Review Petra Shawarma - Auckland Central

Hands down the best rice and chicken I have had in NZ so far. I ordered Jordanian Chicken Mandi. All the flavours were on point. The Salad has grape juice drizzled in it which gives an extra taste to it. The rice was tasty and can be eaten even without the chicken. According to my subjective opinion, it's a must try in Auckland.

Great tasty food. Feels really authentic and well balanced flavours. Will definitely be back to try the other dishes we weren't able to try. Friendly staff as well. Highly recommended!

Went here on a Thursday night and it was quiet, however food was great as was the service. Staff where friendly and helpful with everything. Meal itself was nice and had a nice variety of different rice or wrap dishes, large selection of vegetarian options as well, was a good change and something a bit different from the burgers, Italian etc. Would recommend and go back.

My partner and I stumbled upon this Mediterranean restaurant one day while walking along Kingsland. Quaint restaurant with rustic feel. Decor will bring you to Jordan. We were greeted warmly by the daughter of the restaurant owner (since it was school holidays). My partner ordered Lamb Mandi whilst I ordered from their vegan menu Falafel Pita pockets. Tried Cardamom Jordanian Coffee and it was really strong and tasty. Both our meals were so delicious. Lamb was succulent and rice was so amazing with salad, hummus, yoghurt. Falafel pita pocket was so yummy. Filled with juicy falafel, lots of veggies, pickles, hummus. Both quality and quantity were perfect for the price. Highly recommend. Our fave for sure when in Kingsland.

This was a cute little place in the heart of Kingsland but the food was stunning. It was Jordanian taste at its best. The hummus is in-house made and to die for. Do try their pomegranate tea as well. I wish the quantity was a bit more but still was a great experience. I highly recommend.

First time at this place and I love it! Service is amazing and the food is to die for! I had falafel on rice, kunafa, Arabic tea and coffee, it was so delicious! Would love to visit again! (Plenty of Vegan and vegetarian options available)

Great place. Food is delicious. Their hummus is amazing! And the pomegranate tea is so good!

Wow. What an amazing experience. (1 Vegan and 1 Vegetarian here). The food was so fresh, delicious with a home made touch that will definetly have us coming back for more. The customer service is so good. We were served by Rama who gave us the best recommendations which were all so delicious and exactly what she promised. We had 2 Ice Teas which are refreshing, a sweetness well balanced and not sikly sweet. The Wrap is literally perfect, crunchy on the outside and fresh in the middle. The Mixed Platter was perfect for 2 and just enough to feel satisfied. We had dessert after with a Basbousa, a Baklava and a Rose Water and Coconut Jello which seems like a lot but we wanted to try them all hehe complemented with a hot Cardamom tea of course hehe. A good place for Vegans as the menu has a lot of Vegan options. Thanks for having us team. 5 Stars A+

the food was amazing i was here tonight it was so flavourful and good,the chips were so crunchy and the staff were so kind and respectful including the daughter, i recommend coming here

I really was feeling a shawarma and was looking for the best in Auckland, after reading the reviews I decided to order from here and get it delivered by deliveroo, service was swift and the food arrived hot, I was so looking forward to this once it arrived I was pleasantly surprised how good the food was, it was delicious. I highly recommend this establishment, top quality food.

I really really wanted to like this place but left super disappointed. We ordered the mixed vegetarian platter to share (which we thought would be reasonable considering it’s $27.50) but were told it wouldn’t be enough, so we ordered an extra side of falafel and small babaganoush, which were $8 each. The serving side of falafel was okay but $8 for a very small ramekin of babaganoush that looked and tasted like the hummus with a little extra yoghurt and citrus mixed through was a bit ridiculous, not to mention the lack of any flavour of eggplant. The platter itself came with a few small flatbreads, a salad, 3 pieces of falafel and 4 small pieces of halloumi. The flavours were okay but very mild, and the falafel were nice enough but could have easily come from a packet. This place has rave reviews about flavour and value for money so I don’t know what happened, but we spent $56 for two people (no drinks or dessert) and left hungry and disappointed. The staff were lovely and the ingredients were fresh, but we couldn’t help but feel like it was a bit of a rip off. I would love to support this restaurant as it’s clear everything is made with love, but portion sizes would definitely need to be more reflective of the very high price point for me to consider coming back

Absolutely excellent food! Cauliflower salad was amazing as was everything else. The person serving us provided some of the friendliest and warmest service I have ever had. We went for lunch and didn’t have to wait long at all for food.

The best in town for the authentic shawerma and baklava.

Knowledgeable staff, good service. Very authentic with quality, fresh ingredients.<br/><br/>And the Arabic Pistachio Ice Cream was amazing

Have been here frequently over the years. Always friendly, and the food is fragrant and delicious.

Falafel was incredible. Very moist, smooth and tasty. $8 for a bag full - very decent. Hummus is delish $14 for that portion and some pita. The other meal was super super disappointing for the $22 price mark - which seems absurd. We asked for chips over the salad it usually comes with (price didn’t change) ridiculously steep price. Chips were really yum, everything had good taste but the meat was a little dry. Will definitely be back for Falafel. $45 for everything.

Good service and authentic! Very homey environment. Waited for a bit maybe almost 45 minutes before the food arrived, but definitely worth the wait. Maybe next time i'll call for a reservation. Shout out to abdullah! Good guy. Found my new favorite shawarma place in auckland. 😊

This was my first time trying Jordanian food and was recommended to start with Petra Shawarma.<br/><br/>The Babaganoosh is always recommended as a must try item. It's indeed a unique and authentic dish. Freshly made and served with hot and soft pita bread on the side, I was definitely able to taste the grilled smokiness of the eggplants with the creaminess of the tahini but was not heavy or oily at all.<br/><br/>I got the Chicken Shawarma which had grilled chicken meat with flavourful spices and pickles with a fresh pomegranent salad served on the side.<br/><br/>We also got a side of chips to finish the dip as the pita bread wasn't really enough. The chips came out golden and crispy and was sprinkled with a flavoured salt.<br/><br/>Service was just absolutely the best! Food does take a little longer to be served but well worth the wait!

Petra shawarma is a great place if you know what to order. The food is great and delicious. Sadly I felt like I didn’t order the right food. We had the fatat hummus which was hummus with chickpeas , nuts and bread , all mixed together.Had the hummus and chickpeas come separately with bread , I would have enjoyed it more. Also the fatat was very filling and heavy . The chicken Mandi rice was delicious and perfect. Must try! I didn’t enjoy the Kunafa as it was too cheesy. Decent ambience and good service. I would recommend this restaurant but if you are clueless about this type of cuisine, it’s best to take the advice or suggestions of the waiter or staff serving.

One of my all time favourites. I love Petra Shawarma, I love the fact that it's a family restaurant, that it's grown but it's still small. That the food is so authentic and still beautiful everytime. Vegetarian or not, you just can't go wrong!!<br/>Food: 5/5<br/>Service: 5/5<br/>Ambience: 5/5<br/>Bonus: you can takeaway!!

Pricy and small portion.Had ordered mix shawarma $23 considered to have large quantity but its the same size as regular one $16 shawarma.Never going back

Ordered the Musakan and the Chicken Mandi Rice. All dishes were delicious but price is a bit dear for the serve size that you get. Dish presentations were pleasing to the eye. Inside interior was cosy and clean; and staff were easy to deal with. Restaurant is right on New North Road, in the heart of Kingsland, so it might sometimes be a problem finding a park.

