Most of the time, if someone asks what I feel like eating for dinner, the answer is “vegetables, healthy stuff, greens”. It’s not that I don’t love a blow-out, deep-fried, Trimalchian feast. It’s that excess often seems the norm when I’m eating out in Shanghai. Eli Falafel came up the last time I asked for something that wouldn’t make me want to work out for the next 48 hours. I’m glad it did.

I’ve been walking past the place every week or so for months, and making a (promptly forgotten) mental note to go in every time I’ve seen it. The interior is a little more stylish than the exterior, but – and this is really the only gripe I have about the place – the seating situation isn’t great. It’s better for take-out than eating in, but plates are the best way to avoid offending David Attenborough with excessive packaging. We sat at the high counter in the window. It was fine.

The food was not fine. It was great. Wraps are filling and spiced to perfection, with enough garlic to make TanTan automatically uninstall. There seemed to be a couple on a first date there when we visited – a brave choice. The salads are colourful, well-seasoned and veg-heavy. The eponymous falafel were worth going in for alone, especially with their dreamy tahini sauce. I was impressed. For a wrap, salad, falafel and a couple of sodas, we paid 181rmb.

Eli Falafel is a great choice for healthy lunches and dinners. There’s not a huge amount of competition in Shanghai for good Middle Eastern food, but these guys would hold their own anywhere. Veggie or carnivorous, eat-in or take-out, fresh or fried – it’s all good.

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