Goldie — Restaurant in Philadelphia

Order: Falafel Price: $8 Pros: Amazing falafel, the tahini shake was very unique and pretty good, great price point, really fast food Cons: Parking (again), tiny seating area (literally less than 30 people)

Thoughts: Still eating our way through the city as part of walking tour we decided to have our second lunch at Goldie (ya, second lunch, don’t judge me). We both love middle eastern food, and it received outstanding reviews, plus my wife was excited about this tahini shake thing, so we walked over. It took us a few tries to find the place as it is fairly tucked away from the street.

Unfortunately, upon walking up to the door we discover that to our horror their shake machine was broken, and we wouldn't be able to try it out after all. Regardless we decided to try the food anyway since we were here. The menu is incredible simple and focused in what they do best. You order falafel in a pita or a salad, select you sauce, and then add fries or a shake of you want. They also had the option to get a bag of balls (falafel balls to be clear). That’s it. Nothing fancy, nothing complicated, just straight to the point.

We ordered one falafel pita to split at the table and sat down. It only took about 8 minutes for our food to be ready, but in the total 30 some minutes that we were there at least 9 different groups of people walked up to the front door, read the sign, made a dramatic gesture and walked away. 9 people. 30 minutes. It was unreal! It convinced me that we had to go back just to get this Turkish tahini shake.

Once the food came out I got to eat the best falafel I’ve ever had in my life. They aren’t the same size as most falafel, there a little smaller, like the size of a gold ball. The flavors though are killer, perfect seasoning, crunchy exterior, moist interior, and just the right size for eating on their own, or in a pita. The pita cane loaded with some chunky tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce, a generous helping of falafel and then a slathering of your suggested sauce. It was tremendously good and I would 100% be a regular if I lived nearby.

Given how many people walked away, we did come back the next day to try and tahini shake. It was like the consistency of soft-serve, the flavor of tahini and a tiny amount of Turkish coffee. While it was good, I probably wouldn’t go too far out of my way for it. I was far more impressed with the falafel and I really wish there was a lot more...

Michael Somolov doesn't disappoint! From the chef that brings us Zahav, Goldie has a bit of a reputation to protect, and it definitely rises to the occasion.

I had heard about Goldie a while back and had the spot bookmarked to definitely try. I was finally able to get to see what all the fuss was about (better late than never right? haha.)

Goldie is located just on the outskirts of Rittenhouse Square, so parking is going to be a bit tough. I had to park about 10 minutes away, but that's probably par for course for anything located in this area. Many of the reviews mentioned that Saturday lunch/brunch hour is packed, and I naively planned exactly for that timing. Fortunately, there wasn't too much of a crowd when I walked up (woot woot!)

The menu is simple, but the quality is there. Basically the menu has falafel (yes), vegan "milk"shake (double yes), and fries (triple yes) - honestly just order the whole menu! I ordered the Turkish Coffee milkshake, made vegan with almond milk, along with the fries seasoned with shwarma. What a delight! The shake was nutty, and had hints of mocha, perfectly supporting the coffee flavor. The fries were crisp, and seasoned perfectly - spicy but not too much that the familiarity of potatoes is removed. It's that perfect combination of fries and a shake, elevated and twisted all in the right direction.

The space is small (especially given how popular it is), and it is longer than it is wide. Definitely a place to take your food to go. If that is not your plan, there is seating - maxing out at probably 20 people (including the bar area by the window.)

I'll definitely want to come back for a falafel and make this my go to spot for many a lunch hour. Keep doing you Goldie - a new standard...

Had to come visit after hearing rave reviews about this place for years!

My mom and I decide to split the salad because we wanted some veggies for lunch (I ordered the salad with extra salad and pita top chips so we'd have more to share). The salad was yummy and flavorful. Falafel was crispy and warm (not the best I've ever had, but good for what you can find in the states)! The fresh herbs in the salad and veggies balanced out the fried toppings of falafel and croutons.

The shawarma seasoned fries were fine, but the real star was the homemade tehina ketchup! It was so flavorful and is made with tehina and amba.

Tehina shakes- I asked for samples- and here are my thoughts. Mostly, all tasted like milkshakes and definitely had the right consistency of a thick milkshake!

Caramel pretzel- too sweet for me, but sweet and salty is fun if you love that combo!

Turkish coffee- loved this one (which is what we ordered)! Unique and tasty

mint- didn't try it with the cookie since it was just a sample, but the woman in front of me said it tasted like toothpaste, and that was my experience trying it as well. The mint taste was overpowering and tasted very artificial to me, but my brother thinks it's their best tahini shake (it's possible it tastes better with the cookies)!

Lines here are very long and the store is small (so there's not a lot of place to sit)! It's also all...