Long wait and inaccurate expectation of time. If they say 5 minutes take it down as 20 plus minutes <br/><br/>Provided wrong order twice . All they can do for that is say sorry.<br/><br/>One star for the sweet lady at the counter otherwise this place will disappoint you!

Second time they forget to give the right order. Take the food come back home and realise one meal is missing. Call them back and the guy on the phone says you should have checked your food before taking it ? <br/>They also always ask you to come early to pick up the order and then make your wait another 20 minutes with excuses like the machine was broken or their chef went out for a break. <br/><br/>Very unprofessional and no basic organisation skills. There is one polite lady that works there besides that their customer service and organisation skills are simply poor!

Start with their trademark tea and go from there. This place offers some pretty authentic middle eastern fare, and has a very functional Persian vibe to it. The food is delicious and very filling. One thing is you do order at the counter so take note, but overall a great place for eating in or takeaway.

Petra Shawarma has amazingly tasty food!<br/>Good serving size too, I was full at the end of lunch.<br/>However on another note, the food took a long time to come out.

The falafel wrap is DELICIOUS will definitely be getting this again, love love love it! 😁 Really large and filling too great value at $16 one of the cheapest meals on the menu. Highly recommend (and I'm not even vegan)!

Such a nice cozy place, always welcoming, service is a 10/10, food is 10/10. food is absolutely the best Middle East food ever had in New Zealand and definitely coming back!!

Service was 10/10. Our waitress was super friendly bubbly and helpful. I’m almost not sure it was the same resturant that everyone else has reviewed on here. The babganoush was nice and creamy and that’s where it ended. Unfortunately my food was very disappointing. Ordered the chicken sharwarma. It was super dry just some over cooked chicken in the wrap with some pickle. The garlic aoli would have tasted better if it was from a bottle. The sauce wasn’t enough and when my friend asked for some sauce they said it was an extra $2 for tomato sauce...... The cook definitely seemed distracted tonight

The mandi rice is an absolute winner! I haven't sampled much more of the menu since I always go for my favourite Chicken Mandi rice but everything that I have tried so far has been delicious. It's a small space and the food does take a bit of a while to arrive but that's probably because food is made fresh. Best spot in Kingsland. Highly recommended.

Very good restaurant with lovely food. Highly respect the chiefs in the back. The salads with the juice on top gives a tropical taste and the meat is cooked with a mixture of barbecue/smoked/tender flavour in my mouth

Got the vegetarian falafel wrap which was so good. Generous portions for its price. Next time I’ll halve it and get starters to share. Would love to come back.

Friendly atmosphere in a very cute place, and with great service. We had vegetarian and gluten free and that was no problem at all - and yummy too!

The Staff is polite, caring and friendly. The food is simply amazing ; everything's fresh and cooked to perfection ! Delicious lamb shawarma ! The pomegranate dressing is delicious and gives a nice kick to the rest.

If you want a comforting meal in a cosy environment. This is your go to! I was especially impressed my the dietary options and advice. Great vegan/vego options and even desert choices! Floor staff were amazing, great energy. I had the eggplant fatat which was a large serving so two of us shared. Our child had falafel on rice and we had fries, falafel and hummus on the side. Everything came out super hot and fresh and my fave was probably the hummus, nothing like you get in the stores! Will 100% be back. Not bad on the wallet too ❤

Unique and authentic flavors. Must try the Jordanian coffee and dessert! Very friendly and welcoming wait staff will explain the spices and flavors.

The food was superb. The hummus, was real hummus, none of this processed supermarket stuff. <br/><br/>Chunky and flavoursome. The salad that accompanied the lamb was extraordinary. Once again amazing flavours, and of course the lamb was perfect.<br/><br/>Petra does not serve beer, nor wine. So we tried a non alcoholic malt beer. It was essentially malt water. Yuck. So we stuck to the water.<br/><br/>Also they participate in "Uber Eats"; courier drivers were coming and going as we ate. It was distracting.<br/>The staff were friendly, but at times appeared to be more focused on the Uber drivers, than the customers sitting in front of them

Great food and great service! Very friendly and accommodating to dietary requirements. Would recommend, amazing place for vegetarians. Staff were helpful and the chef even came out to help us make our decision.

Really tasty food and generous portions, try the babaganoush. If you have dietary requirements they do cater, but some things marked on the menu as gluten free/dairy free I think are meant more as gluten or dairy free option available- so you do need to check and if in doubt use your common sense as in my experience the staff aren’t necessarily confident in knowing what has gluten/dairy free. Well worth it though as the food is delicious.

Excellent food .<br/><br/>Although we have spent little time in the restaurant, we enjoyed the food especially fatoosh, hummus and filafil was yummy. Keep the good work. I would strongly recommend everyone to try the food.

Great authentic food. Busy every time I've been, but never had to wait for a table. Prices are a bit high for what it is though and the average wait time to get your food can be at least 45 minutes+, so be prepared to wait and if you're really hunger, that can be a long time!!

Great and authentic food, but service is rather slow. Will be back, but certainly not when we're starving and wanting something served real quick.

Lovely place - very warm hospitality. The server wasn't entirely helpful with the menu (it was a young euro girl who was prolly on one of those working holiday visas) - but she was trying her best.<br/><br/>Anyway, vegetarian options were tasty, and surprisingly filling. We ended the night with their tea which was refreshing.

Friendly staff, amazing decoration/atmosphere. Only reason giving 1 star is due to food being cold (waited 40mins and got served cold food). Staff were friendly enough to offer a $2 discount but doesn’t really make up for it. Ordered beef mandi rice and ended up with mixed (lamb and beef).

Delicious food every time! The cauliflower salad is delicious, would recommend. Wonderful staff, great setting, just a really pleasant experience :)

A hidden gem! I can’t exactly remember everything I ordered but the flavours were really fresh, authentic and delicious!! The lady working was really friendly and extremely helpful toward my friend and I. We’ll definately be coming back :)

Went here for dinner on Friday night with the hubby. Loved the quirkiness of completing the menu and also fell in loved with the mixed meat rice dish we had.... so delicious!!! Baba gonoush was so good I should’ve asked for a takeaway serve as well

Not sure what went wrong for the string of reviewers who left 1 star. The food is delicious and different from just a regular kebab place (in a good way). You’ll leave feeling full and perhaps having tried something new! We received really warm, attentive service.

