Sammy’s Shawarma

So far, we have only tried the donair and the falafel at Sammy’s. All in all, it was a good meal, but not amazing. My husband really enjoyed the flavor and texture of his meat, but I found the falafel bland and unremarkable. I am pretty sure we will be back, so I will try to update my review then (when we try more items), but in an effort to stay on top of my reviews, I am adding this now.
As someone else mentioned, the hummus is quite tasty, but my husband found the garlic sauce quite bland. The pitas are your standard store bought pitas, so there were nothing special. However, you get tons and tons of veggies with each sandwich, so that is awesome. The donair meat was great — flavorful, moist, perfectly cooked. It was an excellent sandwich. The falafel was dry, bland, and overcooked. It could be because it was made previously and microwaved, but either way, I would have rather just had the pita filled with hummus and vegetables.
Because of the excellent beef, I am giving Sammy’s 4-​stars. However, if I were to write a review solely on the falafel, I would be hard pressed to give this 3-​stars. I am confident, though, that the other dishes would be quite delicious.
Also, as others have mentioned, this is a ‘hole-​in-​the-​wall’ in that the space is very tight and is more of a grab-​and-​go kind of place. Or you can stand up and eat, if there is a line.

I’d say this has reached my 2^nd place rating next to Jimmy’s. Ample portions, I met with sammy on a weekday afternoon, great guy. His beef shwarma is hand chosen by him from cuts of choice sirloin and painfully racked and seasoned. I was in a tasting mood so ordered from the cheap menu, and the small pitas came loaded with everything and amazing sauces. One complaint: the pita was old and kept in a fridge, making it hard. Theres nothing like a fresh baked pita like from the MRU kiosk of Byblos where the pita is fresh baked but ingredients are lacking. Here at sammys its the other way around.

First off, I love Shawarma’s! They are the best of everything really. Flavourful, heavy in a good way, lots of veggies, lots of protein (depending on what you get) and just plain delicious. A lot of people think that Shawarma’s taste the same everywhere but NO they really do not. I think Sammy’s does Shawarma’s a great justice because mine had an abundance of everything and the flavour was fantastic. And I love when you’re handed a Shawarma and it weighs like 5 lbs.
The sir that was working here when I ordered was super friendly and he did not cheap out on my Shawarma. A big high-​five for this place, my new go to Shawarma joint downtown.

As I have previously stated, I love a good donair! I’m pretty hard pressed to think of anything else in life that is more satisfying than a good donair. For me, a donair is everything that food should be and shouldn’t be all wrapped up into a perfect tube of deliciousness! The orchestration of all the sweet, savoury, sour and spicy flavours produce a harmonious symphony that would equate to the food equivalent of nirvana. However, after indulging I can’t help but feel the sharp pang of guilt; like I just committed the most perverse crime imaginable. Even a soak in a tub full of hand sanitizer would not be enough to clean my conscience. But this is another thing that makes eating a donair so special. And Sammy’s does the donair right!
I originally got referred to Sammy’s by a friend of mine. You could say this guy is a Sheik of sorts when it comes to artificially pressed meats (pun intended). Boy was he on point about this place; the donair is by far the best I have had in the city! Sammy is a sweetheart and will hook you up with plenty of meat; he’s not here to rip you off he just wants to make you a great donair. The sauces are fantastic too and you get a few more options here then you would anywhere else. You get to choose from sweet, garlic, tahini, hot and something else that I’m forgetting right now. Usually I opt for sweet, tahini and hot. The toppings are your usual fare and I always load it up with everything. By the time Sammy is done he usually draws a sweat trying to wrap the behemoth! Bring a bib because this sucker is messy (as it should be) and fortunately Sammy employs the ‘donair diaper’ which is a plastic bag on the bottom to ensure all the tasty goodness at the bottom doesn’t leak out on your Ed Hardy T.
I love the fact the Sammy’s is so close to where I work and live. it means I can visit him as often as my lack of self-​respect can allow. The alley ways a block south from Sammy’s is the perfect place to sit in decrepitude as you eat your donair. I find the dirtier the alley the more enjoyable the experience. Might I suggest the alley behind American Apparel? I lustfully ate a Sammy’s donair there one steaming summer afternoon on a concrete jersey barrier approximately 3 feet away from a set of dirty panties. Could this be the perfect scenario for a first date? I think yes!

