Cafe Falafel

Best Shaworma and Shish Kabobs in town. Check it out you won’t be sorry I promise. The hummus is great also. Ehab is a great cook and great personality. Awsome customer service. The food is to die for. I think best in town.

Ok so it took me forever to find this place. My GPS took me to a dead end. I actually just went to the hospital and circled until I found it. This place is great, I subtracted one star Bc I think the menu is small. No desserts when I was there. Probably Bc the place is small, two tables and some bar chairs. There is limited parking, straight back, it’s to the right if you’re in front of the place.
I got the Kefta plate: So good. Crazy authentic. I’ve forgotten how it’s supposed to taste after going to more Americanized places for so long. The meat was seasoned and cooked perfectly. The rice/​salad/​hummus was great. That garlic sauce is like… the best. I like to do this: spread garlic sauce on pita, then put the kefta in some hummus then dip in some rice and lay it in pita. You know it’s good when you wake up the next morning and still have garlic taste in your mouth. Like a Lebanese hangover :)

This place makes phenomenal food.
My boyfriend has far more experience in Middle Eastern food than me. He selected this restaurant, as it’s reknown for being the best in Cleveland.
I agree.
We had a very friendly staff member wait on us and someone equally as friendly prepared our food.
I really wish we lived closer. 3 hours closer.

Café Falafel has some of the best Middle Eastern food I have tried! I’ve stopped in twice now and would definitely go back again to get the Mixed Platter $ 14.99 and the Vegetarian Sampler $ 9.99. This place is located right by Fairview Hospital and in the evening the lot next to Café Falafel is open to the public so easy free parking! Inside is tiny but there are two tables crammed together and a couple stools if you want to eat in (no public restroom), but mostly it seems people get their items to-​go with the typical 15 – 20 minute wait. Staff has been friendly and they seem to interact well with each other.
–Mixed Platter: You get a mound of rice, 1 Tawook (chicken skewer), 1 Kabob (beef tenderloin skewer), 1 Kefta (ground beef with herbs & spices skewer), hummus, and salad (diced tomato, cucumber, onion, & herb mixture), soft pita bread, and a side of tahini (garlic sauce).
–Vegetarian Sampler: A combination of hummus, baba ghanouj (eggplant dip), 4 falafel, salad (diced tomato, cucumber, onion, & herb mixture), and soft pita bread.
The food is really tasty with the best falafel’s I have had, plus great proportions! So why not five stars? Well there seems to be inconsistency with the cooking. First visit the owner cooked the meat to perfection, second visit another gentleman over cooked my chicken, under cooked the ground beef and forgot to give me the side of tahini. But like I said, I’m still going to go back and I would definitely recommend this place, just maybe tell them how you want the meat cooked and check your order before you leave.

Compared to all the other Middle Eastern eateries I’ve dined in, this is definitely one of my favorites. It’s a fairly small restaurant right by the hospital. Inside there’s a few chairs and tables if you want to eat your food in the restaurant, but be warned no public restrooms! (Guess if you really have to go and it’s an «emergency» the hospital is right there ;p)
My favorite entrée is the mixed grill, which comes with 3 different types of marinated cooked meat on a bed of rice. Of the 3 meat options the seekh kabob is my favorite, very well flavored with bits of ginger. Depending on who makes the meat, I prefer having more ginger in the kabob. A salad and hummus also come along with the meal, with a stack of pita. Their hummus is quite good and always fresh whenever I’ve had it. I could probably just order a side of their hummus with pita and be happy eating that as my meal.
Service is always great; the people working there are quite friendly and polite. The menu is simple and the food is great, what more can you ask for? Definitely give this place a try if you haven’t already! There’s even a parking lot in the back, so you don’t have to search for street parking! Thank goodness!

Funny how reviewers always compare Café Falafel to Aladdin’s Eatery. Its not better, Aladdin’s Eatery is not better. I am used to a prefer the flavors of Aladdin’s. But Café Falafel is just as delicious and the portions are larger than Aladdin’s.

I ordered the Lamb Shish Kefta plate and WOW. It was absolutely wonderful. The portions were great and the food was fresh and so flavourful. The falafels are the best I have ever had. Crispy on the outside and vibrant green in the middle. No flavour was lost! Very impressed. And I love the garlic sauce too! Will definitely be coming back. My only suggestion would be to offer lunch size portions of their entrees or specials.

Just a little take out place with good food. Tried the Falafel Burger, which was nice and tasty, but really messy. The place has no menus, just a chalk board, no french fries and will not give you a cup of water.
While people rant about the falafel, I thought it was good, but not the best in town. I would choose Nate’s Deli by the West Side Market as better.

This was my first visit. They have the best falafel I’ve ever had. The chicken shawarma was great too! I will definitely be back as well as recommend.

