Maoz Vegetarian

The falafel is pretty good, but the condiment bar is weak and its in a location that makes it hard to get what you want from it. Service is spotty, too. I’ve gotten great service here and then I’ve dealt with people who seemed confused as to why I was asking for a falafel. Overall, I recommend this place and I love that they have a half falafel pita.

I’ve always love the toppings bar at Maoz. My favorites are mix between the broccoli, carrots, and yogurt sauce. I get the standard falafel on a whole wheat pita with a soda. For around five dollars I can’t imagine a better deal for vegetarians. I have to assume a quantity of quality prepared food is tough for vegetarians to acquire on a daily basis. I’m glad Maoz put together a delicious feast even us meat eaters can enjoy!!!

I really enjoyed my first experience with a falafel at Maoz. If you never had one before this is a great place to start. Reasonably priced, especially since you can put as many toppings as you want on your falafel. They had plenty of choices of vegetables and potatoes, and also had a great selection of sauces to also put on it. If it is your first time there be sure to ask which toppings are more on the spicy side. I enjoy hot and spicy foods, so one of the sauces (unfortunately I can not remember the name of what it was) was a great choice for someone like me. For a person that really does not do well with spicy make sure to ask because the heat will be overbearing for you. It was satisfying, and I was full for many hours afterwards. Overall it was a great first time experience, and I will definitely go back.

I sometimes wake up dreaming about this place. I dream of the crispy falafel with the bright green insides, and the various toppings that go in my salad, like the roasted cauliflower and cabbage salad… and that hummus… yum.
I am unfortunately gluten free and these balls have no gluten in them! And THAT makes this girl super duper happy.
Sadly, I’ve never really had falafel until this last trip and therefore don’t have much to compare it to except college dining hall food… So this is all very exciting for me.
In fact, I think I’m gonna go back tonight for a healthy (ish) dinner.

First let me say that I was one of this location’s first customers. When my son started eating solids soon after it opened ~9 years ago, we would go here all the time for their cauliflower and hummus. We have been regular customers and huge fans for many years.
And we almost never go anymore.
The owner was always penny-​pinching but over the years (understaffing, running out of ingredients) but it has gotten much worse. Our last visit there (for $ 30 takeout for 4 people — a high ticket for them) was just awful. They had run out of white pita. They had run out of eggplant. They had run out of the little plastic cups for takeout sauces. I ordered white pita falafel sandwiches with eggplant — and ended up with whole wheat pita falafel sandwiches without eggplant (but naturally was charged the same price even though I didn’t get what I had ordered).
The food is still good, but why should I go if they often don’t have what we want?

Go to the Maoz located in Center City. It’s cleaner and the staff is friendlier.
My boyfriend have stopped in at the South Street Maoz twice now to grab a fast, healthy lunch. Both times, the tables were dirty and we had to wipe one down with napkins so we’d have a decent place to sit. The guy behind the counter was so slow and so not friendly. I’m pretty convinced he was stoned.

This place rocks!
It’s clean and fairly fast to get in and out of.
There is a small counter and one or 2 tables but mostly carry outs.
Their falafel is cooked perfect and there are many toppings to choose from… And their fries are tasty!
The kids that work there are chill and always happy to take care of you! No bad vibes in this place what so ever!
Even my boyfriend who hates vegan and vegetarian food will eat here with me and enjoy his falafel pita sandwich and fries.

What has happened to my beloved Maoz? The last two times I have stopped by to get my falafel fix have let much to be desired. The first recent encounter was pretty gross. It was obvious that the tables hasn’t been wiped down in quite a while, and there were little corn kernels all over the place. I ended up taking my falafel to go because it was nasty.
Then, today at 10:10 pm I stopped by again in hopes that my last experience was a fluke. Well, I wish I could tell you that it was cleaner, but they were closed! The sign on the door clearly state they are open till 1:00am, so I’m not sure what the problem was. The little hipster on the other side of the door just shook his head no until I gave up and walked away.
I will probably give Maoz one last chance since their food is pretty tasty. But as of late I have been very disappointed with what used to be my old stand by.

This place is cheap and REALLY GOOD. I’ve had falafel all over and this place is just so addictive. Add in Brussels sprouts, broccoli, etc with their awesome
Chili sauce and the place is amazing. It’s the kind of thing you’ll crave and need to have. As far as the juice bar goes on south they pre-​make them and put them in the fridge. They look gross after sitting in there so I never get them. At the walnut location they make it when you order. So if you want a juice hit walnut. The only slightly annoying part is that they only have one person working which I don’t understand, so if it’s busy you wait.

