Last week we went over some of the finest shawarma spots in Nizhny Novgorod. It goes without saying that, traditionally, these delicious wraps all have some meat products in them, often chicken or beef. Interestingly though, or should I say interesting for me coming from Turkey, there are in fact some vegetarian shawarmas in Russia as well. These are not necessarily full of protein, as in, they often do not replace the “lost” meat with some tofu or beans, or something along those lines. They come in a few varieties, all focusing on veggies, a signature sauce, and some carbs to work as a quick fix for your hunger, at a very affordable price. I enjoyed devouring all that I listed below, though this time, I will have to pick an actual winner given the fact that the last item on this short list simply blew our minds off as we ate it, even though we were eating it after having an actual dinner just a few minutes ago… It goes without saying that due to the “wrapped” design of a, well, wrap, I had to take photos of all these shawarmas after taking a few bites out of them first. If you cannot stand to see some bite marks you may want to skip this one.
NON Bakery – https://yandex.com/maps/-/CCUrYUwI0B
I did mention that NON Bakery had some of the cheapest wraps in the city last week, with its vegetarian shawarma dipping to an unbelievable 125 roubles. This is that shawarma! Well, I asked for some cheese in it, so that upped the price to 150 roubles, but given its enormous size that is still nothing much to think about. It relies heavily on carrots, cucumbers, and iceberg lettuce, with literally exactly three sizeable potato wedges to stand in for the meat. The sauce is good, but nothing to write home about. Once again, it is huge, it is cheap, and it is fast. It will get the job done and leave you full for at least 4-5 hours. You should definitely ask for the cheese though; it adds some protein and makes the wrap tastier at the same time.
Ta Samaya Shaurma Na Srednom – https://tasamaya-shaurma.ru
City’s most popular destination for anything wrapped obviously has a vegetarian shawarma too, though I must say that much like their “normal” shawarmas, this could not reach a level beyond mediocracy for me as well. It is sadly very unimaginative, as in, the only thing that changes here is the omission of meat. Nothing else is new, nothing is added nor removed on top of that. It feels lighter as a result, and although I like the sauce here a bit better, and although the crispiness of the flatbread was on point, it simply cannot be considered a good choice for a vegetarian meal outside, given its lacklustre ingredients and taste.
Dark Side Shaurma & Grill – https://darkshaurma.com/nn
Last but certainly not least, we have the legendary Dark Side to show us all just how one can master the art of making a vegetarian shawarma taste fantastic. They are also a big chain, with operations in many different cities. Their vegetarian option is priced at 170 roubles for now, slightly more expensive than other options on the list though being far worth the price tag. The one you see here is a small version, for 120 roubles, so do not assume that the actual size is this small. Basically, the sauce they use here is beyond this world. Every veggie is fresh, and everything is used in the right amount. They use a lot of fries as well, which really adds a new dimension to the wrap while making it much more fulfilling at the same time. Furthermore, they know which cheese goes well with what, and so they use a stretchy one that is reminiscent of mozzarella, which is above and beyond any other cheese I came across so far in the shawarma world of Nizhny Novgorod. The dough they use to make their wraps is extremely tasty as well, even if this is not just the case for their vegetarian shawarmas. Finally, and a bit boldly, I must argue that despite having no meat in it, this one could easily challenge 80% of the “traditional” shawarmas I had so far anywhere in the world, and that really says something about the overall quality and tastiness of this particular wrap at hand.
This whole article left me with an extremely empty stomach that yearns for more shawarma in it, so with all being said, I think it is high time I go grab a quick lunch, unfortunately, not a shawarma this time…