Trekking out into the bluster of the Boston area's wintry months can be physically and emotionally taxing. But according to Boston Globe writer Sheryl Julian, the trip is worth it when Falafel Corner is the destination. "The food will warm you and so will the immensely friendly owners, Ahmed Naguib and Dany Abo-El-khair," Julian wrote of the Harvard Square eatery, which remains open until 3 a.m. on weekends to accommodate late-night bar-hoppers, sleepwalkers, and sleep-hoppers.

Falafel Corner's cooks prepare a menu that is 100% halal. They shave slices of spit-roasted lamb into pita bread with pickles and tahini sauce, grill kebabs of chicken or marinated salmon, and chop parsley, onions, cucumber, and mint for cairo salads sprinkled with feta cheese. For dessert, Falafel Corner prepares sweets such as cashew fingers, which combine paper-thin phyllo, wheat-flour dough, crushed cashews, pistachios, and honey.