Tork’s Cafe

I gotta say, I wasn’t very impressed by Tork’s. It’s a store/​restaurant with not so prompt and thoughtful service. For example, they never brought us water to drink. The gyro was pretty good, but the falafel wasn’t anything stunning.
I don’t think I’ll go back.

Me Gusta!!!
I had never been to Tuscon before, but a great friend of mine, who is a journalist and one of the smartest and most worldly people I know, and told me it was the best Mediterranean restaurant west of Cadiz. Glad to say that I was not disappoint.
I have a new saying, which is called «Going Tork speed», which is what I say when I run to the dinner table to eat something delicious!

Best falafel I’ve tried during 10 years of life in Tucson. Made from scratch, full of herbs and flavor. Served with a light dressing rather than the heavy tahini sauce. I’ve never been served «Gross, old reheated food» that another reviewer describes. The sandwich takes time to prepare, and I hear the fryer bubble from the kitchen. I’ve seen the preparation of the falafel from soaked beans, herbs, and spices. No boxed mixes I’ve suspected other local restaurants of using. $ 3.50. Stop complaining.
The small store appears quite unkempt, but has packages of decent pita bread for a dollar, and inexpensive canned and dried fava beans. Good quality Tunesian olive oil priced lower than the green tinted rapeseed oil Bertolli calls «extra virgin» at the supermarket.
Place is a little dirty, but life is dirty. I’ve got a sensitive system from lots of overseas travel, but I’ve never been sick from eating at Tork’s. Along with the funny yellow building at the corner of S. 6^th and 36^th, Tork’s is one of the few places in town I can always depend on.
My review is based on a take out falafel sandwich, which I must have sampled 50 times over the years. I’ve never tried another menu item, and I’ve never eaten in the restaurant. Might not be the best choice for table service with the mother in law, especially if you are expecting Ethiopian food from a middle eastern /​north african restaurant. :)

Tork’s used to be so good years ago at their old location but it is pretty terrible now. It’s too bad, I miss the old place but on our last visit we decided never to return.

If Unilocal allows me to write this review with NO stars, that’s how I’ll leave things — if not, I’ll be forced to make an entry and I’ll have to give them a star, although I’d encourage anyone that’s in that area to go across the street to Taco Bell… Tork’s is that bad.
My Mom-​in-​law wanted for the six of us to go there to try something different. 4 of 6 ordered gyros (yeah, now that’s Ethiopian, right?) and some hummus to share — 2 others ordered a sampler platter. We were the only folks in there at peak lunch time, there were 3 staff members who were more interested in viewing a soccer match at loud volume.
It was nearly impossible to get answers from the server who seemed to know nothing about their menu items. A third of the items were X’d out, and he said the usual cook wasn’t there that day, along with dozens of excuses for other problems with the place.
I had to ask the server if we could get something to drink while we decided (more like deciphered) what to order.
A half hour later the four gyros where brought out, and a plate of soupy hummus, with ONE piece of pita bread… When asked, he said more pita would be an additional cost! The gyros were COLD, while the 2 who ordered the platters had to wait TEN MORE MINUTES while others tried to wait. The sampler platters came complete on a bed of cold rice, the falafel were stale as though they came out of a freezer and reheated, the samosa-​type pastries were filled with more crappy rice mixed with some funky bean paste, probably canned refried beans. Yet each of the two platters came with THREE pieces of pita bread that weren’t cold like the one lousy piece that came with the worst hummus I’ve ever had the displeasure of eating. The server didn’t tell anyone that the platters came complete with their liquidy version of hummus.
To kill time while bored to death waiting for our totally crappy meals some of us walked into the connected grocery — which was basically a bunch of stacked 25−40lb sacks of rice, dried beans or corn meal, along with some bulk spices, dates, and canned goods.
One cannot help but wonder if places like this are «fronts» for some other «business» that has absolutely nothing to do with food.
I was embarrassed for my Mom who wanted to treat everyone to a good meal — she paid out sixty bucks for what could’ve covered 20 people at Taco Bell, with far superior quality meals complete with whatever «mystery meat» Taco Bell uses!
If you have a hankering to try out some new and different ethnic cuisine, don’t even think of eating at this café, grocery, or whatever «front» this place is. It’s that bad, and I’d skip this place even if it was totally free.
The only good part about this experience was getting the hell outta there, and that I didn’t wind-​up with a killer case of diarrhea the next day. How this place stays in business escapes me – hence my statement of it being a front or money laundering place. I feel for anyone who ventured out to try their food — and I’d bet my bottom dollar NO one found there is a repeat customer.

Gross. Was served old reheated food which should never happen, but certainly not with rice and falafel. Then we were just left to sit in the empty room while dude hung out in the back. Had to leave the money on the table.
Sad really considering this was a favorite back in the day when it was on Pima and Country Club.
I will never go back.

I liked this place. Kind of sad, and hot, and run-​down, but the food was good. The iced mint tea was particularly refreshing.