There’s a phenomenon in the world of food that’s best described as “culinary simultaneity.” Which sounds more academic than I’d like. But it fits. It describes the amazing penchant for foods to appear in far distant locales, with no seeming connection. And yet … there they are.
Consider bread, which is found everywhere in the world, in sundry forms — but still, it’s bread. Consider fermented beverages, which are universal. Or our global affection for both salt and sweet. For crunchy and soft. For dairy products like cheeses. For pastries. For sausages. For dumplings.
And, notably, in the context of an explosion of shawarma shops along Ventura Boulevard, for well-spiced meats grilled on a spit. Which, in Turkey, is doner kebab. In Greece, gyros. In Mexico, al pastor. In Japan, yakitori. In China, chuan. In Pakistan, seekh kebab. In Thailand, satay. In France, brochettes de viande. In Italy, spiedini. In Russia, shashlik. In Nigeria, suya. In Brazil, espetinho. Kebabs, kababs, kabobs, kofte and kefte are seemingly universal. And, in the region along the eastern Mediterranean, an area that used to be called Levant, it’s shawarma.
Along Ventura Boulevard, beginning in Studio City and stretching west, it’s slowly turning from Sushi Row to Shawarma Street. Change never sleeps.
Avi Cue in Studio City is more a place to pick up your order than sit-down restaurant, but there are places to sit down. It serves a remarkable shawarma, says restaurant critic Merrill Shindler. (Photo by Merrill Shindler)
Any journey down our street of many shawarma begins in a Studio City mini-mall with Avi Cue (11288 Ventura Blvd., Studio City; www.instagram.com/avi_cue/?hl=en), which is more a place to pick up your order than a restaurant — though there are places to sit down. Most orders seem to go flying out the door, for enjoyment soon after in front of a big screen, watching a Rams game. This isn’t so much smoke-flavored meat, as it is meat-flavored smoke. It’s a remarkable shawarma, one of the best for many miles — or at least blocks — around.
The slogan here is “Avi Cue: It’s Wagyu!” And the use of this iconic Japanese-bred beef — notable for its intricate marbling, subtle texture and exceptional flavor — sets Avi Cue apart from the crowd. And so does the use of the Wagyu, which is turned into a Wagyu shawarma sandwich, with tomato, onion, parsley, tahini and amba sauce (made with pickled green mangos and chilies) in freshly baked pita. It’s a remarkable sandwich, though there’s competition here as well.
Try the vegan shawarma made with fried cauliflower. The ground Wagyu with tahini on pita — an arayes sandwich. The kabab sandwich with the Wagyu turned into a patty. And the loaded fries — loaded with shawarma, tomatoes, onion, parsley, tahini and amba. The menu lists a “caviar bump” for $15, which is overkill. The Wagyu is more than enough.
Not far away, there’s the JeJe Mediterranean Grill (11052 Ventura Blvd., Studio City; 818-762-1663, www.jejemedigrill.com; with a second branch at 16970 San Fernando Mission Blvd., Granada Hills, 818-832-5252), which does a chicken shawarma, rather than beef or lamb. Which is not to say this is a chicken-ocentric eatery — there’s also beef lula kebabs, lamb kofte and beef gyros. But this may be the only shawarma shop that offers a keto bowl and an avocado-and-quinoa bowl. JeJe is an eatery with feet in two different worlds.
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Also down in the Avi Cue and JeJe nexus, there’s Amir’s Falafel (11711 Ventura Blvd., Studio City; 818-509-8641, www.amirsfalafellosangeles.com), which dates back to 1929, when Chaim and Naomi Amir migrated from Yemen to Jerusalem. By 1939, they had opened their first falafel restaurant. In 1978, their descendants moved to Los Angeles, where they opened in Studio City.
This is a restaurant where the signature falafel is a taste of Jerusalem — with the addition of a wide array of other dishes, including a Greek salad, a beet salad, grape leaves, hummus, fried eggplant and, of course, a lamb-and-turkey shawarma and chicken shawarma. You can get them on pita, in a salad, or on a mixed plate. But do be sure to get them with falafel. It’s essential.
And then, there’s Sincerely Syria (14518 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, 202-963-0675, with other branches in Hollywood, Pasadena and Anaheim). The menu here is minimalistic enough for this to qualify — like Avi Cue — as a food stand that’s moved indoors. There’s beef and lamb shawarma, along with beautifully spiced chicken parts.
The wraps are served with garlic sauce and pickles; the plates with garlic sauce, pickles and fries. You can get a 6-inch wrap, or a 12-incher. You can get a 12-inch plate or a 24-incher. Food served by the inch … sincerely from Syria.
More Merrill: Mediterranean classics are just that at this Sherman Oaks restaurant
Lastly, there’s the new shawarma kid on the block, Big Daddy’s Shawarma (12103 Ventura Blvd., Studio City; 747-205-2406, www.bigdaddysshawarma.com), which seemingly has become an immediate cult favorite. It offers kosher shawarma, seven varieties, mixed and matched permutations of beef, chicken and turkey. This is both the newest, and a contender for the best shawarma destination in Shawarma City. With a menu that meanders from shawarma to chicken schnitzel, falafel, skewers of grilled chicken hearts and grilled sweetbreads, a merguez hot dog, a sublime fried eggplant sandwich called sabich — and a wonder of roasted its bread with ground beef called arais.
I can see a day when the sushi bars of Ventura Boulevard have all been replaced by tall towers of grilled meats, perfuming the air with spice and smoke. The traffic jam on the freeway can wait … there’s meat to eat.
Merrill Shindler is a Los Angeles-based freelance dining critic. Email mreats@aol.com.