Quick meal solution. Late night snack. Respite from my current meat-​fueled eating habits. A pocket of piping hot veggie heaven wrapped up and ready for me to get all over my beard.
Maoz is all of this to me. I’ve been coming to this location for years without fail, thanks to the freshly fried felafel, crispy fries and smörgåsbord of toppings to make the pita my own. Some pickles, eggplant, humus, cilantro sauce, tabbouleh, tahini sauce and you’ve got yourself a (sort of) healthy, yet fast bite.
It might take a minute or three before you’re actually holding your jam-​packed pita surprise, as the place seems to only employ one person at a time. In a test of mental and physical aptitude, he bakes pitas, fries felafel, assembles orders, rings people up and bags take-​out orders all at the same damn time.
Have I eaten better felafel? Yea, sure, of course. But when I’m hankering for a fast dinner, this is one of the first places that comes to mind.

Have visited here twice. An okay selection and reasonable pricing, but, I do agree that some of the main components of the dish were a little dry. The falafal being one of them. Atleast the fries were good. Guess that’s what sauce is for, though. I wonder if the Walnut Street location is better…

The guy behind the counter has a large bare skull reminiscent of Bald Bull from Mike Tyson’s Punch-​Out!, a worthy but fatally flawed mid-​level adversary, but without all that spittle. This guy’s skull is so thick and bare that if he pursued me in a nightmare and stopped at nothing to pry his was into the passenger window of the neutral-​whirring emergency-​brake impeded sedan, I’d have no choice but to gouge his eyes out.
Fortunately this counter guy is a dream. His voice booms out with avuncular, earthy empathy. It never wavers in intensity. Homie’s voice could cut through a Cairo cabstand at rush hour without losing its honey. The hair blanketing his arms could be consolidated into a 3″ nap paint roller in a bind, easily compensating for his fear-​engendering dearth of skull cover. This gentle 80s bad guy-​lookin dude shows a customer how to smash a falafel sandwich into submission as to free up real estate for more toppings – especially roasted cauliflower, Bald Bull’s personal recommendation. Belgain fries dipped in tahini sauce. Whodathunkit? Bald Bull, that’s who.
Want to know the main reason Bald Bull gets my goat in a good way? C’mere, I don’t want to shout it. You see, in most upscale fast food joints you need a FAQ handy during the ordering process. Old Bald Bull, on the other hand, after politely humoring your request, tells you what you would rather get and how to eat it. And he pulls this off without a trace of chauvinism.
The one thing in this deranged new American social contract that we all hold dearly to is the idea of choice. Bald Bull says forget about all that. Choice is illusory and it doesn’t lead to happiness. Foucault warned that we must be constantly on guard against the fascist within. I’m afraid I have located mine in its inverse subject form, and it tastes pretty damn good.

I first visited Maoz back in early 2009 and loved it. Everything was delicious.
I didn’t come back for a couple years and it’s totally different. I won’t even go there anymore. The falafel is dry, tasteless and crumbly. I couldn’t even get through eating it. The fries are bland and tasteless. Overall? Meh.
The location is okay if you’re grabbing something to go, but don’t expect to actually sit down and eat here. Usually you have to fight for one of the six seats they have and if you have one, someone is usually looming over you trying to budge you out. It’s total anarchy during lunch time. Don’t bother.

This place is a hit or miss depending on one thing and one thing only: whether or not you enjoy falafel. My boyfriend and friends hate falafel. Whatevs, LOVE IT.
I LOVEEE Moaz Vegetarian. Whenever I go, I get the meal deal which consists of a whole pita pocket with falafel, hummus, and your choice of veggies from the salad bar. It also comes with Belgian fries that are so goddamn goood.
My mouth it watering right now, I need the meal deal! Ahhh I wish it wasn’y 2 a.m. on a Wednesday.
The only reason this location did not get 5 stars is because there is hardly any seating (and falafel can be messy when you pile every choice from the salad bar onto your pita) with there being only 2 tables. Also, this locations salad bar is tiny compared to the Walnut street location.

The cardboard sign hanging from the ceiling says it best: They are addicting!
I rarely visit South street because its full of annoying teenagers but this place is worth the trip down. The falafel is incredible. Eggplant is to die for. They used to have this cauliflower that was so good. I wish I knew what they did to it! You have to get the french fries. They are amazing too.
My biggest problem here is that they have 2 tables. Falafel is not something to eat while walking so it gets crowded in there fast. But, it’s worth it!