I have certain special reservations of Sammys, which there are reasons I wont divulge for now. But now that it’s been long enough after certain building mishaps, I would say it’s safe to be here on a regular basis again.
I work literally next door to them, but eat there maybe once in a blue moon. I find that they do make good schwarmas, but the meat tends to be salted way too much at times. Luckily, they’re generous with the veggies, so for the most part it helps balance things out.
I know the dips are made fresh, and the hummus is usually a treat. I do like picking up their hummus for the long dull periods in my shop when things are quiet. Also a nice touch is their new discount menu where you can get a ½ sized wrap for $ 4 to $ 5. While I would skip on the donair, the chicken is pretty decent in smaller amounts.
They’re open from lunch to late, so if you’ve been drinking, it’s a great place for a late night snack. It’s also tiny, I mean really tiny (3 to 4 people standing) so if it’s winter and its busy, be prepared to eat outside. Still, they have a nice little table outside during the Spring to Fall months, and a good selection over all for a shop that size.

There are things in life you know you can count on. The sun will rise and set, the Rockies will be still be there when the first Enterprise is built 300 years from now, the government will find a way to tax you as much as possible and Sammys will be there for a great affordable snack to ease hunger pangs.
It’s almost comical how reliable it has become for a midnight or post drunken stupor snack. Hey it’s midnight I can’t sleep and I feel like going out and doing something, let’s go to Sammy’s for a Shawerma. Hey I am so drunk I can barely feel my face but I still want to eat something, ah ha! … Sammy’s. Hey I just had a rough conversation with my girlfriend and I want to go out somewhere for a bite to take my mind off of it, I know Sammys!
I love their large Beef and Lamb Shawermas. At $ 8.99 and $ 10.99 respectively they are huge. My jaw usually cracks biting into one. But they have smaller sizes as well.
It is one of those place I will miss when I leave Calgary.

You know, I love sauce. Like in a «I love, love, love sauce» kind of way. But I think I’ve met my match here. Sammy’s takes sauce to an overwhelming extreme of on the sauce-​pectation scale. Ordering a «salad» plate of chicken schwarma, I was (almost) taken aback by the relentless out pouring of sauce bottles: tatziki, garlic, and something sweet (perhaps Halifax sauce?), all swimming on my schwarma. Yes, it sounds like too much, but really, it was late night, we were starving, and it was worth it!
And then, as if that wasn’t enough, I asked for extra pickles. If sauce was overwhelming, you ain’t seen nothing yet, our smiling schwarma slinger seemed to say as he piled mine high with pickles. Be still my beating heart.
Warning: this is one tiny place, with only 4 – 5 stools. It’s everything you’d want in a hole-​in-​the-​wall late night eats kinda place.
*Cash + debit only.

Sammys! I lub you… My late night Friday donair was mad packed with lamb and lettuce and all the other wonderful veggies ripe for the eating. Oh, and smothered in a combination of garlic and tzatziki sauce. You were made to order right in front of my eyes. And you were HUUUGE! So filling.
I haven’t yet quite figured out what the difference is between Egyptian donairs and other donairs, but it’s hella yummy nonetheless.
Go. Go now… just be forewarned, you can fit about 4 people at a time in the entire place. Official hole in the wall.

³⁰⁄₃₀
I bookmarked this place not long after Wendy reviewed it; then I remembered: I’ve eaten here before! Several times. It’s the Falafel place near the Spy Store :).
«Oh, I don’t know, Tiffany. That place looks scary. It’s also possibly a front.» My friend Stephan would often warn me that Sammy’s looked like a scary place to grab lunch noms, but this is a guy that would also tout a Chinese place that offered a $ 6 lunch box special; and would come back with a styrofoam carton full of mysterious cornstarch covered goo.
The Falafels are made of Fava and Chickpeas, and if you tell them you want everything on it, you will get a big thumbs up and a huge smile and extra toppings. They are ridiculously nice at Sammy’s and remember you when you come back more than once! Apart from their Falafels, Shwarmas and Donairs; they also sell hummus, Egyptian Dip, and Baba Ganoush.
So even though I am leery of any restaurant just for the sole reason that they used Papyrus font in their sign and/​or menu, I would recommend Sammy’s if you’re in the area. They are pleasantly unscary, and the food is terrific.

Why on earth is this place listed under «Pizza»? It most certainly isn’t a pizza joint; what it is, is a fantastic little independent restaurant on 17^th Ave that serves great Egyptian and Middle Eastern (and Mediterranean) food.
I’ve walked by this place a few times, simply because it is a hole in the wall. What I learned is that you truly can’t know how good a place is by the image it portrays. In a small little establishment the size of a good sized kitchen, you’ll find a nice, older woma– who I can only assume is Egyptian. She will serve you some great food quickly, but with a lot of care.
The portions are big and if you aren’t looking for a hot meal and there are some takeaway options like beef patties and the like.
I almost laughed when I was asked if it was to stay or to go, but that really is my only gripe. It wouldn’t be the same, though, if it were any bigger and sometimes the food speaks for itself, so the window dressing really doesn’t matter.
This is a great place for a quick lunch, an after-​drink snack, or to pick up dinner before you head home after work.