King Falafel

So I decided to order delivery from here last night, a move that I’m already regretting, but I was hungry and wanted a quick bite. It was late, raining, and I was pretty tired so I figured I’d just get delivery. I’m scrolling through GrubHub and asked my girlfriend what she was in the mood for: pizza was too heavy and greasy, Mexican could be bloating and gassy, and the local American food just sucks. Shawarma in Bay Ridge is usually a safe bet, given the dense Arab population you’d figure it would be hard to fuck up a shawarma. Never have I been so wrong. I’m considering changing my Superbowl favorite as a result.
I placed an order for two Shawarma’s with fries, and a meat pie, just to kind of hedge my bets. I figured a shawarma off the spit would be put together as quick as a Chipotle burrito, since everything’s already cooked and fries only take a few minutes. Any other type of fare could take longer because food made from scratch usually does. Grubhub showed the estimated delivery time to be 30 minutes, any longer and my girlfriend would be long asleep; moreover, I can’t guarantee I’d be able to buzz the door open either.
An hour went by, to which I contemplated whether there was some sort of major screw up of sorts, or it’s just late. So I called in and was told I’d have my food in a few minutes, and it was, which is partly why I’m leaving two stars.
Food came in, and was hot, which surprised me. I dug right in and grabbed some fries and immediately noticed that they were Restaurant Depot fries. I hate RD fries :/​I dug into my shawarma and was not blown away. It wasn’t horrible or anything, but wasn’t rewarding either. Shawarma’s MUST be savory and rewarding. That’s just how the cookie crumbles. What I ate was a dry shawarma with non detectable levels of white sauce and nothing crunchy to go with it. I’ve always had something pickled in my shawarma, which gives it that crunchy and tangy kick, but not here.
By now I figured I’d go for the meat pie, aka, another let down. It was on the verge of stale and super dry. If there was some yogurt sauce I’d be able to take a few more bites and actually try it, but nope, it was too dry to eat, so I fed it to my dog, and even he made his way to his water bowl after.
Life is full of lessons – another one learned.

I stopped by for a bite the other day. After looking at menu decided on the Lamb Shawarma wrap. Now mind you I already know where to get a real fresh lamb gyro sandwich that never disappoints. But hey lets give this place a whirl.
Wow the sandwich was small and I noticed the meat being cooked was processed not real cuts of lamb stacked on the rotating skewer. The wrap or meat had a perfume taste. really dont know where that came from.
I mean if you are gonna charge $ 6.50 it could be real lamb. I pay $ 6.00 at another local place and you can see the layers of lamb being cooked… plus the sandwich is has 3 times more meat than here.
This was a total fail… Come on get real if you cant serve real meat and charge more for some processed b.s. it just dont cut it. Pass Pass Pass!

Best falafel around. Home made, not frozen. Friendly people. Clean. Can’t wait to try other dishes. Great price.

King falafel used to be a wonderful place where you can get really good Schworma tabouli and falafel. Souvlaki and gyros.
We used to go there all the time and have really delicious food.
Well we tried it last night if you’re not going there for a few years and we took some chicken Douglass and a Gyro to go–
I really don’t like saying bad things about local restaurants but it was so bad that my dog would not eat it.
It took a very long time to receive our order even though there was no one else there and the guy that runs it is nice enough I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings but it really was not good that’s all I’m gonna say.
It was not fresh it was not hot it was not anything except a disappointment– The food wound up in the garbage pal.

I have eaten here for years and while the food is awesome (best lamb and falafel around Bay Ridge). The workers are super friendly and helpful about explaining some foods which were unknown to us. The prices cannot be beat. However, since they added thee fancy sit down area, the atmosphere has changed. I feel that it had a lot more ambience when it was more of a hole in the wall type of place when they just had a few tables in the back. The change cost them one star.
They still have free delivery with a $ 10 minimum. I find that if I order ahead of time and tell them what time I want the food, they are very prompt.

I am a huge fan of shawarma… I have eaten them everywhere — including Lebanon (the best) and AliBaba/​King Shawarma on Macdougal (second best)
I was excited to walk in and see real layers of real lamb on a rotating spit (along with the processed gyro meat chunk on another one to the left of it)
after 2 minutes i realized that the guy was outside on his cell, chatting away — as i was about to walk out — he came in and asked how he could help me
when i said Shawarma — he was about to cut the meat from the spit… then it hit me — the heat was not on — it was not dripping any juices, it was ice cold
i always wondered what Shawarma places did when they were slow, as keeping the spit on too long would probably burn /​overcook some things…
well, here was my answer
it was completely cold
he cut off some pieces, put it on a frying pan — and proceeded to douse it with more oil than i would use to cook 5 gallons of Chili!
I literally had to tell him to stop with the oil…
it was maybe the worst Shawarma I’ve ever had
(this includes plenty of streetside «doner”/Shawarma joints throughout my travels)
it gets a second star for having layers of real lamb meat… but that’s about it
maybe my fault was going on a Sunday — maybe it’s more hopping on a busy Saturday night… dunno, and don’t plan to find out

