PORTAGE, MI – Fans of Shawarma King along Kalamazoo’s South Westnedge Avenue will be happy to hear there’s now another Kalamazoo County buffet restaurant featuring Mediterranean cuisine.
It’s actually an existing Portage restaurant, Bab El Salam, which was bought by the Shawarma King owners last summer.
Located in a strip mall on Centre Avenue between Westnedge Avenue and Shaver Road, Bab El Salam operated for years as a combination Mediterranean restaurant and grocery. The new owners have eliminated the grocery and expanded the restaurant space to include three buffet stations, which opened in July.
People “like the buffet a lot at Shawarma King, so we were like, ‘Why don’t we do here?’” said Mohlem Tayara, one of the partners in the business.
He said the staff informally surveyed Bab El Salam customers before making the change.
“We took in customers’ opinions and a lot of people liked the idea,” he said.
The buffet menu mimics the buffet offerings at Shawarma King, with some additions.
“It’s pretty similar, but we have more options” at Bab El Salam, including grilled cauliflower, grilled eggplant, gyro meat, charbroiled chicken and kafta chicken, which is minced chicken mixed with onions, parsley and spices, Tayara said.
At Bab El Salam on Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025, in Portage, Michigan. (Devin Anderson-Torrez | MLive.com)
Other buffet options include beef and chicken shawarma, patties, rice pilaf, mujadara (rice with lentils and caramelized onions), sauteed collard greens, garlic roasted potatoes, mixed vegetables, okra in tomato sauce, as well as vegetable and yellow lentil soups.
Another serving station offers hummus, baba ghanoush (a dip made with roasted eggplant), garlic sauce, tahini, yogurt with cucumbers, green salad and rice pudding. Pita bread is brought to the table.
Only two of the three buffet stations at Bab El Salam are in use right now. But that leaves open the possibility of expanding the menu further in the fall, Tayara said.
At Bab El Salam on Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025, in Portage, Michigan. (Devin Anderson-Torrez | MLive.com)
Because of the expanded menu, the Bab El Salam buffet is priced slightly higher than Shawarma King. At Bab El Salam, the buffet is $16 for lunch, served 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and $19 for dinner.
Lunch prices are $7 for children ages 3 to 6 and $10 for ages 7 to 11. For dinner, it’s $8 and $11 respectively for children. College students get a 10% discount on dinner prices.
In addition to the buffet, Bab El Salam customers also can order off the regular menu or from a list of specials, such as the Chef’s Special – a choice of sandwich paired with soup or salad plus fries, rice or hummus and a drink for $15.
There’s also a deal of two wrap sandwiches for $10, with a choice of chicken kafta, falafel, cauliflower/potato mix and Iraqi kabob, which is a mix of grilled beef and lamb with tomatoes, onion and tahini sauce.
Among the “exclusive” sandwiches at Bab El Salam: The Shadia, which has falafel, tomatoes, pickles, sumac, lemon and tahini for $6; the Sarita (fried cauliflower, tabouli and pickles, $7); the Lisa (falafel, eggplant, hummus, fries, lettuce, tomato, pickles, hot sauce and tahini, $8); the Lyndsey (gyro meat, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, feta, cucumbers, garlic and tzatziki sauce, $7), the Rollans (chicken, falafel, tabouli, hummus and feta, $8) and the Nicole (grilled chicken, fried onions, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, garlic, feta and herb dressing, $8).
At Bab El Salam on Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025, in Portage, Michigan. (Devin Anderson-Torrez | MLive.com)
Another specialty at Bab El Salam: Mint lemonade.
There’s also a long list of regular entrees, including beef shish kabob, shrimp kabob, lamb kabob and lamb or chicken biryani. Entrees come with vegetables, soup or salad and fries, rice or hummus. Most lunch entrees are $14, compared to $17 to $18 for dinner.
For those who can forego the side dishes, kabobs of lamb, beef, shrimp or chicken kafta are $4.50 per skewer.
But for now, most customers are opting for the buffet, Tayara said. It’s especially popular during lunch, because people working in nearby businesses can get in and out during their lunch break.
“It’s quick for them,” he said.
Tayara and his partners have no regrets about taking over Bab El Salam. “It was a great idea,” he said.
Bab El Salam is located in the Portage Centre Plaza and 129 W. Centre Ave. It’s open seven days a week, from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
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Dining and Cooking