Christos' Falafel - 20th and Market St

Officially it's know as Christos' falafel, unofficially you can hear it being referred to as the falafel nazi or the smoke cart or the best falafel in the city.  Why it's refereed to as the smoke cart should be somewhat obvious from my picture.  He uses a real charcoal grill as opposed to the standard griddle you see in most carts and when that grill is running at full capacity the stack of smoke can be more akin to the dust storms that rolled over Phoenix the other day.  If you don't enjoy the smell of heavy charcoal grilling then you probably want to avoid this side of the street during the lunch rush because it will be in your face, up your nose, down your pants.
The most infamous of his titles, the falafel nazi, should be familiar to anyone who watches Seinfeld.  "He's not a Nazi.  He just happens to be a little eccentric.  Most geniuses are"  This man suffers for his craft and demands that we understand and appreciate it.

When you're standing in line you'll notice the very orderly progression of patrons who, like some inhabitant of an Orwellian thought controlled state, step up in turn, wait for however long it takes and without a word receive their platter and pay.  On occasion you will hear "Gus"(real name Kostadinos Hristis) saying something with a heavy accent.  Usually it's about the quality of his ingredients, the cucumber that he had imported from a far away country, his fresh made salsa or how his food is restaurant quality.  You'd be best served to nod in agreement and say a few words of affirmation.  The man works hard for his food and you best recognize.
You might be wondering how you know what you're getting and how much it is when the only exchange is from Gus to you.  You won't find help around the cart because you will see no signage.  Well the simple answer to that is you don't.  You get what he serves you and you pay what he considers fair.  I've paid everything from up to $12 to what seems to be the stable price as of late $7, all with a smile and a thank you.  You don't question the nazi, you bend over and take what he gives you.

1) "........." - $7

So what did the Nazi decide to serve me today?  Well, you'll always find falafel balls and char grilled chicken on a bed of lettuce, those are constants in the platter.  The starch component today is perfectly cooked and seasoned rice.  Veggies come in the form of the aforementioned cucumbers that were grilled along side the chicken.  On the side came soft pita bread and a first for me, a small peach!  I won't go into the usual boring descriptions of how tender the chicken is or the crispness of the outer crust of the falafel, suffice to say it's all there and those ever changing supporting components are always a pleasant surprise.  Topping the entire dish is some sort of garlic sauce that I can't quite identify but it's garlicy goodness.   

Overall LTE score [9.5/10]  I'll bring up the last of the aka's that I mentioned at the start of my review for my conclusion. Best falafel in the city.  Not only is it amazingly good but you get almost enough food for 2 meals and all for just $7.(this price has been stable for some time but if he says its more...pay it!  Safe bet would be to just hand him a $20)  The Nazi moniker really refers less to his personality(which honestly, he's more friendly then he's made out to be) and more towards the perfection he seeks in his food, the food that you'll receive consistently good every time you eat from here.  Some helpful tips though, to stay on his good side, don't ask for anything special, what he gives you is enough and definitely don't ask for a platter to take back to your friend at the office.  If he/she wants one he/she will wait like the rest of us and Gus will make sure you understand this.

The only negative I'll say about Christo's is that you should expect to wait.  He does not rush his food and if there are 10 people in line a 30 minute wait is not out of the question.  But you wouldn't want him to rush your food so I think, if you can spare the time, the wait is worth it.  (Advice would be to come early, say around 11:40) Also he's been know to disappear for days or weeks at a time.  In the winter he's more likely to be missing, probably climbing to the top of some mountain in search of fresh ingredients.