Mawadda Cafe

I give the Gyro and Chicken Shawarma a 5 star rating but overall experience is the reason why I give it 3 stars. The time it takes is extremely long so either bring a book if you go in and order or just make an order over the phone to save yourself from sitting there. I can’t stress enough on the length of time it takes but please take note and just order for pickup.

Nothing bad you can say about this place the Chicken Shwarma dinner plate was flipping amazing. The boclava was sweet and tasty the chai tea was warm and cinnamon ginger like flavor. We will be back for more

I had a really good takeout lunch here. I had the #4 veggie combo (falafel, spanakopita, dolomathes, salad) and it was great. Falafel was just right, hummus and side sauces were excellent, and the attendants were very kind! Great for a quick lunch in the south end.

I love this place. I come here just about every Friday for their veggie plate. Great flavors good prices and friendly enough service. It’s got a very relaxed atmosphere and is great for take out.

Spicy chicken and gyro sandwiches are great! I recommend ordering ahead and picking up, but if you do eat inside, they keep it very warm :)
Also, the prices are very reasonable.

Wow, amazing food, I had the lamb gyro with fries and tons of their garlic sauce. My husband and I are happy to have finally eaten here and we have put it in our favorite food list! I highly recommend trying the food at this wonderful place.

I called in to order a beef and lamb gyro today and the guy took my order and then immediately hung up on me. He didnt take my name or a call back number which was strange to me.
About 30 minutes later my boyfriend arrives at the establishment and describes my order. There was no one in the restaurant except the chef and cashier. They then informed him they gave it to another customer because I called an hour ago and they dont hold onto food that long. My boyfriend had to ask them to make me another one they didnt even offer! I texted him to come home, the whole point of ordering ahead was not to wait for them to cook the gyro, as many have said on Unilocal they take a while to prepare an order. It was clear they had never put the order in.
I was so disgusted with that ordeal i didnt want this café to receive my business. I will not be back and will instead try another greek restaurant nearby next time i am craving greek food.

Very friendly, excellent food. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone, vegetarian or meat eater alike. The lamb was delicious.

Chicken sandwich. Greek fries. Husband got lamb shawarma. And then we died and went to heaven the food was THAT good! Definitely will be frequenting Mawadda!!!

I think it would be pretty hard to find better Middle Eastern food for the price anywhere in Seattle. Super super authentic dishes, really fresh, great taste, and makes for awesome leftovers.
This is definitely more of a take-​out spot.

Had the gyro plate and a side of fries. Large portions of meat rice and side salad. Everything is made fresh at the time of order so it’s more of a sit down restaurant than a to go fast food place. People that work the kitchen are super nice since I live close by and come here a lot. There was one time I asked if they had lentil soup and the chef said that normally it’s not on the menu but he had made some from scratch for himself and was willing to give me a bowl for free! Not too many places offer that anymore so this place is really my neighborhood gem.
The fries come with lots of Parmesan and fresh dill sprinkled on top which isn’t to my personal preference so if you’re like me ask them to serve the potatoes naked.
Overall this is a good local spot for gyro with a kind and generous staff. Keep it up guys! Lucky to have you in my hood.

Delicious food – i wish they had Arabic coffee and red lentil soup though. But this Detroit native is SOOOO HAPPY to have Middle Eastern food again in her hood that it’s ridiculous!
The biggest downside is the service. It’s incompetent. Expect to have to get up and ask the people at the counter for water, silverware, ect. They won’t bring any of those things with your plate of food. Modifications on your order… that’s kinda one if those things you should expect to do without as well.

Good food. The location is not the best because getting in and out of the parking lot can be quite a challenge. It is a smallish place with booths and tables. You order at the counter and if you are eating in they bring your food to your table. The prices are reasonable, but everything is about $ 1.00 more than they list on their online menu. They don’t have you pay until your food is done, which sometimes means standing in line twice. It can take a while to get your food, whether you dine in or take out or order ahead.
They serve chai and have canned sodas and bottled drinks. The meat is halal. I really love their chicken kebab. The chicken is flavorful and moist and filling. And the gyros are also tasty and flavorful. Their kofta is sweeter than I am used to. They make their hummus there and it’s great! You can get things as either a wrap or a dinner plate, which comes with a ton of saffron rice and salad with this wonderful garlic sauce. The greek fries are good. They have things you wouldn’t expect like a spaghetti dish. I haven’t had anything here that I wouldn’t have again. Well, maybe not the kofta. Not because it’s bad, it’s just not what I’m used to.
Mawadda is a go-​to spot for me.

The best Greek food I’ve ever had! They have the most amazing gyros in town and that’s saying a lot. I recommend this place to all of my friends and love coming here. The Baklava is also so so good! Great place!

