A pair of brothers opened a new shawarma spot in Vancouver's West End this week.
Syrian shawarmas are now being served out of Damaskino Shawarma at 835 Denman St.; the family-run spot opened Thursday (Jan. 23, 2025).
The name comes from the Syrian capital, Damascus, the birthplace of brothers Anas and Mo Anwatta, who left Syria when they were teens.
Now, after eight years in Vancouver, they're sharing their hometown flavours with fellow Syrian immigrants and anyone else who wants to stop by.
"The whole idea behind this was to bring the actual, authentic Syrian shawarma to Vancouver since nobody really has it," Anas says.
"I've been here for eight years, and I've tried many shawarma places, and no one has brought the actual authentic taste," he adds. "And I've been working on this recipe for a long time until I decided it was time to open a restaurant."
Anas says the Syrian-style shawarma is a simpler snack or meal compared to what is commonly served around Vancouver now.
"So the shawarma wrap is wrapped in thinner bread than pita bread, and then the ingredients in the wrap would be garlic sauce, pickles, and then to make it extra authentic we put pomegranate molasses in it," Anas explains.
"No vegetables, nothing like that."
This isn't the Alwattas' first time working in the food business: the family ran a cafe in Egypt before coming to Canada.
Damaskino Shawarma replaces Whatafood, a Brazilian street food restaurant that opened up on Denman in 2023. Whatafood still has a location in New Westminster.
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