The Atmosphere: Lively, relaxed and warm. This little restaurant can fit quite a few medium sized groups inside without feeling too claustrophobic and noisy. There is (what I assume) Jordanian music in the background offering a sense of authenticity to the place.<br/><br/>The Food: AMAZING! I have never been disappointed with my food. It is positively delectable and is mostly vegan/vege friendly. Please note that this establishment does not serve alcohol and there is no BYO, but they have a great selection of tea to compliment your food. The portion sizes are bigger than they look and you will leave feeling stuffed (based off average person's appetite). Food quality, portion size, and price are all agreeable.<br/><br/>The Service: This is where the let down is. The food takes AGES to come out - I assume this is a result of UberEats. Although the food is definitely divine, I can't justify having to wait 40 minutes for shawarma when the restaurant only has one other table service. Every time I have been here, the waitress has forgotten one thing from my order until I prompt them. More than that, they are incredibly slow to bring you things like knives and forks. I once enquired about why my food was taking so long, and the server ignored me and gave no reasonable response. I was left in the dark wondering why everyone else had been served and where was my food? (20mins after everyone else's!). Each time I have been here, I feel like the service is the result of someone who has never ever worked in hospitality before and therefore has no standard on which to measure performance. It's disappointing considering the food is so good.<br/><br/>Final Verdict:<br/><br/>Amazing food √<br/>Good price √<br/>Good vibe √<br/><br/>Tips: Don't arrive starving. Be prepared to wait a long time and expect sloppy table service.<br/><br/>

Came here for dinner earlier tonight and I could honestly say that their falafel is the best I’ve ever had. My partner had beef mandi and he thinks the meat was juicy and full of flavour. Will definitely come back on our next visit to Auckland!

Have been to Petra Shawarma previously, and really enjoyed the food and service. Returned last night and it was awful. It seems there has been a change of ownership. Ordered a starter which was one pita bread (poor quality) that appeared to have been microwaved with a disproportionately large amount of hummus. Even one more pita would have been better - we were the only ones there and the starter took about 30 minutes to arrive (microwaved bread and hummus should take about 1 min to throw together). We each ordered a main and they arrived after about 45 mins 10 mins or so apart. I got the mixed platter which was a large plate of mesclun leaves, grated carrot, red cabbage and some awful dressing.. on the side were a few small balls of falafel and pita that was filled with warm tasteless halloumi (that was not even fried?!) and bits of tomato. It wasn’t really a platter when the majority of the plate was cheap salad! And it cost $22. My partner got a plate of pita with cheap tasting mince - stodgy and tasteless. It was really disappointing and felt like we were being completely ripped off, I could have made something better with $20 and supermarket ingredients. The waitress was lovely and polite though. I 100% would not recommend.

Not worth the money!! Truly sad n disappointing.. meat was so chewy n over roasted.. no sure if des ppl have any idea wat shahwarma is.. cheap kebabs tastes much better..

Visited this place with lotta expectation... it was truly disappointing 😟..v ordered for mandi rice with chicken and lamb if people visited Middle East they will never ever order this.. i felt I was eating some dry fruits rice or some thing like Kashmiri pulao😧😧.. shawarma was even worse meat was so rubbery n no sauce added to the roll.. truly disappointing never I wud suggest this plc to any one.. baklava was so hard ..

The food was terrible. It was not worth the money. Should have returned the food. The hulumi was cold. The meat was burnt and dry. Would have been better to get a cheap kebab. :(

My two boys and I just back from dinner @ Petra Shawarma, the best Hummus & chips ever!!<br/>Chips were fried in nice oil, not oily, we had two mixed meats , the other lamb.<br/>Fresh side salad, yummy side of garlic Pita bread.<br/>To finish off the meal with  Baklava.

Fresh, relatively cheap and local. It's a little cold inside. I feel like they made a few adjustments to the interior, perhaps layout and menus are a little 'takeout joint-ish' and this place would feel a lot more inviting... Jordanian food is hugely underrated. The seasoning of their meats and the hummus is soooooo incredibly delicious. Mmmmmm i'm hungry now....

Overall the experience was great, food was good, staff was lovely and the decor/overall vibe of the place was ok. The mandi rice needs a special mention, we loved it. However the shawarma was exceptional. We ended our meal with Baklava, rich, authentic and very crispy. Loved it!

Babaganoosh is the best ever. Everything so fresh and delicious! Recommend. This is the mixed salad - super yum, service at Petra Shawarma is also amazing. I've never eaten in before but is a cute little restaurant.

Amazing food, didn't have to wait long for a plate of fresh steaming food which is always nice. Lovely friendly service. Looking forward to another meal there soon!

If you want authentic Arabic food, the best of flavors, this is the place. The middle eastern food trend has quickly caught up in Auckland in the recent times & the rip offs/modern & fusion approaches are disappointing. <br/>This place made me feel like I was back in Dubai feasting on some amazing Levantine & Middle Eastern flavors. Right from the ambience to the flavors, it's just wow. Slightly over priced but it's worth every penny. <br/>Secret-The owners dad used to be a leading chef in the Royal Jordanian Kitchen so def not a disappointment.

Ordered this on a late night whim through Uber eats.<br/>What a major win!!<br/>This place does some of the best Jordanian and vegetarian food I've had in a long time.<br/><br/>I ordered the Falafel Petra (vegetarian dish - falafel, broad beans, tomato etc in wrap) and a hummus with pita.<br/><br/>I swear this is some of the best hummus I've had. It tasted like nutty butter mixed with garlic lemon deliciousness. It was smooth but thick and I could eaten a huge container of that alone and have been happy 🤤🤤❤️<br/><br/>The wrap was filling and delicious. All the flavours balanced out and it had sprinkles of crunch goodness that gave the wrap a lovely texture.<br/><br/>All in all I have nothing bad to say about the place.<br/>I will definitely be trying some of their other dishes, I would highly recommend getting this for a late night snack.<br/><br/>Only thing I would suggest is picking up yourself, as Uber eats took a long long time :)<br/>

Wow, went there and were really impressed with the food served. Yes, it's not fine dining and don't expect excellent service, but they were friendly and it wss the most delicious and finger licking Arabic food I have ever tried, their baklava is perfect!!!! We'll be definitely returning there!!!

We tried to Petra Shawarma 3 times.It is overpriced - we had  entrees and 2 mains and paid $90! ( no drinks).We ordered chicken shawarma and lamb shawarma. Both dishes were served on  large plates, however -  the meat portion is tiny, and 90% of the plate is full of boring green salad (that neiter of us ate). What a disappointment!

A group of 11 of us went here for dinner on Monday night. It was for a friend's birthday. We all arrived separately. On arrival, we handed a cake over to the waiter who took it inside. He did not mention a service charge of any kind for serving the cake and we assumed there wasn't one, like many other restaurants.<br/><br/>We were quite a loud bunch as we hadn't met each other in a while and was asked politely by staff to keep it down. We made up approximately half the restaurant as the place only seats around 25-30 and it was never full throughout the evening.<br/><br/>We placed our order at 7 pm. The first person received their meal at 8:25 pm and the last person received it at 8:40 pm. Not only did it take an hour and a half, the gap between the first and last meal being served meant that the food went cold by the time we started eating.<br/><br/>The food itself was tasty, although the portion sizes were fairly small for $20 dishes at a no frills restaurant. On receiving the bill, we realised there was a $15 service charge for the cake we brought in.<br/><br/>Pros: friendly staff, tasty food<br/><br/>Cons: long wait to get food, time between the first and last meals served on the same table, portion size, and above all, unprofessional in terms of not informing us about the added $15 service fee for serving a cake.

Lovely middle eastern food. very busy environment. there is little waiting time for the food but its worthed to wait. staffs are always friendly. i love their baklava. I recommend this place to everyone.

The ambience and presentation was lovely... coming from Dubai where I have grown up eating Middle Eastern cuisine, this was a good experience after a while. However upon our visit this afternoon we had to wait for about 45 minutes for our meal (1 chicken shawarma and 1 chicken mandi) which was slightly disappointing.

