When I was going to the University of Hawaii, I would grab lunch at JR’s Bar-B-Q on Waialae Avenue so often the owner would know my order as soon as I walked through the glass doors.

So I was disappointed when the Korean take-out shop closed awhile back.

That is, until I found out a new eatery opened in the same spot, one that serves classic Israeli street food like shawarma and falafel.

Shaloha — a blend of “shalom” and “aloha” — offers Middle Eastern cuisine with a Hawaiian twist — or so the menu says. It’s got the regional staples of Turkey and Egypt with local adaptations of traditional dishes brought to Israel by Jewish immigrants.

So it’s truly a Middle Eastern mix plate!

And if you’re not into that kind of cuisine, you gotta at least go for the homemade pita bread. It’s light and fluffily and airy and so good I could eat an entire bag myself.

Here’s what our recent lunch looked like — and yes, we’ll be back!

Turkey/chicken shawarma

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Shawarma is a kind of meat preparation where lamb, chicken, beef or veal are placed on a spit and grilled. But the term also refers to the sandwich or wrap ($8.75, $11.75 with two sides) that's made with this meat. It's considered street food.