SoomSoom Offers Solid Falafel with Unlimited Toppings

There’s been some buzz recently in the forums about SoomSoom, a new-ish falafel shop on Lex. Commenter Alphadog says:

Have been to UWS location a bunch and its much better than Maoz. The pita is incredible and the felafel is non-greasy delish. I recommend the eggplant and hard boiled egg w/ hummus and all the fixings. This place will be packed with people

Here’s what I found…

The shop was reasonably crowded when I went in, but they handled the rush pretty well. Since it was my first time, I went with the SoomSoom Original, pita with falafel and open salad bar (inside the pita), $5.95. The cashier asked me if I wanted hummus on it, to which I replied, “obviously yes, please.” He did not mention that this cost an extra 50 cents, bringing my total to over $7 once tax was added.

My sandwich came out in a minute or two, a plain pita with hummus and 4 or 5 falafel balls. Then comes the fun part, going to town on the salad bar.

There are a variety of veggies and sauces available for your stuffing pleasure, including cucumber salad, various pickled vegetables, tahini, beets, hot peppers, harissa, etc. I went with some carrot salad, onions, red cabbage, roasted broccoli and cauliflower, and plenty of harissa.

The roasted broccoli and cauliflower were garlicky and delicious, I’ll definitely be loading up on this in the future. The other veggies tasted as expected and added some variety of texture to the sandwich, and the harissa had me sweating. The pita was fresh, fluffy and warm. I found the falafel to be very standard, if not a little bit greasy. It was good, but I wouldn’t say it was the best I’ve ever had. I’m curious to try YummyYummy across the street for comparison.

All in all, a solid falafel lunch option and a decent addition to the neighborhood. Next time, I’ll try the sabich!

The + (what someone who likes this place would say):

  • I like to customize my own pita, the salad bar offers endless combinations!
  • I love the UWS SoomSoom, and now there’s one near my office.
  • The roasted broccoli and cauliflower are addictive.

The – (what someone who doesn’t like this place would say):

  • Another falafel place? There are at least three more within two blocks of here.
  • $7 and change is too much for a regular falafel pita. Add a side and we’re over the limit!
  • I don’t want to make my own sandwich, if I did, I’d bring from home.

SoomSoom Vegetarian Bar, 670 Lexington Ave (btw. 55+56th), (212) 712-2525

5 Comments

  • User has not uploaded an avatar

    The moment of truth – Soomsoom vs. Maoz.

  • User has not uploaded an avatar

    >I don’t want to make my own sandwich, if I did, I’d bring from home.

    LOL! This one is so funny.

  • Miss Kolette’s but hopefully this falafel is a good alternative to Yummy across the street.

  • User has not uploaded an avatar

    As I noted in one of the forum threads, they have interesting and decent fries. Here is a photo (borrowed from some other site):

    http://www.vegiboys.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/soomsoom4.jpg

    When I ordered the fries on a stick, they looked a little more like beer battered onion rings rather than what you see in the photo.

    The fries are $3.50, but are cheaper when you purchase a meal that includes one of their drinks.

  • I had lunch there yesterday. It’s light years better than Yum Yum which is across the street.

    I had the Sabich combo with sweet potato fries. I enjoyed it. My friend had the falafel which I also tried. The falafel balls are well constructed and enjoyable.

    I don’t think Soom is better than Maoz, but it’s pretty good and easily the best on the block. It’s also better than Barbanzo.

    I can’t wait to try more of their menu and toppings. They have interesting stuff in the topping bar.

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