa Citizen The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. History Established as the Bytown ''Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris (journalist), William Harris, it was renamed the ''Ci ...

'' highlighted Shawarma Palace as being "consistently ranked among Ottawa’s favourites." The paper’s restaurant critic, Peter Hum, praised the restaurant’s shawarma platter for both its quantity and quality, describing it as a "truly daunting amount of food" with portions weighing up to two-and-a-half pounds. He noted that while the meat varied in moisture, it ultimately served as "a delivery system for garlic sauce." Writing for ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'', journalist Fluto Shinzawa praised Shawarma Palace as “the definition of one-meal dining,” highlighting its generous portions and exceptional value. He lauded the chicken shawarma for its crispy exterior and tender interior, describing it as a “bargain” and noting that even a cold

falafel Falafel (; , ) is a deep-fried ball or patty-shaped fritter of Egyptian origin that features in Middle Eastern cuisine, particularly Levantine cuisines. It is made from ground fava beans, chickpeas, or both, and mixed with herbs and spic ...

sandwich hours later remained a satisfying meal. ''

Eater Eater may refer to: * Eater (band), an English punk rock group * "Eater" (''Fear Itself''), a 2008 episode of the NBC television horror anthology ''Fear Itself'' * ''Eater'' (novel), a 2000 science fiction novel by Gregory Benford * ''Eater'' ( ...

'' listed Shawarma Palace among its "24 Best Restaurants in Ottawa," recommending "if you eat one thing in Ottawa, make it a shawarma plate from this legendary Lebanese spot on Rideau." In 2025, Shawarma Palace placed first in a blind taste test competition at Ottawa's first annual Shawarma Festival.

References

{{coord missing, Ontario Restaurants established in 1996 Restaurant chains in Canada Restaurants in Ottawa