Not everything is great (e.g. dubious hamburger) at Max’s Kosher Cafe (2319 University), but the schawarma (their spelling) is among Wheaton’s finest sandwiches, up there with Marchone’s meatball sub and Saigonese’s bahn mi. At $8 for the big stuffed pita, it makes an excellent lunch.
A very bad picture of a very good sandwich
It is also participatory entertainment, as the guy behind the schawarma counter slices hot steaming lamb shards from the rotisserie right into the pita, and then negotiates with you on what else to stuff in there. These onions? Sure. Those onions? Why not. A third kind of onions? If you insist, my good man. Sauce, yes, but which one? Turns out the “very hot” sauce is not very hot, but that’s okay, it adds some juice to the package as does the hummus. Of course I want the hummus.
Also tahini. He eyed me warily when I hesitated about the tahini, and when I said sure, a little, I got about two ounces of tahini — approximately four times more than what I would call “a little.” Which was fine, since he knows better than I do what makes a great schawarma. Delicious.
Good Eatin' In Wheaton 