LAST UPDATED: SEPTEMBER 2026 | ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED DECEMBER 2011
2026 STATUS: STILL OPEN, STILL CASH ONLY
- Where: Rainbow Falafel & Shawarma, 26 E 17th St, between Union Square West and 5th Ave
- Payment: Cash only
- Days: Closed Sundays
- Order this: Chicken shawarma sandwich with hot sauce, plus a pastry for later
- Price then vs. now: $5.75 for the sandwich and $3 for the bird’s nest in 2011. Check the menu board for current pricing.
KEY TAKEAWAY
Rainbow Falafel’s chicken shawarma sandwich is one of the most generously stuffed shawarma sandwiches near Union Square: all-white-meat chicken shaved from the spit, red cabbage, lettuce, tomato and plenty of sesame-rich tahini. It’s a cash-only, no-seat counter on E 17th Street, closed Sundays. Pair it with one of the house-made Middle Eastern pastries.
Is Rainbow Falafel’s Chicken Shawarma Worth It?
Yes. Rainbow Falafel’s chicken shawarma is a thick, heavily stuffed sandwich with a large amount of chicken, creamy tahini and a real kick from the hot sauce, and it has long been one of the best-value shawarma lunches near Union Square.
OUR EXPERIENCE (DECEMBER 2011 VISIT)
I was in the Union Square area for an appointment and decided to stop by Rainbow Falafel for lunch. They are in a tiny storefront with no seats on 17th St, a few stores in from Union Square. We made them a member of our Honorary Street Food category in 2010, and wanted to check in again to see if things had changed.
Rainbow Falafel has excellent falafel, but they also have a big spit of chicken roasting behind the counter used for making chicken shawarma. That was Today’s Lunch, and it cost $5.75.
I don’t often get dessert with lunch, but Rainbow Falafel has several types of fresh Middle Eastern pastries for sale that looked great. The Bird’s Nest ($3) looked tasty, so I got one for after lunch.
What’s in Rainbow Falafel’s Chicken Shawarma Sandwich?
Rainbow’s chicken shawarma comes packed with roasted white-meat chicken, shredded red cabbage, lettuce, tomato, a generous pour of tahini, and hot sauce on request.
I’ll get back to the Bird’s Nest later, but first let’s talk about the chicken shawarma sandwich. The sandwich was very thick and stuffed with all sorts of goodies.
In addition to tons of roasted chicken, there was shredded red cabbage, lettuce, tomato, a generous amount of tahini sauce, and at my request, hot sauce.
The sandwich had a nice kick from the hot sauce, and the tahini had a creamy sesame taste. The chicken was all white meat, and as I said, there was a large amount of meat in the sandwich.
How Does Rainbow’s Chicken Shawarma Compare With the Best in NYC?
Rainbow’s shawarma wins on generosity and value, while the city’s best chicken shawarma, at Lebanese counters in Bay Ridge like Karam, wins on juiciness and garlic punch from toum. The difference comes down to the cut of chicken and the sauce.
All-white-meat chicken stacks carve into neat, lean slices, but breast meat has little fat to baste itself as it turns on the spit, so it can dry out if it sits. Thigh-heavy spits stay juicier because their fat renders down through the stack. Rainbow’s Syrian-style build leans on tahini and red cabbage for moisture and crunch, while Lebanese shawarma counters rely on toum, a whipped garlic emulsion. Our field guide explains which chicken shawarma and sauce combination is actually worth the trip.
| Factor | Rainbow Falafel | Karam (Bay Ridge) |
|---|---|---|
| Style | Syrian | Lebanese |
| Signature sauce | Tahini + hot sauce | Toum (garlic emulsion) |
| Toppings | Red cabbage, lettuce, tomato | Pickles, pickled turnip |
| Best for | Manhattan lunch on a budget | A dedicated shawarma trip |
Is Rainbow Falafel’s Bird’s Nest Pastry Worth Ordering?
It’s worth trying as a light finish, but order the baklava if you want a richer, syrupier pastry; our bird’s nest was tasty but a little dry.
WHAT IS A BIRD’S NEST PASTRY?
A bird’s nest, known in Arabic as ush el bulbul (“nightingale’s nest”), is a Levantine pastry of shredded or rolled phyllo shaped into a small nest, baked until crisp, soaked in sugar syrup and topped with pistachios. How much syrup the baker uses decides whether it’s crisp and light or rich and sticky.
This was a delicious and quite filling lunch by itself, but I still had the bird’s nest. Luckily, it was fairly light, with layer upon layer of phyllo dough tinged with honey. On top of the nest were a bunch of pistachio nuts, some chopped and some whole.
The bird’s nest was tasty, but it did get a little dry about halfway through. With all the phyllo and the nuts, it could have used more honey.
The best dessert near Union Square doesn’t come from a bakery with a line on Instagram; it’s in the pastry case of a cash-only falafel counter on 17th Street.
Our Verdict: Should You Get the Chicken Shawarma or the Falafel at Rainbow?
Get the chicken shawarma if you’re hungry and want the most food for your money; get the falafel if you want Rainbow at its best. Better yet, split one of each.
Today’s Lunch from Rainbow Falafel was good. I really enjoy their chicken shawarma sandwiches, which were a good value at $5.75. I haven’t tried a lot of desserts from Rainbow Falafel, but would probably try a different one next time. The baklava looked like it was worth a try.
Rainbow has been a Syrian family counter off Union Square since 1992, part of a Levantine falafel tradition that runs back to Manhattan’s Little Syria; that story is in our history of falafel and shawarma in New York. For every other verified falafel and shawarma stop in the city, see the NYC Falafel & Shawarma Guide.
KNOW WHAT TO ORDER BEFORE YOU REACH THE WINDOW
Our pocket cards list the one dish worth ordering at Rainbow and every other vendor we cover.
Frequently Asked Questions About Rainbow Falafel’s Chicken Shawarma
What comes on Rainbow Falafel’s chicken shawarma sandwich?
Rainbow Falafel’s chicken shawarma sandwich comes with roasted white-meat chicken, shredded red cabbage, lettuce, tomato and tahini, with hot sauce on request.
Is Rainbow Falafel cash only?
Yes. As of September 2026, Rainbow Falafel at 26 E 17th Street is cash only and closed on Sundays.
What is a bird’s nest pastry?
A bird’s nest, or ush el bulbul, is a Levantine pastry of phyllo shaped into a small nest, baked until crisp, soaked in sugar syrup and topped with pistachios.
Where is the best chicken shawarma in NYC?
For a dedicated trip, Lebanese counters in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, like Karam, serve NYC’s best chicken shawarma with toum. In Manhattan, Rainbow Falafel off Union Square serves a generously stuffed, cash-only chicken shawarma sandwich.
