Best Falafel Commercial Drive — Restaurant in Vancouver

Before the growth in apps such as Uber Eats, Skip the Dishes and Foodora, Best Falafel used to be a charming family run shawarma joint, where you could go and get good value, friendly service, and a huge plate of freshly cooked food. Fast forward to "today" and with all the fancy containers, ipads with the apps, and prices that no longer affordable, the focus is now efficiency instead of service. It shows - staff are now more concerned about getting people out the door as soon as possible - rather than engaging in friendly talk. The customer, it seems, doesn't matter anymore. The food has been good over the years, but when the prices start increasing to where you can go to Whole Foods for the same price, it's no longer affordability that matters, but service. Sadly, there is no longer customizations and special requests - either you order what on the menu and be on your way - or pay the high rates and have more food than you wanted. In the old days the axiom "the customer is always right" used to apply but it seems at least with this business that used to be the focus, but now it's all "money money money" and stop wasting our time with puny requests for small adjustments .... "money money money" .... that's the song that comes to mind when I come to this store .... it's too bad, I really used to like...

The name says it all, with no exaggeration. I've eaten my way around the bulk of Vancouver's shawarma restaurants and can say without a doubt that this is the only one in the city that checks all the right boxes. For one, the garlic sauce here is exquisite. Light and fluffy, bold but not overpowering, with just a hint of citrus, and leaves a delectable aftertaste for the rest of the night - just how it should be. They also run the gamut with their selection of toppings, with all the classic veggies, a fantastic tabbouleh, hummus that rivals their garlic spread, and my personal favourite that's all too hard to find - picked turnips! And the way all the flavours lock together in every heaping plate or overstuffed pita that the friendly guys behind the counter serve up is simply to die for.

I'd note that this isn't really the place to go if you're looking for a looking for a greasy, cheesy "hangover cure" kind of donair, but there are plenty of other places that cater to that niche. No, this is a genuine shawarma restaurant, where the flavours of Lebanon are on full display in all of the fresh, quality ingredients, and the love for the food shines through. Highly...

Okay, let me preface this by saying that I have been a regular customer of Best Falafel since 2003, have recommended them to numerous friends, and have always, always thought that they had the best Chicken Shawarma anywhere, hands down. Imagine my shock when I was told that they got rid of the standard rotisseries, where you used to be able to get those fantastically burnt-y yet moist chunks of chicken, and now have some sort of weird convection oven going on.

I put my doubts aside, and tried it for the first time last night. So, so very disappointed! What the hell happened? Gone is the flavourful, mouthwatering chicken that I used to crave weekly. Instead, it is just a pale parody of what it used to be. No burnt-y pieces, flavour profile is not the same, texture is off.

Please, please, please, bring back the rotisseries! I simply cannot fathom the change, nor can I come back an order what used to be my favourite food. I am so sad....