Hallava Falafel

Hallava Falafel is a food truck that can be found on Airport Way S in Seattle, Washington. They are open Tue-Fri from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. They describe themselves as a "Russo-Turkic" truck, since the flavors and ingredients in their dishes have Russian and Turk influences.

Founded in July 2006, Hallava Falafel had a three-fold mission: (1) sell affordable street food in Seattle (namely the Georgetown area); (2) create a high-quality falafel to sell in Seattle; and (3) prove that clean, quality (and non-Mexican) food can come from a mobile unit.

Menu (late October 2011)

Their available hot sauces

Yup, apparently this truck is/was for sale
Pretty sure it's just to sell the cart and not the business

Of course, I ordered their falafel sandwich ($6.75): homemade crispy falafel served in a pocketless pita with Russian red relish (beets, perhaps?), spinach, cabbage, tzatziki, a wild Armenian pickle, and their "super secret spice mix" (and apparently includes dill).

Yeah, there's a sandwich in there somewhere....

That falafel is trying to peek through the sea of tzatziki

Look at that magenta color from the Russian red relish!

Generally here, I liked the falafel. Three or four generous pieces filled this pita, and all cooked perfectly. I thought the Russian red relish was a unique condiment. The magenta-colored relish really contrasted beautifully with the white tzatziki.

The sandwich also raised a couple of concerns. First of all, it was just very messy, and frankly, just an overkill on the tzatziki here. Since I ate it in the car, I resorted to a knife and fork to eat this one -- instead of getting the food all over the car...and my face. Also, while I appreciated the dill here, that was actually all I could taste for the next half-hour. I also think the falafel itself could have used a bit more seasoning (at least seasoning that's not dill).

If you're in the mood for some meat, Hallava Falafel also serves a slow-roasted sliced lamb-and-beef shawarma sandwich, also for $6.75.

Yes, it's a helluva falafel, all right. Not sure if I've ever used more napkins for a sandwich in my life. For me, it's merely OK. I say give this truck a shot and see what you think. 6.25/10