Mamoun's Falafel

A Truly Unforgettable Disappointment My recent visit to Mamoun's Falafel was, to put it mildly, a complete disaster. I've heard so much about this place, but the reality was a shocking letdown. I ordered a falafel in a pita, a simple request I thought was impossible to mess up. I was wrong. What I received was a sad, broken pita pocket filled with nothing but old, watery lettuce. It was literally falling apart in my hands, a soggy mess with no sign of the main ingredient. No falafel. Just a wet, sad excuse for a sandwich. I went back to the counter, utterly baffled, and asked the guy where the falafel was. His response was so bizarre and condescending it felt like a bad joke. He looked at me with a smirk and said, “You ordered falafel? It wasn’t there??” as if I was the one who was crazy for expecting my order to be correct. The whole encounter was incredibly disrespectful. As a customer, I'm not a kid to be talked down to. I’m an adult who ordered a specific item and received nothing but an empty shell. It's not my fault you “forgot to put the thing I came and ordered” in the pita. It was a simple request: just give me the falafel I paid for. The food was nonexistent, and the service was insulting. I won't be back.

I used to go to the one on St. Mark’s Place in East Village. It’s my first time here since it opened its location in uptown. I got a Sullivan sandwich as usual with pickles, olives, and pickled turnips. I live the crunch of the pickled turnips. I also ordered a seasoned fries. The sandwich was nice, but the chicken was a bit dry. The flavor was nice, especially with the tahini sauce and the savory flavor from the olives and the pickled turnips. Overall, it was nice. It was such a mess though. It was basically falling apart when I opened the tinfoils. The fries had a nice flavor, but they were crunchy at all. They were soggy. It was also a bit small for $4. Overall, it was nice, but not as nice as I remembered from years ago.

Exceptional and legendary NY institution. Lamb shawarma platter and mint lemonade never disappoints. They have the balance of flavors (get the salad option with the lamb platter) in these 2 items down perfectly. Both are mind bogglingly good, especially if you are hungry or thirsty. Not sure where these low reviews are coming from. I order these every 2 weeks and it is always consistently good.

We went to the one on MacDougal which is iconic. This was offered the same meal but included more spacious seating. This was a quick affordable meal for the area. We will definitely be back when visiting the UES museums. Highly recommend getting the mint lemonade or mango juice!

I've been going here for years, their falafel pita sandwich or meat sandwiches & platters are great. The chicken is my favorite. White & hot sauce are top notch. Their in house drinks & desserts are great too. A bunch of locations in NYC.

The food is delicious don’t get me wrong. But they scammed me and it wasn’t even the owner it was the workers. And for what. I ordered extra lamb and they gave me the normal portion sized I normally get. I didn’t even realize cause the worker hurriedly put the food in the bag and folded it. By the time I got to opening it I realized it was normal portions. That was an extra 6 dollars because I really enjoyed the lamb at Mamoun’s.

Amazing food. This food will meet every hungry persons needs. Been going here throughout highschool and it has never let me down. Lemonade is amazing and all the sandwiches are so gas!

Good falafel, I had the Manhattan pita without pickles n olives. The pickled radish n hummus are cold, so it does get cold pretty quickly. Missing a lil kick, but relatively satisfying. =w=

I can't believe I didn't learn about this place sooner. When I arrived, I immediately noticed how reasonably priced everything was, I ordered a Sullivan wrap, with chicken kebab, tabouleh and hummus and I added pickles for an added crunch, I enjoyed every bite. I honestly really enjoyed the tabouleh and I can't wait to try that again and I love that there are so many fresh ingredients included in most of their selections. The start of the show is the toum! Their toum is unlike anything I've ever experienced and when you put it on the fries, it's magical. Service is fast and friendly, I can't wait to go back for more.

I was excited to try Mamoun's since they opened up in the neighborhood! Unfortunately it didn't meet up to the expectations. I got the Chicken Kebab plate. The portions were a bit small for $15. More importantly - the chicken was burnt to hell. The white sauce is also too watery and lacked flavor. Probably wouldn't be coming back :/

So glad they've opened up a shop on the upper east side!! I'm rating four stars based on the falafel alone... which are freshly made to order, and so hot, crispy, and flavorful! They're also packed with delicious spices and herbs, and aren't dry at all. I came just for several side orders of their falafel, as I'm planning to use it in lunches this week. A side order of four goes for quite cheap considering how big they are, and it comes with a little container of tahini on the side. Ordering should be easy as they have kiosks set up to the side, but the one I used had something wrong with it, and made it really hard to select anything. Then when my order was called, I realized that they'd switched mine and another person's. Not too big a deal though, just a small mix up. Overall it's a very solid option for really good take out in the area!

