Iraqi Restaurant — Restaurant in Sydney

I'll give a thorough, honest review. The falafel wrap is entirely different from Lebanese style (which I am). I absolutely loved the wrap. It was flavourful and the falafel was the perfect texture. It had ingredients I was not familiar with in a falafel wrap, namely the Iraqi mango sauce and I think some eggplant as well as other more standard fillings of lettuce, tomato, etc. 10/10 - and only $6.

Then I tried the Kebi Soup (كبي سراي) and was very different to Lebanese style kebi, too. This one was a large, boiled Kebi in a broth that comes served with pickles, onions, and cucumbers on the side, and a loaf of the same Iraqi bread used in the falafel wrap.

The kebi was hot but the meat filling was unfortunately still cold in the centre. As the broth was hot, I broke up the kebi to warm in the soup which worked. I added lemon and raw onion to the soup. It was delicious. The bread was served room temp which was cold as was the weather. But on its own, it was still absolutely delicious. I now love Iraqi bread! I couldn't get enough. I give this meal a 9/10 because of the cold filling.

The woman who served me was fantastic. She helped me pick what to eat and understand how to eat it. She was kind and welcoming.

Now, the things I didn't like: The man opened the stock fridge and the smell was awful. It's right next to the customer tables, too. The stock is packaged in plastic bags, some wet foods leaking into the bag. Nothing was dated or labelled. The food was not kept according to any food safety standards let alone NSW food safety standards.

Next, they use a very unhealthy seed oil. And the entire place smells of it. I had to shower as soon as I got home. My clothes carry the smell and need to be washed. Seed oils are so bad for our bodies. I will not be able to eat at this restaurant regularly for that reason. But I imagine I will visit every 4 to 6 months.

Sitting inside was a mistake. It was sooo hot in there that you felt like you were taking a sauna in a hot oil box. It was suffocating. It was a relief to finish and walk out into the cold fresh air.

I overrode those moments for the bigger picture. But I would hesitate to take friends or family there for the food safety issue and lack of comfortability in dining in. The food safety and poorly maintained stock fridge are true issues. I hope that they could take a day to clean their fridge and organise their stock. And date it. The smell was not right.

Overall, food is exceptional, prices fair beyond belief, and staff fantastic. So, 4...

I enjoyed this version of freshly fried falafel balls.. A Crispy thin, crunchy texture on the outside, soft on the inside.. So very light, & very easy to eat, straight out of the bag whilst still hot..

This falafel blend has some herbs added in with the hummos, & fava bean blended mixture giving it the slight green colour on the inside & loads of flavour... Love this version.. As majority of stores that sell falafel these days just have the fava & hummos blend in their falafel balls, which makes them beige in colour on the inside after frying which I find a tad boring...with no touch of green herbs... These falafel balls are fried in deep hot oil, making them puff into balls once fried..

They're slightly more crispier than other stores that sell falafel but I like crispy.. It's the best when served hot & fresh out of the fryer attracting the customers to the store. The store is a family run business & the owner is a very humble decent man, allowing you to try a freshly cooked sample before you buy..

These are great with any Middle Eastern dips such as Iraqi AMBA Sauce, Lebanese Tahini-garlic-lemon dip, Lebanese garlic dip & hommos dip. Condiments that go well with these fried falafel balls are pickled sliced red cabbage, Iraqi pickled veggies in amba, pickled cucumbers or pickled red turnips, Sliced red or white onions, & garden salad on a plate or in a sandwich.. With green herbs such as mint, shallots, spring onion, Corrienda sprigs etc.

The best aspect of these fried falafel balls is that you get a whole bag full, at a very good price.. & it's very filling & satisfying.. Making people line up.. with lines going outside the entrance of the store..

Another positive aspect is this take away store stays stays opens till late at night... I believe they close at 10 pm giving the area a lively feel.. It's a very small take away store won't be great to dine in, as crowds line up inside but a really great choice for a fast take...

Today I went to Blue Sky Sharwama who told me they couldn’t make me a falafel wrap because their fryers weren’t working. I was initially disappointed because I came to Fairfield specifically for a falafel wrap but they told me to head down the road because around the corner they also sell falafel wraps. I went inside Iraqi Restaurant and saw a serious bossman. I asked for the falafel to come in a pita instead of Iraqi bread because I didn’t want something too carby on this occasion. He was accomodating and went to fry some falafel balls for me. Then he handed me something which confused me at first because I thought he wanted me to assemble my own wrap. Turns out he was offering me a fried falafel ball in addition to my wrap. This small gesture was heartwarming and meant a lot to me. It was very filling and only $6, definitely comfort food. Highly...