"We ventured out and went into town to have dinner at a local Lebanese restaurant ... in the back of a dingy strip mall ... in a well graphiti ed neighborhood ... and which was completely empty. As soon as we opened the door, though, we knew. Met with the strong aroma of too hot oil mixed with garlic ... cinnamon ... cardamom ... turmeric ... cumin ... ginger ... coriander ... lemon ... olive oil ... it was a fragrant cacophony of spice that demanded a gastronomic stand at attention.Of course we were hesitant. Nobody at the counter and only the sound of a loud '70s sitcom filtered from a TV in the way back. After standing for a moment, peering around for someone, a handsome and friendly man, only slightly older than us appeared and offered to take our order.I quickly blurted out, chicken shawarma plate, before I had a chance to change my mind. Wonderful choice, he commended. It comes with our house made toum, baba ganoush and Lebanese pita! He smiled broadly.My husband, who experienced the best shawarma of his life 25+ years ago in Israel and has been on an epic hunt for similar in the States ever since, jumped in for the shawarma wrap. Perfect! the assumed owner exclaimed. My husband began to offer payment, to which our host said, Oh no, we never take payment first, only after your meal and we know you 're happy! Well, then. We raised eyebrows at each other and took our choice of desired seating from very many empty tables for two.First bite and my husband 's eyes rolled back. Is ... it ... asgoodasshawarmainIsrael? I blurted out all at once. Not quite, he said, bUt definitely the very closest I 've found since. A definite win, if you 've known this man 's shawarma disappointments over the years.My shawarma plate, was divine not only for the shawarma itself, but for the rich and smoky baba ganoush, and artfully perfect toum not an easy sauce to make by hand by any measure.We could only each finish about half our portions (they are large! before our bellies were nearly too full.We left with hearty goodbyes and feeling like we 'd just visited a favorite uncle. We hope to see you again soon, he called out after us.He definitely will, and hopefully you too if you 're adventurous and meander into a sketchy strip mall at the end of town. Kid friendliness: Everyone feels welcomed here! There 's not a lot of room for kids run around when dining in. However, it 's the kind of old school environment with fragrant smells, delicious food and friendly people that kids remember forever."