Thanks, will go for the shawarma plate since I’ll be sharing w/ the wife.
Is this the place that also gives you free fries if you ask?
Hi @tailbacku,
Cool. If you’re getting the plate (best value for 2 IMHO), they’ll be giving you all the Israeli Salads on the side. Just make sure you ask for the Spicy Sauce (both) as well, and the Eggplant (free).
No, the fries are from Tel Aviv, but there should be enough food for both of you.
Since you’re doing the plate, and they give you extra Pita if you want, you might consider adding on a side order of Falafel (you can order by the piece) and build a “Falafel Pita” with some of the various Salads and Skhug / Harissa Sauce as well. 
Hoping you read this: closed on Friday’s.
DAMN IT!!!111111111111111111!$#@%$@#%$@$%#@!!ONE.
(need to make complete sentence)
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Isn’t it closed just at night, not at lunch?
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Looks like they’re open until 4pm today. Given that I have a 3:30pm doctor’s appt at Cedars, looks like I’m going to have to find another day to try it. sigh.
Shabbt Shalom.
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Hi @tailbacku,
Yah I listed it in the original post. Glad you didn’t waste a trip out there. I figured you were going for lunch today. 
Hope you get to try it another day then. (Just as an FYI, they close Friday Evenings, and Saturdays.)
They were actually closed since Wednesday for sukkot
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The laffa is big enough to share. It’s like a giant Middle Eastern burrito. They will add fries to that for free if you ask.
For those who haven’t had the laffa yet, I really encourage you to try it. It’s really the optimal way to experience Israeli-style shawarna and falafel imo.
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Hi @Bigmouth,
Thanks! How does the laffa’s texture compare with their fantastic pitas? Is it fluffier? Just curious about the difference.
Hopefully on the side - and not inside that behemoth!
I don’t think they could not possibly stuff another molecule of anything into the laffa falafel “sandwich” I had at Ta-eem. It was just bursting at the seams. I must say - although I loved all the ingredients - it was too hard to eat compared to Joe’s laffa sandwich. I’ll stick with the plates or pitas at Ta-eem in the future.
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Joe’s is still my favorite of all these places. The chicken is juicy, the shawarma is moist and seasoned PLUS the falafel there have a little bit of heat, cayenne maybe?
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I was there yesterday actually. Shawarma not as spiced as tel aviv and slightly drier IMO but there’s a ton of skin in that shawarma mix which adds a lot…
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Generally speaking, I don’t care for chicken shawarma. I much prefer the beef and lamb. Which is really what I like at Joe’s. ( I swear when I reread my posts I am not good at being clear LOL). The chicken I was referring to was his chicken kebab and his lemon chicken. The chicken is grilled and juicy.
I agree with you about Tel Aviv’s chicken shawarma. Theirs is maybe the first that I actually do like. And after my visit there the other day I’m definitely heading back there more often.
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It’s fluffy but not as fluffy as the pitas. More like naan or sangak. I prefer it to pita because it allows for better filling distribution. With pitas, they have to cram each salad in separately, so you get bites of all eggplant, all tabouli, etc. With laffa, everything is spread out more evenly, like a sandwich or burrito, so the flavors combine and compliment each other more.
Silly Bob. 
The correct answer is always INSIDE where me and fries are concerned. See also California Burritos.
I love Joe’s and actually prefer their falafel and shawarma, but the laffa sandwich there is a sore spot for me. The laffa bread itself is outstanding but they are so militant about what they will and won’t put in the sandwich. It’s very odd and frustrating. My move now is to order a veggie combo with extra falafel and laffa on the side.
If there’s lots of skin in your chicken shawarma, it usually means the meat is from the exterior of the cone, which tends to be drier and less appetizing imo.
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Pita Bar and grill is not bad on Fairfax (across from the high school) either, had a tasty falafel pita there for dinner tonight.
Thanks to @Gr8pimpin for the recommendation, we decided to try out Joe’s to see how it compared to Ta-Eem (and Tel Aviv Grill). 
This had been on my bookmark list for a while but I forgot about it until the reminder.
Joe’s is an interesting place in that unlike Ta-Eem or Tel Aviv, it focuses on more than one cuisine. When I asked the server, they mentioned “We are a Greek Israeli restaurant.”
