Detroit - Bucharest Grill
The story that we heard, was that in 2008 Bogdan Tarasov, a Romanian construction company owner was working in the downtown Detroit area and would bring in sandwiches for his crew. His sandwiches were so good that he was encouraged to open his own place, serving these delicious shawarma sandwiches. Bogdan was able to secure a place, inside the Park Bar, at the corner of Park and Elizabeth . . . and The Bucharest Grill was born. It was a small “walk up” and “order sandwiches to go” place which quickly grew in popularity.
The location was key. It was a couple blocks form Comerica Park and stayed open until 3 or 4 a.m., so you could grab something to go after a late night out. We found the place when we were walking by one evening, after a concert and some bar hopping. We weren’t hungry, but I remember a guy coming out with a sandwich in hand and he said “you have to try one of these, even if you aren’t hungry you need to try it”. This was the beginning of our addiction to the Bucharest Grill’s CHICKEN SHAWARMA SANDWICH.
For those of you not familiar with shawarma, it is typically a meat (chicken, beef, lamb or any other meat) roasted on a vertical spit. The meat is sliced off to make sandwiches in a pita bread, with garlic sauce. It dates back to the Ottoman Empire in the 18th century. The word shawarma comes from the Turkish word “cevirme” which translates to “turning” in Arabic. While the origin is not truly known, it is a popular middle eastern food. The sharawma sandwich is said to have been started in the 1970’s, by a Turkish street vendor in Berlin who had the idea of placing slices of the meat in or in a pita. In Germany, it is referred to as a Doner sandwich.
Enough on the history of shawarma. The Bucharest Grill quickly became the talk of the town and the lines got longer and longer as the downtown area was being revitalized. Today, 15 years later, they are no longer in the Park Bar. They opened their own freestanding building, a few blocks away, on Columbia between Cass and Grand River. While previously they were only carryout, they now have a full bar and dining area. They have also expanded to 6 locations with 4 in Detroit, one in Southfield and one in Royal Oak.
The owner, Bogdan, is committed to keeping the recipe consistent, which took him 3 months to perfect. The chicken is marinated and grilled on an open flame grill to give it a good char. It is not “spit roasted” like most shawarmas. Don’t mistake a Gyro with a shawarma, they are not the same sandwich.
What makes the Bucharest sandwich so good is the preparation. The charred chicken (and they put a good amount on it!) with the garlic sauce, pickles, mayo, romaine lettuce and tomatoes is the perfect balance of flavors. They are not skimpy either. I have weighed one of their sandwiches and they come in around a pound a piece. You can get them individually or get a 6 pack to go which is served in a 6 pack holder like bottles of beer.
They don’t just serve chicken shawarmas. They have other food as well. The chicken shawarma just put them on the map. They also offer beef, vegetarian, lamb and falafel shawarmas and the house specialty: the Bucharest shawarma with chicken, cabbage, tomato, fries, pickles, mayo and garlic sauce. They also offer kabobs or “sticks” as they call them which are wrapped and grilled in a pita, hummus, quesadillas, and a nice variety of salads. Some locations also offer stuffed grape leaves or peppers.
Check out the menu, below, from their website.
If you have been to the Bucharest Grill, you know why we are fans. If not, we recommend giving them a try. The hours vary from location to location, but most are open daily at 10AM and 11AM on Sundays.
Until next week . . . live well, eat well and enjoy life!
-Keith & Teresa Becker