Written by: Aimen Khan
Posted on: April 14, 2022 | 
| 中文
Shawarma at Bait Shawarma
“Invented in Turkey in the 18th century, doner kebab means “rotating grilled meat”. When it was introduced to Greece, the locals named it “gyros”, the Greek word for “turn”. Likewise, when it spread through the Middle East, it was called “shawarma”, an Arabic word for turning.”
Bait Shawarma in F-10
These are the words written on the Bait Shawarma packaging which explain the origin of their specialty. Bait Shawarma has given a formal touch to a popular street food by opening a large restaurant, which provides a variety of meat, including camel, to its customer base. It can easily be found in one of the main plazas of F-10, and its board is on the side, in case you’re looking for it while going on the main road. The theme of the restaurant is black and orange and it comprises of two floors. The bottom floor has some outdoor and indoor seating, a juice corner and the order counter. You can also watch your shawarma being made, as they add sauces and vegetables behind a glass counter.
The dining area of Bait Shawarma
On the second floor, there is a bigger seating area and a kids’ corner, brightly decorated and comprising of different colored children’s plastic slides to keep the kids happy and preoccupied. Although the building is quite big and has ample dining-in options, it was all but vacant when I went for lunch. There were about 5 to 7 workers milling about and three teenagers lounging outside. One thing that sets Bait Shawarma apart from other places, in my opinion, is that it is a good restaurant for any kind of crowd. It could host families with little children, as well as university students looking for a nice hangout spot. Its décor and ambience did not target any one particular age group or section of society.
Plastic slides in kids' corner
I asked what Bait Shawarma is most famous for, and ordered chicken and beef shawarmas, both in medium sizes. Their shawarmas come in small, medium, large and jumbo, and I felt that medium would suffice. I also decided to try out their fresh orange juice, which tasted heavenly, given the sudden heatwave that Islamabad has been hit by.
Shawarma in the making
The food was ready and packaged in around 10 minutes. I took my shawarmas and sat outside. The juice was made with no seeds, not much pulp (just how I liked it) and had a refreshing taste to it, although I would have appreciated it being a little cooler. As for the shawarmas, the beef one had a large serving of their special sauce and some tomatoes and onions. The chicken shawarma had lettuce, pickled cucumber, and sauce. Both of these shawarmas were made on thin tortilla, and filled to the brim with meat that wasn’t stale or old. The total bill was 1400 PKR, the chicken shawarma at Rs. 350, the beef shawarma for Rs. 500, and the orange juice for Rs. 350.
Beef Shawarma
Now, coming to the taste. In the past few years, Islamabad has seen a rise in the number of eateries and stalls hosting shawarmas, especially of the Arabian kind (not our desi ones on thick pita bread). While Bait Shawarma makes its food in a good, hygienic environment, the taste fell short. The shawarmas were bland, the meat was dry (although well-cooked and tender) and the sauces were not enough to enhance the taste. Even the pickled cucumbers lacked that crunchy sourness you’d expect from a pickle. I’ve eaten my fair share of shawarmas, especially from the original Syrian Shawarma in F-10, and they’re oozing with sour cream on fresh hot tortilla (softer than Bait Shawarma), and you can taste each separate flavor with every bite from the sour pickle to the tasteful meat. Bait Shawarma is still a level above desi shawarma (which is usually too thick and choked with mayo and cabbage, in my opinion) but definitely doesn’t meet the level of our Middle Eastern shawarmas.
Cheese Fries at Bait Shawarma
All in all, I had much higher expectations from Bait Shawarma, which I feel were not met. This place has immense potential, being in the center of the city and occupying such a vast area. The architecture and colors are nice, and the kids’ zone is a great addition for families. The service was friendly and quick, but that may have also been due to the fact that they didn’t have many customers. However, the food needs to be improved to get a loyal customer base. It lacks a distinctive taste, although it had all the relevant ingredients. Bait Shawarma will need to pack in a greater punch in its shawarmas, in order for them to compete with the rapidly expanding street food market.
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