The King of Falafel is Certainly King

Here in Astoria, the King (of Falafel) sits on his throne at 30th Street and Broadway.  And by God, does this man deserve his throne.  After all, he’s the 2010 Winner of the Vendy Awards, so you know that means he’s a top food truck.

The King of Falafel and Shawarma is my go-to when I want a cheap meal.  For $6, you can get a plate of rice (basamati or yellow), chicken, salad, pickled turnips and a falafel.  I toss on the white and red sauce and there you have it – two delicious meals because clearly you can’t consume this all in one sitting.  The red sauce is certainly spicy, so keep that in mind if you decide to visit.  The chicken alone has enough of a kick to it, so only if you are pretty daring would I advise going for the sauces.  Please note though that if you decide to reheat this meal, it doesn’t seem as spicy the second time you eat it.

While I liked the salad, I really don’t like the pickled turnips, so lately what I’ve been doing is asking them to hold the salad and turnips, and get the rice, chicken and falafel instead.  It’s more bang for your buck, and much easier to reheat when you don’t have to search for soggy pieces of lettuce before popping it in the microwave.

As far as the falafel goes, it’s pretty moist and I’ll warn you, a bit of an odd shape.  It’s more like a longer corn dog, versus a crumbly ball.  But regardless, it’s delicious.  I’ve had the falafel pita before, and while it was good, I like to stick to the chicken platter, just because it’s a bit easier to manage.

My only complaint with the King is the hours.  He isn’t available on Sunday, and is closed most nights by 8pm.  So if in the city, it often is hard to come home in time to catch him.  If you can make it though, definitely stop by his cart and give him a try.