"Opened on St. Marks Place by spice expert Lior Lev Sercarz in partnership with Bar Lab Hospitality and chef David Malbequi, this compact shop focuses on house-seasoned shawarma and a meticulously engineered spit. The beef-and-lamb option is seasoned with a Turkish-style blend heavy on cumin and cinnamon with a bright note of rose petals and finished with a herbed labneh sauce, while the chicken is spiced with pimentón and turmeric and kicked with harissa. Sandwiches (roughly $15 for chicken, $17 for beef-lamb) come with tahini, a salty mango-pickle amba, cilantro, and an unconventional crown of arugula that adds peppery freshness; pitas are fluffy and from a New Jersey baker, and the meats come from a noted purveyor. A tight menu also includes falafel with zhuoug and tahina, an egg-and-eggplant sabich, spiced fries, and hummus, and the team emphasizes precise layering and spit construction so they can customize texture, caramelization, and fat level to customers’ preferences." - Chris Crowley