King of Falafel & Shawarma

When someone calls their business «King of _​_​_​_​», you question if that claim is anywhere near accurate. In this case, the name is absolutely justified. The falafel is 100% the best you can get. Little crispy balls of perfectly spiced goodness. Totally worth waiting in line for on a chilly day, because if you’re lucky the back of the truck will open up and there will be a falafel given to everyone waiting to put their order in. And that order better include falafel.
The platters are also all excellent. Everything is amazing here. Can’t wait for their storefront to open in a few days!

We came here after a Unilocal event in the area which was good for appetizers, but we wanted a main course. I have to say, as someone who’s tried his share of Falafel places in the city, this place is a contender for one of my favorites.
I initially wanted to order, a schwarma sandwich, but since they were out of lamb had to settle for the chicken schwarma. The meat was fresh, moist, and the vegetables paired with it were quite tasty. The guy in the truck even gave us a few extra falafel balls for free to munch on while we waited. When I took a picture of the truck, so I’d remember the name to Unilocal it, he gave me another falafel ball! Now that is winning customer service. He was also fast to make a few jokes (do I want sugar or sugar free water).
I would return for sure! Check this place out.

Their chicken over rice is mouthwatering! It’s a must if you are in Astoria! It one of the hidden jewel and plus they opened a store with the coolest exterior! #yeahhhbabby

While I think the Shawarma can be hit or miss depending on the time of the day, the falafel is to die for and the platters are just so filling with so many delicious components I often find myself craving it.
But what really stands out is that every single time I have been here (many) the guys are working so hard and still manage to be so friendly. It’s just a great neighborhood spot and I hope everyone will try and love it.

Best falafel in NYC. Hard to go wrong here, but the Freddy’s Junior is a particularly awesome combo – kefta and chicken over rice and salad, served with one piece of falafel. White sauce (mayo-​based) and red sauce (their homemade hot sauce) on everything.
If you are questioning their greatness, the fact that their soon-​to-​be-​open brick-​and-​mortar just says «#YEAHHHHHBABY» on the awning (instead of, you know, their actual business name) tells you all you need to know.

Never disappoints. The Omar platter is my go to for a cheap meal that will last for two meals. Meat is cooked perfectly and the sauces they provide are decadent. The staff is extremely friendly and usually gives you a giant falafel while you wait for your order (never more than 5 min once you make it to the ordering counter). This is a hallmark for Astoria and I couldn’t be happier to know that’s it’s tucked away from all the Manhattanites/​tourists that ruin everything good. It’s worth every penny.

A food truck with vegan falafel is great. A food truck with the best falafel I’ve ever had (that just happens to be vegan) is absolutely awesome! Honestly, better than any falafel I’ve had in Manhattan… or anywhere for that matter. And the staff is always polite and fast.
The falafel pita sandwich is under $ 5 and very filling. There is also the option to make certain dishes spicy, which I always opt for as I believe it enhances the dish. King of Falafel & Shawarma is a good lunch, dinner, or drunk food. Even if you don’t live here, the travel is certainly worth it.

If I lived closer to King of Falafel & Shawarma, I’d be a regular. I have a weakness for pita bread, so I would typically choose a pita roll/​sandwich over a rice platter. The first time I had King of Falafel & Shawarma, I just got the chicken wrap and it was soooo freaking good. I have cravings for this chicken wrap. The chicken has so much flavor and it’s tender. I would definitely recommend any of their chicken dishes!!!
The second time I had King of Falafel & Shawarma, I tried something else and got the kefta on pita. The kefta is very reminiscent of ground beef and I was a bit disappointed. I didn’t find it as flavorful as the chicken that I had. But I’d still go back regardless.
The lines can get quite long during lunch hours, you might still have to wait for about 10 – 15 minutes, but it’s worth the wait!!!

These guys are awesome. They’re super friendly and they also give you some food while you’re waiting in line as well!
The food is made fresh while you wait and don’t worry, the line moves because these dudes are wicked fast. Service with a smile and funny jokes. They look like they love their job and are proud of their food. The food is definitely king here. It’s juicy and delicious. RUN, don’t walk, here!

