On this page
Falafel and shawarma are the quick lunch of the eastern Mediterranean. Palo Alto has a solid set of places to get them. A California Avenue wrap shop has fried falafel and sliced shawarma since 1997. An Israeli hummus restaurant on University Avenue serves a bright green herb falafel in pita. Its express counter at Town & Country Village does the same for people in a hurry. At Stanford Shopping Center a Turkish-leaning kitchen serves gyro plates and falafel. Downtown, a Greek counter slices gyros off the spit and a crepe cafe wraps chicken shawarma in lavash.
Our Mediterranean and Middle Eastern guide covers the sit-down Greek, Turkish and Israeli restaurants. This page is about two street foods and their close cousins. Every place below was confirmed in late October or early November 2026 through its own website or a verified page in our business directory. Nearby places are within about 12 miles. The two named here are on Castro Street in Mountain View, about 6 miles away.
At a glance
| Place | Where | What to order | Price level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mediterranean Wraps | 433 S. California Ave. | Falafel Wrap, Shawarma Plate | Budget |
| Oren's Hummus | 261 University Ave. | Pita Green Herb Falafel, Pita Sabich | Moderate |
| Oren's Hummus Express | 855 El Camino Real, Suite 162 | Falafel to go | Budget to moderate |
| Hummus Mediterranean Kitchen | 715 Stanford Shopping Center | Falafel, gyro plates | Moderate |
| Nick the Greek | 322 University Ave. | Gyros, falafel | Budget |
| Crepevine | 367 University Ave. | Chicken Shawerma sandwich | Moderate |
What falafel and shawarma are
Falafel are fried balls or patties of ground chickpeas, fava beans or both, mixed with onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro and cumin. Egyptian versions use fava beans. Levantine and Israeli versions usually use chickpeas. A good falafel is crisp and brown outside and green and fluffy inside. It should be fried to order, since falafel turns heavy as it sits.
Shawarma is meat stacked on a vertical rotisserie and roasted slowly as the spit turns. Cooks shave thin slices off the outside as it browns. Chicken, beef and lamb are the usual meats. Marinades vary but often include cumin, coriander, cinnamon, allspice, garlic and lemon. Chicken shawarma is often paired with toum, a sharp garlic sauce. Beef and lamb usually get tahini.
Both are served two ways:
- Wrap or pita. Rolled in flatbread or stuffed in a pita pocket with salad, pickles and sauce. Fast and easy to eat on foot.
- Plate. Laid out with rice, hummus, salad and pita on the side. More food and better for sharing.
Three cousins are worth knowing. The Greek gyro is cut from a spit and served with tzatziki. The Turkish döner is the ancestor of both. The Israeli sabich is a pita of fried eggplant, hard-boiled egg and salad.
Where to eat in Palo Alto
Mediterranean Wraps, 433 South California Avenue
Mediterranean Wraps has used the tagline "A Palo Alto Hit since 1997." It is the closest thing in town to a classic falafel and shawarma shop. The menu splits into vegetarian wraps and plates and meat wraps and plates. The Falafel Wrap comes with Mediterranean salad, lettuce and tahini. The Falafel Deluxe Wrap adds eggplant and fries. On the meat side there is a Shawarma Wrap, a Shawarma Plate, a Chicken Shawarma Plate and a Kufta Kabab Plate. The Veggie Combo Plate brings hummus, falafel, tabouleh, baba ghanoush, dolma and salad together. Prices are among the lowest on California Avenue for a full meal. It opens at 11 a.m. and handles pickup and group orders.
Oren's Hummus, 261 University Avenue
Oren's Hummus is an Israeli restaurant that started here in 2011. Its South Bay lunch and dinner menu lists a Green Herb Falafel, five pieces, marked vegan and gluten-free. You can order it as a side, in a Pita Green Herb Falafel with hummus, cucumber, tomato, pickles and tahini, or on top of a bowl of hummus. The Pita Sabich layers hummus, fried eggplant, hard-boiled egg and potato. Oren's runs an online waitlist rather than reservations. Prices are moderate, with pitas in the mid to high teens on the posted menu.
Oren's Hummus Express, Town & Country Village
Oren's Hummus Express at 855 El Camino Real, Suite 162, is the quick-service version. It takes its own pickup and delivery orders. It is the easy falafel stop across from Stanford and Palo Alto High School.
Hummus Mediterranean Kitchen, Stanford Shopping Center
Hummus Mediterranean Kitchen at 715 Stanford Shopping Center serves Mediterranean food with a Turkish accent. Its mezze list includes falafel and its plates are built on gyro and rotisserie kebabs with rice, salad and house bread. A Turkish breakfast runs on weekend mornings. Its website lists hours from 10:30 a.m. on weekdays and 9:30 a.m. on Saturday.