Looking at the menu of Tabouleh, Baba Ghanoush, Gyros and even Lamb Shank over Rice (I was looking for some Ghormeh Sabzi at this point LOL), and you can see it’s more diverse than the other places (and maybe not as focused).
Chicken Shawarma Plate:
The actual Chicken Shawarma is dryish (it seems @Gr8pimpin was talking about the Chicken Kabobs, but then it’s not a fair comparison with Ta-Eem at this point (they don’t serve Kabobs), but like @Ns1 @Bigmouth mentioned, there’s some nice crisped skin / edges which makes it appealing. It was pretty tasty.
1 Salad:
However, after that the rest of the offering was disappointing. It comes with 1 Salad (and not even an Israeli Salad), just some mediocre, semi-limp Romaine Lettuce and unripe Tomatoes in a generic Vinaigrette. 
Compare that to Tel Aviv Grill’s bountiful (4 - 6 Israeli Salads), or Ta-Eem’s absolutely delicious array of Israeli Salads (they are delicious on their own - Curried Carrots, Red Cabbage Salad, etc.), and this is woefully disappointing.
Their Hummus was fine. Creamy, semi-thick.
The Pita was warm, but dryish. Tel Aviv Grill’s Pita is far better, and Ta-Eem’s is even better than that (slightly toasty on the outside) and both of them are fluffy, airy and outstanding. Definitely better than Joe’s.
Joe’s also only gives you 1 Pita per order, and charges you $0.75 for each additional Pita (vs. Ta-Eem’s 4 (amazing) Pitas and additional ones for Free).
Falafel Pita:
It’s kind of hard to see here, but Joe’s Falafel Pita is pretty sparse and only about 40% - 50% of the size of Ta-Eem’s or Tel Aviv’s.
It is also filled with just some Tomatoes and the semi-limp Romaine Lettuce.
However the Falafel itself is wonderful! 
It is what @Gr8pimpin @Ns1 have said: Definitely the crunchiest out of all of the places. So if you like crunchy Falafel, Joe’s is the best of the bunch. The inside is still moist, and it’s nicely spiced (although we didn’t get any heat).
Price-wise, Joe’s is the cheapest of the bunch: Joe’s Chicken Shawarma Plate is $10.25 (vs. $16.95 (Ta-Eem) / $14.95 (Tel Aviv)). And Joe’s Falafel Pita is $5.95 (vs. $7.95 (at both Ta-Eem and Tel Aviv Grill)). However, portion-wise, it feels almost like only 50% of the size of Ta-Eem or Tel Aviv.
If you’re looking for just pure crunchy crust and the Falafel alone, Joe’s Falafel is the crunchiest and tastiest of the bunch, and their Chicken Shawarma has the most crunchy edges. However it comes up short in too many other ways: It’s not Glatt Kosher (this matters to many of my Jewish friends). Its side accompaniments consists of just 1 limp Romaine Lettuce Salad, whereas Tel Aviv Grill and Ta-Eem’s Israeli Salad array are a meal unto themselves (let alone the fantastic Roasted Eggplant (for free)), and really make a difference elevating both places’ dishes.
The Pitas are so far superior at Ta-Eem and Tel Aviv (they are paradigm changing tastes - so fluffy, airy, warm, tasty), compared to Joe’s. And there’s no Housemade Skhug or Harissa Sauce which are stunning at Ta-Eem Grill. And it’s like half the portion.
Ultimately while it might seem I’m down on Joe’s, we really liked it for the delicious Falafel and Shawarma. It’s a nice place for the price if we were in the neighborhood. But when we want to eat Falafel and Shawarma, the additional accompaniments really matter, as does the base (Pita), and so we’d tend to favor Ta-Eem and Tel Aviv.
Joe’s Falafel
3535 Cahuenga Blvd West
Los Angeles, CA 90068
Tel: (323) 512-4447
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As usual, great job reviewing!!
Yeah, I never get the pitas at Joes. I only get the fresh made laffa.
That romaine salad is indeed pretty lame and way beneath the quality of everything else. For the salads I would definitely choose Ta-eem or Tel Aviv over Joe’s.
And yes I was referring to the chicken kabob which is really juicy good. But the falafel is not only the most flavorful but it has a great backheat too.
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Hi @Gr8pimpin,
Thanks for the rec! I’m glad to have tried it and yah their Falafel are really tasty. I’ll have to try their Laffa next time, thanks.