New York Street Food

Freddy Zeidaies, the King of Falafel & Shawarma who won the Vendy Cup & People’s Choice Award at the 2010 Vendy Awards, is ready to cross the East River and open a second outpost in Manhattan.

Last night Freddy posted the following message on his facebook wall:

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I was out in Astoria over the weekend, and when it comes to great street food, Astoria means one thing – Fares “Freddy” Zeidaies a/k/a the King of Falafel & Shawarma.

Freddy was a Vendy Award Finalist in 2007 and 2009 and didn’t win.  But he made up for it in 2010, when he won both the Vendy Cup and the People’s Choice Award.

Freddy proudly displays both awards right in front of his cart at Broadway & 30st St in Astoria, Queens.  For those of you who don’t get out of Manhattan much, Freddy’s cart is only 1 block from the Broadway stop in Astoria on the N train.

There’s always a line, but it moves pretty quickly, and I waited less than 10 minutes.  I got a combo platter of chicken and shawarma over rice ($7)…but there were a few things that made this lunch stand out from the multitude of halal carts out there.

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King of Falafel & Shawarma wins Vendy Cup & People's Choice Awards

The King of Falafel & Shawarma won the 2010 Vendy Cup and was recognized as the best street food vendor in New York this year.  Not only did they win the Vendy Cup, which is voted on by a panel of judges, but they also won the MasterCard People’s Choice Award, voted on by everyone attending the Vendy’s.

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When you talk about the best street food vendors in New York, one name continually pops up – Fares “Freddy” Zeidaies a/k/a The King of Falafel and Shawarma.  Freddy is on the corner of 30th St and Broadway in Astoria, Queens and has such a large and loyal following, he’s been a Vendy Award finalist three times – 2007, 2009 and again this year, 2010, but has not won the top award.  Will the third time be the charm?  Tune in to our Vendy Awards coverage on Sept 25th to find out.

We can’t think of a more deserving New York Street Food Featured Vendor than the King of Falafel and Shawarma.  We recently had the opportunity to speak with Freddy.  Click through to find out why he is so popular, what he has planned for the Vendys this year, and the story behind his unusual oval-shaped falafel.

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Every year the Vendy Award nominees have videos recorded so we can meet the vendors up close and personal.  This year’s videos were produced by Food Curated and are shown below for your enjoyment.  Just make sure you’ve eaten first!

1. King of Falafel & Shawarma

2. Bistro Truck

3. El Rey del Sabor

4. Patacon Pisao

5. Schnitzel & Things