Riverwest's ‘Shawarma King’ serves up a royal hospitality

Photos by Kamal Moon

Yazan Al-Rifai, owner of Shawarma King on Center St. in Milwaukee found his calling in the restaurant industry.

Shawarma King serves authentic Middle Eastern cuisine from the heart of the Riverwest neighborhood. Situated at 2713 N Bremen St, Shawarma King opened in 2019 and is a local favorite, open late and serving large portions. The restaurant primarily does take-out with limited seating for customers available. Owner Yazan Al-Rifai takes pride in his establishment’s consideration for customer satisfaction.

Originally from Jordan, Yazan Al-Rifai came to the US in 2015. Before entering the restaurant industry he had worked as an accountant. In his youth, Al-Rifai would often help his family in the kitchen. “They always told me that I’d have something good for my future if I ever wanted to cook or own a restaurant,” he recalls.

When Al-Rifai arrived in America, he worked for a friend’s catering company and often received compliments on his food. “People started telling me that I should open my own restaurant,” he continues. “I started thinking about it.”

After Al-Rifai found a suitable location for Shawarma King, he followed a step-by-step process bringing it to life. Not having a lot of money at first, Al-Rifai worked excruciatingly long days for nearly two years, sometimes for up to 17 hours a day. He remembers, “There were some days I slept on the restaurant floor.”

Shawarma King’s location is nestled right off of Center Street, which is lined by Riverwest’s primary business district. Next door to the restaurant is Shi Chai Hookah Lounge and across the street is the popular Foundation Tiki Bar as well as music venue Quarters Rock ‘n Roll Palace. The Daily Bird, a brightly-colored coffee shop, is right around the corner.

“I really like our location,” Al-Rifai says. “The neighborhood has been really good to us.”

Shawarma King’s menu features a variety of classic Middle Eastern dishes including falafel, shawarma, pita bread, hummus, kabab, shish tawook, burgers, Arabic salad and baklava. Combo dinner platters are available as well as both cold and hot appetizers. Their family platters may serve up to ten people.

According to Al-Rifai, Shawarma King ran into its biggest challenges keeping employees during COVID times. Now five years in, Shawarma King currently has four employees (excluding Al-Rifai). “We’ve been doing well since then,” he affirms.

In his mission to make Shawarma King a unique dining experience, Al-Rifai takes customer feedback to heart. If someone has suggestions about a menu item, service efficiency or improvement with the restaurant’s promotion, he listens with intention. “We heard complaints about the foam plates we used to have so now we use plastic plates,” he gives as an example.

Halal burgers are on the menu!

Shawarma King also makes an effort to serve larger portions for lower prices and with bigger flavors. Google reviews indicate that the restaurant succeeds. “I see customers saying those things all the time,” Al-Rifai attests. “Someone has told me that when they buy a plate, they have enough food for three days.”

Their busiest weekend of the year has consistently been the Riverwest24, a 24-hour bike race that takes place annually during the last weekend of July. “If I have the staff for it, I’m thinking about opening at 6 a.m. that weekend,” Al-Rifai contends. “We get really busy with the street festivals over the summer.”

No skimping on quality ingredients, portions or flavors.

The food has become so popular that locals have requested catering from Shawarma King. Alas, Al-Rifai cannot take such requests because he does not have enough room in the restaurant for it. “I thought about having a food truck but decided not to since it gets so slow in the winter time,” Al-Rifai notes.

An eventual second Shawarma King location Yazan Al-Rifai does not rule out. Ideally it would have a larger dining room space. “I always want to keep my customers happy and coming back, and it would be great if we had more room,” he concludes.

This past winter, Shawarma King gave away beanie hats where customers who come to the restaurant wearing it get a discount on food. They plan to continue the deal by way of new Shawarma King baseball caps coming in soon.