The Best Shawarma in Los Angeles Is a Glendale Argument
Every neighborhood in Los Angeles has a shawarma opinion, and we respect that. Ours is simple: the best shawarma in this city comes off a spit that never stops turning, in a part of town that takes the dish seriously. That part of town is Glendale, and that spit is ours.
What "best" actually means for shawarma
"Best" gets thrown around loosely in LA food talk, so let's define it. Best shawarma is not a trophy on a wall — it is a checklist you can run on any visit, any hour. Is the meat carved off a vertical spit, or scooped lukewarm from a tray where it has been sweating since lunch? Is the meat marinated overnight, so the flavor runs deeper than the surface? Is the garlic sauce made in the building, or does it arrive in tubs off a truck? Is the bread fresh enough to fold without cracking? And is the place actually open when the craving hits?
We built Patar Shawarma to pass that checklist every single day, not once for a photographer. If a shop near you passes it too, good — eat there when you are on that side of town. But run the list honestly and the field gets thin fast.
The spit never sits
Our vertical spits run from open at 11 AM until the last carve before 2 AM. That matters because shawarma is a dish of edges — the caramelized outer layer that crisps as the cone turns past the heat. Carve a ribbon off, the next layer rotates in, browns, and gets carved in turn. A spit that only fires for the dinner rush gives you maybe two hours of those edges a day. Ours gives you fifteen.
It also means there is no good time and bad time to come. The cut you get at 3 PM on a Tuesday and the cut you get at 1:30 AM on a Saturday come off the same turning cone, the same way.
Toum made in-house, bread that holds up
Garlic sauce is where a lot of otherwise decent shawarma falls apart. Ours is toum whipped in-house — garlic, oil, lemon, salt, and patience — until it stands up on a spoon and hits with that clean, sharp burn that makes you take the next bite faster. No shortcuts, no mayo base pretending.
The wrap matters just as much. We roll in fresh lavash or pita, griddled so the bread picks up the juices instead of surrendering to them. A great wrap should survive the drive home. Ours does.
Why Glendale, of all places
LA's shawarma map runs through Hollywood, the Valley, and a dozen strip malls in between, but Glendale is its own capital. The Armenian and Middle Eastern communities here grew up on this food, which means the audience is educated and unforgiving. You do not survive on Colorado Street serving mediocre shawarma — the neighborhood simply will not allow it.
We are family-run, at 625 E Colorado St, open 11 AM to 2 AM every day. Come run the checklist yourself. Pickup at (747) 377-0707, or find us on DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub.
Questions, answered
What makes Patar Shawarma stand out among LA shawarma spots?+
Four things you can verify on any visit: the vertical spits run all day so the meat is carved fresh, every cut is marinated overnight, the toum is whipped in-house, and we are open until 2 AM daily — so the standard holds at 1 AM, not just at dinner.
Is there parking near the shop?+
Yes — street parking along Colorado St and the surrounding blocks, plus lot parking near the building. Pickup orders are usually in and out in a couple of minutes.
Do you deliver beyond Glendale?+
We are on DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub, and each app sets its own delivery radius — most of the surrounding neighborhoods are covered. If you are outside the zone, pickup at 625 E Colorado St is fast; call (747) 377-0707 and it will be ready when you arrive.
Find us on Colorado St
Patar Shawarma · 625 E Colorado St, Glendale, CA 91205
Get directions →Patar Shawarma · 625 E Colorado St, Glendale, CA 91205 · (747) 377-0707 · Open daily 11:00 AM – 2:00 AM