How to Order Egyptian Shawerma

To know how to order Egyptian Shawarma is a rite of passage.

It’s one of the most popular street foods in Egypt, and oh so delicious.

But if you really want to order one, it can be difficult to know what to say.

And if you really want to get what you ask for, you just gotta speak their language.

Today, Cleo Lingo will be explaining…..how to order Egyptian shawarma.

Vocabulary To Order Egyptian Shawarma

There are two types of meat you will see being cooked: chicken and “meat.” While we all know what chicken is, the meat you will see is a bit more “up in the air.” Some people say it’s horses; others say it donkeys. 🙁

Whatever it is, we prefer not to think about it. Chicken and meat. Just stick with that.

Chicken shawerma : “shawWEREmuh fuhREKH”

.شاورما فراخ

Meat shawerma : “shawWEREmuh LAWHmuh”

.شاورما لحمة

That’s it for vocabulary to order Egyptian shawarma.

Let’s move onto phrases.

Phrases To Order Egyptian Shawarma

Different restaurants might have their own names for sizes, but here are the most common names as well  as how big they are.

Can I please have a large / medium / small shawermuh? : “Moomkin low suhMAWHT shahWEREmuh kaBEER / WUHsut / sooGHEYErr?”

ممكن لو سمحت شاورما كبير / وسط / سغير؟

Let’s get more specific, though, and learn what you will actually see on menus.

Big / Syrian / Kaiser shawerma. : “shawWEREmuh kawBEER / SAWgg / SOOree / KEYEzrr”

.شاورما كبير/ صاج / سوري / كايزر

There is a big difference between Syrian (SOOree) shawermas and French roll (kabeer, or “large”) shawermas.

We won’t spoil the surprise for you, but go find out for yourself. Everybody has a preference.

When you order Egyptian shawarma, there’s a sauce they put on your sandwich called tawheenuh.

But if you don’t want it?

Without tawheena. : “Men GHEER tawHEEnuh.”

.من غير طحينة

Deciding Where To Eat

I will eat here. : “Ana HEHkole HEHnuh.”

.انا هاكل هنا

Takeaway, please. : “TAKE uhWAY, LOW suhMAWHT.”

.تيك اواي لو سمحت

Same word, just emphasized a bit differently.

Usually you will get this “takeaway,” but if you are eating at a restaurant, we also have you covered.

You can read some good stuff in our post about how to order at a restaurant in Egyptian Arabic.

And to tell them to hurry up with your food:

Quickly, please! : “beeSOOraw’aw, low suhMAWHT!”

!بسرعة لو سمحت

If you want a bag:

Can I have a bag? : “MOOmkin KEES / MOOmkin SHUNtuh?”

ممكن كيس / ممكن سنطة؟

“Kees” is more the bag for chips, but it still works.

In case you don’t hear:

How much/is that? : “KEHM KEHduh / beeKEHM KEHduh / beeKEHM?”

كم كدة / بكم كدة / بكم؟

We’ve got all sorts of these questions covered in a previous post:

And when you order Egyptian shawarma, here is how you finish it up:

Is there change / Do you have change? : “Fee FEKuh / MAW’kk FEHkuh?”

That’s pretty much it. If you know how to say the kind of meat, size, and and few other things, you’ll be a shawarma expert in no time.

And in case you are feeling thirsty, how to order juice in Egyptian Arabic is also a great skill to have.

Just to add to your already full stomach.

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Culture Corner

We have a specific recommendation for you today, if you are a beer loving foreigner.

Horreya.

This is one of Cairo’s most famous bars (if not the most famous bar). It has a long history, and you can’t really “do” Cairo without at least giving it a look. It’s located a 5 minute walk from Tahrir Square, and quite easy to find.

However, for our purposes today….it’s also located right next door to GAD. This is an Egyptian restaurant, and….you guessed it! One of their specialties is shawarma. If you’re so inclined, you can bring your sandwich into Horreya bar and imbibe in both at the same time.

And in that case, knowing how to buy alcohol in Egypt might help.

Give this a try. There’s something magical about a shawarma/Stella combo. Especially during the summer, when it’s too hot to do almost anything else.

Delicious indeed.

Good luck with that mystery meat. 🙂

(And just as an added bonus, a message from the Shawarma Master himself):

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Happy learning,

Cleo Lingo