Mamoun's Falafel Restaurant — Restaurant in New Haven

The falafel place stands on the street corner, honest and true, like an old fighter who knows his worth. Inside, the air is thick with cumin and history. Fifty years of feeding New Haven and the walls remember every bite. You order at the counter, direct and clean, no fuss. The man behind it moves like he has done this ten thousand times before, because he has.

The falafel comes hot and crisp as morning. Not the frozen kind you get elsewhere – these are real. Each one is a small revolution of chickpeas and parsley, fried dark and perfect. The lamb turns on its spit, glistening and proud. Fat drips. The meat is good and true.

Yes, there are fly strips. Yes, you might wait. The desserts could kill a diabetic stone dead. But none of that matters when you bite into that sandwich. The tahini runs down your fingers. The tomatoes are red as dawn. This is food that remembers where it came from.

The Palestinians who built this place knew something: that food is memory, that taste is home. They brought their truth here in 1971 and they serve it still, ten dollars a plate, no lies, no shortcuts. The place gets crowded. The ceiling fans turn. Students and professors and workers stand together, eating the same good food.

Between the ancient stones and newer walls, Where olive trees still grip the dusty earth, Each root remembers what the soil calls - The songs of farmers, children's steady mirth.

These streets of New Haven hold distant wings, The taste of za'atar, the morning bread, While in this shop, a falafel still sings Of homes where grandmothers once baked and fed.

Each bite of food becomes a prayer now, A memory served in simple, honest ways, Of fields where peace once blessed the farmer's plow, Of kitchens filled with love from harder days.

Here in this space, ten thousand miles from home, The flavors bridge the distance, stone by stone.

Key Menu Sections & Price Ranges:

Meat Sandwiches ($7.35-$8.25) Lamb options: Shish Kebab, Kefta Kebab, Lamb Steak, Shawerma Chicken options: Same varieties as lamb

Meat Plates ($13.95-$20.95) Individual lamb/chicken plates: $13.95-$15.75 Specialty plates: Combination Plate ($15.95), Syrian Lamb Plate ($14.95) Premium: Mamoun's Meat Combination Plate ($20.95)

Vegetarian Options ($4.35-$11.95) Sandwiches: Falafel, Hummus, Baba Ghannouj, Stuffed Grape Leaves ($4.35 each) Plates: Range from $7.00 (Mamoun's Salad) to $11.95 (Vegetarian Combination Plate) Specialty items: Moujedrha (lentils), Ful Mudammas (fava beans), Syrian Rice

Side Orders & Extras ($0.45-$5.25) Various pastries, rolls, and kibbeh Individual items like pita bread ($0.45) and falafel balls ($0.95)

Beverages ($1.70-$4.50) Traditional drinks: Turkish Coffee, Mamoun's Tea Soft drinks, juices, and iced teas

Desserts ($2.75-$4.50) Middle Eastern sweets: Baklawa, Halawah, Turkish Delight

Notable Features: All sandwiches come with standard toppings: lettuce, tomatoes, parsley, onions, and sesame sauce in pita bread Most plates include salad base and pita bread Open 365 days/year, 11AM-3AM Available at multiple locations in NY, CT, and NJ Party...

TLDR: This is my favorite spot in New Haven and I can't recommend it more. I always go when I'm around Yale, and the baba ghanoush sandwich is my top pick.

I have been going to this place since my early days of University (2017). It consistently delights my taste buds! Whenever--and I really mean it--I'm in the area with my wife I always ask to go there, and usually we do because we both love the restaurant. Basically what you order breaks down into 2 categories: you can get a sandwich or a plate.

Let's start with plates. Their hummus plate is amazing, and if it's more than one person I highly recommend sharing: get extra pitas. The best plate to get also for sharing is the makdoos plate. They are tiny stuffed eggplants with nuts and various other things; all of these pieces have been soaked in oil. Think of red bell peppers in oil. These are amazing and are a top plate pick! You can get various other plates with meat. I haven't tried a lamb shish kebab plate, but I really think that would work here. I think the shish kebab plates will work better than the shawarma plates. The kebabs are chunks which are better with a fork and knife. There are many items, and basically any plate item can be made into a sandwich.

I always get 2 sandwiches, especially if I don't split a plate with my wife; I may get 1 if the split plate can be filling, like hummus. A top pick for a sandwich is the baba ghanoush, I like it better than the falafel; I think this would be very subjective. For a long time my top would have been falafel, but if you're used to the falafel or getting a second go with the baba ghanoush. Another great pick is the chicken shawarma. Since it's shaved it is very easy to eat in the sandwich; and you want ease as the pitas spill easily. I haven't tried it, but a lamb shawarma would be amazing. I tried the lamb shish kebab twice, and both times I didn't enjoy it because the chunks aren't tender enough to eat them in a sandwich; it just ends up being a mess. Of course, the falafel is also a great top pick, and if this is your first time here, I recommend starting there.

Another thing that is great here are the drinks. Please, ALWAYS get the mango juice. It's so good. The iced tea is also great, but it really is brewed tea that is cooled down. So it may not be for everyone. That being said I enjoy it when I want some caffeine. Their desserts are also good. I haven't tried too many of these, but I enjoy the turkish delight.

All-in-all friends, basically everything is good here. The service is good, and I could say more, but this is already pretty long. Enjoy, and God bless you in...

If you've read any of my past reviews, you may remember that I am 1/64 Middle Eastern. I only say this because I feel that this genetic gift means that I can spot good Middle Eastern with a more discerning pallet than most. But I had gotten to the point where I had pretty much tried ALL the Middle Eastern dining options in my "safe zone" area. But then my kid went to college in New Haven...HELLO NEW DINING OPTIONS!

One of my wife's co-workers has suggested that the ONLY place to do Middle Eastern in New Haven was Mamoun's. We have so little experience with the New Haven food scene, we didn't even question or discuss it; basically it was "next time we're in New Haven, we're going there!"

The "next time" ended up being a Friday night around 6:30pm. We had just picked up our son from school and decided to stop there on the way home. 4 of us total including the daughter. We were glad to see parking available behind the building, and downtown New Haven on a Friday night is basically "nuts to butts" as far as parking. It's a small lot, but it worked!

Walked ourselves inside and were seated promptly. The place isn't huge, and there was a pretty good sized party already there. But we surmised that they get busier later and also do a lot of take out, there were plenty of seats available. And let me just say, if the smell in this place doesn't make you ravenously hungry, you might not have a digestive system.

Waitress came over promptly and took our order, which consistent of 2 falafel sandwiches, and 2 Meat combo plates. We also went ahead and got a hummus appetizer because...when in Rome right????

Food came out promptly, all served on paper plates and drinks in paper cup...and we freaking loved that. Divey, but quaint and genuine. And I'll say this: the food here was nothing like I've had near me. I mean, the flavors were similar, the building blocks the same kinda, but it was different. Super fresh meat, tangy hummus that was some of the best we've had. Even the pitas tasted fresh and homemade and NOT out of a bag. I mean, we devoured, everything, in about 10 minutes. The most startling thing was, I actually am NOT a big fan of the Falafel, just never liked it when the family ordered it at the local joints. But yeah, LOVED them hear, inhaled 3 of them like a champ.

Family agreed unanimously that this had to be a regular stop from now on. If you're anywhere within 30 minutes of this place, and you want to get in touch with your inner Middle Easterner...this...