Acorn Kitchen’s Chicken Shawarma

Tastemaker

By Anna Faller | Feb. 21, 2026

If food is its own language of love, then the folks at Acorn Kitchen in Traverse City speak it fluently through soulful eats like their craveable Chicken Shawarma. Inspired by the Eastern Mediterranean classic, the core of this drool-worthy handheld is roasted meat—specifically, tender chicken thighs, which are dry-brined for 24 hours, grilled, bone broth-braised, and seared to order before filling a warm and pillowy pita from Yasmeena Bakery in Dearborn. Topped off with sweet onions brined in lemon and sumac, tangy cucumber pickles, fresh parsley, and the mellow garlicky magic of scratch-made toum sauce with a surprise waffle fry or two, this wrap has to be true love on a plate. Psst—this week, check out their Traverse City Restaurant Week lineup, especially the sweet pistachio Halva! Find Acorn Kitchen inside Atomic Marketplace at 3344 Cass Rd. in Traverse City.