We Review the Kebab Shack

When my husband, Chandler, and I tried The Kebab Shack (900 E. Battlefield Rd., Unit 120, Springfield, 417-306-9087) for the first time, we knew we’d become regulars. As a testament to our affinity for the fast-casual eatery, we actually ate there twice during its opening week this past February and have been multiple times since.

The Kebab Shack serves a Mediterranean-inspired menu with a Middle Eastern flair. As someone who aspires to the Blue Zone way of eating, I was not-so-patiently awaiting its opening. The food is healthy, filling, quick and an affordable price.

Our first visit was just a couple of days after they opened. As a general rule, I try not to visit a restaurant immediately after it opens for a review, but I was going more for general food research and just to fill up.

However, from the start, the operations at The Kebab Shack seemed to run very smoothly. The workers were kind and knowledgeable, and our food came out within a few minutes. Husband-and-wife duo Sherif Magd and Sophia Hamid are the owners, and they are also the faces behind MacCheesy’s. So, it didn’t surprise me that they knew how to run a tight ship right off the bat. In fact, Hamid was even on the floor making rounds to ask customers how their food tasted.

I ordered the chicken kebab plate, which includes a marinated halal chicken breast kebab, hummus, Baladi salad, rice and pita bread. I first dug into the pita bread and hummus and loved how it was balanced and smooth. It didn’t have the overpowering garlic flavor that some hummus possesses. The meal also came with extra sauces, including a creamy tahini, cucumber-forward tzatziki and garlic dip with a consistency similar to whipped butter. My only complaint was that I wish I had more pita bread to dip it all in because it was all that good. I’ve noticed that they don’t always include all three sauces with your order, but they do upon request.

This meal has been a repeat dish for me, but I’ve since switched from the chicken kebab to the chicken shawarma. The main reason for my switch is that the thinly sliced meat seems to have a more consistent quality in terms of texture than the thick kebab meat. The bed of rice it comes on is addictive, and the addition of turmeric gives it a delicious flavor and yellow color. For me, the Baladi salad is what really rounds the meal out. It’s a finely chopped salad with tomato, onion, cucumber, cilantro, mint and parsley, all doused in olive oil and vinegar. It’s so refreshing.

Chandler’s go-to is the falafel platter, which features all the same extras. The falafel is so soft and warm, which is everything you could really want from that chickpea-based dish. If you don’t want to go the platter route, they also serve wraps and salads.

I’d argue that The Kebab Shack is a place you could bring the whole family, even your picky eaters. For example, one of the side options is fries, and it’s hard to find a kid who wouldn’t eat those. And if all else fails, you can bribe them with the promise of one of the crêpes for dessert. The Nutella Delight one just might be calling their name.