Nick the Greek, 322 University Avenue
Nick the Greek is a Greek counter chain that serves gyros, souvlaki and stuffed pitas hot off the spit. The chain lists falafel among its vegetarian items. It opens at 10 a.m. daily and stays open later on Friday and Saturday nights. Our Greek food guide covers the gyro side in more depth.
Crepevine, 367 University Avenue
Not every shawarma comes from a shawarma shop. Crepevine, a crepe and breakfast cafe, lists a Chicken Shawerma sandwich: sliced chicken breast marinated and grilled, served in lavash with creamy garlic sauce and pickles, with a Caesar salad on the side. It was listed at $19.50. It is a useful pick for a group where some people want crepes.
Nearby in Mountain View
Castro Street in Mountain View, about 6 miles south, has branches of two Palo Alto names. Oren's Hummus is at 126 Castro Street and Hummus Mediterranean Kitchen is at 185 Castro Street, both near the Mountain View Caltrain station. They are good backups when the Palo Alto restaurants have a wait. Our Castro Street guide covers parking and the walk from the train.
How to order
- Wrap for one, plate to share. A wrap is lunch on the go. A plate with hummus and salad works for two light eaters.
- Pick your sauce. Tahini is nutty and vegan. Garlic sauce is sharp. Tzatziki is yogurt-based and belongs with gyros.
- Add pickles and hot sauce. Pickled turnips and a chile sauce such as zhug or harissa cut the richness.
- Get falafel on the side. If you are eating at the table, order falafel separately so it stays crisp.
- Mix it up for a group. One falafel, one shawarma and a combo plate cover most tastes.
Dietary notes
- Vegan. Falafel with tahini, hummus and salad is usually vegan. Oren's marks its falafel vegan. Yogurt sauces and tzatziki are not.
- Gluten. Falafel can be gluten-free, but many shops add flour or share a fryer. Oren's marks its falafel gluten-free and sells gluten-free pita for an extra charge. Wraps and pita contain wheat.
- Sesame. Tahini is sesame paste and it is in hummus and many sauces. Tell staff about a sesame allergy.
- Halal. None of these restaurants states halal certification on the pages we checked. Ask directly.
More plant-based ideas are in our vegetarian and vegan guide.
When to go
Falafel counters are lunch places first. California Avenue fills with office workers from the nearby research park between noon and 1 p.m. on weekdays. Mediterranean Wraps can build a line out the door then. Arrive by 11:45 a.m. or after 1:15 p.m. for a shorter wait. Oren's on University Avenue is busiest at dinner on Friday and Saturday, when the waitlist is worth joining before you leave home. Stanford Shopping Center is calmer on weekday mornings. A falafel wrap also travels well for a picnic. Pick one up and walk to a park, or see our picnic spots guide for ideas.
Good to know
- Oren's uses an online waitlist instead of reservations.
- California Avenue's Sunday farmers market fills the street near Mediterranean Wraps.
- Nick the Greek is the late option on Friday and Saturday.
- Menus and prices change. Check each restaurant's own page before you go.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I get shawarma in Palo Alto?
Mediterranean Wraps at 433 South California Avenue is the city's shawarma specialist, with a Shawarma Wrap, a Shawarma Plate and a Chicken Shawarma Plate. Crepevine on University Avenue lists a Chicken Shawerma sandwich in lavash. For the Greek cousin, Nick the Greek on University Avenue slices gyros off the spit.
Where is the best falafel in Palo Alto?
Two places lead. Mediterranean Wraps on California Avenue has made falafel wraps and plates since 1997. Oren's Hummus on University Avenue lists a green herb falafel, served as a side, in a pita or on a plate of hummus. Oren's Hummus Express at Town & Country Village is the faster version.
Is falafel vegan?
Usually. Falafel is made from ground chickpeas or fava beans, herbs and spices and fried in oil. Oren's marks its falafel vegan and gluten-free. Sauces can change that, since some places use yogurt instead of tahini, so ask.
What is the difference between shawarma and a gyro?
Both are meat stacked on a vertical spit and sliced thin. Shawarma comes from the Levant and is usually seasoned with warm spices and served with tahini or garlic sauce. A gyro is Greek, often a beef and lamb mix or pork. It comes with tzatziki in a pita.
Is there late-night falafel in Palo Alto?
Nick the Greek on University Avenue stays open later on Friday and Saturday and its chain lists falafel among its vegetarian items. Most other falafel counters close by 9 p.m.