Shawarma Station opened in November. Courtesy | Shawarma Station Facebook

A Lebanese food truck opened this November in Jonesville, adding more variety to the area’s dining scene. 

Shawarma Station is located across the street from The Udder Side and offers kabobs, beef kafta, and falafel, as well as American fare such as chicken tenders, burgers, and fries. 

“The owners are Yemenis, and they decided to bring culture out here, and we thought it was a good idea to bring it out here,” said Shawarma Station server Jesus Sosa. “It’s a busy road, so we thought, ‘Why not spice it up?’”

Shawarma Station’s owner, Mohamed Abdullah, said his father owned a Lebanese restaurant in Yemen before moving to the United States. Abdullah’s father wanted to own a restaurant in Michigan as well, and first opened a location in Coldwater and also operated in Sturgis. 

“When we were in Coldwater, we had a lot of people who came from the Hillsdale and Jonesville area, and we had to get in there sooner and wanted to have a brick and mortar location,” Abdullah said. “We have a food truck instead for now, just to see how it goes, and it’s been going pretty well.” 

Abdullah said he might move the business into a building if the opportunity arises. For now, they serve patrons from their truck and offer catering services. Shawarma Station will also be expanding its menu and providing seating come late April, Abdullah said. 

“We have a little of everything. We have burgers and fries and wraps, what people like, and then we also do chicken and beef shawarma wraps with pickles and garlic sauce” Sosa said.

Shawarma Station provides an option for people seeking Mediterranean food who live two hours from the Metro Detroit area, where there is a greater concentration of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern restaurants and culture. 

Senior Annika Monson said she sampled the beef shawarma wrap and the kafta bowl from Shawarma Station. 

“The wrap part was really good, and the sauce was good, and everything was well-seasoned,” Monson said. “The beef kafta bowl, get that. That was incredible.”