WOODLAND HILLS >> When power went out at the Falafel Bar Tuesday night, plunging the popular Israeli eatery into darkness, owner and chef Ayala Shlomo hardly missed a beat.

Shlomo continued deep-frying balls of spiced-up garbanzo bean, dished up moist strips of chicken thigh in warm fluffy pitas, and served up a bevy of diverse salads that her hungry customers have come to love.

“What more can I do?” the mild-mannered Shlomo, whose family opened its first Mediterranean-style restaurant in Jerusalem in 1942, said in Hebrew as she hustled in the darkness.

• VIDEO: Customers’ cellphones light the way for cooks at Falafal Bar after power goes out

But Shlomo’s tough job was made a bit easier with some servings of help from her loyal fan base. Patrons were more than happy to shine their cell phones on the salad and hummus bar so she could see what she was serving. One employee held up a powerful flashlight in the middle of the kitchen. And a regular customer offered to shine her parked vehicles’ headlights into the restaurant, offering a respite from the darkness.

Retiree Stuart Myron and his wife Phyllis, who live in Northridge, were among those enjoying their kosher meals in the dark at the non-descript strip mall restaurant on iconic Ventura Boulevard.

“The food is so good at this place that nothing could really ruin it,” said Myron, who once lived in Israel, between bites of his salad-rich “pargiot” or chicken thigh sandwich.

Myron said he was initially concerned that the staff would not be able to finish making their meals once the power went off.

“But since they seem to be independent of any power requirements,” he said, “everything’s fine.”

Woodland Hills resident Lauren Danchick, who has been frequenting the restaurant since it opened here more than 5 years ago, pulled up to the no-frills restaurant when she noticed the lights flashing on and off. Then, as Shlomo was frying up her to-go order — a falafel plate — the restaurant went nearly black.

“It’s kind of cool to watch her cook my food in the dark,” she said. “She’s obviously a really good chef and knows what she’s doing.”

Then Danchick got the idea to shine the headlights from her car, which was parked directly in front of the Falafel Bar, into the restaurant, casting a dim light into the kitchen. Because Shlomo was unable to open her cash register without power, Danchick gladly ran to a supermarket in the same plaza to get some cash.

“I come here pretty often, since she stays open a little bit later — till 9:30,” she said. “And the food is amazing here, real homemade Mediterranean food.”

Falafel Bar is located in Woodland Hills in the large shopping plaza anchored by Ralph’s at Topanga Canyon Boulevard.