Hijabeez Shawarma & Falafel House

At Hijabeez, the order starts with the shawarma and ends with the sauce. Chicken shawarma — pulled into a wrap, or spread across a platter with rice, chef salad, hummus, and pita — is the spine of the menu, and the house creamy garlic, tahini, and tomato habanero are what give each version its character. This is a halal shawarma and falafel counter on the Thorold Stone Road corridor in Niagara Falls, compact enough that a first-time diner can take in the whole menu in a minute, and specific enough that regulars order by sauce as much as by protein. The falafel lane runs right alongside the meat, so a meat-free table is choosing from the same short, confident list as everyone else.

The list rewards a diner who knows how to build it. Wraps and platters anchor everything — the Chicken Shawarma Wrap and Chicken Shawarma Platter, a Mixed Meat Wrap, the Falafel Wrap — while rice bowls and salad bowls let a diner decide how much of a meal it becomes. Loaded fries and the Fries Platter pile protein and sauce over seasoned fries; the Rice Platter stretches the same proteins over rice with chef salad, hummus, and pita. Falafel arrives five to an order with tahini, the fattoush comes large with toasted pita and vegetables, and hummus is sold small or by the eight-ounce tub with bread. Six-ounce portions of chicken or beef let a diner add protein without committing to a full platter, and the Northern Heat hot sauce is there for anyone who wants the heat turned up. Baklava, an ayran yogurt drink, and Turkish tea sit at the edges.