Images: Interior mock-ups for illustrative purposes (AI-generated)
A new Lebanese street food joint is firing up on Findon Road, with Haddad’s Shawarma soon bringing a proudly authentic Lebanese eatery to Woodville South.
Sure, it hasn’t opened just yet, but from what we can tell, it’ll be the kind of place you come back to every few weeks when there’s a mutual household agreement that nobody is cooking. You’ll be returning for the food, sure, but also for the personality.
Owner Michael Haddad’s passion feels innate, and his excitement is set to carry through into this project. But the path to opening Haddad’s Shawarma hasn’t been direct. For the past 20 years, Michael has been an actor, performing in the touring stage show From Lebanon with Love and its sequel Once Upon a Time with Lebanon, appearing primarily at Sydney’s Enmore Theatre, as well as touring through Melbourne and Adelaide’s Thebarton Theatre.
That background shows up in the food, too. Big, expressive flavours sit at the heart of the menu, which Michael describes, boldly yet humbly, as having “flavours that are so exotic they burst in your mouth.”
When I repeated the quote back to him, he laughed as if to say ‘I don’t think I’m overselling it’, and I’m not doubting for a second that it’s an apt description of the flavour profile.
At the heart of the menu are chicken and lamb shawarmas, layered with unmistakably Lebanese spices. “If you’ve had one, you understand,” Michael says, before rightly heroing the garlic sauce.
That garlic sauce, along with tahini and other staples, will be made in-house, alongside falafels and salads like fattoush and tabouli. Many of the recipes come straight from Michael’s mum, including homemade hummus and falafel.
Expect skewers like kafta, lamb mishwe, made from lamb backstrap, and shawarma carved fresh from the spit. With wraps, mixed grills served with rice, salad or chips, and vegetarian options including cauliflower with tahini, loubyie beans, and falafel, the menu is designed to be quick and delicious. After much consideration, he’s also added the iconic AB or HSP to the menu.
There’ll also be a nostalgic favourite many Lebanese grew up with: the chip wrap. Stuffed with garlic sauce, coleslaw, fries and tomato sauce, then toasted on the grill, Michael promises it’ll “blow your mind.”
Inside, although primarily made for takeaway orders, you’ll be able to take a seat and smash a shawarma while you take in the undoubtedly buzzing atmosphere. The fit-out is still underway, but Michael has big plans to lean into personality rather than polish. A graffiti feature wall will display the Haddad’s Shawarma name.
Michael tells us he’d love to incorporate the history of shawarma in some way, tracing its roots from Turkey to Lebanon. The idea has been years in the making. While Michael’s parents have long worked in takeaway food, he always knew he wanted to open something of his own in Adelaide that reflected the food he grew up with at home.
The new venue joins a popular food strip, sitting alongside Docee and Z-Town Burgers, creating what Michael describes as a little neighbourhood food hub.
Haddad’s Shawarma is expected to open in the coming weeks, trading from Tuesday to Sunday, with late nights on Fridays and Saturdays and lunch from 11am.
Haddad’s Shawarma
Where: 115 Findon Road, Woodville South
When: Expected to open early 2026
@haddads_shawarma
