“Hey Pete” said my new friend Tim Sasan. “I wonder, who makes the best Shawarma around here?” That was as good a culinary challenge as I’ve ever heard. Do you know?

We were sitting around the Tim’s kitchen table in the Wright Area Action Group neighborhood on a sunny morning visit. Birds were chirping in anticipation of spring, a slight cool breeze blew through the old peach and apricot trees that were suddenly blossoming early, and the tinkling chimes on the porch made me shiver with the anticipation of a culinary adventure as Tim spoke. It turns out Tim is a shawarma master and I was a willing student. He schooled me about shawarma. I had to find out what Tim was swooning about. Who makes the best shawarma around here?

Shawarma simply means “round.” In the food world, that gets translated into a boldly flavored circular, spinning, vertical rotisserie, typically featuring two types of meats, a lamb/beef mixture or chicken. Shawarma are the staple meats of daily street-foods throughout the Middle East although they originated in Turkey. In Greece they have Gyros which are similar, but there are differences, too. Whether served in a pita, a wrap or on an entree plate, along with the shawarma meats you’ll get a house-made hummus of which the chef’s pride plays an important part, pickled cucumbers and onions for acidity and a creamy yogurt ’special sauce’ to top off the dish. In the Greek version there is usually tzatziki sauce instead and not the pickled vegetables. We found two stunning schwarama restaurants for the Sasans’ and your adventurous spirit.

Sonoma County’s long time Prince of Shawarma is Petaluma’s Ozkan (Ozzy) Apaydi’s Real Dönor Turkish Cuisine. Ozzy’s humble little restaurant has been serving up the timeless flavors of fabulous Turkish street food to the West Side neighborhood for the past 13 years. If you aren’t from Petaluma, it’s worth the drive if you want to explore town, get a little Turkish on, and have something different than another pizza or burger.

The shawarma is made daily as this singular restaurant is always in motion. The highlights at Real Dönor are the seemingly simple foods, like shawarma, served with enormously complex and deliciously balanced flavors in dishes made fresh to order at reasonable prices with smiles and fun all about.

Yes, it is a little neighborhood place with just seven wraps and eight entrees on the menu plus appetizers and deserts, but Ozzy knows what he does right. His traditional shawarmas are carved by hand, falafels arrive steaming hot, and the kebabs are all served on beds of fresh vegetables along side of the creamiest hummus you’ll ever taste. The lamb and beef dönor wrap at Petaluma’s Real Dönor is one of Sonoma County’s best bargain meals ($13.95), with mild lamb undertones that are marinated in lovely complex spices, rolled with handfuls of cold refreshing vegetables and gobs of oozing humus all tightly swaddled in a fresh roll. You should go this weekend.

The most unlikely culinary location in this area has a brand new middle eastern restaurant that simply shines like a shawarma Mecca. The downtown Santa Rosa mall’s corner front door restaurant is now called Grill Santa Rosa and the new young proprietor is fantastic. Four months ago, Chef/Owner Haydar Sulu opened the doors with exciting Middle Eastern and Greek delicacies. You know the mall store-front location, but you may not know about Haydar’s shawarma. The Shawarma Plate features creamy mild yogurt sauce that brings out the lush spices in the lamb/beef combo while the chicken shawarma has a broad flavor base of middle eastern earthiness. The brand new Grill Santa Rosa is worth a visit. Walk on over from 4th St. or Railroad Square for a super easy and delicious lunch on the go.

These two restaurants are a rare breed these days. Our alternatives seem to be lessened every day to burgers, tacos, sushi and pizzas or high-end ‘experience’ restaurants. Everyone should take a note from Tim Sasan. Step out of the mold and take the kids to something a little different. While the thought of a shawarma expedition might give my back a little shiver of excitement, I now know that by the end of my meal at Real Dönor or Grill Santa Rosa, my midsection might feel like doing a little Turkish belly dance for the tastes and fun of it all.

You can reach Peter D. Posert at:

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