Growing up in a Calgary neighbourhood with no less than four shawarma restaurants, after school shawarma became a tradition for me. It came to my shock and horror then, that when I moved to Vancouver last September the only shawarma-like wraps I could find all seemed to be aiming for a different goal or committing some shawarma sin or another (wrapping with a tortilla being the most heinous). In my mind, the perfect shawarma needs three things. First, toum, the tangy garlic sauce that ties the whole wrap together. Second, they should have the fillings distributed evenly throughout the wrap — there’s nothing worse than taking a bite and ending up with a mouthful of only one ingredient. Finally, they need to be wrapped in a warm pita for the proper texture — tortillas just don’t cut it. All the stores I tried on my quest to find the perfect Vancouver shawarma failed at least one of these criteria. After 8 long months of shawarma-less suffering, I finally found the cure to my woes one night after work. Best Falafel. 

Located in Kitsilano at 1859 West 4th Ave, Best Falafel is a perfect spot for a post grocery shopping treat. They offer chicken, beef, and lamb for the carnivorously inclined, and an astonishingly crispy on the outside, soft on the inside falafel to satisfy the vegan crowd. All the proteins have a warm, subtle middle eastern spice blend. They have six toppings available: lettuce, tomato, pickles, pickled peppers, pickled parsnips, and onions. The tang from the parsnips and pickles goes excellently with the warm spices of the protein, though if you’re not a fan of heat you might want to hold the peppers. For sauces, they have the all important toum, along with hummus, tahini, sweet sauce, and hot sauce. All the sauces and toppings are fresh and crisp, which set the stage excellently for the star of the show: the protein. I recommend asking for your meat to be carved straight off the spit, as the meat from the tray doesn’t have the little crispy bits that add an incredible texture contrast. If wraps aren’t your thing, Best Falafel also has platters which come with rice, hummus, and a choice of three salads: tabouleh, Greek, or house. Lastly, they have large party catering trays, and smaller pre-made goods like samosas, beef patties and baklava. Unfortunately, from what I’ve tried, the smaller baked items don’t really stand out from the crowd of other deli counter food, and are just okay. My personal favourite order and the one I’d recommend to anyone looking to give Best Falafel a try is a chicken shawarma wrap with all the toppings, hummus, tahini, hot sauce and toum. At a price point of $12 per meat wrap and $11.50 per falafel wrap, Best Falafel offers an excellent and fairly budget friendly way to scratch that itch for carbs and fat that lives within us all.