When I first dined here about a year ago, the chicken kabob plate was not good. Very dry chicken, bland rice. The service was awkward — I couldn’t really understand what the counter person/​server wanted me to do — pay now? pay later? The food came out really slow even though we were the only ones in there. I decided at the time that I would not come back.
I was convinced by the BF to come here again because he had a great experience a few days ago. I trust his taste in food so we visited again together. The food was much better. Great hummus! The gyro sandwich was quite decent. Comes with fries which is yummy when dipped in the hummus. The gyro is not the «best in Seattle» as their door sign would claim but still worth trying! …The service has not improved a lick. It is still awkward AF and basically non-​existent. First awkward moment was when I wanted a Chai tea and the employee just points to the right — wha? Where? the fridge? oh, the thermos? OK — where are the cups? OH — I see. *Pours self drink awkwardly…*
Second awkward moment was when we wanted to order extra pita and hummus but the cook/​service person basically told us no. HAHA! We never got an explanation — we just never got it. Flat out DENIED! …And they only gave us 1 napkin for the BOTH of us., no utensils either. I walked up to the counter looking for some napkins and utensils but they were nowhere to be found and the 2 people working that day ignored me… Weird place!
We also noticed a couple that was in there before us — they didn’t have their food when we walked in and they still didn’t have their food when we finished and walked out. …Are they still waiting~? Haha…

Sometimes a girl just needs a gyro in her life and with the cc Chicago style gyro place still closed I needed to research available options. Enter Mawadda Café!
Gyro with tzatziki only — pretty tasty
Greek fries with garlic sauce — expectations exceeded
Chai — they were out, minus one star for my sadness.
In the future when the craving strikes I know where I’ll be heading.

This is the King of all Mawadda Cafes in the Seattle area. Regardless of what you see… the taste is what makes this place amazing and worth 5 stars.
Every Mawadda café is a little different in their food preparations, but the quality at this one is better in general. Everything tastes livelier and fresher.
Aesthetics aside the food is excellent.
I go with the Chicken shawarma sandwich often. It’s season perfectly, but has a bit of a spicy kick which is excellent if you enjoy some heat.
My second choice is usually the Gyro sandwiches.
The Gyro meat here is some of the best tasting gyro meat I’ve ever had. Once that sandwich is all put together it’s an amazing combination of savory meatiness and bright freshness perfectly wrapped up together.
I haven’t been disappointed once.
I’ve probably gone here like 20 times now and I’m always satisfied with the sandwiches.

I love love love their gyros! Make sure you say sandiwch though, im not sure how to order food sometimes. I usually call ahead of time because it takes a while for them to make the food. You can either eat in, or take out.
I usually order either the lamb, spicy chicken, or lamb sharwma gyro. The lamb sharwma gyro is cook like cubed lamb pieces with tomatoes, its really good. But the first time i ordered the lamb sharwma, it came out like the combo meal picture, i think it’s number 12, which was still really good! but not what i wanted. Make sure you comfirm with them if its a gyro or not.
The garlic sauce is to die for, it’s an extra 50 cents, but its totally worth it. My go-​to place for authentic gyros!

Mediterranean food with plates and sandwiches. I’m a sandwich (gyro) fan and I love the gyro place in U district (Aladdin’s). They have gyros for $ 5 and a combo meal for $ 7. At the Mawadda Café, their sandwiches were about $ 6 and combo for $ 9. The guy who was taking our order was super nice and I got a beef and lamb gyro sandwich (what I normally get at Aladdin) to compare.
I got the combo and they had an array of drinks you can choose from ranging from San Pellegrino to Vitamin water to asian canned fruit drinks. At Aladdin, you only got to choose soda. After we ordered he said don’t worry about it now just have a seat and we’ll bring your food to you. He was really nice and we paid at the end of our meal.
My bf got the chicken shawarma (which had a really different flavoring than mine). The gyro sandwich was a little different than Aladdin’s. There was more yogurt sauce and they have cucumbers that brought a freshness to the gyro. There was also a TON of meat.
I would definitely come back if I’m craving gyros!

I normally stick to the spicy chicken gyro combo w/​Greek fries. It’s honestly not even that spicy which I actually like. They include a generous amount of meat in their gyros! The chicken is packed with a curry flavor. It definitely has more flavor than the regular beef and lamb gyro, which is why I always get it. The Greek fries are amazing, my only issue is that the portion size of the fries aren’t consistent. I’ve never had a bad experience with anything that I’ve ordered here, but the chicken gyro is a MUST if you like gyros and want something different w/​a kick. Whatever you order, you have to make sure you ask for the garlic sauce! It’s addicting!
Not every visit requires a long wait, but when it does the food is totally worth it. I know there are a lot of reviews regarding the wait times, but call ahead to speed up the process if you know you will be short on time. Otherwise, come here if you a little more time on your hands.
The staff will not bend over backwards for you, but they do what they can to meet your needs. Don’t let the negative reviews turn you away from one of the best gyros and Greek fries you’ll ever have!