There was BIG news last week in the New York street food world.  Fares “Freddy” Zeidaies, the King of Falafel & Shawarma, who won both the Vendy Cup and the People’s Choice Award in 2010, opened a new, 2nd falafel cart in Manhattan.

We stopped by the cart opening day for a combo platter, but had to go back a few days later to try one of his signature dishes – a falafel platter.

One of the reasons Freddy’s the King is because he knows how to treat his customers well.  The line was pretty long, but Freddy had an assistant go to the end of the line every 10 minutes or so to hand out free falafel to everyone waiting.  Nice touch!

The falafel were nice and crispy on the outside.  Inside, not only were the falafel soft and moist, but they were actually fluffy.  There was also a small kick of spiciness in the falafel.

This is a king who shares the wealth with his subjects.  In other words, his prices are excellent.  I got a falafel platter for $6, and a falafel sandwich is $4.  You can see the new cart’s menu here.

The platter had 5 big pieces of falafel, plus lots of other stuff.  There were pickles, onions, lettuce, tomato and pickled turnips, which are the purple strips in the photo.

You can choose from 3 sauces, or do what I did and get them all.  There’s a white sauce, a sesame tahini sauce, and a hot sauce.

Earlier this week Freddy tweeted about his first Yelp review, where the person said the hot sauce wasn’t really that hot.  Freddy took that as a challenge, and really kicked up the heat on his hot sauce.  Just how I like it!

This was an excellent lunch at a great price.  Not only is it one of the best falafels around, but you won’t find a nicer vendor on the the street than Freddy.  He clearly loves what he’s doing.

The King of Falafel & Shawarma is on the NW corner of 53rd St & Park Ave from 11am-3pm.  Expect a line when you go, but if it’s long, maybe you’ll get a free falafel while you’re waiting.

You can follow the King on twitter here, but he doesn’t change locations, so it’s used more for posting photos and reviews.

Yesterday was the first day for the King of Falafel & Shawarma’s new cart in midtown, and it wasn’t all smooth sailing.  Last night Freddy tweeted “okay first day just flashed away so fast , i may(be) did not please every one or i was not fast enough , but promise to make it better.” It didn’t help that two of his employees didn’t show up on this special day – or should I say possible ex-employees.

I got to the NW corner of 53rd & Park at 1:05, so I have no one to blame but myself for having to get on the end of a 30-person line. Luckily, a friend happened to be 2 people ahead of me on line, so the time passed fairly quickly with someone to talk to.

I got a combo platter, which had falafel, chicken shawarma and beef-lamb shawarma.  At $8, the combo platter is the most expensive dish on the menu.  You can also get a falafel sandwich for $4, and there are several sandwiches and platters in between.

The sauces get a little messy because Freddy tops the platter with a warm pita bread before putting on the lid, but don’t let that photo fool you – this was an awesome lunch!

As I mentioned yesterday, there are a few things that set this cart apart.  One is obviously the falafel, which are oval shaped, crunchy on the outside, and soft and moist on the inside.  Definitely one of the best falafels around.

One of the other big differences here is the meat.  Freddy has two spits of meat on the cart that are actually layers of meat stacked and pressed together tightly and roasted.  You won’t find any of that processed quasi-meat substance that passes for “lamb” on most halal carts.

On top of each spit is a tomato, which helps keep the meat even moister when roasting.  When Freddy carves off the meat, there are both crispy and soft, juicy pieces of meat.

The other items in the platters and sandwiches are great too.  The pickle slices and (mild) pickled turnips add a lot of flavor and texture, in addition to the lettuce, tomato, onions and three (!) sauces.

Other than the wait, the food was mostly up to Freddy’s exacting standards.  The only negative was that one of my two falafels was somewhat undercooked, but that’s the only thing that wasn’t excellent.  I’m sure that had something to do with being shorthanded on his first day.

We’ll be checking back in with the King fr0m time to time (which is our way of trying everything on the menu).  It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it.

