New Restaurant Replaces Mac Shack
Shawarma Palace recently opened on Brady Street, serving quick and comforting lunch, dinner and late-night meals.
Site of Shawarma Palace, 1701 N. Humboldt Ave. Photo taken Sept. 30, 2023 by Sophie Bolich.
Mac Shack on Brady Street has officially closed. The macaroni and cheese restaurant, 1701 N. Humboldt Ave., shuttered at the end of 2023.
A new, fast-casual concept is already operating in its place. Shawarma Palace recently opened in the building, selling shawarma wraps and bowls, falafel and other Middle Eastern foods.
Behind the new restaurant are Othman Farah, Belal Jaraba and Mjde (Yousef) Abdallah, a team of industry veterans who also operate Pita Palace.
Shawarma Palace is open for lunch, dinner and late-night service, with hours extending until 2:30 a.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The restaurant offers on-site dining, as well as delivery, pick-up and online ordering.
The restaurant serves several types of shawarma including chicken, beef and mixed varieties. The thinly-sliced, spit-roasted meat flavored with garlic and warming spices is available wrapped in pita, as part of an entree or atop rice and salad. All versions come with garlic sauce and other toppings.
Aside from shawarma, the menu features falafel wraps and bowls, hummus, baba ganoush, kabobs, salads and dips. All items are halal, and there are several vegetarian options. An assortment of American foods such as cheeseburgers, chicken wings, chicken nuggets, chicken tenders and mozzarella sticks are also available.
A full menu is available to view online.
Mac Shack opened in August 2021 under the ownership of Ashraf Mustafa. At the time it joined a growing number of new restaurants specializing in macaroni and cheese — a trend that has since diminished in popularity, as evidenced by the recent closure of other similar establishments in the city.
Kahled Aloul later took ownership of the restaurant. But after an initial period of success, the business began to struggle, he told Urban Milwaukee in November.
Aloul fought to keep Mac Shack in business. “It was my dream,” he said. “I poured everything I had into it until I couldn’t.”
A combination of factors, capped off by Aloul tearing his ACL while playing basketball, ultimately led him to sell the restaurant. The Pita Palace partners moved to purchase the business in 2023.
Aloul said he hasn’t lost hope of reopening Mac Shack in the future. “I’ve learned a lot,” he said.
The 2,580-square-foot restaurant space is located within Keystone on Brady, an apartment building at the northwest corner of E. Brady Street and N. Humboldt Avenue. Constructed in 2017, the building includes 22 apartments, 3,300 square-feet of commercial space and 23 parking spaces.
Shawarma Palace is open Sunday through Wednesday from noon until midnight and Thursday through Saturday from noon until 2:30 a.m.
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there’s only so much mac and cheese you can eat
No disrespect to the staff of the Mac Shack, but the menu items were terrible. No specialty types of M&C, such as different types of pasta, or different types of cheese. This is Wisconsin, ya know?? My idea for a M&C restaurant would be to allow me to choose the pasta and the combination of cheeses and spices!! But not the Mac Shack! I am looking forward to visiting the Shawarma Palace later today!!