As bad as this sounds, I stumbled into Maoz one evening (completely sober), skimmed the menu board, and asked if they served meat. I was pretty embarrassed once I figured out that it was a vegetarian restaurant.
Nonetheless, I found that the meals here are enough to keep you full for hours if you make the most of the salad bar. Maoz doesn’t provide plates (because people would abuse them I guess) so you must either pile your fixin’s into your pita/​salad or onto a sheet of aluminum foil. Classy, right? I kind of wish that they had a B.Y.O.D policy (bring your own dish).
I’ll end my review with Kara’s «keys to the game»:
1)The south street location has very limited seating, so if you’re with a group, go to the one on walnut.
2) The fries really are hit or miss.
3) The broccoli & cauliflower mix is horrible. it’s deep-​fried in the same oil as the potatoes. Plus, I think deep-​frying broccoli defeats the purpose.
4) The sauces are great.

We put a dent in that Maoz salad bar. I mean, we should be embarrassed.
I always get the falafel with hummus and fried egglpant and then make a spectacle of myself stuffing that pita with all peppers and fried cauliflower and all kindsa other vegetables and pickles and sauces. Way past capacity.
I don’t stop there. I also am the one who’s taking forever, filling up a bunch (No, an inordinate amount) of those tiny plastic side sauce containers. Look, I need extra sauces. Always. That’s just something that you’re gonna have to accept about me.
I appreciate their spicy herby green sauce, and the dark green chile sauce, and that freshy tomato purée one… and of course tahini sauce too. I loves sauces so much I should just be a saucier. Then at least it would make sense, the amount of sauce-​talk I do. «It’s muh job,» I’ll shrug at people. Deal with it.
Anyway, so we attack Maoz. It’s extra pride-​less of us when we opt for the falafel salad. It’s reckless abandon in a crystal box. At least it’s vegetables. That’s how we justify our behavior. «We’re making healthy choices in the night!» Hah. Animals…
The only shred of dignity retained is in the fact that we take the falafel feast to go. After the shameful display at the salad bar, it’s only right.
Messy, good falafel times.

Great, fresh food for a really great price. First off this place is tiny — five barstools and two places to park them, so I definitely recommend the grab n’ go. Luckily this afternoon I was lucky enough to wander in when no one was there…
The falafel was great and the salad bar options were amazing. It was a chore trying to pick the toppings for the sandwich knowing they weren’t all going to fit. Tomatoes & Onions, coleslaw, tzatizi, carrot salad, etc. etc. I think the meal was $ 6.75 for a sandwich (w/​hummus and/​or eggplant), a drink, and a generous helping of Belgian fries. These guys are also open late (3AM on weekends) making it a worthy contender against the Lorenzo slice after a night out. Well… a worthy contender against the Lorenzo line… not sure I’d take anything over a warm slice after a night out…
Jokes aside, this a great place with good people and quality food at a reasonable price.

Rarely do I get the craving for a falafel sandwich (I prefer beef brisket), but when I do, Maoz is my pick. Why? Basically, it comes down to the fact that they take credit cards. While other area falafel joints scoff at the sight of my plastic, Maoz gladly accepts.
Their bottomless topping’s buffet doesn’t cost you any extra, it’s filled with hand-​cut veggies, and there’s tons of different sauces to choose from. This place is vegetarian heaven and even I can dig that.

I love Maoz. I squeal with joy whenever I come across a location that I didn’t know existed before. I dream about their falafel, pita, fries, hummus, and mayo. If they catered, I would have it at my wedding. If I could eat it everyday without it messing up my digestive track, I would. I love Maoz. Love Love Love Love Love.
But this location blows.
For the record, I had been to this one about two years ago and it was a standard Maoz experience — basically amaze-​falafel-​balls. Not this time.
First of all, the air conditioning unit is placed right above the doorway to enter and the thing was leaking like a freaking waterfall. Nothing to satiate my appetite like getting dumped on with strange chemicals.
Then, the dude behind the counter was just weird. All grumbly. He also wrapped our fries up in aluminum foil and put them on the counter without telling us they were our fries. He told us five minutes later after we asked him where our fries were. The whole wrapped up thing was weird to me, we didn’t ask for anything to go. Once we got to the fries, all the heat trapped inside the foil had made the fries soggy. Belgian frites = crispy goodness. These were not Belgian frites by that point. They were soggy wetness.
Also, the garlic mayo in the ketchup type container was not garlic mayo. It was the consistency of salad dressing, not mayo. And believe me, I know my french fry mayo. It was so sad. So so sad.
And looking around, everything seemed really dirty. The floor, the back room, the ceiling, the walls, just gross.
Overall though, it was still Maoz and the salad bar looked fresh and clean.