Shawarma, With the Works

It’s obvious what the specialty is at Hawa Chicken Restaurant, a Lebanese place that opened early this year in downtown Los Angeles. Hawa serves chicken whole, halved, quartered or in little pieces sliced off a vertical spit--that’s called chicken shawarma. Like most Hawa combinations, shawarma comes with hummus, a chunky tomato and cucumber salad and rice pilaf with strands of toasted vermicelli. Pita bread is part of the package, and so is a small container of garlic sauce. Creamy and potent, it makes the subtly spiced chicken even more delicious.

Chicken shawarma plate, $5.99 at Hawa Chicken Restaurant, 521 W. 7th St., Los Angeles. (213) 489-9727.