Restaurant Reco: One of the consistently best shawarma restaurants in Mississauga

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Published December 11, 2021 at 11:01 am

When it comes to Middle Eastern cuisine, almost nothing beats shawarma in my opinion – and it seems like Mississauga agrees, considering the huge number of shawarma restaurants we have here. 

The thin, marinated slices of meat (usually chicken or beef but some people use lamb, veal or turkey) are stacked in a cone and rotated on a slow-turning spit. When done right, the result is extremely flavourful and delicious, whether you’re eating it in a wrap or with some rice or fries.

But of course, it’s not enough for a restaurant’s shawarma to just be good – it has to be good consistently. I’ve had mixed experiences with some restaurants where they would have great shawarma one day, then seem to underdeliver the next. For consistency, I’ve found that Roman Zaman is definitely one of Mississauga’s best.

The restaurant, located in the plaza at Central Parkway West and Confederation Parkway, features a fusion of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean tastes. The extensive menu includes chicken and beef shawarma (in a sandwich or platter), kebabs, skewers, falafel, and samosas among other dishes.

THE DISHES:

For this review I tried two of Roman Zaman’s most popular dishes: The chicken shawarma sandwich and a side of eight pieces of falafel.

As far as shawarma wraps go, this one is fairly simple but delicious. The well-seasoned rotisserie chicken slices are juicy and tender, complemented perfectly by the pickles and garlic sauce. In true Middle Eastern fashion there were also a bunch of fries in the mix, which I can definitely appreciate. I judged the size of the wrap to be about a foot long, and overall I’d say it was reasonably filling and well worth the price.

If you’ve never had falafel before (a popular Middle Eastern street food of deep fried balls of ground chickpeas), I highly recommend trying Roman Zaman’s. The eight pieces of falafel were excellent both in taste and texture – definitely good enough to eat on their own, but they also come with oven bread and mixed veggies (tomatoes, pickles, turnip) to assemble into a sandwich. Honestly, the falafel was so good I forgot this was technically a “side dish” I was supposed to be eating!

THE UNIQUE:

Roman Zaman absolutely nails it for consistency, serving up great-tasting shawarma every time. If you’re dining inside the restaurant you’ll immediately notice how captivating the interior is – the restaurant aims to capture the atmosphere and nobility of the ancient city of Damascus with unique décor, copper pots, and wooden trays.

THE VERDICT:

If you’re looking for consistently great shawarma in Mississauga, Roman Zaman is definitely worth trying. I recommend the chicken shawarma sandwich, so good that it propelled the restaurant to #2 on our list of Top 5 Chicken Shawarma Sandwiches in Mississauga.


  1. Roman Zaman