Ibby’s Falafel

Went there second time. Chicken in the shawarma was dry again; almost inedible. The sandwich on the cart couple blocks down is a much better option.

A short hop away from the Grove Street PATH Station, it’s a great place for a quick bite on the go. The location is small. It seats about 10 – 12 people. The serve was quick. I had the Lamb Shawarma a bit on the small side for the price. The filling was very tasty, but the Pita bread was subpar.

I agree with most of other reviews. Enough of super dried crusty unchewable middle eastern meat (?) for me. Had a couple of bites and the rest of the two chicken shiwarma sandwich had to be thrown in the bin. I wonder how these middle eastern places expect people to eat dried chicken that even my dog wouldn’t eat. The chicken was so blend and nasty no taste in it. I’ve tried gypsy grill and it was a similar affair, many middle eastern restaurants in paterson nj and the #1 on the list named al basha was no different. I’m not giving my money to these middle eastern places anymore except 1 place I haven’t been in many years since the last time, the istanbul restaurant in Geneva Switzerland. Hopefully they still serve tender fresh flavourful and tasty chicken shiwarma in a home made pita bread with again home made harissa and white youghurt cucumber sauce.

Its an ok place. The food is great but the night time staff is not very customer service oriented, it depends on who is working there. The older guy is very cool, but the younger guy who usually wears a white t shirt and works the register can improve his customer service skills, he is NOT rude or bad, but makes you feel rushed, even when theyre not busy. Plus the location should open later than midnight. At least until 2AM or 3AM. The place is also very cold. No heat?

One of the most overrated ME places as far back as I can remember. Sadly it won’t change considering the price of rent in downtown JC, he will remain the sole ME place outside of JSQ
1. It isn’t fresh. Fresh is a Lebanese restaurant iwth fresh tabouli, not this pickled vegetable shitt
2. The ground beef keftas are ALWAYS with freezer burn. You can taste the smell and see it in its texture. God knows how old that shitt is.
3. Expensive.

The falafal/​hummus sandwich was delicious, so I came back the next day for a schwarma. That was dry, crusty, and I’m pretty sure it’s the reason I’ve got the runs right now, since the only other thing I ate today was a bowl of cereal. TMI? Sorry.
I gave them 2 stars cause the falafal was so damned good.

3 stars because it is perfectly adequate. Gypsy Grill is better in all ways. I only go to Ibby’s after Gypsy has closed for the evening. The folks at Ibby’s can come off as rude at times, they seem to like having fun in the kitchen and with the delivery folks more than they care to help customers and the food tends to be a little dry but they are moderately quick and it’s a perfectly alright meal for the price. They are open late, which is their massive selling point for me! The credit card minimum is a little high at $ 10, almost wish they could charge an extra $ 0.50 under the limit so I could get a sandwich with a card and not have to either get cash out from a machine or buy items I don’t want, or just go entirely cash only, I would probably go more if this was the case.

Shabby looking place. Pretty expensive for what you get. Meh food… smells like goat.

I always enjoy picking good here staff is consistent and friendly food is always on point ingredients are always fresh by far the best Middle Eastern food I’ve had

They had advertised a lunch special on a sign on the sidewalk.
When I inquired about it, I got an attitude and ended up spending twice as much.

Not really impressed. Lamb shawarma was dry and had a bitter aftertaste. Chicken shawarma was dry and lacked seasoning.

nah, meng.
used to be $ 5.89 for shwarma + soda.
now it be $ 7.00 for shwarma + soda.
nah…meng.
nah.

My review may be biased. I have been there after consuming a copious amount of fermented drink– DRUNK…
Soooooo, I’ve always enjoyed my meals there. I’ve never eaten there and been disappointed. I will have to go when I’m sober to be fair, but I do love this place.

The food here was the definition of a-​ok, in Unilocal’s terms. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t special enough to make me come back, especially with Gypsy Grill a short walk away. The gentleman taking my order was very impatient. I knew exactly what I wanted when I walked up to the counter but he was annoyed that I didn’t specify the portions.
He rolled his eyes, loudly repeated everything I ordered, and waved his hands signaling me to get with the program.
Me: «Babaganoush»
Him: «A SIDE of babaganoush»
Me: «Hummus»
Him: «A SIDE of hummus»
Chill out. I would even excuse this behavior if the food was amazing but it wasn’t. It was just a-​ok.

Yikes and mad expensive. I can get better and much cheaper in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn. What nerve to charge almost $ 15 a platter and give iceberg lettuce. Never again. Stay far far away!

I went in for lunch today and couldn’t finish my meal.
I ordered the Ibby’s platter and it came with salad, 2 stuffed grape leaves 4 falafels, hummus, babaganoush and a lot of lamb.
I really like that the lamb is fresh and not frozen, yes it’s chewier and has fats but it’s because it’s not processed. It was pretty busy for a Saturday afternoon.
The flavors were great and I really loved the crispness of the falafels. It was so much food I got stuffed halfway through. I ordered baklava to go as well because well baklava but it wasn’t really great :(

This is one of the hole-​in-​the-​wall type of places that you cherish.
By far one of the best (if not THE best) falafels I’ve ever had (including trips to Israel, Lebanon, Turkey and Greece).
All of the food is fantastic here but the falafels are practically their own food group. They may even sprinkle some crack on them … they’re that good.
Been a favorite stop of mine for years.
Go … now!

