By Brett Callwood
Don’t be put off by the industrial-sounding name. The Shawarma Factory is a cozy, welcoming little joint on South Western Avenue on a stretch of road where, on both sides of the street, there are some surprising and eclectic eateries.
“Take-out Mediterranean falafel, shawarma, and plates with limited seating in a relaxed setting,” is the online description, and that’s elegantly put and entirely accurate.
The term “Mediterranean food” is a large blanket that covers a number of regions, though it’s worth noting that the seasoning and spices tend to be sweeter than the closely related Middle Eastern fare.
At the Shawarma Factory, that’s absolutely apparent. Every individual ingredient is designed to create a delicious whole. We opted for the Chicken Shawarma Factory, which they describe on the menu as:
“Our signature rotisserie-style Chicken Shawarma with marinated diced Roma tomatoes, Mediterranean pickle spears, shaved red onions, parsley and garlic sauce in a wrap or a pita.”
Everything just works. The diced tomatoes are fresh and vibrant and, alongside the pickle spears, add some much needed acidity to the hefty sandwich. The onions and parsley, finely chopped, are essential to the flavor and the fact that the onions used are red onions add that aforementioned sweetness.
Of course, the chicken shawarma is the star of this particular show. The well-seasoned and well cooked white meat adds all of the texture and the most important elements of the flavor to a sandwich that proves the people behind the scenes know what they’re doing.
The whole thing is coated in a wonderful garlic sauce. Without that, it would all be a bit dry but the garlic sauce, as fragrant and strong as it is, ties the whole sandwich together. It really is a magnificent concoction.
The base is the pita bread; we chose pita rather than the wrap because Mediterranean pita bread is generally so good. That was also the case here – the bread is bouncy and warm, fresh and full of flavor. It’s sweet and delicious, and all of the elements – the juice from the tomato and pickle, the flavor of the onion and chicken, and a lot of the garlic sauce – all soak in.
Ultimately, this is a great shawarma sandwich. Simple but effective, and served by knowledgeable people.
The Shawarma Factory is located at 14817 S. Western Ave., Gardena 90249. Call 424-200-2053 or visit theshawarmafactory.com.
