It’s about time, I thought to myself while taking my first bite of falafel sandwich. It wasn’t that I had to wait for a seat or that service was poor; I was just glad that Buffalo finally had a restaurant specializing in the tasty little chickpea fritters known as falafel.
Falafel Bar is a diminutive restaurant on the Elmwood Strip that was formerly Edrito’s and, before that, the original Pano’s. In other words, this tiny place has a history of quality eateries. This latest version is a welcomed addition.
The restaurant is decorated in the warm colors of the Mediterranean and there are six or seven tables that seat about two dozen people—it’s small, but not uncomfortably so. The open kitchen offers an informal setting and soft, Middle Eastern music enhances the ambiance.
I’ve often felt somewhat chagrined that our city lacked an authentic falafel restaurant (a city that boasts ethnic diversity in its restaurants), and thus have been anticipating the opening of The Falafel Bar since first hearing of it. I have, in fact, eaten here (including takeout) three times this past week. While the menu does have a fair amount of choices I focused primarily on falafel.
My first visit was at dinnertime during mid-week, and when I arrived the place was nearly full. I was offered a table promptly and a beverage just as quickly. There are seven falafel listed, all of which are a variation of one another, and the first that I chose—the Lebaneh Wrap ($5.99)—was because of its interesting flavor combination: in addition to the falafel it also came with fried eggplant, lebaneh (yogurt cheese), and zatar (a mixture of thyme, sesame seeds, and Mediterranean sumac).
If I had to describe this sandwich in a single word it would be this: delicious. The falafel themselves were crisp on the outside, and their interior were soft and colored green from parsley. They were redolent of garlic and had the slightest hint of baking powder, from which they were undoubtedly leavened. The creamy tartness of the lebaneh combined with the earthy flavor of eggplant was excellent. All of this, of course, was enveloped in pillowy flatbread. The sandwich was accompanied with a small plastic ramekin of pickled vegetables—cabbage, mostly, but also onions and carrots.
Two others that I tried were the Israeli Wrap ($5.50) and the Lebanese Wrap ($5.25), both of which were equally good. The Israeli Wrap included, besides the falafel, pickled vegetables, lettuce, tahini (sesame butter), and hot sauce; the Lebanese Wrap was varied in that it contained tabouli (parsley and bulgur wheat salad), tomato, and tahini. If I were to choose one of these over the other it would be the Lebanese Wrap simply because of the flavorful tabouli, which was comprised of mostly parsley and only speckled with bulgur.
Despite the restaurant’s name, falafel are only a portion of what is offered. There is, for instance, a comprehensive listing of maza (Mediterranean appetizers), and being a Mediterranean restaurant in Buffalo they offer (by default, I suppose) a selection of the usual Greek specialties as well. There’s also another rather large listing of wraps—16 in all—which include the previously mentioned falafel. And oddly, one can also order a haddock fish fry (7.25), complete with french fries and coleslaw.
If you have young children there’s even an “American-style” kid’s menu (my definition, not theirs), which is inexpensively priced and includes such kid-friendly items as chicken fingers ($1.50 for one piece), hamburgers ($1.50), and peanut butter and jelley ($1). While dining with my son, Isaac, he ordered the hamburger, which was pretty good though on the teeny side (two or three ounces, I’m guessing).
There are other items that I know I’ll return for, like the kufta kabob ($7.99 beef; $8.50 lamb), the Tunisian tuna salad wrap ($5), and the hummus topped with sautéed lamb ($6.50).
Falafel Bar has a child-friendly environment and solo diners will feel comfortable as well. Service is welcoming, quick, and efficient. For those with special needs there is a small step at the entranceway to consider, and seating is close together. And something that may be a bit of an issue, especially if you have an enormous vehicle, is the parking situation—it’s only available on the street. This is a busy stretch of Elmwood and at times parking will present a problem, but on all three of my visits I was able to locate a metered spot close by. Major credit cards are accepted.
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