Fantastic Falafel and Flavorful Chicken Shawarma and Pargiot - Legit Israeli Street Food at Ta-Eem Grill! [Thoughts + Pics]

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Now you are doing the Lord’s work. :slight_smile:
Been meaning to try this place. Try a half chicken next time. :wink:

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Glad you finally tried Ta-eem! I think they are somewhat hard to spot on Melrose due to the dark wood facade.

My go-to’s are the chicken schwarma and the pargiot—love them both and yes all portions are HUGE. Last time I got the pargiot plate it was three meals for me. They are very generous not only with the chicken potions, but the Israeli salads too—it’s a ton of food and really yummy food at that. +1 on their pitas—really soft and fluffy. It’s hard not to shovel more bites of chicken/salad/hummos/pita into your mouth when you know you should have stopped 10 minutes earlier (the only downside).

My coworker also thinks their falafel is the best in town (I still haven’t tried them yet as I can’t stay away from the chicken). We ordered lunch from Joe’s Falafel a couple of weeks ago and all she could say was “this falafel is not as good as Ta-eem”.

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Hi @Luluthemagnificent,

Thanks. :slight_smile: I’ll definitely have to try that next time; I didn’t even see it on the menu! Good to know.

Hi @LAgirl,

Thanks for your repeated recommendations! :slight_smile: I’m so glad I tried it.

And yes! We ended up finishing up the rest of the Israeli Salads just as an excuse to eat it with their fresh Pita. :laughing:

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It’s really hard to stop eating that pita. BTW—on to go orders they put the pitas in a foil lined bag and they are just as warm and fluffy as eating them there (they do this with the “sandwiches” as well) .

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I don’t know if it’s own the menu, just assuming.

@Chowseeker1999 strong text

Glad you enjoyed it. I love that place, never seen a half chicken on the menu. @Luluthemagnificent

One secret you can always do is get a plate with half fries and half cabbage/tomato/cucumber salad. Then you can stuff the fries in the pitas and dip them in hot sauce and hummus. If you get a pita sandwich or laffa they will put fries in it if you ask.

Also I think they have a fava bean ful dish that is off menu seen people eat it but never tried because the chicken is so good

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If you are still in the mood check out Golden Olive in Huntington Beach. They make fresh in-house pita!!! For only $2, add a $1 for garlic sauce.

Kareem’s in Anaheim has a great falafel. In fact many restaurants order from them to use in their restaurants.

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Wow, never even thought to try all those other dishes there. I am so enthralled with the falafel pita that it’s hard to go with anything else. Their laffa is really great too, but it’s too much food.

Losing this place was one of the worst parts of moving to Santa Monica.

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So glad you enjoyed it @Chowseeker1999! I agree, all the different salads on the pita/laffa make a huge difference. It’s one of the main reasons I usually prefer Israeli-style shawarma and falafel places. Make sure you get fries on your pita/laffa, if you haven’t already.

BTW, the seasoning in the carrots is cumin. Some places have it on the menu as Moroccan carrot salad.

It’s no Ta-eem, but Hummus Bar Express on the Promenade is pretty respectable. I really like the curry seasoning on the shawarma. Little inconsistent though.

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Hi @hungryhungryhippos,

Wow! That sounds… crazy bad for you and crazy delicious! :smile: I’ll have to try that next time. Thanks.

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Hi @JeetKuneBao,

Thanks, wow, that’s good to know. What else is good at Golden Olive besides their Pita & Garlic Sauce? Thanks.

ta-eem is the best hands down, most authetnic israeli there is

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I’ve been going for a while now… Including last week. It’s the best around here. Tel Aviv Grill still better for me. Do bring a beer next time. (but dont bring milk)

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@Nemroz do you find the shawerma to be better at tel aviv grill? I’m looking at their pictures and their food looks good but they don’t seem to have nearly as many salad options as ta-eem

i’d like to compare back to back but from my memory the falafel is better at telaviv and shawarma is a draw… you’re possibly right about salad options. it has been a while for me… valley usually means other options for me

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For me it is a close call, but I think I prefer the most things at Ta-eem, particularly the meats and falafel. Salads are a draw.
But Tel Aviv does give you that delicious eggplant on every plate.

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I don’t know if it’s own the menu, just assuming.


Nope.

Thanks @Nemroz. :slight_smile: Yes, I need to make it out to Tel Aviv one of these days; just wish it was closer. But good to know it’s comparable.