It was amazing. I dreamed of this place until I returned again.
I traveled from Washington Heights in Manhattan, all the way to Astoria just for this. The Shwafel is amazing. There aren’t enough good things to say about the food! Or the service! Even typing this makes me want to go to queens right now, at 4am, and wait for the truck to open. It’s totally worth it.

I am well-​traveled, and I must say that their falafels truly live up to their name! You know you’ve had a good falafel, when they are fresh, tenderly crisp on the outside and soft and delicate on the inside (which is beige in color). Some days they even give out free balls to the people waiting on line! If you are vegan, no problem. The location is great. The staff is friendly and honorable. They truly care about the quality of their service and reputation, which has led me to return time and time again. Bravo!
Note: If you aren’t exactly a pickles person, I’d ask them to hold the pickles when ordering a falafel wrap. The flavor of the ones that they use can be too overpowering. I enjoy them best on the side. I have had the shawarma as well, which was «good.» :)

Now, Step back all you phonies falafel carts that’s been playing ME all this time. BEST falafel food around!!! The chicken melts with the rice and the falafel is crunchy just the perfect touch. My favorite part is the salad mixed and the hot sauce, giving the platter the touch of sour, juicy and hot, new heaven found.
The staff is really friendly, wait time for food is About 5 minutes, even if there’s a line. Clean food cart and well organize, Fast and efficient food service adding the delivery of flavorz!!!
My go to spot !!!

Location: King Of Falafel & Shawarma is currently on 31^st, right at the corner of the Broadway station subway. I was little bit worried before I came to Queens because I was in a hurry to the airport and I did not want to spend lots of time looking for a food truck. However, my concern never ever happened. The food truck is really clear, cuz it is the only truck with green paintings. I crossed the street and quickly ordered my food.
Food: had the bomb heavy and delicious chicken over rice with more hot sauce. The platter also came with a falafel! It is the first time I had falafel, and I was amazed by its flavory chewy taste. Love it so much! The chicken is really juicy and tasteful with the hot sauce, everything seems to be perfect for a quick bite. I do also like their saturated onions and salad. It was just the perfect. The only con against them from Halal guy on 42^nd street is their white sauce. Not that great compared to the halal guy but otherwise are suprior than the halal guys so much.
Service: you can order whatever you want and they will accompany your suggestion to make the greatest meal. There was always a line and when you get the food, you pay your meal. It was quick service.
Overall: It is definitely a great lunch spot for great value as well as great taste. I cannot wait to have another bite soon! 4 stars!

Must say that it’s been over 2 years or so since I last had thee. Quality never fails. Meat is always juicy, abundant and flavorful. I or rather my body doesn’t like overly spicy food. I can eat it but later I will pay for it. I can say getting a meal from the king has never upset my tummy. The spices he uses are not overly extreme like some other shawarma trucks. It’s just right. The potency level of the curry is also not overly exasperating the flavor of the chicken. I tend to get the itchies (due to allergies) when eating curry. But doesn’t happen when eating from the king. My go to is the chicken platter. Includes rice, salad and of course chicken. This time around my best friend suggested we try the shawarma. It was absolutely delicious. Truth be told, I didn’t eat anything earlier that day, so I was able to finish the entire platter. I don’t remember it coming with falafel before but now you get one included and it was a really nice size. I order with the white sauce. But if you don’t like a lot added make sure you tell them otherwise they will drench the entire top of the platters with it. I don’t mind that but others might. So just a suggestion. The truck is new and really high tech. Not what I remember it from growing up in the area. Back then it was the little truck in the corner of ctown always servicing a long line of hungry people. The king always with a pleasant smile for his customers. So happy for the owner after all these years to see his success. Really shows you with hard work the American Dream does come true. I can’t wait until the new location opens up. I hope he does keep the truck at another location for those that don’t have time for sit down meals. Give the king a try and I promise you won’t be disappointed. Ps don’t let the long lines intimidate you. They actually service you pretty quickly. They have a really good system going with the added space inside the truck and someone dedicated solely for taking payments at the front in the passenger side of the vehicle.