We actually got confused on our way to King Falafel takeout and ended up in the fancy sit-​down portion of the restaurant, but it was a pretty good experience. The décor is very charming, and service was attentive.
The fried cauliflower and the hummus were the stars of the meal. We also tried the eggplant-​balsamic-​haloumi dish, which took a long time to prepare but was worth it. The falafel was just okay — a bit too crunchy and dry for me, with more cumin (I think) than I’m used to. King Falafel would not stack up against Astoria’s Falafel King, but who would? I wish they would have not garnished the plates the world’s saddest lettuce wilts, though.

I guess I should have ordered the falafel since they are the king of falafels… but I didn’t. I ordered the chicken and lamb gyro. In a word, AWFUL! Although I can think of other words! Went on a Tuesday night around 8. I’ve always wanted to try this place since they renovated so nicely. We took the food to go. On the walk home we already can tell that these were tiny sandwiches. Ok, maybe the taste will be so amazing that we could overlook the size. That didn’t happen! The wrap was dry and hard. The meat was also dry, hard and cold. I expected beautiful slices of meat that melts in your mouth. This was so disappointing. Waste of over $ 14. Portions were so small that we ordered a pie from pizza wagon.

Food is good but the portions are very small for the price. Seriously, you will still be hungry. The vegetarian combo platter is basically some spreads and one grapeleaf for $ 13 and the spinach pie serving is very stingy for $ 10. You could go to Something Greek and get so filled you’ll roll out lol or even Al Safa and spend significantly less for the same amount of food. I dislike leaving places hungry!

Its good, its really good. We went here on a rainy thursday, the space was empty as we exptected but out of nowhere people came shuffling in. There was only one woman who was taking orders, cooking and serving the food and she did a good job and handling it all. My falafel sandwhich was delicious. My friend ordered the lentil soup and really enjoyed it too. We also had the fried cauliflower, because of course lets think we’re being good by ordering veggies but then decide to have them fried…
I can’t wait to go back and try their other items.

My husband and I were looking for an affordable meal this week since we didn’t want to turn on the stove with the excessive heat outside and decided on King Falafel (partly because we had a Valpak coupon for them and had never tried them before).
We both got the lamb Shawarma sandwiches and an order of the Batata Harra to share.
I’ve had plenty of lamb and am familiar with its very unique taste. So I can pretty confidently say that our sandwiches did not have lamb in them. Whether the meat was chicken or pork, it was tough and flavorless and I kept finding chunks of gristle. The overwhelming flavor from a wrap filled with meat was actually plain yogurt (from the yogurt sauce). Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure it would have added to a good sandwich, but I didn’t order a yogurt sandwich. I ordered a lamb sandwich with yogurt sauce. It was really lousy.
Then the Batata Harra, which was described as potato that is pan-​fried with cilantro and garlic. Sounds pretty appetizing, no? The potato was just chopped up frozen fries (how disappointing), that was overwhelmingly greasy; so I’m tempted to believe that the whole dish was just deep fried instead of pan fried. There was no hint of garlic or cilantro flavor (both of which are pretty strong flavors to lose). The only flavor present was salt. It was bad. It tasted like over-​salted fries. Again, that’s not what I ordered.
Worse than the food, if possible, was how we felt after eating it. Both of us were sick within minutes of eating.
I’d recommend against dining here.

I really wanted to like the food here… but it just didn’t happen. I had the falafel & hummus. The hummus was good, the falafel blah. My husband had the beef shish kebob over rice (which he didn’t even order via delivery, he ordered the chicken). He said it was good, but for $ 12.95 the portion was very small. Maybe we’ll try another day.

I’ve been coming here for many years, and I’m a fan. The food is always very fresh, and the kitchen area is spotless.
There are many Middle-​Eastern spots in the area, but this is my go-​to place for hummus, babaganouj, kibbeh, and tabouleh. The owners have opened a fancier sit-​down restaurant next door, which I’ve never tried, but I would imagine the food is the same.

Great friendly service. Falafel was delicious.

I’ve been eating here on and off or quite some time. However it’s been a while since I had anything from here. I just ordered their pork chop platter with a side of hummus the other day and everything was pretty good. The pork chops were tasty and the hummus was one of the better tasting I’ve had in a while. The patter also comes with a side salad. Everything went together well. My only complaint is that I was still a bit hungry, so maybe the portions aren’t as big as I hope (but I also am a big eater. especially when hungry).
Overall, a pleasant meal.

