Note: This guide not comprehensive. Far from it, in fact. Rather, this is a guide based on my experiences living and working in New York City. I’m sure you can find much more scientific studies of New York’s falafel scene, but I hope that my insight can be of some value to falafel lovers in my city.
Why now?
In both of my most recent interviews, I somehow came across the topic of falafel and elicited very strong responses. When I brought up falafel with Daedelus, he said, “DUDE!” and he made me promise to send him my NYC falafel picks (the genesis of this post). When I suggested falafel to Yelawolf as an alternative to the No. 5 at McDonald’s that made him sick, his face lit up. “Hell yeah,” he said. “I love falafels.”
Despite its ubiquity, falafel gets people excited. A co-worker once told me after a long hectic morning, “Dude, I can’t wait to get my falafel for lunch. It’s going to taste SO good.” No one says that about their turkey sandwich.
The O.G.
The go-to NY falafel joint is Mamoun’s. It’s a tiny place where you can get a falafel in under five minutes even when there are ten people in line. There are two locations, one on MacDougal Street (119 MacDougal St.) and one on St. Marks (22 St. Marks Pl) and they’re always open. If you go to either location on Friday night, you’re almost guaranteed to witness a drunken fight or maybe even Spider-Man. Both locations also neighbor great pizza places, so technically you can get a falafel and a slice of pizza at the same time for less than five dollars.
Mamoun’s is an institution, straight up. Unfortunately, its quality has wavered in my time. The lettuce isn’t so fresh and the pita is thin and sad. Go to Mamoun’s for the color and the nostalgia, but after you’ve paid your dues, it’s time to look at some more advanced falafel options.
Green
Maoz is a trendy vegetarian chain that popped up a few years ago that has a decent falafel. The main draw here is the unlimited salad bar. It’s great because you can heap broccoli and coleslaw on your sandwich, eat it, and then come back for more. But this causes some problems. After my second or third go at the salad bar, my pita is cold and soggy from all the coleslaw and I haven’t even eaten the falafel. Also, you get a bunch of people crowding the salad bar trying to throw more cucumber on their sandwich.
Don’t delude yourself into thinking you’re eating healthy because it’s a veggie place. Remember, this is falafel. Maoz is hardly the streamlined experience of Mamoun’s, but if you have some time, grab a falafel, some Belgian fries and eat coleslaw until you can’t move.
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