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Hebrew slang for “original,” Ashakara, a kosher grill, puts its own slant on a falafel shop. A salad bar lines the counter; customers pick their own condiments. Obvious choices like fresh lettuce and cucumbers are augmented by grilled cauliflower, sautéed carrots, and salsa and chimichurri hot sauces. The falafel itself is Israeli-style, green on the inside, with an appealing nutty flavor beneath its seared, crunchy edge. The surrounding pita is made in-house daily, with the doughy whole wheat version trumping the somewhat bland white. Hummus and babaghanoush are creamy but not oily, in keeping with a generally healthy angle here. The grill also serves a pedestrian grilled chicken and a taut, flavorful burger studded with parsley and grilled onions. Excellent Belgian fries are thick-cut and slightly sweet, accompanied by dipping sauces like a refreshing and fiery wasabi. To balance the savories there is homemade lemonade and baklava, the latter a thick triangle with dry filo capping dense honeyed nutmeat. The yellow-walled space is compact, with a trio of front tables leading to a long side bar made of copper-colored glass tile. The after-midnight hours are popular with eastside revelers, seeking a little post-bar stomach ballast. — Ethan Wolff

Small fries, $3.90; large falafel sandwich, $4.90; burger, $6.50