I like King Falafel– been coming here on and off for 10 years.
Sometimes I will admit, the food is not consistent, but 80% of the time I really enjoy my meal here.
I usually get:
chicken kabob sandwich — can range from a 65 – 89 (out of 100)
chicken and lamb platter– can range from a 70 – 85
hummus– 90 (excellent– actually my favorite)
babaganoush-​100 (I never had better)
tabbouleh (very good)
grape leaves– can range from a 70 – 85 (good)
This is not a Turkish rest as someone below mentioned, its middle eastern/​lebanese. the dining area is NOT pretty– this is a place you take a sandwich to go

I really like this place. The food is cooked to order and the staff is extremely friendly. Our order consisted of a Gyro Sandwich and a chicken wrap. I have to say both were seasoned to perfection and the sauces were extremly tasty. I also was impressed with how fresh the food was that was being prepared. You can watch the grill the chicken to order. Bravo King Falafel. Good stuff. Thanks for readin and enjoy.

I would have given this place 2 stars, but the cauliflower, yes cauliflower, bumped it up to 3.
I ordered the veggie platter with falafel and was on the fence about it. I kept wavering back and forth! Grape leaves, yuck! Too vinegary! Hummus, nom! But what Turkish place produces bad hummus? Salad, ehh! Fresh, but too vinegary again! Falafel, meh! It was too deeply fried, almost to the point of being too dry. I needed to dip it in the sauce, which is not what I’m commonly use to doing. The roasted cauliflower though? NOMMMM!!! I LOVED IT! It was somewhat soft, somewhat crunchy and so flavorful! I would come back and just order sides of cauliflower. The pita bread was thin and they warm it up before serving it to you.
I wasnt too happy about the service here. First, they didnt ask me if my order was to go or for here, immediately assuming that it was to go. News flash: I’m eating lunch by myself. In your restaurant. In the corner. The order was ready in about 7 or so minutes, but when I told them I wanted to eat it in the restaurant, they took about 10 more minutes transferring into a plate. I wasn’t too happy about that, especially since I like to keep my lunch under 30 minutes.
Loved the hummus and cauliflower, but the slow service and grape leaves places King Falafel on the «Do Not Enter and Try Something New» list.

For Falafel, I like this place even more.
Free wireless.
Prompt service.
The curt woman behind the counter, (it’s all good, we’re in Brooklyn) scrapes out the ground chickpea in a small ice cream scoop, and drops them in the hot oil.
Can’t get more fresh than that.
Nice thin pita, with, lettuce, tomato, onions, and the white sauce.
Very fresh, and quick lunch.

Food is very fresh, very tasty, and very reasonably priced. Although I’ve never eaten here, I’ve eaten through their entire menu via delivery. There’s nothing on the menu I haven’t sampled. Delivery is generally fast and friendly (although tonight it took a whopping 90 minutes, which is completely inexcusable).
Generally speaking the sandwiches are appropriate for lunch. If you want them with dinner, get something else like a side or soup. The platters are truly big. Too big for a normal dinner unless you plan on pigging out.
Greek Spinach Pie: B–
Normally I love «spanakopita», but this is dough, not filo, with spinach. It’s a bit too doughy for my liking. It is a square. Spinach was tangy and tasty.
Syrian Spinach Pie: C
A triangle. As with the Greek spinach pie, much too doughy. I couldn’t really taste the spinach at all.
Syrian Meat Pie: C
The same as the Syrian Spinach Pie.
Fried Cauliflower: A–
Drop dead delicious: would’ve been an A, but it is drenched in oil. Seriously. I’ll probably wake up tomorrow with zits on my eyeballs.
Lentil Soup: A
At first I was a little skeptical because‘ it seemed a little too soupy, but … whoa! A party occurred in my mouth and I was the guest of honor. The taste was, literally, perfect. Tangy and garlicky. Delicious!
Vegetable Soup: C+
Weird tinny aftertaste as if it came from an old can.
Tabouli Salad: B–
Plain and mild. No onion. Not tangy. Definitely missing flavor.
Fried Buffalo Wings: A
Garlicky and crispy.
Grilled Chicken Breast Wrap: B–
The pesto was too dominant. Couldn’t taste anything else, and it wasn’t even very good pesto.
Gyro Sandwich: A
Kibbeh Sandwich: B+
Shawarma platter: B+
Delicious: would’ve been an A, but I was burping garlic-​lamb the next day. I think the problem was that there was too much shawarma in the platter, not the shawarma itself.
Char-​Broiled Shell Steak: B–
Good flavor, but very tough. Didn’t give enough steak.
Char-​Broiled Lamb Chops: A–
Cooked beautifully; would’ve been an A, but the lamb was a bit tough.