If you’re looking for the best Israeli street food in the East Bay, you won’t find it at some fancy eatery or high-concept restaurant.
Instead, you’ll find it at a brand-new, largely unmarked food truck in Concord, California. The truck doesn’t have a formal menu, yet it serves the absolute best shawarma, schnitzel, and other Middle Eastern and Israeli specialties I’ve had in recent memory.
This new food truck is called One and Only Shawarma. They launched in early 2025 and, for a while, didn’t even have a social media account. To find out the truck’s location, you had to hear about it from a friend—like a speakeasy on wheels that also happens to serve amazing pickled veggies (I know the owners through my community.)
That hints at One and Only Shawarma’s clientele. The truck is owned by a local Israeli family and caters to the Bay Area’s large Israeli diaspora, many of whom work as contractors or own home renovation businesses.
When I finally made my way to One and Only Shawarma, there was a constant flow of locals in pickup trucks stopping by to grab their lunch.
The One and Only Shawarma truck now has a basic logo on the side and accepts credit cards and Apple Pay, but on my initial visit, it was completely unmarked and cash-only.
The first hint that this is a legit spot is the row of Israeli condiments and big bowls, ready for you to spoon onto your food. This includes pickled vegetables, peppers, and more, as well as legit condiments like amba.
You’ll also find ice-filled bins stocked with real Israeli beverages for purchase. Based on the Hebrew letters on the containers, it looks like they’re bringing these straight in from Israel.
As the name implies, One and Only Shawarma specializes in shawarma dishes, but they also offer a variety of other Israeli, Middle Eastern and Jewish specialties, like schnitzel and falafel. You order by asking the owner what’s available and then making your selection.
I personally got the shawarma, schnitzel and falafel.
The shawarma was amazing—not too aggressively spiced (unlike some places in the Bay Area)—with what appeared to be homemade hummus and veggie slaw, all served on a hot and fresh pita.
The schnitzel was equally fantastic—perfectly crispy, served with a side of Israeli salad, slaw, and more of that homemade hummus.
The falafel, served similarly to the schnitzel in a pita, provided a terrific vegetarian option.
One and Only Shawarma serves kosher food and has a kosher certification for its items. They’re also working on obtaining certification for the full truck.
Basically, what you’re getting here is a home-cooked Israeli or Middle Eastern meal, served to you on the side of the road in Concord.
Although the food is absolutely worth it, One and Only Shawarma is something you have to actively seek out. You need to track down the truck’s location and be prepared for the lack of a formal menu. Prices are similar to what you’d find at a typical Bay Area restaurant, with entrées around $20.
For those willing to put in the effort, One and Only Shawarma offers the best Israeli street food I’ve found in the East Bay. You’ll feel like you could stroll away from the truck and onto the streets of Tel Aviv—not just the used car lot of a nearby Concord store!
That’s one of the wonderful things about living in the Bay Area. We have so many people from different backgrounds, but we’re all united by a shared love of delicious food.
If you’ve never tried this cuisine—or you just love Middle Eastern food and want to experience a different twist on it—you should absolutely put in the time and effort to track down One and Only Shawarma and grab one of their amazing meals.
As I write this, One and Only Schwarma has been parking at 2100 Meridian Park Blvd in Concord. Their phone number is 510-409-2756. You can find their Instagram here.
Want to know about every new restaurant in the 925? Join our free 925 News newsletter here.