Excellent food...had vegetarian food which was excellent. Presentation was really good too. The only issue was very poor and slow service. The staff did not seem to motivated but will still visit again. Hope the service is better next time.

Excellent place, few of the Jordanian cuisine dishes available but super delicious, the Shawerma is cooked and prepared in a "Home way" and not in the traditional commercial way but it's amazing.<br/><br/>If you are in Auckland searching for a halal shop and home feeling cooking ... then this is your place

Disappointing on so many levels (except that it's cheap). 90-minute wait for food that wasn't even that good, limited table service, no water served throughout the entire meal, ubereats orders seemed to get preference over our food. When our food did finally come, it wasn't all at once with two of us getting it at the same time and the final one coming around 10 minutes later. Pretty much a disgrace to their country as I'm sure Jordan has some great food...just not here.

Been here many times and it never fails to please!<br/><br/>* Portion and sizing for price perfect<br/><br/>* staff friendly and accommodating<br/><br/>* warm ambience<br/><br/>The hummus is always fresh and tasty with a dash of olive oil and the pita bread is always warm and crisp<br/><br/>Everything I've tried so far has been excellent<br/><br/>Thank you for getting the basics right,<br/>Good food, hospitable and clean. <br/><br/>= )

To me, this place serves food for the soul. My first visit was an unplanned one and I happened to try it out with my husband. The ambience is simple yet gives a relaxed feel as you enter. Not to forget the warm and friendly welcome by the staff. This is something that adds on to the experience. We were served by Hanan and Bahra [my apologies if I spelt your names wrong, by now you know that I have become crazy about your food. Please correct me next time and I will correct the spellings ;)] The entire team is superb and are so good to the customers. No wonder Petra Shawarma is so popular. <br/>We have been to this place at least 3 times or even more and we have tried a lot of dishes here. The salads that are served are just so healthy and delicious. My favorite is Mandi rice which is full of authentic flavors. Not to forget the most popular dessert Baklava. This is the right place to try authentic, fingerlicking Baklava. <br/>By the end of the meal, the staff ensured that we enjoyed our experience at Petra Shawarma and we assured we will return, which we did. Thank you team Petra Shawarma, you guys are the best!!

Visited these guys for Baklava, found it delicious and authentic! The lady at the till was helpful and friendly. (This place is good - trust me, if I wouldn't have typed this review if it wasn't nice. But Zomato wants me to write more than 140 characters).

Lovely food. Went last night with friends; had lamb shawarma, Mandi rice and Chicken dish salads. Very fresh and yummy. The salad was delightful. Will be back to try other dishes.

Best Jordanian food ever. I love the lamb shawarma. Also very friendly people especially young beautiful lady maryam :) I will always be back :). Love petra shawarma.

I am writing this review so I can give this restaurants a solid five star rating. This is the best middle Eastern food I have ever experienced, you will not be disappointed dining here. Meals are mostly below $20

This place always features on Metro's Cheap Eats list. I love cheap eats and shawarma so I don't know why it took me so long to try this place.<br/><br/>My partner and I went on a Saturday at lunchtime and were surprised to find it empty. Our order was taken quickly but the food was a little slower than expected considering we were the only ones there.<br/><br/>We both ordered the lamb shawarma. It was prepared differently to shawarma I have had before but the meat was tender and the pomegranate dressing on the salad was delicious. The portion was generous, I did not need that much food for lunch.<br/><br/>Although the food was cheap and good, there is nothing particularly special about this place. We live on the city side of the city so will not be rushing back, but will keep it in mind if we are in the area.

Delicious Jordanian food! Was looking for options in kingsland to go with friends when I came across this restaurant with good ratings, and was I happy with my choice! We ordered the hummus with pita bread, followed by chicken shawarma and mandi rice. The helping was good and everything tasted delicious! Had some lovely baklava with homemade ice cream! The staff was so friendly with great customer service! Will definitely keep going back for more! :)

Continuing on our Kingsland restaurant “combing”, we arrive at the cosy and colourful eatery Petra Shawermah, serving fragrant and exotic Jordanian food! Our waitress cordially explained the menu, giving us markers to select our food from the laminated pages — a pretty efficient way of ordering we think. We tried the Nut & Cinnamon tea, which involved spooning sugar and crushed walnuts into our cup, then pouring hot cinnamon tea to mix. The delicate serve-ware with gold trimming was beautiful and the nut layer on our drinks pretty substantial, a good thing because the food did take quite a while to arrive (they cook fresh, on order). The food was super delicious and got the all-round thumbs up. All in all a happy place to be, worthy of its place in the Metro Cheap Eats – we are keen to try their Cardamon & Cream Milk Tea next time.<br/><br/>Check out our individual comments here: husk.co.nz/lunches/petra-shawarma-june-2015

Wow...delicious middle eastern cuisine i found after long time...feeling guilty that why didn't i came to know this place. Tried chicken shawarma and ariasa dish...super taste.... will try again.

We took away some chicken shawarma from this place and were pretty pleased with the quality and the taste of the food.<br/><br/>Not a bad option to visit this place as they've kind of renewed their interiors and everything looks nice and tidy.<br/><br/>Will be back here to try other menu items :)<br/>

The absolute worst place I have been to.<br/><br/>Shawarma is my favourite item of food in the world. I was excited for this place since a year. My family and friends, not so much. Always seems busy and I've been dying to go here.<br/><br/>Went on my birthday with my parents and a friend. They were really anxious & hesitant about it being any good but they happily accompanied me!<br/><br/>The menu seemed good. The non-alcoholic, Lebanese beer or something they had was alright. But it's not their product, so, who cares. The waitress was friendly and helpful where the menu was concerned and they didn't even have most of the drinks from the already-limited drinks menu. They DID NOT serve a single glass of water to us or anyone - how can you mess that up, especially while charging so much?<br/><br/>But, everything was totally horrible. The wait time was literally 1 hour, 30 minutes. The place might be small but it's not their fault I guess, but not my fault the kitchen is limited in its functionality. 1 hour, 30 minutes? I was and still am ashamed I made my loved ones wait SO LONG when they were hungry. The staff did not care for a moment. No apologies or acknowledgement, hell, it was evident there was no awareness, even.<br/><br/>After that unacceptable wait, the food itself was a disappointment. Just no hint or idea of how flavour works? And it wasn't like the dishes had mad amounts of quantity going for them, either. The servers were so incapable of doing their job, it's shocking to me. Firstly, there's only a few tables so there's not really much of an excuse to go to each one and realize they're not the people who ordered that serving you're carrying. Secondly and even worse, we had to tell-no, request the guy twice to have the empty dishes cleared when serving the no-good mains which went to someone else first, incorrectly.<br/><br/>Usually, as long as the food is worth it, I don't care about everything else but here, every single thing was so overwhelmingly negative that I was losing it! Just a blatant rip-off when they cannot do one thing right. They did have the audacity to ask us "Did you enjoy your food?" while robbing us without a care of how their service was and actually acted like they were shocked when we just said "Took too long" to be unreasonably and undeservingly nice.<br/><br/>We had KFC afterwards. Not nearly half the price, yet repaired some of our totally ruined mood.<br/><br/>I cannot even call this place a joke, it's not even remotely funny how abysmally its run. -10/10.

