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. The new local is expected to open its doors on Friday, 27 March at 115 Findon Road, Woodville South.
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. “Very exciting stuff. I can’t wait to experience, you know, share that experience.” 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 leans into personality rather than polish. A graffiti feature wall will display the Haddad’s Shawarma name. “Just putting it all together and having people come to the door asking, ‘when are you opening’ has been super exciting,” Michael says. “I’ve been telling them 2 or 3 weeks for the last 4 months,” he laughs. But having the opening right around the corner is clearly both a relief, and a point of absolute excitement.
Michael tells us he’d eventually 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 will trade Tuesday to Sunday 11am to 10:30pm, and till 1am Friday and Saturday night.
Haddad’s Shawarma
Where: 115 Findon Road, Woodville South
When: Expected to open Friday, 27 March
@haddads_shawarma
