Hi @LAgirl,
It was thanks to your recommendation that got us to try the Pargiot plate in the first place. And I started to get hungry again writing the post.
Hi @LAgirl,
It was thanks to your recommendation that got us to try the Pargiot plate in the first place. And I started to get hungry again writing the post.
Nice! I could swear they have the eggplant just by itself (i.e., not sauced) like Tel Aviv Grill, but perhaps Iâm mistaken. May have to make a visit myself for some field research!
EDIT: Looked on Yelp and it looks like my mind is playing tricks on me, as all references there are too the salad. Tastes great either way, though!
Iâve never tried the eggplant (never noticed it for some reason), but will try it out next time. Thanks to both of you for the heads up!
Fucking Salivating - love that place.
Anyone know what the Hebrew imprint on the pita means (I am assuming thatâs a Hebrew glyph)?
Maybe I need to give this place another shot?
Me and my wife and adult kid seem to be in the minority here. None of us were impressed.
We had falafel, chicken shawarma and grilled chicken breast.
Falafel was gooey inside, chicken dry. Hummus was good, though.
Personally we all agreed, weâd rather go to Hummus Bar or Joeâs for our fix as long as it requires a drive from the valley or SM.
Hummus Bar & Grill is still Killinâ it? Good to hear. Our last visit was two years ago. We are way overdue.
Sorry to hear about that @Gr8pimpin.
I can only speak for our 4 visits, but theyâve been consistently delicious each time.
Weâve only been to Hummus Bar once (about 2 - 3 years ago), and found it OK, but nothing that made me want to drive out to the Valley for.
Give it another try! Mightâve been an offnight
This is one of my local spots and Iâve eaten here somewhere between 50 - 100 times and really never had a bad meal (it is repetitive because I usually get the parigot, falafel, or shawarma).
If youâre looking for something to stay away from the merguez and schnitzel are pretty basicâŚ
Taeem was good when I had it. The chicken is less spiced than Tel Aviv, but what they do well is crisp the chicken.
I personally like both, although quite different in their shawarma preparation. If you like the chicken flavor to shine through more, hit up Taeem. If you want an aggressively spiced shawarma, go to Tel Aviv.
I agree, I wouldnât drive from over the hill to go to Hummus Bar.
This is actually my one issue with Ta-eem. The shawarma could be spiced more aggressively. I still havenât been to Tel Aviv yet, but I personally prefer the shawarma at places like Hummus Bar for precisely this reason.
Ok, I was passing Tel Aviv grill in Tarzana so I had to stop.
Yeah, I DEFINITELY prefer this.
They offered me fries, fried eggplant, pickles, whole olives and pita on top of all this grub! Shawarma was much moister and seasoned.
Plus while they were preparing my plate, one of the guys kept feeding me falafel from over the counter.
thanks for the report, now I donât feel so bad about ta-eem. The dollar pitas are a bust though =X
Hi @Gr8pimpin,
Yah Tel Avivâs Shawarma is moister and more tender, but it lacks any searing / crisped edges. I do like it a lot though. Ta-Eemâs is âdrierâ (but in our 4 visits not actually âdryâ as in âdried out overcooked meatâ), but itâs due to them searing the Shawarma on the flattop before serving, which gives some textural contrast which we love (crisped edges, nice caramelization in the Chicken in parts).
Also, we found the Israeli Salads to be superior at Ta-Eem (much more flavor and nuance in each of the Salads - see above for tasting notes). It made a huge difference.
Lastly, Ta-Eemâs Housemade Skhug and Harissa are just amazing highlights (free) to really enhance each bite. Tel Aviv has something that looks like green and red sauce, but when we tasted it and asked them, they said it wasnât Skhug or Harissa, just 2 blended sauces they put for the dishes (and it tasted really mundane).
Iâd be happy with Tel Aviv if it was in my neighborhood regardless. Delicious food, but if I could choose either, itâs Ta-Eem for all of the reasons above (and you can get the Chicken Pargiot if you prefer the moist, juicy style of Chicken). But ultimately itâs just personal preference. I think both places make great food.
My order at Tel Aviv is:
Pita sandwich w/
With all that going on, the shawarma flavor is still the most predominant flavor. Of course, at Tel Aviv, they give you considerably more chicken and more food in general.
I get pita sandwiches at both, and Tel Aviv I donât think I finish all the food they give me. The fries, eggplant, pickles and olives that come with the pita sandwich is just so much food. At Taeem, I killed the entire sandwich easily and got a donut from CoFax after.
For comparison
Tel Aviv
Taeem
Of course, rent is way higher on Melrose than a strip mall in Tarzana.
Hi @A5KOBE,
Nice. Well, to be fair, as @Bigmouth mentioned you can get Eggplant at Ta-eem as well (for free), so you should add that in.
And I canât believe you can finish the pita at Ta-eem! I canât finish one of those.
When you get into Plate territory (Chicken Shawarma / Pargiot / Falafel Plate), Ta-eem is far better as we noted above. You get refills on the Israeli Salads (we got more than Tel Aviv) and they give you 4 Pitas immediately, please extras (free). At Tel Aviv they give you 1 and charge you $1 for every extra Pita you want.
Going to check out Taeem today for the first time. Should I get chicken shawarma or the pargiot?
Theyâre both really good, hard to say⌠Maybe the shawarma just because itâs more of their classic.
Shawarma laffa. Go with the classic first.
Yah what @skramzlife @Bigmouth said. The classic first.
Depending on how many people you have, you can go with the smallest portion (Chicken Shawarma Pita) and try their Falafel Pita as well.
Make sure you tell the folks behind the counter (after you order) what Israeli Salads youâd like added (you can just try them all if you want), and ask for the the âSpicy Sauceâ on the side (Skhug and Harissa) and you can add as much as you want to your taste (they are both delicious).
Hope you enjoy your visit.