This is an amazing Arab restaurant!!<br/>I love to go there with my wife and spend some husband and wife time over dinner/lunch.<br/>Everything is good but a bit expensive.<br/>Staff are helpful, and caring.<br/>The chef is a great cook

By far, the best middle Eastern restaurant in NZ. Food is fresh, cooked the way food is cooked at home, and there is plenty of soul in it too.<br/><br/>The staff are friendly and it is awesome to see a family run restaurant that not only functions well in the kitchen, but through their menu.<br/><br/>Highly recommended and a must visit

Expect to wait for 30 min for appetizers and 70 min for main meals. Definitely, they should reorganize their kitchen. Food is acceptable, but not great. The taste of cardamom dominates excessively. Probably, I will not be back.

Nice, casual dining spot. A group of 3 and we each had a main and shared 2 starters between us which was plenty. Should definitely try the cauliflower salad, the description on the menu doesn't do it justice, I'd have happily had it as my main course. The falafels were green inside, (another reviewer also mentioned this) I wonder if they use broadbeans instead of chickpeas (quite common in Egypt), just as tasty though. I had the lamb shawarma which was a nice change from the usual wraps you get at kebab shops, thin crispy wrap, almost like a pastry around the meat rather than doughy flat bread. The pomegranate dressing on the side salad was a tad sweet for me but my friend really liked it. I'd definitely go back, might have to try the baba ganoush next time.

Ahhhhh so good!! <br/>Ordered the vegetarian platter and mandi rice dish and couldn't get enough! Also had the baklava for dessert (good for sharing, quite sweet). Definitely coming back to this place, their food is full of flavour and I guess it's healthy too? Can't wait to try their other dishes! <br/>

Delicious, fresh and authentic!<br/><br/>Highly recommend, especially the (1) petra shaw and (2) vegetarian on rice with caulifower salad. My friends enjoy the meat dishes with rice, however tend to need to order extra meat (this is something to keep in mind if you like big portions of meat in your food). <br/><br/>I've been multiple times the past few months and have had consistently good food. There was one time when our order took about 40mins to come out on a day that was not particularly busy, but I think this was a harmless mistake as it has not happened since.<br/><br/>Great place for an intimate dinner with a date, or with a small group of friends.

The food was great. Portions were fair. Time to deliver a table of 6 was a tad too long given that we were there pretty early around 6 and were seeing later comers being served before us.  Maybe there is a good reason for this that I am not aware of.  But chipped glassware, plates and platters were a definite turn off and may not be even compliant with the health standards.

Recently went to Petra Shawarma on a Saturday night. I understand that Saturdays can get pretty busy but given that the restaurant was around half full, my partner and I decided we should check it out. BAD MISTAKE. The service was sub-par, around a 15 min wait to receive any menus, and another 50 min wait to receive any food. At no point did the waiter tell us that the kitchen was behind in service. Once the food arrived, it was plain, boring and lacking of any actual taste. I ordered the Lamb Shawarma which was incredibly dry and tasteless, and came out with a salad that had been drowned in a bitter dressing. My partner ordered a chicken rice dish (i forget the name) and that to was also dry and tasteless. Neither of us finished our meals. When we went to pay we were offered a half-ass apology. WILL NOT BE BACK.

We came on a Saturday night, the food took way too long to arrive (half an hour just to get our starter of bread and hummus) and then more waiting for our mains. By the time they did arrive, we were starving and bored. The food itself was average, but I would have enjoyed it more, had I not had to wait so long. There was a couple across from us who were having the same (but worse) experience. It was a large disappointment.

Thrilled to have Petra Shawarma prepare their delicious Felafel, Hummus and Baba ghanoush for me to share with my closest friends for my 40th birthday celebrations this past weekend. Love dining in the restaurant in Kingsland too. Thank you ladies xxx

Was highly recommended this place,so after all the fuss etc we decided to come in.Location good but thinks that's about it Waited just about an hour for food and when finally arrived was nothing to fuss over,they weren't that busy so don't see what the hold up was this is constructive criticism too.

Had dinner here on Tuesday, 06 Sep 2016 with two friends. We came here by chance because the other restaurant we initially wanted to go to was closed. When we entered, there was only one other table of about 8 people in the restaurant. We were welcomed, shown the menu and also an article in the Metro magazine about Petra Shawarma making into into the Auckland Top 10 Cheap Eats for the third year in a row. So far, so good. We placed our orders and that is when things went downhill rapidly.<br/><br/>From the time we placed our orders, it took 30 minutes before my friend's appetizers (falafel and pita bread) were served, and 70 minutes (OVER ONE HOUR!!!) before our mains came. During that period, not once did anyone from the restaurant check in on our table or apologise for the delay. To add insult to injury, another two tables that came (AND ordered their food) after we did were served first. We also saw countless takeaways being served before our orders came out. It certainly made me feel that my custom was not required. The food was OK, nothing to shout about and certainly for $18, my main of Mandi Rice, though it was a fairly decent portion, was not really a cheap eat. I would have happily walked out, except I wanted to keep the peace for my friends. After this experience, I will never return to Petra Shawarma.

A lunch kindly catered by Petra Shawarma for an inner city secondary school had all the staff talking for days about how delicious it was. The hummus was like cream, and the spices and seasonings in the various dishes had us all trying to guess the ingredients. The food is Middle Eastern and many of us are reasonably familiar with that, but with this establishment there is that slight but intriguing difference that lifts it above the rest. I can't comment on the service but if it is like the food itself, then this must be a fantastic cafe. I will definitely visit and I wouldn't hesitate to use them for catering, as well.

Petra has to be my favourite place in Auckland... it's my go-to takeaway, which I probably 'go-to' far too often! We always get looked after so well by the super-friendly, and very generous 'Shawarma Sisters' whenever we go in or take friends. We even have our own special request side which they create readily. I'm in awe of the Babaganoosh! Cheers guys. H&M.

I used to love the shawarmas at the Middle East cafe in the cbd so I thought I try out Petras. It was a lunch time meal, only myself and another couple that was eating in. The food took a bit longer to arrive than expected. Took 20min. <br/>The food I thought was very bland and without seasoning - something I thought odd for being Mediterranean. <br/>Salad though was amazing. Portion size was nominal however price a bit steep. You can get a much better shawarma at Fatima's for almost half the price.

