Shawarma Twins brings Jordanian food to Milan

Milan, Michigan, population 6,048, now has Jordanian food.

On Main Street, just left of Peppers Mexican Grill and two buildings right of the China One restaurant, the first ever location of the Shawarma Twins had a series of soft openings before its Grand Opening Oct. 1.

Authentic food

Crystal and Gordon Smith of Milan, along with their 15-month-old son Isaiah, were there for the first soft opening on Saturday and then again on Tuesday. They ordered fresh mango juice with slices of mango in it and a strawberry mango smoothie to enjoy while waiting for their meals.

“No fructose corn syrup,” Crystal Smith said. “No additives, actual juice.”

Gordon Smith was in the Army for 13 years, and has been to Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait, the Horn of Africa, Djibouti, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates.

“It is so hard to find Middle Eastern cuisine that isn’t just Lebanese food,” Gordon Smith said. “The region of the Middle East is extremely diverse and having a taste of somewhere else in the Middle East will really help to educate people.”

“Everything here is just how I remember it,” he added happily as he ate.

Crowds

The manager Rashed Alsmadi estimates they had 150 people daily during their five-hour soft openings each day starting Sept. 27.

“We are so busy. We are happy. I cannot take a call because the phone is ringing, ringing ringing,” said Alsmadi, reflecting on each day’s success.

The Grand Opening will be at 6 p.m. Oct. 1. The restaurant’s usual hours, starting Oct. 2, will be Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. and on Mondays from 3 p.m. until 8 p.m. It’s mostly takeout, but there also small tables inside, benches out front and Tolan Square with more outside seating just around the corner.

Tuesday night close to 8 p.m. Matthew Tomecek of Milan was outside sitting on one of those benches hoping to get a chance to order. He said it was his second night there in a row, but the previous night he gave up and left. He values supporting small, independent businesses.

“It’s great. From the looks of it, they’re going to need a bigger building,” Tomecek said.

The backstory

True to the name, the restaurant really is owned by twins – two brothers Hashem Debian and Hisham Debian – and is managed by their longtime friend Rashed Alsmadi who grew up down the street from them in Jordan.

“We bring our recipes from Jordan,” said Alsmadi.

The Debian twins have degrees in agricultural engineering and have the added benefit of being excellent cooks, says their friend Alsmadi. Alsmadi said he studied to be an electrician, but his life took him in different directions than he imagined. Still, he tells you with a smile he’s delighted to be where he is. They have worked in Middle Eastern restaurants both in Jordan and in Dearborn, Michigan.

They chose Milan for their restaurant because it had no other Middle Eastern restaurants and because they liked the small, tightknit community. Alsmadi said they learned about the availability of their building from the Palestinian family who owned JDs, though they’d already been looking at the city.

“We didn’t think we’d get an opening here,” Alsmadi said. “We are so lucky.”

Feedback

John Blaga, who was at the restaurant with his wife Andrea and son Chris, said he was at Life Is Sweet Bakery recently, looking out the window, and couldn’t put his finger on it, but could tell something was different. He then realized JDs, where he loved to get sandwiches, was no longer there and instead there was something new. His family has already been twice.

“Very good, fresh,” Blaga said. “We loved it. [It’s] exciting to have Middle Eastern Food in Milan. We usually go to Palm Palace in Ann Arbor or Sheesh Grill in Woodhouse.”

“I haven’t tried it yet,” Michelle Mercier said, while sitting at one of the tables, “but my niece was here earlier today. She called us up and said, ‘Go, it is so delicious.’”

Mercier, said she’s lived in Milan all her life, aside from a four-year adventure teaching biology in Doha. She enjoyed trying the different foods while in the Middle East – and is excited to be able to try some just down the street from her home in Milan.

As Milan resident Jessica Barrett walked away from the restaurant with her takeout order, she said she’s excited.

“There’s not a lot of [existing] options other than pizza,” she said.

Alsmadi said one of his own favorites on the menu is the Zinger Meal because it includes their signature Twin Sauce. 

He said they look forward to continued growth, even if that means they don’t have time to sit down for a single break.

“I don’t mind if we’re still busy all the time,” he said. “We’re serving the people. Even if we’re tired, we’re happy.”