SHAWARMA KING: IS THIS BUDGET EATERY IN THE HEART OF MALMÖ WORTH A TRY?
The Cost -$7 per person
The Atmosphere –A small-ish, fast-food-looking eatery in Malmö’s Stortorget, the oldest and largest square in the city, Shawarma King is the only business actually located inside the perimeter of the former market. It sticks out, not in the best of ways, given that Stortorget was built in 1540 and the square is filled with charming architecture. The restaurant has both indoor and outdoor seating, accepts credit cards, and is centrally located to many of Malmö’s sights, making it a convenient place to grab something to eat.
It is a known fact that Europe has some of the best shawarma and kebabs in the world, mostly because of the middle eastern immigrants who have settled in European countries over the years. That is why I had decent expectations for Shawarma King, a fast-casual eatery located in one of Malmö, Sweden’s main plazas. With a menu that offers a few different middle eastern options like shawarma, kebab and falafel, as well as some typical American fast food offerings like burgers and mozzarella sticks, we decided to test out Shawarma King for a quick, easy, and relatively inexpensive meal while we were out exploring the city.
The Order – Kebab Rulle and a Shawarma Rulle.
The Okay – First up was the Kebab Rulle. The sandwich maker started by pressing the pita to heat it up. Next, he added the kebab meat and a spatula of yogurt sauce. Then came the toppings: lettuce, tomatoes, beets, cucumbers, and parsley. He asked if I wanted chili garlic sauce to add spiciness and I said yes, so he added that on as well. After unwrapping the pita, I noticed that it was already falling apart and knew that it would not stay intact. I bit into the sandwich and wasn’t thrilled with most of what I tasted – the pita was not very good, the meat tasted like it had been sitting around for a while and was a bit dry, and, the yogurt sauce was too mild and flavorless. The only thing that was pleasing was the chili garlic sauce which provided some satisfaction. But that is not what you want out of a kebab and as the pita continued to fall apart in my hands, I definitely regretted ordering this dish.
Unfortunately, the Shawarma Rulle didn’t help the overall dining experience. Prepared in the same way as the kebab but with shaved chicken shawarma instead of the meat, I opted to go without the chili garlic sauce on this pita before I knew that it was the kebab’s saving grace. The good news here is that the chicken was better than the kebab, but not good enough to fix the dish’s lack of flavor or the pita problem; this sandwich was a miss as well.
The Verdict – Shawarma King is relatively inexpensive, quick, and easy, but the quality of the food just isn’t what you want it to be, even for a $7 sandwich. If you are going to go, order the shawarma with the chili garlic sauce (if you do spicy) as that combination is your best bet and may just be worth the price. Otherwise, skip this eatery and try out one of the other restaurants in the Malmö food scene for a better chance at a worthy meal.