Expensive for what you get. Slow service for what it is. This is just an over-hyped kebab shop.  I don't know how they are listed in cheap eats...cause this is no cheap eat at all. The only thing good in the place is the decor. +1 for that only

I need to add more and more for this restaurant i love the food I love the time waiting for my lovely food .i always love the smell of the spices and taste each meal has the really jordanian flavors .everything there's totally different. %100 is jordanian food .if you don't know about jordanian food you must try this place 🤗🤗 <br/>

I am a Dr who never like to eat out side and I am originally from Jordan. I went to check the food at Petra shawerma and was not expecting much but hands down its the best Jordanian food I have ever tasted since I left Jordan 20 years ago. The chief came to me her self to ask if all good or not. I actually felt home. The restaurant was full but i knew I had to wait and I'm sooo glad I have. Some people sick and full of negativity. Like to throw there sick thoughts and bad comments on people shoulders.... the Resturant is amazing place from the start to the end.. also somethings very comfortable about that little place. I Dr Huda Fode recommend this place to everyone 👍🏻😉

Delicious food. Only regret is not ordering more appetizers. The available tea selection is noteworthy. Main portions are quite large so would be good to share between multiple people.

hai,  first-time I visit  in that restaurant  with my friends very Disappointed Because A. food is delay B.no hygiene C.no standards D.food has not tasted good and E.food price too much<br/>so guys before you go the restaurant please check their standards .<br/>my overall experience very bad

Went on a week night, was not busy, got our food on the table with in 10-15 minutes. Staff was very friendly and helped us choosing from the menu. We ordered babaganoush & pita bread for starter which was beyond delicious, (best babaganoush ever ) , mandi rice (loved the strong middle eastern flavors) and beef shawarma for mains. Portions were generous and food was sooo good. Have to mention about the side salad they provide with pomegranate dressing, yum !<br/>We had Jordanian black coffee (spiced up with cardamom ) as well which again a winner

Given that I had spent 1 year of my childhood in Jordan, when I first saw Petra Shawarma, I had to visit! We decided to visit Petra Shawarma on a Friday night and found the place super packed. We decided to come back the next day - Saturday night was not packed at all. <br/><br/>I ordered the mandi rice dish and my partner ordered the shawarma. Both dishes were delicious but I felt like there were no special elements to the dishes. They had missing wow factors. If anything the dishes tasted more Indian inspired than Mediterranean/ Middle Eastern.<br/><br/>Overall, not a bad place to visit. Food is good but doesn't taste authentic, to me anyway

Food here is incredible. Didn't wait long and the service exceptional will definitely be back you absolutely get a Taste of Jordan. Love the people here and live the atmosphere!!!

When my friend suggested dinner at Petra Shawarma I was super excited as I never eaten Jordanian food, and love trying new spots in Auckland. We had a late bite so just ordered a few starters to share. We ordered Fatoosh, Babaganoosh and falafel. The restuarant only had a few other people so it was a bit disappointing we had to wait so long for the food. The food was super yummy and fresh. Best babaganoosh ive every eaten! Pita was great too. The falafel were bright green on the inside which was unexpected but were yummy and moist. <br/>Staff were nice and helpful. I would like to try this place again and order a main meal but would like it to come out a bit quicker.

The restaurant itself isn't big bit gives a nice and cozy feeling. We ordered the cinnamon and nuts tea. I personally think it's a bit overpriced however the taste is quite unique. The food portions were quite big so we definitely went home with full tummies. The chicken Shawarme was yummy. Salad tasted fresh and the wrap was soft. We also ordered broad beans and mixed Mandi rice. The broad beans were the highlight for me. I dislike beans but I'm so glad that i convinced myself to try it tonight. They tasted fresh and it had a slightly lemony sauce. We also tried the traditional biscuits with dates filling. Great ending for tonight's meals. Will definitely come back to try other dishes.

What an amazing dining experience, this place is without a doubt worth the money.<br/><br/>The atmosphere is very home-like, friendly and kind service, helpful and non-judgemental.<br/><br/>We ordered the mixed mandi rice, falafel mixed plater and Jordanian coffee. Now this was epic, loved the hint of sumac and za'atar. Very rarely do foods come with these spices on them. The mixed manfi rice is similar to lamb biryani, but much deeper in flavour profile.<br/><br/>The Jordanian coffee was a new experience for me, so my novice ways meant I needed tp seek experience to learn how to drink it. Lesson learnt, ask staff don't seek google lol😂... Will have to order again and drink in a more cultural appropriate way next time.<br/><br/>Thanks Petra Shawarma for an amazing dining experience 🌟🌟🌟🌟

We absolutely love the food here! We ordered chicken shawarma, arais, and a mixed platter.<br/><br/>The chicken shawarma has a thin crust and the chicken was very flavorful. The salad on the side has a nice refreshing dressing and the yoghurt was a good accompaniment to the dish as well. <br/><br/>The arais was my favourite although i don't particularly take lamb!! The flavor was so rich and awesome!! It comes with salad, yoghurt and a nutty hummus which i LOVE!! <br/><br/>The falafel in the mixed platter were served nice and hot, and the pita with halloumi cheese and tomato was good. <br/><br/>Overall, ill most definitely recommend it to anyone who love middle eastern food. I cant find any faults with whatever we ordered today. As we were the only ones there when we arrived for lunch at 1pm on Saturday, we didn't have to wait long for the food either (abt 20mins). We were greeted by a friendly waiter who helped us decide what to order as it was our first time to this restaurant. <br/><br/>Definitely a must go! Total damage: $52 for two people. Totally worth it!

With a huge range of Jordanian food on the menu,,, Petra Shawarma is a Middle Eastern restaurant situated right in the heart of Kingsland,,, serving homemade falafel,,, vegetarian food,,, pita fattoush,,, fava beans nd many more....<br/>Jordanian food isn't something you try every day,,, but once you get a load of this,,,, you'll not be disappointed.... Their salads are fresh,,,, service is friendly,,,,, with cheaper rates......<br/><br/>

OMG! The food! The food was amazing! It's faultless! Highly recommended to everyone! After dining in I sent messages to my friends to go and try this restaurant. Unfortunately you need to book in advance if you wanted to eat at night time the fact that their restaurant can only accommodate certain amount of people.

Petra shawarma is the place if you are looking for authentic middle eastern food. The place is cosy and warm. The food portions are quite satisfying and the quality is superb.

Love the food at this place, second visit today and enjoyed falafels, amazing hummus and a mixed sharwama. Couldn't get through the sharwama so they waiter was more than happy to give me a takeaway container. Only negative thing is both visits we had to wait about 40mins for our meals and it wasn't overly busy either times.

Just happened to walk past this place, we had never heard of it before. We quickly read some reviews on Zomato and decided to try it. The place was spotless and we could not fault the food. It was incredible! So delicious and beautifully presented. Service was warm and welcoming. We are definitely coming back.

Orders one kebab shawarma and one musakhan it took 35 minutes for our order to come that waaaayyyy toooo long for a takeaway wasn't busy that's too long image n if they got busy it would take 1 houer to get my order  not going there again fir sure .for just a sandwiches to be made the price is expensive and no fries to come with the order or salad or any thins 18$ for a kebab that over priced the menue need to be reviewed and repriced

Everything about Petra Shawarma is delightful. There's a whole vegetarian section on the menu and I find it hard to choose every time. The portion sizes are decent which gives them an extra tick on my list. The staff are always so welcoming. Love this place a lot as you can tell!

I was excited by this place and it lived up to expectations. Excellent home cooked style food! Very high quality ingredients and don't mistake this for the corner kebab place. Really great- it's a gem !!! Cheers!

Very good value for money, interesting cuisine. Nice warm and easy going atmosphere. Must try their babaganoosh and their salads! Overall positive experience, I'm surely going back there!

This tasty little store got ur tasting buds and belly covered! I had their classic chicken wrap and I loved the bread. It's toasted to a lovely golden brown and had a crispy outer skin with moist insides. It reminds me of a roti but probably contains less butter. The pomegranate dressing on the salad was also a stunner but didn't really get the point of the 3 blobs (garlic sauce?) On the side. <br/><br/>The reason why I didn't give this place a higher rating was because although everything (food and service) was lovely, we waited for at least 40 minutes for our food...that's why I don't know whether I'll be willing to go again and go through the wait!

i love it , the ladies are friendly especially the young one she is absolutely great and a great waitress. but the most important about this place is that the tastes of the food is great and the place feels like jordan.

