Falafel Café — Restaurant in Birmingham

I found myself stuck in birmingham for a couple hours due to transport complications, and I wanted something to keep me busy. I found this place within walking distance and saw the raving reviews and great pictures of the food. I'm not too knowledgeable about Mediterranean food, but my mom traveled to Syria long before I was born, and before it became what it is today, bringing with her starstruck tales of the culture and especially the food. I apparently loved Mediterranean food until I was 5 when we just kind of stopped going to restaurants regularly. However, places like Al's and especially Makario's were always a special treat for everyone, even to this day. So I'm definitely not an expert, but I have some points of comparison in terms of my preferences.

QUALITY OF FOOD: Most important part of this review. Really good, but pretty far from perfect.

I got the gyro wrap, some fries, a large drink, and a pistachio mamoul. Price was around 24 bucks with 20% tip and tax, which is really not good compared to many other restaurants, but not too offensively bad. I thoroughly enjoyed the first couple bites of the sandwich, but I did notice some problems that became more apparent the more I ate it. The flavor was great, but the meat and the rice were quite dry. The fries were nothing special. They suffered from what most restaurants fry selection suffer from in the sense that they had that weird squishy yet slightly gritty inside, but it wasn't anything I'm not used to. Makarios had some kickass (albeit occasionally inconsistent) fries, but it's hard to constantly pump out good fries so I don't blame either place. The pastry was a pre packaged factory made product, so any fault I have with it lies within the product and not the restaurant, but I personally wouldn't recommend it. It tasted oddly fermented and was pretty dry. Doesn't seem objectively bad, but it's really not my thing.

ATMOSPHERE AND SERVICE: not bad enough to deter anyone from getting food, but not the best.

As Intered the place, it didn't feel all TOO welcoming. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't great either. I studied the menu and eventually ordered. Service was ok. Very speedy, but the guy taking my order didn't really look like he wanted to be there (this is based on assumption. Even if my assumption was true, I work in a restaurant, so I know how draining these jobs can be). So far, I didn't have anything offensive to say about it. Might be a turnoff if you enjoy energetic and super happy looking employees, but this isn't a bar or an entertainment venue, so it doesn't bother me. What kind of put me off a little is that after a while, someone came out to clean the place with a mop and bucket. Not too bad, but the entire place was filled with the strong scent of pine sol. I don't notice this sort of thing in my workplace or most other places, at least not during service. It's not that bad, but it's not that pleasant while you're eating. Also, I don't know if it's just me, but there's a noticeable echo in the building. I tried to talk normally, and my voice seemed to have absolutely filled the room, but that might have been just me. We're getting into nitpicking territory here, so feel free to skip this part, but I feel aesthetics could use some improvement. Right off the bat, everything is very bright and shiny. It was clean and had about the same amount of imperfections as any other regular priced restaurant, but with the white walls and silver shiny counter tops, it kind of puts the regular imperfections under a msgnifying glass. I'd imagine they'd benefit from a darker color palate all around.

Definitely would recommend the place, but it's got room to improve, and it has some better alternatives for the stuff that I...

I had the chicken shawarma and really enjoyed it. Excuse the photo of the last bite, I was too excited to dig in! I was especially happy to see it served in pita bread, which felt more authentic compared to the usual burrito-style wraps served across the U.S.

Flavor wise, it leaned more toward a chicken tikka profile than a traditional Middle Eastern chicken shawarma. As someone born and raised in the Middle East, I can say it wasn’t the classic shawarma taste I’m used to but it was still tasty, and the pita bread (an option) was definitely a hit.

This place is halal friendly, which is always a plus for me. One thing to note: if you can’t handle heat, stay far away from the Shatta (their hot sauce). It packs a serious punch. I enjoyed it regardless, I always appreciate a little kick.

One area that could use improvement is the service. Since it was my first visit, I wasn’t greeted or guided through the menu, which seems to follow a build-your-own format. Even though I looked a bit lost, no one stepped in to assist, so the experience felt a little unwelcoming.

I can’t speak to the atmosphere since I ordered my shawarma to-go, but overall, it was a flavorful bite, just not what I’d call traditional shawarma. Definitely...

This restaurant is a hidden jem that I accidentally found trying to find something quick for lunch while I was downtown and I can't say enough great things about this place! As soon as I walked in I was greeted by who I'm guessing might be either the manager or owner who gave me amazing customer service the entire time I was there. If that wasn't enough the food was out of this world! I got the Curry Chicken and my friend got the Gyro, both were the best we have had. The manager also put a little surprise in our bag that honestly I probably wouldn't have ever order on my own so I'm glad he did because I'm officially addicted to the Falafel's!!! They were so good I made a special trip just to get an order of the Falafel's. I wasn't a big fan of the sauce that comes with the Falafel's to dip them in but extremely sweet gentleman that was checking me out recommended the garlic white sauce and that one is awesome with them! I definitely will be back...