This place is owned by Ibby Azalea. She likes to come in to «work» looking «fancy», but don’t try and ask for free stuff or she’ll put a «black widow» in your to go bag along with your sandwich and your other «booty».
What to get: Combo sandwich with Falafel, Hummus, Babaghanoush and Shawarma
Why: Because I said so
When: Whenever you want to
Where: This is getting ridiculous. Move on. Get over it.
Do I actually find Ibby Azalea attractive? Well yes, to be honest. Aren’t we supposed to? But I absolutely can’t stand her music. Who knew that her stuffed pita would look, smell, and taste so good, really. And it feels so good in your mouth. It’s so moist, so heavenly. I could honestly eat Ibby’s Pita all night. And I have, and more than once. I think all of you out there should go to Ibby, and pay, and eat her pita too. Once it’s in your mouth you’ll be in heaven.
I’ve only been to Ibby’s Falafel twice. The first time was about 6 years ago, and I wrote a short review of it which I never posted. The second time was on a recent food tour, I bought it about 20 mins after I bought a similar pita sandwich from nearby Mamoun’s, to compare the two.
Arnold Schwarzeneger came here by the way (not literally). Then he walked out, saying «Ibby Back.»
My conclusion is that Mamoun’s is the king and the gold standard by which all others will be judged and most will fail. But that Ibby’s is a very good and very tasty alternative to Mamoun’s, and true fans of this type of food should definitely try both. The service is much better at Mamoun’s, and the hours are amazing (open til the middle of the night every night, basically, sometimes til sunrise), but Ibby’s holds its own and dishes out delicious Middle Eastern treats to the Jersey City locals.
So when I try and decide between this place and Mamoun’s, I get all Shakespearian. «Ibby, or not Ibby. That is the question.»
I got (as usual) the shawarma sandwich stuffed in a pita with Falafel also in there, as well as Hummus, Tahini, you name it. It was a little pricier because of all the stuff I had packed in there, but it was worth it. Every bite was dripping and dreamy and delicious. So many different flavours and spices. It reminded me of Mamoun’s in a lot of ways, actually. Just not quite as good as that, or as Hummus World on Long Island which is the #1 and is currently closed.
You have to be 21 to order sandwiches here btw, but that’s ok, if you’re not, just get yourself a Fake IB.
This is what I wrote, and saved, as my review 6 years ago. I was less verbose then:
Oooh! Yum! I got the combo sandwich which was a little Falafel, a little Hummus, Babaghanoush, and some meat shawarma. Now please don’t go comparing it to the place in Long Island I just reviewed (Hummus World), cause it would get a 2 by comparison, but standing on its own, this is delicious and pretty cheap. Yum. It scores ⁵⁄₅.
So there you have it. And 5 years later, having gone back for a second try, and having since discovered the excellence of Mamoun’s, I can say that yes… this is a ⁵⁄₅ pita sandwich and it’s absolutely delicious.
You and I must make a pact
We must bring Shawarma back
Where there is hunger
Ibby there (Ibby there)
I reach out my hand for your pita
I have faith that you’re a big eater
Just call my name…
And Ibby there (Ibby there)
If you should ever eat somewhere new
I know they better make good food for you
Cause if they don’t
Ibby there (Ibby there)

Ibby’s is a tiny, very clean and cute place on Grove St, just two blocks from the PATH station. The food was good, and I would have been tempted to rate this four stars if not for the spectacularly surly service.
The shawarma was good – I have had better and found it a little dry, but it had good flavor. The rice was pretty tasteless. My wife’s Falafel sandwich was quite good, however.
The problem was that the guy taking orders and running the register was simply being rude to customers. He was short with my wife and I, getting frustrated with a couple questions and answering so quickly (with a thick accent) that we honestly couldn’t understand him. Eventually, we got the idea he didn’t really want to help us, just take our order, so we gave up trying to figure out the difference between two items on the menu and just ordered one of them.
While we ate, a woman came in to complain about the meat she had been delivered, and he leaned against the counter and told her in the most disdainful manner that some people just expect a different sort of meat than they prepare at Ibby’s. Then, another customer went up to ask for some additional sauce, and he acted like he couldn’t understand her request. She eventually got flustered and walked away.
What was especially telling was that, after glaring through three customer interactions in a row, a delivery guy returned to the restaurant and soon the manager was smiling and roaring with laughter. He couldn’t be troubled to treat customers with a minimum level of patience or respect, but hanging with the guys behind the counter he was full of good nature.
I will not be returning. The food is good, but life (and money) is too short to spend it with people who think customers are a bother.

My bf and I got a chicken shwarma and regular shwarma sandwich here. Both yummy. The meat was charred, which really added to the flavor. Both the sandwiches had a lot of meat in them which was nice.
Didn’t try any sides this time because I wasn’t that hungry, but I would stop by again next time I was in the mood.