I never would have gone to this place if it weren’t for a foodie friend who advised me to stop in and grab a falafel if I was in the vicinity.  This small hole-in-the-wall is located across the street from the seedy Santa Cruz Boardwalk in a what appears to be a former English fish and chips shop.  The décor and not pristinely clean atmosphere give the restaurant a the similar vibe of a college-town ethnic food joint.  A really sweet Lebanese woman took our order while a man that seemed to be her husband made our food hot and fresh on the spot.  I ordered the house special Falafel ($4.95) and the guys ordered the Kefta Kebab ($14) with hummus, tabouli, and warm pitas along with a basket of as-advertised “homemade” fries with a hint of garlic.  My falafel was good but was missing something.  It would have been even better with an additional ingredient to give it a bit more kick and flavor.  The green spicy sauce, served on the side, does help and is not overly spicy (although yelp readers say it is spicy).  The hummus was great and lemony, making me curious to try the Baba Ghannoush.  I wouldn’t drive over to Santa Cruz just for this but if you are at the boardwalk and want something more than the cheap thrill of everything fried, try Beirut on Beach St.

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