Pitopia opened in November, and it proceeded to narrowly overtake falafel favorite Taim in the 2011 readers’ poll. It’s pretty shocking for a newbie to win over Midtown — we are, after all, a pretty tough crowd — so quickly and easily and with such stiff competition. I’m of the mind that Taim is one of the best trucks on our streets today, but since they clearly must be doing something right at Pitopia, I finally went to check it out.
At first glance, the allure of Maoz Vegetarian is the top notch salad bar with which you can construct a pretty substantial falafel sandwich. Although I wouldn’t count their falafel as best in Midtown (in my opinion, that accolade belongs to Taim, even though it came in second in the 2011 reader’s poll), the endless toppings are a big (and messy!) draw. But, the reason I go to Maoz? The Belgian fries.
Posted by Rachel Goldner at 11:30 am, March 2nd, 2012 under Falafel, Maoz Vegetarian.
In this week’s New York Magazine the Robs take note of how ubiquitous and eclectic falafel has become here in NYC, pointing out 12 different takes on the fried chickpea balls. Olympic Pita (on 38th btw. 5+6th) got singled out for its delicious laffa, Maoz got the nod for its DIY set up, and Taim for its different flavors. But we couldn’t help but notice that Crisp was left off the list entirely. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, how can you have a “unique falafels of NYC” list, and leave off the place that is responsible for these monstrosities! We’ll chalk it up to harmless oversight…
Posted by The ML Team at 8:00 am, September 20th, 2011 under Falafel.
Since we first posted about Barbanzo (58th and 3rd), we’ve been tracking the opening with interest. Aside from Omar’s Kitchen and Bakery, there aren’t too many brick and mortar shops to get a civilized plate of falafel and hummus in upper Midtown East, a gap which Barbanzo could have potentially filled.
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Posted by Chris H. at 11:54 am, August 31st, 2011 under Falafel, Middle Eastern, barbanzo.
3rd Ave between 57th & 58th St is getting a couple of new lunch options this summer, and both seem to be a little more forward thinking than your average deli. On the east side of the street, a Mediterranean concept called “BarBanzo” will be opening soon. The google didn’t turn up anything definitive about this place, but it seems like their menu will likely focus on falafel. On the west side of 3rd Ave, Naked Pizza is a slightly more interesting opening. Founded in New Orleans shortly after Hurricane Katrina, and backed by investors Mark Cuban and Robert Kraft, the chain has expanded to over 25 locations across the US, as well as presence in Dubai.
They seem to have embraced the healthy, organic, sustainable, whole wheat pizza model (looks like Pizza by Certe will have some competition). They’re also big into the social media game, one article interestingly quoting the owners saying that, “Naked Pizza isn’t a pizza company, but a social media company that sells pizza”. So for the lunchers of Midtown East that have been craving more garbanzo beans, or eco-friendly, healthy, whole wheat, preservative-free, organic social media pizza, time to get excited.
When Kolache Mama closed on 45th Street between Madison+Vanderbilt, they were the second such business to close in that very location. One might even say the spot was cursed… that is, until now. Chickpea of the “always baked, never fried” Downtown falafel fame had moved uptown, and by the looks of Friday’s crowd, it’s here to stay. I’ve never seen anything on that street with lines out the door!
Posted by Blondie at 11:45 am, February 7th, 2011 under Chickpea, Falafel, Middle Eastern.
Taim is a veritable New York institution at this point. The quality of their product has earned them a legion of devoted followers, plenty of superlatives from food media, and recently received the prestigious distinction as the “Best Falafel Sandwich in New York City” by the folks from Serious Eats. On the back of their popularity, they’ve spun off a sister restaurant, the upscale bistro Balaboosta, and they’ve recently hit the streets with a mobile food truck. A few weeks ago, downtown correspondent Andrea got a first look at the Taim Mobile truck, and last Friday, I was lucky enough to nab lunch from the Taim truck in my neighborhood of Midtown West.
Posted by Chris H. at 11:50 am, December 13th, 2010 under Falafel, Middle Eastern, Taim Mobile, Vegetarian.
Your resident shiksa goddess has finally made it to Quick Stop Kosher (aka the kosher waffle truck) the other day. It was hard to track them down; first there wasn’t a Twitter, then they went to serve Mt. Sinai and on a religious fast. But I finally got my chance to have some falafel, and a waffle for lunch- even though it came with quizzical looks from their kosher patrons. For extra Jewish points, they now serve the layer-challenged Moshe’s Falafel (whatever that means. Maybe they buy all the ingredients from Moshe’s?)
Posted by Blondie at 11:45 am, July 23rd, 2010 under Falafel, Quick Stop Kosher, Review.
When I heard that Yummy Yummy Kosher Veggie Bar, the new falafel place on Lex. btw 55+56th, featured a free salad bar, I knew I wanted to give them a try. Cramming that little container at Olympic Pita (38th btw. 5th and 6th) full of pickles and cabbage is one of Midtown’s greatest pleasures as far as I’m concerned. So I headed to Yummy Yummy to check out their contribution to Midtown’s crowded falafel scene.
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Posted by Jeremiah White at 11:45 am, June 30th, 2010 under Falafel, Yummy Yummy.
Falafel Sandwich from Azuri Cafe (on 51st btw. 9+10th)
Serious Eats: New York posted the results of their big falafel taste off yesterday, and, in what is quite possibly the least surprising win of all time, Taim took home the top prize. I’m not saying they’re wrong, I’m just saying Serious Eats loves Taim, and if Vegas had taken bets on this contest you probably would have had to wager $1,000,000 to win $5 betting on Taim to win this one. Midtown held its own though… Azuri Cafe (technically out of bounds, on 51st btw. 9+10th, but we’re claiming them as our own!) came in 2nd, Maoz (on 40th & 7th) came in 4th, Pick a Pita (on 8th btw. 39+40th) came in 5th, and Olympic Pita came in 6th. It’s worth noting that even SENY admits that Taim’s falafel is not perfectly constructed, leaving you with falafel-less bites at the end, which as far as we’re concerned is the biggest sin a falafel sandwich can commit (we’re looking at you Moshe’s!) and where Azuri Cafe excels (seriously, the guy is a falafel maestro with the layering.) But there’s no shame in 2nd (or 6th for that matter!), and at least they all fared better than Moshe’s, Meze Grill, and Crisp who were all eliminated before the finals. Check out the complete results here>>
Related:
2009 Readers’ Poll: Best Falafel
Posted by Zach Brooks at 9:15 am, June 2nd, 2010 under Falafel.
