One meter of silver watch display still separates the falafel shop and the shawarma snack bar.

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When you're stumbling home, grab a cheap late-night "poelser" (hot dog) or falafel, just as the locals do.

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In a year, the shawarma snack bar and the small falafel shack opened.

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Other options might include roasted chickpeas, vegetarian chili and brown rice, or falafel, the city Department of Education said in a statement.

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There's a priceless story about why falafel is a frowned-upon lunch item.

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Students also frequent the Jewish quarter of the Marais, which spans the 3rd and 4th arrondissements, where many believe the best falafel in the city can be found.

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Themes range from Middle Eastern classics such as mezze, featuring spreads of hummus, olives and falafel, to Balkan dishes such as Macedonian vegetable and mayonnaise salads or a tasty cevapcici sandwich (composed of minced meat with garlic yogurt and grilled vegetables).

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But this is also part of Barbar's charm with its strange, original architecture and its waiters running around the street from one restaurant to the other, shopping for the cocktail, the falafel plate and the baked entrees you've ordered while comfortably seated in the restaurant.

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Make sure to stop by Hashem, the finest falafel cafe in the country bar none (it has a picture of King Hussein dining here on its wall, if you need any further recommendation) and Habibah, a hole-in-the-wall baker selling Palestinian knafeh, a syrupy vermicelli-like pastry that locals swear by.

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