Shawarma King reigns in humble surroundings, but with a growing number of loyal subjects.

You are standing on concrete, cracked and pitted in places and dusty from the procession of passing trucks. Aromas of exhaust from the traffic mix with the ting of fresh petrol gushing from multiple pumps.

Ambient sound is limited to the low rumble of idling engines and the ding of a gas station door opening. Juices dripping from your lunch order forces you into awkward contortions to prevent stains on your shoes or the hood of your car.

If someone pitched this as a restaurant concept, it’s likely no takers would be forthcoming. Yet Shawarma King and More—tucked into one corner of a Castroville Chevron station—draws regular customers from Salinas and the Monterey Peninsula.

Chef Said Fahid, who also goes by “Alex,” admits he did not expect ready success. But, he adds, “It was a good move.”

The featured presentation at Shawarma King is a street carnival rolled in flatbread. A combination of beef and lamb shaved in the traditional manner from a spit sets a baritone hum, layering a rich, husky note under the creamy tang of tahini. Within this resides a narrow streak of heat from a dose of red shatta—Fahid says his wife has the “magic sauce secrets”—with a trail of earthiness and peppercorn bite.

Meanwhile sweet cucumber, tomato and cooling lettuce pop brightly and fall like confetti, offering a fresh counterpoint. In between, strips of marinated peppers bring this happy cacophony into unison.

The stale asphalt, the spoiled perfume of exhaust are pushed far from your thoughts as this spellbinding shawarma envelops your senses. The experience is transformed into something unique.

Many insist it is the best shawarma in Monterey County and beyond.

Only the choice of bread for the wrap—lavash, in this case, but Fahid also uses pita—misses out on the reverie. He longs to prepare homemade bread on a traditional vessel, but that requires red hot flames.

“I want customers to see us making bread,” Fahid says. “But we can’t have a fire in a gas station.” Setting up in the parking lot is also out of the question, especially if you peek around the corner.

“One, we have gas. Two, we have propane,” he points out with a wary chuckle. “That’s the scary part, I’m in the middle of fire.”

Fahid arrived in Monterey County from Seattle at the behest of his uncle who happens to own the Chevron station and wanted to do something different with the grill space. As Fahid notes, “everyone does tacos.” Classic Mediterranean street fare, however, is more unusual in such a setting and Fahid had been preparing shawarma and the like at several Seattle restaurants over the past decade.

His path from childhood in a small town outside of Fresno to Shawarma King—well, Fahid says, “It’s a long story.” A condensed version begins with his father owning three Fresno groceries. A family tragedy caused the father to rethink priorities, with a determination to connect the young Fahid with his Palestinian roots.

So he spent seven years with family overseas, learning the culture and—especially—the food. Fahid returned to the U.S. with stops in Arizona and New Mexico before setting up in the Pacific Northwest.

“Now I’m back in California,” he says. “It’s crazy.”

Shawarma is not the only offering on a menu that seems ambitious considering it’s a family operation (his uncle is trying to bring another person on board). The Mediterranean meats are chicken, beef and lamb for plates, gyros and shawarmas with a vegetarian option. Hummus and falafel, along with kofta kebabs, round out that part of the list.

But this is the American roadside, so they serve burgers and fries—Greek fries are a highly popular option. Yes, there is a veggie burger, salads and (out of the blue) a Philly cheesesteak.

This would seem quite a load. However, Fahid turns to the handy “two types of people” reference. He falls into the people who love their work category.

“I did other stuff in my life,” he explains. “But I challenge myself in this.”

Shawarma King opened in February. Already, they are thinking of expansion—on two fronts.

A shawarma or gyro wrap is unlikely to survive a drive back to Monterey with the meat warm and the bread perfectly intact. Reheating involves a messy task of scooping out condiments meant to be cool beforehand. The equally sloppy—but absolutely worthy—process of a parking lot meal (you don’t want to try this in your car, unless maybe you have WeatherTeched everything).

So they are hoping the city will buy into a parklet with three or four tables. Because customers frequently ask about other dishes or reheatable take home meals, Fahid and his uncle are considering a sit down restaurant in Salinas or Monterey.

To Fahid, a Mediterranean buffet where he could bake bread and spread out the menu would be ideal.

“Every traditional Mediterranean food—we want to do it,” he says. “But I have to get this one going really well.”

So Alex Fahid is thinking ahead and thinking bigger. But how did he come about the nickname?

“It’s a long story,” he says.

Shawarma King & More is at 11601 Merritt St., Castroville (in the Chevron station). Open daily. 633-3333.