Mamoun’s Falafel Review
Anyone who walks past Mamoun’s Falafel Restaurant on MacDougal St. just south of Washington Square Park will surely be surprised by the sight. The line almost always extends outside the door, but it moves impressively fast, so you'll only be waiting for about ten minutes before you order. Only another five or ten minutes and you’ve got your food – and it is worth the wait.
Perfect for sudden falafel cravings that strike in the middle of the day, the menu at Mamoun’s is simple but satisfying. You can order any of four vegetarian and four non-vegetarian main items in a pita pocket, called a “sandwich,” or on a platter with the pita and accompanying vegetables on the side. For more than one item in a sandwich or on a plate, you can order the vegetarian or meat combos. Sandwiches range from $3 to $8, and plates (big enough to fill you up with plenty left over) cost between $6 and $12. The menu also includes seven sides and three desserts, $2 to $3 each.
Most customers come to Mamoun’s for the titular falafel, which is richly flavored and evenly spiced. Accented with the creamy hummus or the extremely spicy, tomato-based hot sauce – which you can also buy by the bottle – it still sums to less than the cost of your typical Starbucks drink. For a side dish, the stuffed grape leaves have a uniquely memorable flavor; for something sweet, you can’t go wrong with the baklava, a flaky pastry layered with chopped nuts, syrup, and spices.
Your order comes packaged ready to carry out, because that’s what most people do. There are only four stools inside the restaurant, usually occupied by whoever got there early enough to table some of the narrow counter space. Outside there are a couple of benches and standing tables, but those are often taken too.
The restaurant at 119 MacDougal St. is the original location: It first opened in 1971. You can feel the history of the place as soon as you step inside, from the traditional Middle Eastern music blaring to the wood-paneled walls. There’s a framed tapestry up on one wall, catching the dim lighting of the room. Up by the cashier, there’s a glass case plastered with hundreds of promotional stickers, evidence of all the East Village style that’s passed through this place in the decades since it’s opened.
Today, you can get your Mamoun’s fix at five other locations: There’s another in New York City on St. Marks Pl., another three locations in New Jersey, and one more in Connecticut.
Since the ‘70s, Mamoun’s has been a trendsetter, starting up the tradition of falafel and the other items on the menu being sold everywhere from street carts to spacious restaurants around the city. With about 230,000 people of Arab or Middle Eastern descent living in the NYC area, the cuisine’s popularity is not a surprise.
But Mamoun’s is still one of the best restaurants of its kind, according to over 1000 Yelpers, who rate it four-and-a-half stars. Mamoun’s has also been reviewed by many publications, including the New York Press and the Village Voice, and was even featured as part of “1000 Places To See Before You Die.”
Mamoun’s is the perfect way to eat filling, tasty, healthy food without spending too much. If you bring the change at the bottom of your wallet in here, you’ll leave happy with how you spent it.
Mamoun’s Falafel Locations & Hours
119 MacDougal St. New York, NY 10012 Monday-Sunday: 11a.m.-5a.m.
22 St. Marks Pl. New York, NY 10003 Sunday-Wednesday: 11a.m.-4a.m. Thursday-Saturday: 11a.m.-5a.m.
502 Washington St. Hoboken, NJ 07030 Monday-Wednesday: 10a.m.-2a.m. Thursday-Saturday: 10a.m.-5a.m. Sunday: 10a.m.-1a.m.
58 Easton Ave. New Brunswick, NJ 08901 Monday-Wednesday: 11a.m.-2a.m. Thursday: 11a.m.-3a.m. Friday-Saturday: 11a.m.-4a.m. Sunday: 11a.m.-1a.m.
20 Witherspoon St. Princeton, NJ 08542 Monday-Saturday: 10:30a.m.-10p.m. Sunday: 10:30a.m.-8p.m.
85 Howe St. New Haven, CT 06511 Monday-Sunday: 11a.m.-3a.m.
