Shawarma is one of Israel’s oldest and most commonplace eats – it’s a huge skewer of meat on an open flame, carved into strips and served in a pita or laffa bread. In recent years, this popular street food has taken a modern and trendy twist, and some would even say it’s making a comeback. The shawarma hype has not missed the Carmel Market, and there are many new places to try excellent shawarma in many versions, but the Basta Restaurant’s version is gourmet shawarma. To this end, the Basta recruited Effi Raz, the legendary pita maker, who has turned the Mifgash’s pita into an artform of textures and flavors. The pita bread is fluffy and stuffed to the brim, with hand-torn fries that are divine. In the evening there are plenty of other options including shish kebab, delectable mezzes, chopped kebabs, and lots of great beer and wine to go along with such a meal, to create a hip vibe that is a combination of shawarma, wine bar, and gourmet restaurant.