MR. FALAFEL & GELATO (Cliffside Park, NJ) — Restaurant in Cliffside Park

My experience here was pretty uninviting, and lacked quality. The staff also does not seem to care about the time of some customers, but I will start from the beginning. This review is broken down into the bad service, and then the food. Going in, I ordered from Uber eats pretty early, and the app stated the food was ready at 6:07PM. I show up at 6:15 thinking I gave them enough time, but they flat out ignored me when I got there and they had to ask if everything was alright. I was like yeah is it alright that I get the food I paid for? Anyhow they said 5 more minutes, and then the worker yells that the pickup time was updated to 6:28PM. I showed my phone which still said the current time, and the guy just yelled 6:28 so I waited. Also, this updated time was just not true. The food was not ready until 6:40PM which was unacceptable. Those who warned me about this place told me the food does not come with fries, so I ordered it separately and reminded them I also ordered fries. They showed me a receipt that had no fries, and I showed them my receipt that included the fries paid for separately. THEY STILL DENIED IT AND I HAD TO FLASH MY PHONE TO MULTIPLE PEOPLE. They finally agreed and gave me my fries and this was just lame. I can’t control the nonsense of a restaurant having a wrong receipt, all I can do is show them what I paid for. Fix you're system so that people do not have to fight for their order. If I ever made a customer wait this long, I am throwing in some extra fries or something complimentary. Here, they did nothing and only gave me a measly small portion of fries which is what I ordered, but I deserved more after that terrible experience. People literally ordered, got their food, and ate within the time I was there WAITING. I saw an awful lot of socializing behind the counter, but no one could whip up some shawarma for a customer waiting? They then told me they had no chicken which is why it took so long. That is not my problem then take it off the menu. OFFER ME SOMETHING ELSE WHILE I WAIT INSTEAD. There are so many things this place could have done and they failed. Now, on to the food. I got the chicken Shawarma wrap with fries. I wanted to like this food badly because I just want a good falafel spot in cliffside but apparently the wait will continue. Like I said, I wanted more fries after waiting that long because I been in the business and know that the restaurant would lose no money on some extra fries. I will go all day with this if anyone would like to argue oh ingredients are expensive. The Chicken Shawarma was a let down, and hard to eat. There were bits of rubbery grizzle in my wrap which made me nervous for each bite. I was struggling to find something I liked about my experience, but it was really hard because I waited angrily so long, when I finally got to eat, it was actually tough to stomach. I did not finish my food and had to spit some of it out which is quite rare for me. It is not likely I would come back as I would not want to give my business to a spot that does not respect the customers time, or experience. I will vote with my feet and take my business elsewhere. I was warned about this spot and wanted to like it, but the warnings were correct. As a reviewer I like to give all local spots at least one shot, but this place should know that they are new, and people are already talking about the subpar experiences..... Not just me, I recommend shaping up and doing better. An apology would not matter because that does nothing for me, I like action where a business shows us they care. This was the worst experience I had at a falafel joint in the...

Platters, shawarma, and sandwiches are all good but I’ve run into some consistent issues with delivery. Three times in a row, half my order was missing when it arrived. It’s frustrating when you’re excited for a full meal and only get part of it. I know the restaurant is still new, so I’m chalking this up to growing pains and I’m willing to be patient while they iron things out. Still, I’d strongly suggest double-checking orders before sending them out. If you’re ordering, I recommend picking up in person for now so you can make sure everything’s there — the food really is worth it when you get the full order. As for the food itself, I think the flavors are great, but the pricing feels a bit steep, especially since fries aren’t included with the platters or sandwiches. Another thing to note: the shawarma can vary depending on the time of day. If it’s pulled from the heated metal container by the salad bar and just reheated on the grill, the quality really drops — but when it’s fresh it's...

Shame on this restaurant for not providing basic service. My girlfriend and I walked in, and whom I can only assume is the manager attempted to take our order. I was only at the base portion of building my bowl, when he got on the phone with someone and didn’t apologize. Had it been a short call I wouldn’t have minded, but the man was on the phone for 5 minutes without trying to excuse himself at all. He could’ve have ended the call short, or asked his staff that’s right behind him (not doing anything by the way) to take the order. We were no longer in the mood for halal, such a shame because I drive past this joint often and they have stellar reviews. I can’t speak on the food since that was too tall of a request for them to provide. As a manager, delegate your responsibilities before you leave your only two customers in the store waiting on your attention. P.S. Place was clean, the lack of foot traffic...