Small place with some great food. We ordered a pita sandwich, vegetarian sampler, extra falafels, 2 pieces of dessert, and 3 side sauces for under $ 25. Everything looked and tasted fresh and very good. They formed the falafels and fried them fresh for us, they were the best we have had. The sauces all appear home made too, beware of the hot sauce though if you aren’t serious about your heat.

Just went for dinner this week and was impressed by the quality of food that is served from behind this non-​descript little counter. The hummus is AHHH-​mazing, and even the pita bread tastes better! I also enjoyed the Shish Tawook — messy to eat but very tasty and fresh. The wrap it came in reminded me more of a crêpe than a pita. I took my hubby the Shish Kefta entrée to go and he loved every bite. This will definitely go into the Westpark dinner rotation. If you like Aladdins, this is better.

I just finished eating my carry out meal and already can’t wait to come back again. I ordered carry out for 4 people tonight. We tried kebab sandwiches, the kofta entrée and the veggie sampler which included falafel, hummus and baba, and a tomato cucumber salad.
Everything was very flavorful, huge portions, and the guys making the food were super nice. Prices are very very reasonable too!
There’s only two tables to sit inside, and a few picnic tables for outdoor seating. Carry out might be the best way to go for that reason.

Just got take out, after reading in Scene Magazine, that this place had Cleveland’s best falafel. They were not exaggerating! We got the Falafel Burger, Veggie Sampler and Tabouli. The burgers had a perfectly fried soft egg on them. It was one of the best things I have eaten! Their Hummus is amazing! Silky soft and so flavorful!!! We will for sure go back. Very nice couple were cooking. They seemed very interested in their customers. That is nice to see! This will be one of our fav places!

Seriously this place is a hidden gem. The place is clean the food was so good the chef is so polite and his food is just so great. If you ever near kams corner i suggest you stop by for a very filling very good meal

Let me begin by saying the food was absolutely phenomenal! The only reason I’m not goving five stars is because I had expected to have my food plated, which was instead boxed. It was boxed very nicely, but I would have preferred plates.
On with the review:
My girlfriend and I saw the place on Unilocal,saw the great reviews, and decided to give it a shot. It definitely lives up to the high ratings.
She and I split the entrée sampler, which consisted of a seasoned chicken skewer, a seasoned beef skewer, a ground lamb patty, rice with vermicelli, hummus, and tabouli (salad).
Dear lord! Everything was seasoned to perfection, freshly grilled, freshly made, etc.
The hummus was even topped with little chunks of garbanzo beans.
The chicken was incredibly juicy, and equally as tender. My plastic knife slipped right through it like melted butter! The beef, just as well, and despite not being a fan of lamb, I really enjoyed the ground lamb patty. My girlfriend claims the lamb was amazing, and it was her favorite of the meats.
The rice and vermicelli sopped up all of those juices and fresh grilled taste.
The tabouli was topped with yogurt and wasn’t overly onioned. Tasty!
As an appetizer we ordered babaganouj, which was possibly the best I’ve ever had. It was, like everything else, obviously freshly prepared. It was smoky creamy, riddled with seeds and eggplant skin, topped with olive oil and paprika, and quite honestly everything I could have hoped for! The housemade pita only added to the delight.
Maybe I am wrong to hold the lack of plating against them. This is about the food isn’t it? Oh well. The images provided by other Unilocalers show how beautiful the food looks when plated. Again, had it been plated, it would have been a fiver. I wish I could have given 4.5.

Very hard to beat on a price/​value level. Had a relative in Fairview Hospital for a few days and ended up eating here twice. I tried a bit of most of their offerings thanks to their platter offerings and it was all good and inexpensive. Delicious vegetarian food across the board, and I had a taste of the lamb steak as well, which was a wonderfully marinated slice of shoulder with a good amount of fat. They make their falafel to order with a great batter, but still manage to get your food out fast. It’s a great little hole in the wall.

So disappointed they don’t have beef shawarma anymore. It was the best I’ve ever had. What middle eastern place doesn’t sell beef shawarma? Wondering if it’s just the price of beef?
Guess I’ll need to find another shawarma spot!

By far the BEST Falafel place in Cleveland.
I am so glad I tried this place. It’s located right by Fairview Hospital easily visible. There’s parking in the back of the building.
My hubby and I stopped by this week for lunch. As others have mentioned the place is small. They did reconfigure their 2 tables that I saw in some pictures. They are now by the window. They have chairs along the counter where there is room to eat if you should dine in. I did not find it cramped at all. I would say cozy. We had to do takeout though because of our plans for the day otherwise we would’ve eaten there.
We are a huge fan of Middle Eastern food and have found in the past that Sittoo’s both in Parma and North Olmsted were better than Aladdin’s and La Kabob in Strongsville. Café Falafel blows all of these places out of the water. The food is that good. The service is great also.
I tried their Vegetarian Sampler ($ 9.99) and my hubby got the Chicken Shawarma Pita Wrap for $ 5.99. I can’t even begin to explain how good their hummus is. It sounds like a simple thing to make and I have made it at home many times but this hummus is heavenly. Like someone else mentioned it is so creamy, with perfect consistency. Their falafels are the best I’ve ever had. So moist and flavorful. The baba ghanouj was equally delicious. I could literally eat this every day. My hubby’s Wrap was also fantastic. The chicken was perfectly marinated and very flavorful as well.
This will definitely be our go to place to get our Middle Eastern fix. Thank-​You Unilocalers for being spot on.

