New Trailer

The new trailer under construction. If you happen to show up to the truck and we are closed, rest assured that this is what we're working on. 16' of culinary joy. We don't treat you kindly.

The results of the notorious falafel shortages of the late first decade of the new century. The huddled masses waited hours, sometimes days to get their hands on just a few spheres of the much craved falafel which provided them with their necessary proteins and vitamins. Some even speculate that it makes one more attractive to the opposite sex.

Where does Hallava Falafel come from?

'Hallava', pronounced 'khalyava' in it's original form, or 'hall Ava', stress on second 'a' in it's Americanized form, is a Russian slang word. It generally means something close to 'shwag'. If you go to a party and there's a sweet spread of food, that's 'khalyava'. If you buy one get one free, that's 'khalyava'. It in no way, shape, or form is play on the phrase 'hell of a'.

Please do not come to the truck asking for free stuff now that you're privy to the meaning of the word.

Our benevolent patriarch, Irakli Richardovich, has spent much of his young life traveling the world, or at least a part of the world. After living in Israel many years ago, around 1999 or whenever the latest intifada started, he was introduced to the flavor of fine falafel, the way falafel can be when the cook or chef cares about what he's doing. Due to the violent political climate in Israel at the time work was hard to come by as many restaurants were closed. Our patriarch left for greener pastures but took the secret of superb falafel with him.

Hallava Falafel is not a Middle Eastern food truck. It is closer to a Russo-Turkic truck.

After three years of living in Moscow, Russia Irakli become aware of the sweet pleasures of street food and namely the heavenly delights of shwarma served up by an often not very chatty Uzbek. Shwarma stands in addition to the many potato, piroshki, crepe and blini stands opened up a whole treasure chest of culinary gifts that could be had for an earthly sum.

Why does such a thing not exist in Seattle?

After returning home to Seattle our patriarch realized that a city without a variety of affordable quality foods was a fate worse than death and his struggle to liberate the taste buds of Seattle's hungry masses of varied income levels began.