Falafel Salam Finally Expands to West Seattle

The wait for West Seattle’s brick-and-mortar version of popular food truck Falafel Salam is finally over, as owner Shimi Kahn opened his restaurant yesterday at 4746 California Ave SW. For now, he’s operating under limited hours from 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday; he’ll ramp up once he gets more cooks trained.

Kahn has been busy renovating the former Yummy Teriyaki space, now bedecked in plants and reclaimed oxidized wood; West Seattle Blog has a few preview pics. The space has an open kitchen and seating for about 35 people, plus grab-and-go items like hummus and baba ganoush. The restaurant is counter service only, which Kahn says “is very popular in Tel Aviv. We can focus on making great food and not worry about table service.”

Falafel Salam/FB

For the most part, the menu is the same as that of the truck: falafel sandwiches with shwarma and lamb gyro, rice bowls, combination platters, dolmas, hummus, and garlic fries. The restaurant also scored a license for beer and wine, and Kahn says he may eventually add weekend brunch. As much as he can, Kahn is sourcing produce from West Seattle Farmers Market vendors, including not-so-beautiful produce that shoppers may not gravitate toward but that he can make into pickles.

A native of Israel, Kahn first built a following for his falafel and fresh pita at the Fremont Sunday Market in 2009, later adding a food truck and a catering arm. The food truck locations and farmers market stands will continue to operate as normal.