I recently moved to Pembroke from The Shawarma capital of the world (Ottawa). That makes me a tough customer to please when it comes to this stuff.
When I moved here, the place was recommended to me by everyone. Whether they recommended it because of the food or for the fact that it's a patriotic fixture in this town, i can't say. In any case, this review is based solely on the food and customer experience.
I've had take-out twice for dinner. The first time was kafta, the second was chicken shawarma plate. Both times, the girl who puts the stuff together took care to reheat the rice over the stove and do up other details like garnishing the hummus and potatoes. All of that extra effort (and waiting) cranks up ones expectations. The price is on the higher side for shawarma: $16 for the chicken and more for the kafta.
I really appreciate all the effort this professional looking cook puts into my lebanese fast food. Unfortunately, all those extra pots and pans that will need to be washed, plus the extra time the customer has to wait do not produce a tastier shawarma.
The kafta I had the first time was so dry and overcooked, I had a hard time chewing it. The chicken was ok, mostly dark meat. The hummus is plain. Same for the rice.
Most disappointing of all, the value for your money here is bad. I was still hungry after taking what should be big orders: kafta plate and chicken plate. The plate orders are significantly more expensive than the sandwitch orders. That should mean more food. But it doesn't work like that here.
In sum, what you pay for at Madameek is an expensive cooking show afterwhich you get to take home very little food. read more