Seasoned beef, lamb or chicken wrapped in soft pita with a slathering of garlic sauce.
Those are just some of the ingredients, and some of what we love, about shawarma, the classic Middle Eastern street food that’s quite popular in metro Detroit.
This area is full of places with Middle Eastern fare, many noted for its shawarma. And as the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments get closer to unveiling their brackets, we’re getting ready to do the same.
Welcome to the 2026 Detroit Free Press Shawarma Showdown. We want to know which restaurant in metro Detroit serves up the best hand-held, sandwich-style shawarma, using a 16-restaurant bracket to determine the champion. And we need your help to fill out the bracket.
How the 2026 Free Press Shawarma Showdown works
We know that Middle Eastern cuisine is huge and uniquely popular in metro Detroit, with so many places well known for shawarma. Is it the seasoning? The garlic sauce? The soft pita?
Submit your nomination, using this form or the form below, for a go-to spot in metro Detroit serving your favorite shawarma that deserves to be among the 16 in the Shawarma Showdown bracket.
To ensure the playing field is level, no chains will be included. Nominees should be an independent, favorite, go-to spot for shawarma any time of the year or for any event.
The deadline for nominations is 11:59 p.m. Sunday, March 15. Once all nominations are in, we will review them and unveil the 16-restaurant bracket and open first-round voting on Tuesday, March 17.
In the coming weeks, we will announce the winners of each round and open up voting for subsequent rounds. The field will narrow down to the two best places and, finally, an overall winner.
Best of luck to all our competing restaurants!
Can’t see the form below? Tap here to submit your nominations.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Which metro Detroit restaurant has the best shawarma? Submit your nominations!
Reporting by Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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