My pickup time was 4 p.m. and I was surprised to find others picking up that early. Unlike my previous visit to Bavel, the place seemed deserted. Plenty of parking was available, no one was in their patio and the lights to the dining room were off. Quite a number of large shopping bags were placed on top of tables. My order was quickly located and the entire process took less than one minute.
Stapled to one of the bags was a card printed with the items enclosed. I was happy to also see heating instructions. We unpacked each item and plated everything so that we could mimic the Bavel dining experience. The huge Lamb Neck Shawarma was placed in a 375-degree oven for 10 minutes.
freshly made pita with tahini 
hummus
We began with the Hummus Amba. Freshly made hummus was topped with black garlic, chili sauce, sunflower seeds, lime juice, cilantro, and served with fresh pita. The hummus was fresh, creamy, and inherited umami type characteristics with the black garlic and chili sauce. It was so good, I blew my goal of only having one serving of this.
Fattoush 
Marinated Roasted Beets
Fattoush was included as our mixed green salad. Fried slices of pita were included with fresh herbs, radishes, and sliced kohlrabi. The Marinated Roasted Beets nicely paired with the salty feta and the sweet pomegranate molasses. The fried seeds gave it a slight crunchy element.
The turmeric marinade used with their Grilled Prawns gave the crustacean an earthly flavor that reminded me of Indian cuisine. It came with a green almond creme fraiche dipping sauce that my daughter liked and used it with some of the other dishes.
Turmeric Shrimp, Almond Creme Fraiche 
Lamb Neck Shawarma
The Lamb Neck Shawarma is a large impressive dish to behold. Served bone on, it is the type of dish that catches the customer’s eye as servers deliver it to the table. Cardamom, allspice, black pepper, sumac are mixed with an onion purée that caramelizes as the lamb slow-roasts for 12 to 16 hours. Then the meat is finished in a wood-burning oven. The lamb is tender, juicy, and full of flavor!
Menashe and Gergis have also founded a charity called FeedLoveLA, which is providing fresh grocery and pantry items to our restaurant industry staff at greatest risk of becoming food insecure. Donations to FeedLoveLA may be placed here.
Bavel and its sister restaurant Bestia is only open Wed-Sun for customers to pick up their set menu offering.
Bavel To Go, 500 Mateo St, Los Angeles, CA 90013; 213.232.4966
baveldtla.com