I’ve heard many great things about this food truck but never ventured to try it. Its been a staple in the neighborhood for years. So before we went to have drinks and since we didn’t eat, we were deciding what to have for dinner. We decided upon this food truck. My best friend has had it before and remember it being delicious. I finally tried it. Its definitely a modern truck with a tv screen as the menu. Very nice. There is so much to choose from. I like how they had a description of each platter or sandwich. It definitely made the choosing easier. There was a line, but service was quick. You order your food and once you get your order, you pay at the passenger side of the truck. I decided to get the chicken shawarma platter and my best friend also ended up chosing the same. We didn’t know it came with a falafel in the platter. We possibly overlooked that detail and she ordered a small order of falafel. The platter came with rice, salad, and a falafel. Omg it was a lot of food. I like the «white sauce» but it was a lil too much. The chicken was cooked well and I could faintly taste the spices and curry. Wish it was a lil more pronounced. More spices is defintely better. The salad was fresh and the falafel was good. It was definitely a good meal to have before a night on the town. We enjoyed the meal. The meal was definitely hearty. I shall return in the near future and try something else.

MY HUSBAND IS A HUGE FAN OF THEM SO I DO GO AN SUPPORT HIS CRAVE.
It’s okay there food is decent an there very nice guys there generous with there white sauce an always gives me nice warm pita bread with my chicken over rice which I share bc I can’t finish the whole thing. I mean I can but I rather not .
Parking is okay, I usually park in a pump.
Pricing is great an there very professional at what they do.

Almost always a line, even in the rain and cold, says a lot. The food is great, I recommend the chicken and rice platter with spicy rice. Hot sauce and white sauce.
The Guys here are nice enough to give out free falafel when people are waiting on line.
Closed sunday!

Got a falafel when waiting. At first, I thought it would be dry and old as it was leftover. Then I tasted it and boy I was wrong. The falafel was fresh and delicious. I got the chicken platter with yellow rice. The chicken was tender and flavorful. Price was $ 7.
Reflecting back on it. I wonder if they offer Brown rice. Maybe next time.

The young men working on this truck are extremely friendly and nice. Big smiles all around! You also get to munch on a free freshly made falafel while waiting for your order. The falafel was nice and crispy on the outside and had a slight kick in the spices; some of the best falafel around.
$ 10 for a Big Daddy which is the regular chicken over rice with a beef kabob on top. There is also a side of salad with yummy pickles. The chicken was tender and the rice was seasoned well. The beef kabob was grilled to medium well with a nice pink to the inside; perfectly cooked with a nice char on it. The hot sauce isn’t very spicy but had a good flavor. They give you a falafel with the platter as well.
I saw that they also had lentil soup $ 3 for this cold chilly day. It was flavorful and had a nice addition of celery and carrots in the soup. The lentils had a good texture and was smooth.
The green bag that it was in felt really heavy and full of food. This is a two meal portion for me. Great neighborhood truck to have around.

$ 8 for chicken and falafel combo platter with basmati rice. Oh. My. Gosh. Best chicken and rice platter I have ever had! The portion is huge too (I can normally finish any chicken and rice platter, but I could only eat 2/3’s of this platter). The chicken is so juicy and tender and the rice is seasoned so well with spices. They put the perfect amount of white sauce and hot sauce (it’s not too spicy but has a good kick). The falafel was different from what I usually like, but it was still very good — perfectly crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside. One of the workers gave us a sample of their falafel while we were waiting which was a nice gesture. It only made us salivate more as we waited for our food. The worker was very nice and it made it even more worth it for us to take the train over to this truck.
Do yourself a favor and venture away from the chicken rice carts in the city. I have tried several, and none can compare to this place.

Dank Sauce