Best Shawarma Lives Up To Its Name | Glendale, Los Angeles

Spits sporting beef and chicken shawarma are common sights in Los Angeles.

But Glendale's new Best Shawarma takes extra turns.

The modern restaurant, which has Russian-Armenian roots, features overhead LED menus and has spits touting both of those familiar meats, plus one rarely seen: lamb.

Each of the shawarmas comes with a different marinade. A dark, umami-rich blend complements savory, fat-rimmed beef; leaner chicken gets a lighter, peppery soak; and a slightly sweeter marinade counterbalances the funk of that lamb, which arrives in caramelized, intensely flavored bits.

Sandwiches ($8) are available wrapped in plain pita, a more pliant lavash or a burnished roll. The kitchen piles on tomato, onion and cilantro, and judiciously applies a flavored mayonnaise, aka "house special sauce." Plates ($12 to $15) come with white rice, vinaigrette-dressed salad, red-pepper-spiked hummus and a pool of nutty tahini sauce, perfect for meat-dipping. You can add a fresh-fried, herb-flecked falafel ball for 99 cents more.

Best Shawarma serves other dishes too, such as White Filet Mignon Soup ($3.50) seasoned with tangy yogurt, and a relatively mild bowl of harissa porridge with shredded chicken ($7). Charbroiled kebabs, beef lule and veal ribs are also available, but it's more fun to sit and spin.

Best Shawarma, 602 W. Glenoaks Blvd., Glendale; 818-550-7577 or bestshawarmas.com