Bite Of The Issue

Come lunchtime, $10 doesn’t get you too far around Stuyvesant. It can purchase a meal from the halal cart, most of a Chipotle bowl, or, if you’re inclined to take a two-stop subway ride north, an enormous shawarma from Tashkent Supermarket. Located just above the West 4th Street Station, this recently opened Russian-Uzbek halal store is far enough from Stuy that most students wouldn’t think to go, but is close enough to easily reach during a double free or after school. For the price of a typical lunch (and a ~12 minute subway ride), a Stuy student can get their hands on a massive wrap filled with freshly carved meat, vegetables, fries, and enough sauce to douse the entire meal with delicious Uzbek flavor.

This trip is easily justified by just one item: the Central Asian-style shawarma. Unlike Stuy’s beloved halal cart, which serves its meat already ground and heated in bricks on the flattop, Tashkent cooks its whole cut chicken and lamb-beef on rotating shawarma spits, all while constantly shaving it onto wraps with an enormous knife. The difference is immediately and unquestionably noticeable. The meat, while extremely juicy, retains a distinct crispy and rendered crust from the rotisserie cooking process, and the flavorful seasoning is strong enough to stand on its own under any topping or sauce. The chicken is incredible, but the lamb-beef mixture has a richer flavor that makes it especially hard to stop eating.

The process of assembling the wrap begins with an enormous portion of soft lavash bread, onto which the meat of choice is directly shaved. The entire wrap is then brought up to a large counter, stacked with trays of chopped salad, sumac onions, fries, tomatoes, pickles, and much more. This assortment is ladled on by the tongful, with fresh salad and crispy fries each bringing a new texture and flavor to the slowly growing wrap. After all the toppings of choice have been added, the wrap is covered in a smoky yet spicy tomato sauce and garlicky herb-filled white sauce, and the food is almost done. With some difficulty on the server’s part, the enormous wrap is folded twice, then toasted for a crisp exterior. It’s handed to you in a reusable bag, already packed with napkins and utensils. 

At around $10 to $13 depending on the meat, Tashkent’s shawarmas make quite the strong case against Tribeca’s mundane eateries. A Chipotle bowl at roughly the same price provides a moderately filling meal, but Tashkent offers significantly larger portions with a much more varied combination of textures and flavors. Even compared to the cherished halal cart, the shawarma is vastly more substantial and feels higher quality, for an upcharge of about $4.

As the ‘Bite of the Issue,’ Tashkent’s shawarmas are unquestionably the highlight of the experience, but Tashkent is far from unsuitable to explore after the wrap is gone. The supermarket proper is filled with Russian, Eastern European, and Central Asian groceries, a selection of products once hard to find outside Brighton Beach. Alongside the food counter is a selection of Russian ice creams, sweet and savory pastries, imported drinks, and desserts, all priced closer to something you’d find in a Russian-speaking enclave of Brooklyn rather than the heart of Manhattan.

Tashkent has an unusual appeal, especially to people from Stuy. The entire supermarket is halal, making it an easy option for Muslim students, while its Russian and Central Asian products should be familiar to at least a portion of the student body. It’s far enough to have remained relatively inconspicuous since its opening, but close enough to make those two stops on the A train completely worthwhile. If a student doesn’t mind the train, those $10 can purchase an enormous, genuinely delicious meal, making Tashkent an excellent choice.

Directions: Walk down Chambers Street until you reach the intersection with Church St (Little Italy Pizza), and enter the A/C/E station. Take the A train two stops up to West 4th, and Tashkent will be located right above the south entrance to the station.