Great little place in the heart of Kingsland. It's a small cozy restaurant. Dined here tonight and between two we shared a plate of falafels, the mix meat mandi rice and chicken musakan. Huge portions and reasonable prices.<br/><br/>Although the meals did take a long time to come, we waited for about 40 minutes for our meals to arrive but the food was totally worth the wait. The food was delicately spiced and very well flavored. We could see the food being prepared behind our table so we knew it was fresh. Special mention to the Jordanian coffee. Must have! <br/>Will definitely be back.

What a special spot in Kingsland. Petra Shawarma provides authentic home cooking at its best. The ladies here tonight were outstanding, such lovely people!<br/><br/>We came here for desert and coffee, ordering a piece of baklava each. We have a family friend from Lebanon who would make us true, authentic baklava and ever since he left, I've never been able to find good baklava until I found this place!! Hands down, the best baklava I've ever tasted! It was freshly made and still warm, absolutely delicious. We also tried the basboosa which was equally divine and lovely with the strong coffee they make to sip on. <br/><br/>I've previously been here for dinner too and the food is amazing, I highly recommend this place for authentic, middle eastern, home cooking - you can just tell the food is made with passion, thank you guys for a lovely night out, I'll definately be back!

Best arabic dish ever! Plus friendly staff 😊<br/>U should try lamb mandi rice! Super perfect!!!<br/>Shawarma and Hummus were lovely as well, my husband & I really enjoyed our time there! And we would definitely go back there Again ! 😊

They seem to put a lot of effort to make the food very authentic Middle Eastern, and they offer a couple of dishes that are not available in other Middle Eastern restaurants such as Musakhan.<br/><br/>I did enjoy the food a lot and especially the Kunafeh dessert.

Not a cheap eat but decidedly a delicious eat. Ordered Musakhan and it was amazing. Light but flavoursome and the salad was tasty as well. Well worth a visit.

Freaking delicious! Who knew falafels were meant to be bright emerald green on the inside. What a revelation! Extremely slow, don't come here in a hurry. This hole-in-the-wall restaurant is run by 10 Jordanian sisters (and one brother) and has a chilled family vibe, similar to Satya. The food is deceptively simple looking but is incredibly fresh and tasty. Sage tea, thyme tea, baklava, hummus - those are my favourite things here.

We have eaten here a couple of times now and will definitely come back!!  The food is so fresh, tasty and beautifully presented, the staff friendly and welcoming. Recommend the Fatoosh, Cauliflower Salad and Shawarma.

This is by far the best middle eastern restaurant in Auckland. I come from the middle east and I have been longing for great ethnic food that resembles the great quality of original plates and Petra has it. Very fresh ingredients in everything, the salads, the main dishes for example Hummus is made by them not from the supermarket. The staff are very friendly, lovely and superbly polite. Very hygienic process and waiting time is short. The price is appropriate. I highly recommend this place if you like middle eastern food. <br/><br/>Salam

The place is run by three sisters and the food is AMAZING! It does take a while for the food to come out, but when it does, the wait is so worth it. If you are looking for authentic and rich middle eastern food then this is definitely the place to go. Although I am a vegetarian, I still don't eat a lot of salad but the salad that was served with the rice was so gooood! I scraped my plate clean and devoured every morsel of food. Definitely going back. :D  Thank you for this amazing experience.

The pomegranate dressing on the side salad almost made me cry it was so good. Granted, I ate here after moving house and it was so good to just be fed delicious foods and not have to carry boxes or clean walls. This place is good, would return 100%

Yummy Jordanian goodness. Garlic sauce, sumac and tasty orange dressing salad. We'll be back thanks! If I was to be critical maybe an explanation of the varieties such as Kunafa and basboosa but that is trivial really just like the 140 character review.

It's been a long long time since I had food with that much soul, groove and love, can't recommend them enough, try for your self and you will be hooked.

Visited this lovely eatery for dinner on a Saturday night as seen on Metro Cheap Eats Top 10 for 2015. It delivered in every way with absolutely delicious food, I had grilled chicken on rice with cashews, raisins, yoghurt and hummus and my friend had a vegetarian platter which she also loved. I recommend trying one of the Jordanian teas on offer, aniseed and fennel was just lovely to get into the Middle Eastern swing of things. Caters to a very wide range of dietary requirements and the service was great - smiley and genuine. A great local find!

Lived in the area for ages and for some reason never dropped in here.. And now I hate myself. <br/>The food is so fresh and amazing. The staff are all friendly.<br/>My tip order the Hummus and the Fatoosh and mix them together on your plate. Crazy good.<br/>The only downside is it can take a while for food to come out.. But worth it.

Petra has the BEST food in Auckland. Fresh, tasty, healthy, incredible selection of vegan and vegetarian options, and the lovely ladies that run the restaurant are always welcoming. I come here once a week for dinner but would come more if I could because its that good! Amazing value for money and incredible flavours :)

Really nice tasty authentic food. Service was not quick as staff were short staffed but the food was worth the wait. Staff really friendly and helpful. An interesting selection of teas and Jordanian coffee. Will he back!

Popped into Petra Shawarma on a rainy Monday afternoon. Perfect day for a hearty middle eastern meal. Ordered the Mix Mandi Rice which comprised grilled chicken, beef and lamb on raisin & cashew nuts in rice, hummus salad and yoghurt.<br/><br/>Points of note:<br/><br/>Meal presentation: 5/5 food looked amazing. Looks almost like the Jordanian equivalent of 'nasi briyani'<br/><br/>Taste: 3/5 probably looked better than it tasted. Was surprisingly bland and left a lingering after-taste in the mouth for hours after the meal <br/><br/>Value: 2.5/5 $21 was just a bit too much <br/><br/>Overall: 3/5 food was nice. Biggest let down was the price. Not sure how Metro classified this place as a 'cheap eat'. Would probably still recommend to anyone who is into Middle Eastern cuisine.

From the moment our group walked through the door we were made to feel welcome. Petra Shawano has a family run business feel. The mixed Shawano was delicious! The accompanying salad had a really nice pomegranate based dressing. I'll definitely be back!

A very friendly family owned business; even though I ordered take away but waiting I did enjoy the detailing and ambiance of the restaurant, very Jordanian like (middle eastern), dishes are properly cooked offers a healthy combo (always a delicious salad on the side), the Mandi rice dish is rich in ingredients, topped with roasted nuts and raisins, the shawerma (kebab) has the original (Arabian) middle eastern concept where it is pressed to a crunch, delicious beef shawerma but a bit salty and still doesn't beat the typical Arabic shawerma, to be fair it was the most delicious shawerma I had in NZ, compared to another 8 or 10 Turkish kebab (shawerma) joints, the best falafel I had too.<br/><br/>I recommend the place but if you are ordering big to go then I would I recommend you order through the phone as I had to wait for a bit more than an hour.<br/><br/>They offered me some complementary Arabic sweets which is a great tea companion <br/><br/>Keep it up guys.

