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Falafel Salam hopes to put down solid ‘street food’ roots at Pike/Broadway

(Images:  Falafel Salam)

(Images: Falafel Salam)

1079043_491002804307087_332942381_o“Street food,” more and more, is featured at fixed-place restaurant ventures that take on the description for honed, simplified — and usually still delicious — offerings. But Seattle still has new generations of true street food entrepreneurs looking to start building their food + drink empires with a truck-drawn eatery. A much-coveted — and also extremely challenging — parking space for these ventures in Pike at Broadway in the Shell service station parking lot. Friday, you’ll find the latest street food entrepreneur to try to make the space pay off. This time, the plan is a little different.

“Capitol hIll doesn’t have a whole lot of room for this,” Felafel Salam owner Shimi Kahn tells CHS.

This month, Kahn’s trailer full of Middle Eastern delights — “My main focus is on authentic Middle Eastern,” Kahn says. “The way you get the food on the street in the Middle East.” — can be found at Broadway and Pike on Tuesdays and Fridays. It’s been a bit of a rough start as Kahn sorts out Capitol Hill’s sometimes peculiar lunching habits. But the food truck operator is certain the space should eventually work.

The space is currently being offered by the station landlords on a monthly basis for certain days of the week. Kahn says he plans to claim it throughout the full week in coming months and work to bring in other trucks and trailers on days when Salam is scheduled elsewhere. His hope is to do more than past efforts to make the food truck presence at the spot stable — and a draw.

CHS has written about the quest to establish more street food opportunities around Capitol Hill — not all of which have been successful in the restaurant-rich and crowded business environment. Still, the concept remains popular. This summer’s street food festival at Cal Anderson park drew large crowds. Meanwhile, the Shell station has been home to Mexican taco trucks, Hawaiian-styled plate lunches, and even a coffee pop-up. It’s the nature of the business — but none of the players stuck around for long.

Kahn hopes his turn in the space works out differently.

“We have super fresh felafel and we’re really, really, really quick,” he said. “We should fit in.”

You can learn more at facebook.com/FalafelSalam.

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not from nyc but would eat there any day
not from nyc but would eat there any day
10 years ago

If they have a solid chicken and rice theyll have a customer for life. I dont know if thats authentic or not but NYC has these stands by boatload and theyre good.

pod
pod
10 years ago

I want to say this truck is the same guy who has had a booth at Fremont Market. If it is, then his falafel is legit!

Craig Eshleman
Craig Eshleman
10 years ago
Reply to  pod

Yep. It’s the same guy. I know the guy and his food is delicious and legit.

awb
awb
10 years ago

12 dollars for food from a truck? I thought there was supposed to less overhead.

chuck pea
chuck pea
10 years ago

The thing you don’t realize until a food truck sets up outside your window is that they are powered by gas generators that run *all* *day* *long*

The noise from the coffee stand in that location was ridiculous – traffic noise comes and goes, generators run continuously.

JRT
JRT
10 years ago

Whatever happened to the Ventoux coffee truck that was there earlier this summer?

Shimi Kahn
10 years ago

Thanks for the write up! yup, we are the same guys from Fremont Sunday Market!

The whole reason I started this was to serve traditional falafel & shawarma the way it is done in the Mid. East. This means high quality ingredients, all super fresh.
We are always happy to give out samples of our food, so let me know if you want to try anything.
* Falafel is always fresh (10 min. old falafel gets tossed out). Crispy on outside and soft and fluffy on inside.
* Shawarma is made of organic sustainable chicken (which we get whole and butcher ourselves) marinated in 21 traditional spices, ex. virgin olive oil fresh lemon and garlic.
* We bake our pita fresh everyday. serious fluffiness!
* staple salad is called Arab salad and it is made of finely chopped cucumber, tomato, cabbage, parsley and lemon juice. this is the traditional salad accompanying this kind of food in the Mid. East.
* We make our own hummus, tahini, tzatiki, pickled vegies in lemon\mango brine, etc’
We have tons of vegetarian and vegan options and keep a clear separation of utensils, fryers, etc’

As for your concerns, we invested in a very quite generator because of not wanting to create extra noise.

$12 is for our biggest plate which has everything on the menu on it (including organic sustainable chicken shawarma). that is $10.95+tax, by all standards, this is a steal, especially with the ingredients we use. Come check it out and let me know if you are not satisfied and I will be sure to take good care of you.

JTContinental
JTContinental
10 years ago

Walked by here the other day and it smelled wonderful–it made me sad that I had just eaten. :P Will definitely be checking this out.

drlpo
drlpo
10 years ago

Combo plate and shhwings were marvelous! Authentic, delicious, therefore Highly recommended.

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[…] Falafel Salam’s owner hopes the truck will succeed as works to make Pike/Broadway a steady choice for Capitol Hill street food. […]

Paul Davis
Paul Davis
10 years ago

I have had several meals at Salam. It’s delicious food, and the experience is a joy, too. It’s funny that a food truck has a “host”, but Shimi really makes customers feel welcome and.

My big reco for dishes is the Schwings, which are seasoned wings served with a tasty sauce. They’re great with or without the sauce – I alternate bites.

The falafel balls are light and tasty and, as Shimi takes pains to emphasize, always fresh. I tried the shwarma for the first time today, it’s another winner.

Recommended highly.

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[…] The street food dreams of Felafel Salam are about to come true at Pike and Broadway. Owner Shimi Kahn says that starting October 2nd, the food truck space at the Broadway Shell Station will be active through the week with food trucks including Felafel Salam, How Pickle Got Out of a Jam, Poke´ to the Max and Skinny Phoenix. […]