When last we visited Roti Mediterranean Grill on Pearl St. (at Cedar), it was a soft opening, the food was free, the lines were long and I was undecided as to whether I liked this place or not. That was back in May, and since then, every time I’ve walked by there’s been a line out the door (or they’ve been closed. That’s seemed to happen a lot too), and that’s a lot to say with so many lunch options on the same block.

So, I decided to actually purchase some food this time and see if it was better than what I got when they were doing staff training. My thoughts on healthified street cart fare straight ahead.

While the first time I ate at Roti Mediterranean I got the chicken shawarma plate, this time I went vegetarian and got a falalafel laffa wrap ($8.45). I’d tried a sample falafel on my first visit and it was nicely done with a strong taste of cumin. I was curious how that flavor would hold up in a sandwich.

The laffa wrap was placed in a press like a flour tortilla would be, then was layered with the roasted vegetables that are standard whether you order a pita sandwich, salad, plate or wrap. then came four falafel balls, hummus, my add-on choice of red cabbage slaw, sh’ug and some sumac onions. Then it was wrapped up like a burrito with one end left open.

So, basically this thing was a burrito with falafel and hummus in it. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, but you have to be OK with some soggy falafel balls to eat this, as all of the moisture from the vegetables, sauces and hummus takes a toll on them. That being said, the flavor is still there and I really liked that there were Brussels sprouts and kale in there to add some textural contrast to an otherwise mushy situation.

I would say the falafel may be better utilized in the pita sandwich, salad or platter where there isn’t moisture taking it to sog city coming in from every direction. If you’re OK with eating a different kind of wrap/burrito for lunch, you’ll probably like this vegetarian option.

Roti Mediterranean Grill, 100 Maiden Lane (entrance at Pearl & Cedar streets), 

Today Roti Mediterranean Grill officially opens at the corner of Pearl St. & Cedar in the Financial District (their Web site says at 10:30 a.m.), but myself and many other Lunch’ers got a sneak preview on Friday when they were doing staff training.

There was an intimidating line out the door, but it went really quickly which bodes well for opening day. But what about the food? If you want meat and carbs, and to eat somewhat healthy food, you might want to check this place out. 

All of the options here are the same price of $8.45 whether you get a pita sandwich, laffa wrap, salad or rice plate. You choose chicken or steak roti (aka, shawarma), chicken kebab, falafel or roasted vegetables, a side (all come with hummus and roasted vegetables), a sauce and a topping of feta, olives or sumac onions.

I ordered the chicken roti rice plate, with Spanish eggplant, sh’ug sauce and sumac onions. The plate came with a mini pita, as does the salad.

I’m not going to judge my lunch here too much because it was a training exercise (and, full disclosure, free food), but all in all my rice plate was good. The chicken roti earns points for have a nice char and grilled flavor from the rotisserie, but I’d have to say the white meat kebab looked pretty great as well. I also got a falafel ball that was fresh from the fryer while waiting in line and enjoyed the flavor that was heavy on cumin.

The grilled vegetables included beets, carrots and, brussels sprouts and also had a smoky flavor. The Spanish eggplant I had was stewed, and a tad sweet but still tasty enough, and the hummus was not the best I’ve ever had, but perfectly fine. The only thing I didn’t like on the plate was the rice which was a bit undercooked despite being otherwise flavorful, but again, it was a day being used to train staff and work out any kinks. The pita was suitably fluffy and a better source of carbs in my opinion.

If you like heat, get the sweet-hot sh’ug sauce. If not, maybe stick with the red pepper aioli, tahini or dill yogurt sauces.

The blocks of Pearl St. just off Maiden Lane have become clogged with high-end chain lunch places, and I’m betting people will frequent Roti Mediterranean Grill if they don’t want to walk a block further for Pita Press.

Roti Mediterranean Grill, 100 Maiden Lane (entrance at Pearl & Cedar), (646) 494-3359

You can get items such as the above when Roti Mediterranean Grill opens on Monday. Tip of the hat to Lunch’er Daniel who sent in the tip that the latest chain spot at Pearl St. & Pine is doing employee training today and over the weekend, and will open on Monday (no word on what time, but we will update when we find out). The place is a Mediterranean take on what seems like a million variations of lunch spots where you choose a rice plate, pita sandwich or salad with a choice of protein or vegetables, etc.

Look for a review early next week and view this another option when the line at Chipotle down the street is a little out of control.

The restaurants on Pearl St. had a rough go of it after hurricane Sandy, but when I walked down the stretch between Broad St. & Maiden Lane yesterday it’s a bit of a mixed bag. Signage was up for a new lunch spot on Pearl at Cedar, but others are closed due to structural damage from the hurricane, or for more mysterious reasons.

I had forgotten about the previous announcement of Roti Mediterranean Grill coming to Pearl St. (at Cedar), but paper is now up in the windows, and it looks as though something else is going in on the other side of Yushi as the windows are papered up. Soon, within a two-block radius you’ll be able to get Chipotle, Indian-style Chipotle, and now Mediterranean-style Chipotle. Yeesh.

As noted by a luncher a while back, Fresco on the Go has shuttered and has a For Lease sign in the window. It didn’t seem like a very budget friendly lunch option, but hopefully something good will open in its place.

Also, I noticed FIKA Espresso Bar and Zigolini’s remain in the dark. Both have signs in the window noting that structural damage, like wet floorboards, have prevented them from opening. Let’s hope that they make a return sometime soon.

Other places on Pearl that have reopened include Pearl St. Diner, Dig Inn and Chop’t. Hale & Hearty is still shuttered, if you’re missing your soup fix in the cold weather.