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Watchlist // Astoria
street food · Astoria, QueensNO. 325 / 342

King of Falafel & Shawarma

Award-winning Palestinian-style falafel cart turned Astoria storefront, a famous NYC street-food name and winner of the 2010 Vendy Award for Best Street Food.

// Live lines nearby

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//The line

King of Falafel & Shawarma began as an Astoria street cart run by Fares Zeideia and became a genuine NYC street-food legend, winning the 2010 Vendy Award for Best Street Food (after being a 2009 finalist) for its Palestinian-style, chickpea-only falafel. It has since grown into multiple food-truck locations plus a sit-down storefront at 30-15 Broadway, giving it an outsized reputation relative to a typical cart.

Neither Yelp nor Wikipedia surfaced a reservations system or specific reported wait-time figures in this search — it runs as counter/window service, so any wait is an on-the-spot line rather than a booked table. One review flagged that the truck can sell out of certain proteins (beef) by its 10 PM close, a signal that evening demand can outpace supply on busy nights.

//When the line peaks
Evenings approaching the 10 PM close appear to run higher demand — at least one reviewer reported the truck selling out of beef by then As an award-winning, high-review-count spot (500+ reviews on the restaurant listing alone), lunch and dinner rushes are plausible peak windows, though we don't have specific reported times to confirm

Patterns as reported by press and regulars — not measured by damnlines.

//FAQ
How long is the line/wait at King of Falafel & Shawarma?

Damnlines doesn't have a live camera at this venue yet, so there's no real-time wait count. It started as a street cart and won the 2010 Vendy Award for Best Street Food, and reviews describe it as a popular, high-volume counter-service spot, especially around dinner — one reviewer noted the truck was out of beef by around 10 PM closing. Expect it to be busier at peak meal times, but we don't have specific reported wait-minute figures to cite.

Does King of Falafel & Shawarma take reservations?

No indication of a reservations system turned up in Yelp or Wikipedia — it operates as counter/cart-style service (order at the counter or truck window), which is typical for this kind of street food business and its storefront.

What are King of Falafel & Shawarma's hours?

Listed as open daily from 11:00 am to 10:00 pm, per search results. Always double-check current hours on Yelp or Google, since food truck locations/hours in particular can shift.

Is King of Falafel & Shawarma a restaurant or a food truck?

Both — it began as a street cart/food truck (with locations including 31st St & Ditmars Blvd in Astoria) run by Fares Zeideia, and has since also opened a sit-down storefront at 30-15 Broadway in Astoria. Yelp lists them as separate listings.

Why is King of Falafel & Shawarma famous?

It's known for Palestinian-style, chickpea-only falafel shaped into oblong patties, and for winning the 2010 Vendy Award (NYC's street-food vendor award) for Best Street Food after being a finalist in 2009.

Sources: Yelp — King of Falafel & Shawarma (Restaurant), Astoria · Yelp — King of Falafel & Shawarma (Truck), Astoria · Wikipedia — King of Falafel & Shawarma

King of Falafel & Shawarma Line — How Long Is the Wait? Astoria, NYC | damnlines