Freddy (left) and assistant

Freddy's oval-shaped falafel

We told you this day was coming…and now it’s here.

The King of Falafel & Shawarma, winner of both the 2010 Vendy Cup and the People’s Choice Award, is opening a new cart today in Manhattan.

The King’s new cart will be at 53rd St & Park Ave.  FYI, the original cart on Broadway & 30th St in Astoria will still be there.

So what makes Freddy the King?

For one thing, his falafel. Freddy’s falafel is different in that it’s oval, not round.  Freddy told me in our interview last year that “egg-shaped falafel has a better crust and is moister on the inside.  Round falafel get too crunchy and are not as moist on the inside as mine.  In the West Bank where I’m from, that’s how they do it.”

Another thing that’s different is his sauce.  In addition to white sauce and hot sauce, Freddy adds a creamy tahini sauce to his platters.  That adds a delicious sesame dimension not found at most other street vendors.

And his prices are pretty good too, as you can see from the menu of the new cart below.

Happy eating everyone!  We’ll see you at 53rd & Park.

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:

Freddy wrote: “So King of Falafel & Shawarma Express is ready, now going to wait till the winter is over hope at the end of February.”

Freddy is still being coy about where he plans to set up shop in Manhattan once winter ends.  As soon as we hear, you will hear too.

If you cannot wait that long, you can always visit his original cart, which is only 1 block from the Broadway stop on the N train in Astoria.  We took a quick ride out there last spring, and it was well worth it.  Below is a photo of our lunch that day, which included his oval shaped falafel.  It was delicious!

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.

The first difference was the enormous amount of food.  In addition to lots of chicken, shawarma, rice and salad, Freddy tossed in a piece of falafel for the heck of it.

Freddy’s falafel is different from the falafel that most vendors serve in that it’s oval, not round.  Freddy told me in our interview last year that “egg-shaped falafel has a better crust and is moister on the inside.  Round falafel get too crunchy and are not as moist on the inside as mine.  In the West Bank where I’m from, that’s how they do it.”

And the falafel was crunchy on the outside and moist inside.

The next thing that sets Freddy apart is the shawarma.  It’s not that processed quasi-meatlike product you see at most street carts.  Real shawarma is comprised of thin cuts of meat stacked on top of each other and roasted on a spit.  I didn’t get a good picture of Freddy’s shawarma, but the picture below (not from Freddy’s cart) gives you an idea what I’m talking about.  His shawarma is real roasted meat, not that processed stuff.

Once the meat is cut, the next difference is the sauce.  While Freddy has a mayo-based white sauce, he also has a sesame-based tahini sauce.  A lot of the vendors serving falafel have tahini sauce, but you don’t see it too often at the chicken and shawarma carts.

I really enjoy sesame, and am not a big fan of mayo-based white sauces (yogurt-based is another story), so a tahini sauce was much appreciated.  I also got hot sauce on my lunch.

Boy, did this lunch look and smell awesome!

The chicken and shawarma with tahini and hot sauce were delicious.  The meats were very moist and flavorful with good seasonings.  You could see the chicken breasts on the grill had a yellow spice rub, and the shawarma had some crunchy pieces and some softer pieces.

I really loved having a thick sesame-based sauce to eat with the meat.  There were plenty of grilled onions and a few peppers mixed in too.

Under the meat was a light and fluffy basmati rice that was nicely spiced.  Freddy also has yellow rice for another option.

There was also a good salad buried in the platter, but that was more of an afterthought with this much meat and rice to enjoy.

This lunch from the King of Falafel & Shawarma was excellent.  Freddy has been doing this for a long time, and he gives both the food and his customers the care they deserve.  No wonder there’s always a line – but there usually is for most good things in New York.

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.

Freddy (above, holding his grandson) started his cart in Astoria 8 years ago, and this was his 3rd time as a Vendy Finalist.  Third time was definitely a charm for the King of Falafel & Shawarma!

