Bread & Olive

DAY 4 of Falafel Week

It’s day 4 of Falafel Week and I was supposed to go to Miriam’s, which I have never seen but was told is on the SW corner of 46th & 6th.  It was recommended on Chowhound… but when I walked by on Wednesday it was not there- so for today I decided to go to Bread & Olive (also recommended to me on Chowhound), and find another place for tomorrow.

Bread & Olive has falafel, along with a ton of other options, including chicken and beef schawarma, numerous pastries, vegetable entrees, and what looked like lebanese style flat bread pizza.  All of it looked delicious… but alas, this is falafel week, so falafel is what I got.

This is a lebanese place, so a beet juice pickled vegetable made it’s first appearance of the week (I’m pretty sure it was turnip, but not positive).  It was one of the first layers to go down on top of the fresh baked flat bread- that I believe they make on site (another first for the week).  It also had lettuce and slices of tomatos, and then the falafel and tahini, all rolled up burrito style in the flat bread.

A picture of the sandwich, and the +/-, after the jump…

The falafel is made fresh (you can see the bowl of ground up chick peas next to the fryer behind the counter), and it is fine- if not a tad bit on the dry side (as so much falafel can be).  Although, they try to alleviate that by smashing it down into the other ingredients before rolling it up in the flat bread.  The flat bread was pretty good as well, and if you are into that, rather then pita bread- then this is the falafel for you.  The mystery vegetable (I’m still pretty sure it was turnip… but can’t be positive) pickled in beet juice added a different element then many of the other falafel places in the area.

All in all it was a decent falafel… but there were so many other delicious looking things, I’ll probably try something else when I go back (which is guaranteed!).

THE +

  • If the Lebanese style of falafel is your thing… then this is your place (flatbread, beet juice pickled vegetables, tahini)
  • Rolled up like a burrito, so it makes it really easy to eat
  • Decent size and price ($5.00)
  • It’s a storefront, and has tons of other options- so if you’re going with a group, everyone will find something they like
  • If you want sit down falafel, there is a place in the back of the store to eat

THE –

  • If you like pita bread better then flatbread, you might want to go somewhere else

Bread and Olive, 24 W. 45th St., between 5th & 6th, 212-764-1588

There is one downtown, but that doesn’t really concern us.

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5 Comments

  • You missed out on a good thing not catching the Miriam’s cart on a day it was there. Best cart falafel I’ve found in NY, and head and shoulders above Moshe’s across the street. It’s a little out of the way, but a great place for falafel (not to mention surly service) is Azuri Cafe on 51st near the corner of 10th. The guy there also bakes his own pitas, they’re excellent – soft, thick, chewy. Full toppings bar. More Hell’s Kitchen then Midtown, granted, but worth the hike.

    I miss New York. Sigh.

  • I’m a fan of the Falafel at Kosher Delight on 46th btw 5th/6th. They have a very nice pickles / coleslaw salad bar to go with it. The schwarma kicks butt too, for a buck they’ll throw falafel balls on that too.

  • Bread & Olive is a little over-priced but their chicken taouk sandwich with garlic sauce (KEY!) and a fresh lemonade really makes my day.

  • Their sandwiches are so-so but the vegetarian sides are delicious. They have an outstanding cracked wheat pilaf, which is something you don’t see in too many falafel joints, and addictive roasted potatoes.

  • That flatbread IS pita bread, just a different type.

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