Melech Hafalafel V'hashwarma (The King of Falafel and Shwarma), if nothing else, is optimistically named. It's hard to be sure exactly which power vested in this particular restaurant enables its dominion over the flourishing kingdom of fried chickpea balls and rotating skewered meat, but if Melech Hafalafel V'hashwarma is truly the king, then vive la révolution.

It's not that Melekh Hafalafel is bad, and for some reason the buzz among certain segments still insists that it is home to the best falafel and shwarma in Jerusalem (it used to be better), but the fact of the matter is that nothing very exciting comes out of the king's castle on the corner of King George and Agrippas streets.

The falafel is often a little bit stale and somewhat pedestrian even when hot, and the shwarma similarly fails to shine – but then again, 15 NIS for a laffa (Iraqi pita) stuffed with shwarma and all the fixings is a price you can't beat downtown (except, of course, at Melech's next door neighbor Ochel B'kef). It's not the best, but the daily lunch rush indicates that the King continues to rule over many loyal subjects.