King of Falafel sandwich

That’s a nice one-two punch for Freddy and Company, who are also the current NYSF Featured Vendor.  You can read our recent interview with Freddy here.  We had a falafel sandwich from there today, and it was wonderful.  Nice flavorful falafel in a pita with jalapeno, pickles, lettuce, red onion, white sauce and I added hot sauce. It’s not hard to see why they won the Vendy Cup (picture above).  Congratulations to Freddy and Company.

Alex reacts when Kelvin wins Best Vendy Dessert category

The Dessert Category was won by the Kelvin Natural Slush Co.  Kelvin Slush was the perfect accompaniment for the Vendy Awards today because it tasted great, cooled you off, and didn’t fill you up.  There were so many vendors to try, the “taste great, not filling” drink was just right in mid-80 degree weather with a lot of food to eat.

We started the day with a slight variation of their Vendy Special – 1/2 ginger, 1/2 citrus and we asked for carmelized pineapple instead of blueberry.  Unfortunately, we drank most of it before remembering to take a picture, but take our word for it, it was delicious.  If you want to read our first review of Kelvin Slush, click here.

Pavlos, Abby, Pat Kiernan, Kosta, Oleg (S&T) & Sean (SVP)

The Rookie of the Year Vendy Award was won by Souvlaki GR, which was sweet music to our ears.  New York Street Food was the first one to write about Souvlaki GR, and we have gotten pretty friendly with them, as they are very appreciative of our early support.  Sometimes your babies grow up so fast!

Souvlaki GR

We didn’t have any souvlaki today because it had the longest line of the Rookie Vendors – and we just went to the Souvlaki GR truck last weekend!  For a full review of Souvlaki GR, click here.

Congratulations to Pavlos, Abby, Kosta and the Souvlaki GR team.  We knew you could do it!

Now we need to shower and rest.  Check back tomorrow for a full review of the Vendy Awards and write-ups of the other Vendy Finalists, who were all amazing.

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.

NYSF: When and where did you start the King of Falafel and Shawarma cart?

FZ: I started the business  in 2002 and have been on the corner of 30th St and Broadway in Astoria ever since.

NYSF: Did you have any prior food or business experience?

FZ: I had a coffee shop in NYC that opened in 1996 and I was the chef.

King of Falafel & Shawarma at the 2009 Vendy Awards (Freddy reaching out)

NYSF: What made you decide to open a food cart?

FZ: There were not a lot of places in the city to get falafel and shawarma back then. It’s not like today.  I also wanted to see and serve people my food, and not be stuck in the kitchen.  I love being around people all day.

NYSF: You’ve had a lot of success with your cart. To what do you attribute your success?

FZ: We give people good quality food.  It needs to be good for them to come back. I love what I’m doing, and it comes through in the food.

NYSF: This is the 3rd time you’ve been nominated as a Vendy Award finalist.  Do you have anything special planned for this year?

FZ: I’m not going to change anything. I’ve been nominated because of the food I serve, and I’m not going to change that.  Last year, I was the last one to serve the judges, right at the end of the day, and closed up right after.  This year, I would like the judges to try my food earlier in the day.

NYSF: Your website has a lot of information on Arabic cooking, such as the various herbs and spices used, as well as a bunch of recipes. Are these your cart’s recipes, or do you have your own secret recipes?

FZ: The recipes on my website are good, but I have my own secret recipes.  If you want my falafel, you have to come to my cart.  But the maklouba (upside down dish) recipe on the website I have served at the cart.

NYSF: What’s the deal with your oval-shaped falafel? Everyone else does falafel balls.

FZ: Egg-shaped falafel has a better crust and is moister on the inside.  Round falafel get too crunchy and are not as moist on the inside as mine.  In the West Bank where I’m from, that’s how they do it.

King of Falafel samples at 2009 Vendy Awards

NYSF: What other types of food do you like to eat?

FZ: I love American food, especially steak.  I would love to spend a month in Texas just eating steak and BBQ.

