Foodie Quick Pick: Hy-Mart Deli

Photo of Hy-Mart Deli Falafel Sandwich by Kevin Weis/LAist
You know what's great about the Valley? Nobody believes you when you tell them "the BEST falafel sandwich place in the city is in a strip mall on the corner of Lankershim and Vineland!" They just don't believe you. So you get that little, non-descript Middle Eastern deli all to yourself -- well, you and the legions of locals who know that this is the best place to get a fresh, delicious, healthy sandwich while enjoying the service of a delightful Armenian family.

Papa George’s Hy-Mart Deli is such a place: stuck in strip mall, next to a dry cleaner and a golf shop, a bare bones affair with nothing more on the walls than the requisite has-been headshots and a few sparkling Yelp reviews. But are you hungry for a falafel sandwich chock-full of flavor? Do you want your sandwich made fresh in front of you, served up by one of the nicest families in the neighborhood (that's Mom and Pop toasting your pita and piling on the spice, while their son, Hot Rocker Boy, rings you up with a smile and a flourish).

Hy-Mart is veggie-friendly to the max (you can order any number of combinations of falafel, grape leaves, tabbouleh, labni, and hummus), and their presentation is more like a falafel burrito than a traditional pita sandwich. Try the Shahkloot Special (a large lavash wrap stuffed with tabbouleh, olives, cucumber, mint, basil, avocado, hummus, falafel, tomato, pickles, tahine, lettuce and pepperoncini), or just a gyro with lots of tzatziki.

You believe me now? Then I'll see you there.

4762 Lankershim Blvd
North Hollywood, CA 91602
(818) 506-7264