Alibaba Shawarma: Happiness in a Wrap

From a humble food kiosk to an independent establishment, Alibaba Shawarma satisfies your craving for good food that is light on the budget. Alibaba Shawarma first started at Felcris Centrale last July, 31^st 2015. The store is located in the supermarket area alongside other well-known food stalls.

At first glance, you would really be curious to try this new shawarma stall – Why? 1. Their brand name sounds authentically legit 2. Big serving size 3. Their prices might not be identical with their other shawarma brothers; but still, curiosity hits you – who doesn’t love a freshly wrapped shawarma? The smell hmmmm I can’t even! Anyway, even though the brand is new I am very much happy that they were able to let the people see their ability to create delicious food that is way over-qualified for just a quick pick-me-up snack or a food stall snack, at least to my opinion.

We see a lot of new food stalls or restaurants that come and go but Alibaba Shawarma has its own strong spots to stay in this competitive industry. Due to its exemplary goodness that wowed consumers in a trade fare they participated last Araw ng Davao at SM Lanang Premiere, Alibaba Shawarma started planning to have its own place wherein people can dine and enjoy the comforts of these babies. Finally the wait is over, this coming April 15 they will have their grand opening of their new branch located beside Sumo Asia Hotel at Mamay Road, Lanang.

The place is quite accessible. If you are one of those who are always up to date with the new food spots in Davao you might as well heard of the area beside Sumo Asia Hotel. It is the latest food go-to wherein you can see different restaurants having their own signature cuisines on a more relaxed ambiance. For those of you who don’t know the area, it is just a few meters away from Damosa Gateway. Alibaba Shawarma is located at the left side of the compound, just look for the yellow door and you’re on the right place.

The restaurant is homie with its wooden walls and furniture; moreover, the dim lighting compliments the whole experience. You can opt for the enclosed air-conditioned area during hot afternoons and maybe dine on their open space right in front for cheerful evenings with friends. What I also like is that you can see their kitchen from a glass partition that separates the customer area and the cooks. This means that they are transparent to what they serve us and they value the importance of cleanliness and food hygiene.

Now for their food, I already mentioned above how I rate their shawarmas but I’ll briefly do a run down on their major products so that you would know why I think they deserve to stay as a Dabawenyo staple.

Most of their food are homemade; from the sauces to pita wraps, and even their special Tahini paste. These ingredients are then assembled as similar to how a Lebanese would create a shawarma – talk about authenticity. Their meat are carefully prepared a day before to ensure uniformity of flavor and quality. In addition, the proprietor Ms. Johanna Celi-Cifra took time to scout around famous shawarma places in Manila and Dubai to name a few, so that she can serve us the best and richest flavors a piece of shawarma has to offer. Need I say more?

“We don’t want to compromise. We always go for quality” – Johanna Celi-Cifra

Must-Try

Shawarma Pocket. It’s a new and exciting way of having a shawarma. Forget the messy rolls! Have them in pockets. Done with a precise technique that is highly mastered by Alibaba Shawarma, you got to try one for yourself!

 

 

Mangorind Iced tea, it’s an iced tea with a mango and tamarind fusion. I can honestly attest that this is by far the best iced tea I’ve tasted in Davao City. Its sweetness and unique flavor matches their flavorful shawarma. “Yung tipong unang tikim mo pa, kalahati na iced tea mo sasarap” Alibaba Shawarma is the first to serve mangorind iced tea here in Davao.

Shawarma rice (turmeric rice), doesn’t taste artificial at all! The turmeric powder or sauce they used to flavor their rice tasted fantastic! Not too strong and yet the pungent flavor of turmeric is still there. Together with their shawarma meat and greens, totally a palate pleaser! Will be back for more of this 🙂

Price Ranges

I think the clichéd line “you get what you pay for” would not suffice at all – dahilang sarap!! Sulit na sulit kasi mura! You can have a big serving of shawarma or shawarma rice for less than a hundred pesos, wow!

For the soft opening (April 11, Monday), they will be giving away FREE Mangorind Iced tea for an order of shawarma as a promo until the grand opening on the 15^th. YES!! You read it right, FREE Mangorind!! Other things to look out for would be some new additions to their menu (teaser: Shawarma Fries and Fries on your shawarma, dear god!!), alcoholic beverages will soon be available too!

Alibaba Shawarma, surely is a HAPPINESS IN A WRAP.

Follow them on Instagram: alibabashawarma

Like them on Facebook: alibabashawarmaph