Middle Eastern Sensation Shawarma Guys Set to Expand in Mira Mesa

A popular street food vendor that got its start in South Park is gearing up to open a sit-down restaurant in Mira Mesa. Shawarma Guys plans to roll out its third San Diego area location at the Village at Mira Mesa complex by the beginning of August, joining Bafang Dumplings, Sunmerry Bakery, and Crumbl Cookies in the newer section of the strip mall.

In 2018, owner Bryan Zeto launched the business out of a food truck posted up in a liquor store parking lot on Grape Street where his Middle Eastern fusion dishes quickly took off, landing Shawarma Guys on the Food Network, atop national food lists, and spawning a first storefront that opened in April.

Zeto’s menu features plates of rotisserie-cooked chicken, Australian wagyu, and vegan shawarma marinated overnight with a spice blend of garlic, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg that come with his housemade garlic sauce, sambal chili sauce, hummus, tabbouleh, and yellow basmati rice. Other customer favorites include the chicken cream chop, falafel, shawarma jalapeno egg rolls, and Middle Eastern wraps made with a tortilla instead of a pita.

Shawarma Guys

A relatively new creation is a shawarma cheesesteak available in wagyu beef, chicken, vegetarian, and vegan options paired with caramelized onions, jalapenos, and bell peppers. “We tried making cheesesteaks when we first opened the truck, but we could only cook eight or nine at a time on the small grill in the food truck,” Zeto tells Eater. Fresh additions to the Mira Mesa menu will include Australian wagyu beef kebabs marinated with kiwi.

Shawarma Guys

After Mira Mesa, Zeto has even more expansion plans for Shawarma Guys, saying that he intends to open its fourth outpost by the end of the year, perhaps north in Carlsbad or south in Eastlake.