Jerusalem Cafe Austin

There are so many fantastic Mediterranean /​Middle Eastern restaurants and food trucks around Austin, you start to think you can never go wrong with them. So when I first saw this new truck pop up in the same space previously inhabited by Greek Original Gyros — which sadly vacated the lot next to Spider House Ballroom this past summer — I had high hopes for another contender to add to the mix. It certainly has an authentic feel from the outside, and a menu that features the staples of this type of cuisine: beef and lamb combo, falafel, shawarma, dolmas. Moreover, the staff is friendly and make it clear they want you to enjoy the meal. Unfortunately for me, the food definitely missed the mark.
On recommendation from the guy at the front window, I ordered the chicken shawarma wrap. This is usually one of my favorite dishes, with the smoky, roasted flavor of the meat and the hints of garlic I often get in the sauce. But this wrap was a huge disappointment, especially the chicken. It wasn’t remotely close to the flavor and crisp texture expected from a good shawarma — it was bland and looked more like what you would get from a mid-​quality chain. The condiments around it were unimpressive and didn’t go together. Every bite I hoped it would finally taste like a real shawarma, but all I tasted was… well, nothing really. On their own, the Israeli pickles and the sauce inside the wrap were good, but that’s not saying much.
Hopefully this was just an off meal, or maybe this isn’t the best item on their menu. The other reviews have left enthusiastic comments about their beef/​lamb mix and falafel, so if you go there maybe try those and see what you think. I probably won’t be back.

This is the best falafel that I’ve had in Austin! The balaclava is worth the 3 $. Flaky and really delicious. I ordered the combo plate with Jerusalem mix. A little pricey at 13 $ but the flavor is 100% on the money.

Great food truck in the Spiderhouse parking lot! Apparently they’ve been traveling the country for a number of years, and have decided to settle down in Austin. We got the combo plate (lamb/​beef, falafel, dolmas, hummus, pita, etc. etc. etc.), then extra falafel, then baklava and Turkish coffee and finally decided to save the rest of the menu for another visit. Everything was delicious and the owners are super friendly.