NYSF: I know you’re probably focused on the Vendy’s in 2 weeks, but do you have any plans for the future?

FZ: A lot of people want me to open a cart in Manhattan, which I might do.  But I don’t want to grow too much because then the quality suffers.  You need to keep the quality up to stay successful.  Once you’re too busy and not concentrating on the food, the quality drops.

NYSF:  Do you have any advice for someone who wants to start a food cart?

FZ: Serve people as you would serve yourself. I think of my customers as family, and I serve them the same way I serve my family.

NYSF: Is there anything else you would like to say?

FZ: I just want to wish everyone luck at the Vendy Awards, and may the best food win.

NYSF: Thank you, and good luck at the Vendy’s.  I’ll see you there.

FZ: Thank you. I’m looking forward to it.

For the King of Falafel and Shawarma’s website, click here.

Below is the video for the King of Falafel and Shawarma created by Food Curated for each of this year’s Vendy Award Finalists.

1. King of Falafel & Shawarma

2. Bistro Truck

3. El Rey del Sabor

4. Patacon Pisao

5. Schnitzel & Things

The El Peluche truck

One of Gourmet Magazine’s final articles before going under was Eight Great Street Food Vendors In New York City.  They included some of the usual suspects, such as Hallo Berlin (mmm…wursts), Big Gay Ice Cream Truck and The King of Falafel & Shawarma.

Big Gay Ice Cream Truck and The King of Falafel & Shawarma were both Finalists in the 2009 Vendy Awards, which I attended and wrote about here, and Hallo Berlin won the very first Vendy Award back in 2005.

Sadly, Rolf Babiel, founder of Hallo Berlin passed away shortly after this article was published.  Midtown Lunch had a nice tribute to Rolf.  His brother Wolfgang took over the business, and Hallo Berlin Express, their third location, just opened.  Glad to see such great quality street food will continue.

Some of Gourmet’s more unexpected choices were the El Peluche truck in Washington Heights, BBQ Kebabs in Chinatown and the Red Hook Lobster Pound.

I subscribed to Gourmet for many years, and always enjoyed their travel articles much more than their recipes and cooking articles.  This is another example of why. [Gourmet]

Vendy Cup Finalists (excluding the winner)

The Rickshaw Dumpling Truck had great dumplings (duh!), but their plate had some nice cold noodles, too.

The King of Falafel and Shawarma, Fares Zeidaies, had a fervent following, and their matching outfits were quite colorful.  Their egg-shaped falafel was awesome, too.

I tried the jerk chicken at The Jamaican Dutchy cart, and it was very well done.  Hot, but not brutally so.  O’Neill Reid, the proprietor, takes his cooking very seriously (as they all do), and it shows in the end.  I didn’t get a picture of the jerk chicken, but below is the yummy squash bread.

Dessert Category Finalists (excluding the winner)

The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck had a perpetually long line all day.  Their menu was very creative.  The choice of toppings was staggering and unusual for ice cream: olive oil and sea salt, ground wasabi peas, toasted curried coconut, trix cereal, mixed berries and saba, banana-Scharffen Berger cocoa puree, cayenne pepper and dulce de leche with crushed Nilla wafers.  Crazy stuff!

Cupcake Stop had exceptional variety, as well.  Some of their flavors were Oreo crunch, candy apply, tiramisu and a few others of the same quality.

Rookie of the Year Finalists (excluding the winner)

This was the first time the Vendy Awards had a Rookie of the Year category, and it had some of my personal favorite types of food, schnitzel (who won-see my post on the winners) and BBQ.

Picknick Smoked was one of my favorites.  The pulled pork was nice and smoky, and not too drenched in sauce.  They also put cole slaw on the sandwich, which I like.  Their Arnold Palmers (half iced tea and half lemonade) were some of the best thirst quenchers of the day.

nyccravings was a nice nosh, with pork and vegetable dumplings, taiwanese pork chops and crispy fried chicken.  I really liked their sweet beijing sauce, too.

I can’t wait until next year.