Beit Shawarma opened in Evanston on March 13, featuring an authentic Middle Eastern and Mediterranean menu.
For the owners, the flavors taste very familiar.
Beit Shawarma at 1601 Simpson St.
“We need something that tastes like home,” said Seifeldin Zaky, one of the co-owners who was born in Egypt. “The people [in Evanston] don’t know how our food tastes.”
Business so far
Since opening, business has performed above expectations, Zaky said. Customers have already reviewed the location favorably online and shared it on social media.
“The reviews on Google Maps — every day, it makes our day,” he said.
Zaky and his co-owners, Ahmed Hemdan and Khaled Yehia, chose Evanston specifically for its community, Zaky said. While Zaky lives in Lincolnwood, Yehia and his sister, who is also involved in the restaurant, both live in Evanston.
“We would definitely love to take care of the community and beyond,” Yehia said.
Yehia grew up in Evanston and graduated from Evanston Township High School, so for him, taking care of the community really is taking care of home.
To get their name out to the neighbors, Beit Shawarma has been handing out discount vouchers around the neighborhood near their restaurant — “just showing them some love,” Yehia said. “We know how to accommodate people.”
Beit Shawarma will host a grand opening at some point in the future, but right now, the owners are just getting things off the ground.
The interior of Beit Shawarma so far. The owners said this decor will soon be revamped. Credit: Margo Milanowski
On the menu
Beit Shawarma at 1601 Simpson St. features menu items like shawarma, kofta and kabab, all of which Zaky recommended.
“Our most important goal was to have a really traditional place,” when it comes to food, Yehia said.
Besides being community focused and offering traditional flavors, Beit Shawarma also focuses on offering food that is actually good for you.
“Really good food is important because you are like a doctor,” Zaky said. He added that the restaurant’s food will end up “inside of [customers], so it has to be clean and healthy.”
This goal even helped earn Beit Shawarma its spot, as the landlord liked their healthy approach to food.
“Especially when she knew that we were opening Mediterranean cuisine, she welcomed us a lot,” Zaky said. “I believe we were offering a cheaper offer [for rent], and she went with us instead of a fried chicken [restaurant].”
Space with a history
Before Beit Shawarma, the 1601 Simpson St. location held another Evanston institution: Fanny’s.
Beit Shawarma honors the former establishment with a sign on their wall, citing Fanny’s as a place that “welcomed the Evanston community with warmth, shared meals, and familiar faces.”
The sign shares with patrons that Beit Shawarma doesn’t want to erase the history at 1601 Simpson St, but rather carry it forward.
“Our food comes from a different tradition, but our values are the same: hospitality, simplicity and respect for the people who walk through the door,” the sign reads.
Fanny’s Italian served patrons from 1946 until 1987, and years after its prime, Chicago Magazine named it among the area’s top 40 restaurants of all time.
According to Chicago Magazine, Kraft Foods offered owner Fanny Bianucci $75,000 for her salad dressing recipe, and she said no. Famous patrons were known to visit the restaurant, including Marshall Field III.
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