Bekitzer: Description

Falafel, shawarma's vegetarian little brother, seems to be having a moment right now in St. Petersburg. The chickpea-packed rolls are popping up on menus in independent bistros throughout the city, but Bekitzer, a street food outlet on popular Ulitsa Rubinshteina that has now expanded to a second venue on New Holland, does the dish best. Bekitzer specializes in all varieties of Israeli street food, with a menu that goes well beyond falafel alone to include favorites like hummus, shaverma, and shakshuka, as well as traditional meze small plates. Bekitzer has a wide open dining space, but it nearly always fills up in the evenings. In the summertime, a small terrace space and a streetside takeaway window open up to make this venue a true "street" food destination.