A few friends had recommended this place. As you walk in you are instantly greeted with a smile and it’s a cute cosy restaurant. <br/><br/>We ordered the Babaganoosh ($10) and falafels ($6). I can honestly say that both the Babaganoosh and the falafels were the best that I have tasted. For the mains we ordered chicken shawarma ($14) and chicken mandi rice ($17.50). The meat is both dishes melted in the mouth and the dishes were really fragrant and tasty.<br/><br/>The service is really friendly and they are happy to make recommendations if you aren’t sure what to try on the menu. The meal took awhile to arrive but I think it’s because the food is fresh rather than pre-made like a lot of other Middle Eastern places. It is slightly more expensive than other middle eastern places but it is worth it. <br/><br/>If you love Middle Eastern, check out Petra Shawarma!

Found this place through the metro cheap eats and what a find it was! The service is great and they are very helpful if it's your first time there and a little unsure of the menu. The food is fresh and very tasty. It took a little while to arrive to our table but it's nice to know our meals are made to order unlike some kebab places. The meals are quieter filling and offer a taster of everything which my foodie partner and I enjoyed.<br/><br/>

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Having come in from the rain, it was comforting to be instantly greeted by staff and to step inside this small but cosy restaurant. With wall hangings spread around the room and Middle Eastern music playing in the background, there was no mistake that the food was proudly Jordanian. The menu was great meat and vegetarian options and the tea list was impressive. Next time I'd like to try the cardamom tea with a piece of baklava too. <br/><br/>FOOD: I had the Mandi Rice with chicken and it was heavenly! Visually it was an extremely good looking plate. The flavours were intoxicating with subtle delicate sweet flavours. My rice was perfectly cooked and the chicken tender. The yoghurt sauce had a beautiful tang and the hummus was creamy. My rice was topped with nuts, pomegranate and cranberries and it gave the dish a real boost of flavour. The food was so tasty that I happily could've eaten it again! <br/><br/>SERVICE: Very friendly and quick to give recommendations. The Mandi Rice is suitable for those wanting a more substantial meal than the shawarma. <br/><br/>This was the perfect way to brighten a cold miserable evening. Due to its size it's probably not ideal for big groups, but is perfect for couples or individuals wanting a quick eat.

Although they would hate me calling them 'kebabs' their Shawarma really are the best 'kebabs' I have tasted in Auckland. They come sliced and the attention to detail is impressive.<br/><br/>The Jordanian owner is so lovely and hospitable and makes amazing teas, it is well worth taking the time to eat in.<br/><br/>Try the eponymous Shawarma, but for me the best thing is to get a few of their 'Kubbeh' fried lamb & cracked wheat felafel-like snack especially served with the baba ganoush which has roasted garlic in it's creamy aubergine depths... Amazing.

<br/><br/>Update on my previous interview <br/><br/>Seems like this place has changed...... the price was acceptable due to the unique food taste and good service but now the food isn't the same quality and the stuff has been unprofessional dealing with customers.

The best arabic restaurant in Auckland , if you like to try the arabic favor this restaurant is the best choice ,, i really recommend it

My absolute favourite eatery in Auckland. There is so much care love and attention put into each dish not to mention the passionate family behind the scenes who make every thing from scratch including the condiments.<br/>Everything on the menu is delicious, I especially love the falafel saj ??<br/>

Really cosy little place, looks great with all the authentic-looking lights and decorations. The staff were very friendly and helpful. It was rather quiet for a Friday night, we dined in and were given menus which you use whiteboard pens to make your selections which I thought was pretty neat. We ordered the Babaganoosh with a side of garlic pita bread, the Falafels, the Lamb Shawarma, and the Chicken Mandi Rice. The Babaganoosh was full of flavour, nice and smokey and went perfectly with the pita bread. The Falafels were also very tasty and went great with all the various sauces that came with the other dishes. I really liked the Lamb Sharwarma, quite oniony and flavoursome, the meat was cooked nicely and it came with a really tasty garlic sauce (which was great spread on the pita bread). The Chicken Mandi Rice was so fragrant and tasty - I'm not a fan of raisins usually but they went really well with the dish, and the hummus and yoghurt sauces were great with the rice. Overall the food and atmosphere were lovely so I'll be going back to try more of their dishes :)

The food is Amazing every time. Its the most authentic I have had in NZ since I lived in the middle east, and even my dad who travels a lot commented on this. Its a lovely cozy setting, however the wait for the food is long, I would not wait until I was famished to go. The staff are lovely, and its one of my favorite places to bring friends :)

Delicious. Fresh and tasty, best middle Eastern joint we have tried so far. Love the owners, so friendly and you can tell they make the food with pride. Even the kids loved it and among our family of four we demolished 5 mains plus dessert. Yikes!

Quite pricey for what we got. Arais was pretty uninspiring: reheated mince lamb and oily bread. Chicken salad was better: good ingredients and well presented. Only fault was it needed to be bigger to justify the $16.50 price. Mint and rose water on tap is a nice touch.

We went in at lunchtime for what we thought would be a quick bite. Ordered at the counter and we were the ONLY customers. It took almost 40 minutes to get our food. This is a take-away with a few tables. I hate to think what would happen if it got busy. Food was ok. But not so good that I would make the effort to go back.

Patience is a must if you eat here. I had been told that things took a while and that it is worth the wait. But I hadn't counted on the 25 minute wait simply to place the order. We tried to order at the counter and were told to take a seat and our order would be taken. But this took quite a while. Waiting for the food to arrive was another 50min but as my friend had said, it is worth the wait. I had the chicken mandi rice which was really good. I also ordered the falafel which was delicious. It actually tastes of something, rather than the ones which seem so bland in comparison. The hand-tossed salad was a highlight. So go, but bring a truckload of patience.

Went here earlier this month and will definitely be back!<br/><br/>The babaganoush was unlike any previous version I had tried and it was outstanding! Definitely recommend with garlic pita!<br/><br/>My friend has the Mandi Rice which he really enjoyed. I had the (vegetarian) Petra Shaw and the felafel was super fresh! Also really enjoyed the beans and hummus.<br/><br/>The staff were super friendly and recommended dishes for us whilst making us feel super welcome.

Went there on Sunday evening. Shared the kooba ($2.50 each) – delicate parcels stuffed with meat in a crumbly parcel. Very differnt and tasty. The shawarma was fabulous, tender meat and generous flavours, it comes sliced up, with really nice salad. <br/> My husband ordered a malt-flavoured Barbican, a non-alcoholic beer, peach flavour and it was delicious. He also had the mixed meat musakhan which he really loved but couldn't eat it all. even though it a bit of a hike for us we will go back soon.<br/>Surroundings nice but not flash.

Awesome meals, huge servings considering reasonable prices. Amazing customer service, the lady working there went out of her way to talk about her culture and share her story. Amazing night.

Fresh and tasty meals, with excellent, honest service to boot.

Jordanian-style home-made food made with love by the owners. Not your average kebab shop. Try the Chicken Onion Roll or the Chicken Shawarma on Rice, and make sure to try the homemade pickle mix to really give your meal a zing. Décor is simple and is more of a takeaway but tables are available. A perfect place to enjoy a filling meal before hitting the pubs in Kingsland. For the full review and menu recommendations go to http://cheapeats.co.nz/petra-shawarma/