Habib’s Place

Habibi, where have you gone? My life and love are lost without the hope for a late night Habibi Special.
All the best to you, my friend, wherever the winds of fortune may carry you. Here’s to running into you again, and always remembering the best Habibi Special I could dream of…

Simply. The. Best. Falafel. Anywhere. Ever.
I left NYC in 2002 and TO THIS DAY! still talk about how amazing this falafel is … the combo of sauces … the crisp, fresh falafel. I literally ate here 5X a week … no lie.
Every falafel sandwich I have ever eaten since has been compared to this … it’s THAT good.
Part of me died seeing that it closed … so sad.

Unfortunately, Habib’s has closed, as of this Nov. 2, 2009 writing. It was a great place. Godspeed, Habib.

This place has also another perfect location. First of all is open until late, so you can party around East Village and go and eat something. The food is great because is fresh made and Habib is a very nice guy.
The grape leaves are awesome! and even though it’s a little bit pricey, it’s totally worth it.
I’ll go there more often, I really liked it.

Yeah, Habib should wear a crown, he’s the falafel king of the East Village. Conveniently located next to the world music destination Drom, this little place serves some of the best Middle Eastern food downtown.
Habib’s trick is to make fresh falafels for each customer, and the results are simply delicious. For under $ 5 you can get a falafel and hummus sandwich with the works, a good value indeed.

I do love going to Habib’s. Is the food the best? No, not really. But Habib himself is a riot.
I usually end up floating in there pretty late night. Ask Habib where he’s from and most likely he’ll make you guess for a free sandwich. I’d tell you where that is, but I don’t want to drive him into the ground… and I don’t actually remember… you know, it was one of those late nights.
It’s pretty small, with a few seats. Like I said, not the best food, but I keep coming back because it’s close, open late, and is always fun.

After leaving the Elite event at Drom, the Turkish lounge next door, my friends and I wondered where we could grab some quality — and cheap — food to satisfy our post-​party hunger. Providence was on our side! Discovering Habib was a lucky stroke, indeed.
Knowing that habib (or at least, habibi) means «love» in Arabic, I had a sneaking suspicion we couldn’t go wrong with Habib’s Place. (someone please correct me if my sparse Arabic vocabulary knowledge is wrong, in which case I apologize!). Oh, and LOVE it was!!!
Don’t expect much from the interior — this is more of a take-​away place, although we decided to rest our stilleto-​adorned feet while we enjoyed our snack. Actually, «snack» is incorrect. It was a feast. We each ordered a falafel wrap — ohhhh myyyyy goooooodness. Not only was it falafel perfection, but it was kind of pressed on top, panini-​style. Major points. The wrap was so large that I had to take half home, which I happily enjoyed for lunch the following day. Eyeing the too-​good-​to-​be-​true baklava, Habib easily convinced us each to try. Yum city.
For this divine meal, we each spent around $ 8. Quite fantastic. Habib is a friendly and funny chap who hails from Algeria (he made us guess and I was so proud of myself for guessing correctly, go me!). Whether or not you plan on taking out or dining in, TRY THIS PLACE!

Thanks to Juliet S. and her Turkish words, Habib hooked us up with some amazing falafel wraps. Falafel & the works, plus some extras treats, grilled and hot to perfection. He also gave us each a gooey crusty baklava triangle because he loved us so much. I’m not sure I will ever be stumbling around there again, but if so I will definitely give Habib another shout.

Habib hooked it up with an enormous lamb shwarma ‘cuz I talked to him about Thelonious Monk & Charles Mingus. I walk by and he’s playing his jazz records all day…
The works & extra hot sauce. Yum.

Is Habib’s the best Middle Eastern food ever?
No. (2 stars)
But is Hafloui possibly the most charming behind-​the-​counter dude ever?
Yes. (3 stars)
I only stopped by b/​c I wanted some nuts. (…that somehow sounds wrong.) The dessert window was full of filo dough and nuts galore and my eating partner was eyeing the baklava while I was desperately seeking out anything with pistachios.
So we poked our heads in and Hafloui charmed us into stuffing a huge baklava (w/​no bleach flavor as stated in another review) in our mouths while sipping on his tasty Syrian coffee – think chai tea w/​milk and sugar.
(Is that an ignorant comparison? Like calling a Vietnamese spring roll a «burrito»? Cuz i’d almost hate myself if that were the case… if i didn’t love myself so much. Heh)
Anyhow, the Falafel is green (?) and tasty w/​really good texture. I’d recommend it for those «must have falafel» quick-​fixes.
Don’t expect an amazing ambiance, cuz the décor is lacking as it’s small and dark, but the personality of Hafloui more than makes up for it. I haven’t met Habib, but If Hafloui had a place, I’d be there in a second.

Stopped in to get some desert, the baklava and kunafi had a distinct bleach flavor at the bottom (where the pastry makes contact with the baking sheet).

Number of Violations: 27
YUM!!! I just ate a few bites of a shawarma and it is to die for!
Very flavorful, not heavy or greasy, and great when you’re really drunk from those rum and cokes from Eastern Bloc down the street.
And there are chairs so you can sit outside and chat with the Manhattanites.