Back to our roots - three strong we hit this bright yellow truck. Hallava has a
multi-year history
in this neighborhood, along with a
myspace page
, which makes us super happy. It's been here, it's been there. It's been to Portland and back. And on this warm February day in Georgetown, it's at the corner of Airport Way S and S Doris. Can't wait.
Average Rrrrrating: 5 R's
Address: 5825 Airport Way S, Seattle, Washington, 98108
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Website: www.myspace.com/hallava...
Lunch date: 2/17/2010 @ 11:55:00
Time taken to be seated: 0 minutes
Time to take order: 0 minutes
Time for food to arrive: 5 minutes
Total lengh of meal: 21 minutes
Chair quality: Rustic Schoolhouse
Beers on tap: None
Bar type: None
Year Established: 2007
Number of tables: 0
Number of occupied tables: 0
Number of white collar tables: 9
Number of blue collar tables: 0
Number of hipster tables: 3
Healthcode Score: 0
Links: Yelp! , Urbanspoon
Luncher: Emmett
Lunch:
Falafel - $6.50
Rrrrating: 5 out of 5 R's
Reminiscent of our first visit to that crazy top , Hallava does two things extremely well. The Falafel sandwich was a delight - spinach/romaine, beets, a little pickle, both tahini and tzatziki. And I don't even like pickles. The Falafel was piping hot, fresh, green, tasty. He even wrapped it in foil all pretty like, so if I had to drive back to work I could set this on my dashboard and not worry about the juice.
The other option - the Shwarma - is essentially the same sandwich with lamb/beef instead of falafel. I had a bite of Geary's - delicious.
I feel like it's one guy, one truck, making the best falafel he can. And it is good. There were only 4 shitty chairs out there - not even a picnic table for the early arrivals. But it's cool, if it's busy just stand, eat, enjoy.
Luncher: Geary
Lunch:
Schwarma - $6.50
Rrrrating: 5 out of 5 R's
Hallava Falafel is a street food vendor based in a truck that is semipermanently located in a small gravel lot on Airport Way. Apparently "hallava" (or "khalyava") is Russian for "hell of a". The owner/proprietor, Rick, was working on improvements to the seating/waiting area when we arrived. The setting has a sort of trashy suburban side-yard feel to it. There's a wooden fence along the street, chain-link on the back, and a small shed over the graveled waiting area. It's the kind of setup you might expect to find someone's RV or their 1982 Skeeter .
The menu painted on the side of the truck has only two items. Adam and Emmett both went with the Falafel, so I got stuck with the Shwarma. It turned out to be the best Shwarma I have ever had. The not-your-typical-dill pickle wedge, the sweet beet slaw, the creamy tzatziki, and warm lamb/beef slices all added up to an amazing sandwich. We sat in the few available chairs, enjoyed the warm February sun, and savored our sandwiches. It was magical.
Luncher: Adam
Lunch:
Falafel - $6.50
Rrrrating: 5 out of 5 R's
I like this trend in Georgetown to include the price of tax in the food ( GLC does it too). But what makes Hallava stick out, is that it's only $6.50 for a pretty hefty falafel "sandwich"
We rolled up to the truck and put in our order. It was an easy decision, because there are two choices. I was feeling a little vegetarian so I went with the falafel (and forced Geary to get the Schwarma sandwich). The is some of the best falafel I've had; it's in a tie with Zaina , but I haven't been there recently, so I can't declare a definite winner. OK, so this is legit falafel. Now to judge the other thing: the pita bread was doughy and delicious. The toppings were awesome, and this is what made this sandwich really pop: the pickle! I've never had (or even thought about) a pickle on a falafel sandwich (or with any food of this style). It's a total win.
Mozey your ass on down to Georgetown to lay the hurt on a sandwich.
If you're wondering where the name comes from, apparently it's a bastardization of the Russian word, Khalyava: an exclamation for finding a good deal on food... more on Hallava's Myspace .
Hallava Falafel Photos
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Google Street View of Hallava Falafel
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