Wow. Shishtawook was better than I could have imagined and the Taboulli is on point. Nothing like Mrs. Chelala’s, but none other compares to hers. Plus, taboulli is day to day, could be less fresh tomorrow, so dont read this and go on my experience if yours is not as tasty. Commenting on how the « Unilocals’ Bruce Lee-​Roy» Steve L. Was wrong about taboulli, I dont wanna hear it.
I have had this place in my radar for quite some time now, im in no way disappointed, im actually thinking about what I will order next time.
Could not have had a better 300^th review!
update, I had this in my draft, it was to my 300, still an excellent place and review!

A word of advice, come here for the food and take it home. This is not a place where you’d want to eat in, trust me. It’s tiny, there are only two tables crammed against the wall and there was no A/​C, at least while we were there. Did I mention it was uncomfortably small? Calling this place intimate would be like calling a closet with two tables in it cozy. But, hell, if that’s what you’re into, they’ve got two tables with your name on them. During our visit there was also a loud industrial fan sitting in the window box up front and the door was open to the street. Not exactly pleasant. The drinks are in a cooler up front, and the stick-​on desert mural on the wall adds a nice touch. It really felt like we were there. Anyway, our visit started off on quite an interesting note.
We walked in, 6pm-​ish, Saturday. There was a guy sitting at the picnic table outside waiting for his order. Another customer, a good sign. Upon entering I noticed two people, a younger guy behind the counter, silent, working the grill diligently, and another, older gentleman, chef’s coat, a manager’s look on his face. We weren’t greeted immediately so it was a tad awkward. They just kind of looked up at us and then went back to their work. We took a couple of menus and sat at one of the tables to finalize our selections. Speaking of the tables, they’re made out of the cross section of a large tree, bark and all. Very rustic indeed. You can count the rings while you wait.
We approached the counter to order. Our plan was to eat there but it was not to be. We sat at a table and waited as our food was made to order. It took about 30 minutes. It was a bit longer than I expected but we did order a lot of food. There was another guy, clearly a friend of the manager, who sat at the other table. They spoke in loud Arabic bursts back and forth while he ate and sipped a Pepsi through a straw and occasionally wandered behind the counter. As for the eating in thing, they boxed up all of our food and sat it on the counter. The manager type guy then asked us if we were eating there or taking it to go. What? You’ve already boxed it all up and you’re asking us if we’re eating in? Strange. Yeah, we took it to go. Probably for the best. Between the fan, the kitchen and the street noise I couldn’t hear myself think.
Now for the reason behind the 4-​star review (3.5 really, but who’s counting) and the real saving grace for a place like Café Falafel, the food. Our order:
Falafel: Some of the best I’ve had in the city. Not the usual round shape I’ve become accustomed to, but little crunchy mini loaves of fried chickpea goodness seasoned perfectly.
Chicken Shawarma: Essentially a grilled chicken wrap sandwich. The wife really liked it. The wrap itself was fresh and the pickled turnips added a wonderful punch of acidity that married well with the juicy chicken.
Mixed Grill: I wanted some meat and I got it. A Shish sampler. it comes with one each of the beef, chicken and ground meat varieties along with rice and a salad. I was not disappointed. My favorite, the Shish Kefta. While not in the most appetizing of shapes (I couldn’t help but giggle when I saw it), it reminded me of a small meatloaf. It was full of fresh herbs and spices and very lean. The grilled chicken was tender and moist. The kebab, probably my least favorite of the trio, was a tad chewy. The salad, actually more like a salsa with diced onions, cucumbers, tomatoes and herbs, was good, just not my thing and the rice was tasty.
Hummus: This had to be some of the smoothest, most flavorful hummus I’ve ever had. Seriously, there wasn’t a chickpea chunk to be seen. Clearly made fresh it was drizzled with olive oil and topped with a garnish of whole chick peas. It came with a handful of pita slices.
OK, so the place wasn’t exactly boiling over with hospitality and the atmosphere is more food truck than bistro, but the food was spot on. I’ve pretty much stuck to Aladdin’s when it comes to Middle Eastern food here in the Cleveland area. Mostly because I’m a creature of habit. This is the real deal not some uppity suburban facsimile staffed by a myriad of petite blonde hipsters in tight jeans. On this day, that habit may have been broken. Is it a mind-​blowing, cultural experience? Hardly. Is it worth the drive from across town? Maybe. I’d like to say I’ll definitely be back, but the next time I have a hankerin’ for some ethnic I’ll probably just hit up somewhere closer to home. I’m lazy that way.