Eat This Now: Chicken shawarma wrap at Baba’s Pantry

Baba’s Pantry // Photo by Sarah Sipple

Baba’s Pantry represents warmth. Warmth in many forms: through color, hospitality, nutritious and flavorful foods, hot coffee and tea, decadent photography, and brilliant brand imagery.

But a reputation of warmth also comes from their actionable love for their community, which they demonstrate through fundraising events. 

Baba’s Pantry is an award-winning, Palestinian-American, family-owned restaurant and pantry in Kansas City. Baba’s frequently donates a portion (or sometimes the entirety) of profits to the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund, Super Melon–a Palestinian Food Sovereignty Initiative, a Palestinian farmers cooperative, and more.

Baba’s Pantry menu // Photo by Sarah Sipple

On a chilly evening, I turned to Baba’s Pantry to warm up with a chicken shawarma wrap and some specialty falafel. A large wrap is filled with Halal shawarma chicken and then topped with tahini, tomatoes, cucumber, and sumac-seasoned onions. The wrap itself was one of the best parts–chewy but structurally sound. I was taken aback by the portion size and already happy to have excellent leftovers to look forward to.

A filling side dish of Baba’s Falafel rounded out the meal and added a texture variety. Baba’s falafel is slightly larger than their traditional falafel, and is stuffed with sumac onions, parsley, and tahini. The cool and creamy dipping sauce completes the dish. 

The food is good—very good. But Baba’s Pantry is one of those places that people choose to visit and support for more than just the eats. It offers a small but significant connection to those outside of Kansas City who are in need of more support than executives at a national fast-food chain.

Now, Baba’s has expanded and opened a bakery in the space next door! Baba’s Bakery is currently in the soft-opening phase, and the warmth in color and menu continues. Baba’s Bakery offers a selection of fresh-made treats like kanafeh, babanoli, olive oil cake, pistachio halva chocolate chunk cookies, pistachio rose cinnamon rolls, and more.

Baba’s Pantry is located at 1019 E 63rd St, Kansas City, MO 64110.