Excited to try this new spot. I ordered a chicken kabob plate, and paid an extra dollar to have both rice and salad as the base. I ordered inside but used one of the 3 automated ordering devices which let me select no pickles and no turnip for example. The chicken plate was large, definitely very filling for one person. Everything looked and tasted fresh. Next time I'll try the lamb shawarma maybe the sandwich rather than the plate. They have seats inside and it already seemed popular. Staff were a little frazzled but I guess it was their first week. Computers were also doing weird thing where every number or letter was duplicated, but didn't stop me ordering. Lots of people ordering sides of fries and hummus and hot sauce so I think they knew the place from its other locations.

New outpost of this felafel empire on the UES. Provocatively sited across the street from Tamam. The restaurant decor is middle eastern fast food (Mcshawarma?). The servers were nice. My wife ordered the falafel plate over salad and I ordered the shawarma plate over salad. Generous portions. The seasoning in the falafel is different from other places we have eaten at and was delicious. The shawarma is thinly sliced with a lot of crispy bits. The seasoning was excellent. Tje hot sauce was great. The salad and pita bread were unremarkable. The place is a great deal. Dinner for two was $30. The register follows the annoying practice of suggesting a tip at a counter service restaurant while the employees watch you. Over all nice place. If I was just getting falafel, I would go across the street to Tamam. The salads and sides are better. If you want non- vegan middle eastern food, this is a solid choice. It's a bargain.

I was excited to see Mamoun's come to the neighborhood! They have a great location right by Lenox Hill and the 77th street subway station so I'm sure they'll see lots of traffic. I was a little surprised that they opened across from Tamam, but their menus are different enough I guess! Everything on Tamam's menu is vegan, while Mamoun's also has meat. I have to say, if I'm in the mood for falafel, I think I'll go to Tamam because their hummus, fresh pita and falafel is outstanding, but if I'm dining with someone who wants more variety or is craving meat, then Mamoun's is a good choice. I ordered a chicken plate and added falafel for $1.99 more. The plate came with either salad (iceberg, tomatoes and olives) or rice. It had a generous amount of chicken! It didn't come with hummus, that was extra, but it had tahina sauce. It was enjoyable. Not the best I've had but it was good.

The place performs beyond competitors. You'll notice the thoughtful environment. The staff notices the smallest details of your experience. The flavors make their own statement. This place offers a wonderful experience.

The staff is joking and not paying attention. Then they seem to forget my pitas for my side orders and I asked for a Schwarma sandwich and got a falafel sandwich instead. This is why hiring young folks does not pay. They're there to laugh and hand with each other. I wasn't noticed for 5 minutes before spoken to. But they were having such a good time with each other.

A frequent visitor to other locations, the falafel sandwich was a soggy mess. Very disappointing

Was excited to try this location after loving the original downtown for years and years, but the shawarma and falafel were mediocre. Disappointing!

I went in after visiting my husband at Lenox Hill and was looking forward to trying this location after an excellent experience on the west side. The chicken sandwich was not what I expected. It had a few pieces of chicken kebab, tomatoes and lettuce with too much tahini sauce. The quality and taste was just not there. I ordered with hummus which was left off. I had to toss most of it.

Stick to the original west village location. This place is most def not it. However, staff is very friendly compared to OG location. Food is 100x better at west village. Cute spot tho, just wouldn't recommend this location. Must be fairly new, so hoping they get better 'cause location is much more convenient for me.

Maaan I was so happy to see Mamoun's coming to the UES and it does not disappoint. Still as good as I remember, but in a bigger, newer, cleaner space. Food's still fresh, flavorful and filling. Service was friendly and efficient. It'd be great if they stayed open past 11pm, but that won't stop me from eating here too much.

I came here for what I was hoping to be a gyro since I was visiting nyc for a bit and found this place. They don't have gyros here but I got a Shawarma with hummus which was close enough. While the service and ambiance was good, the food was messy and the pita broke in some places. The meat tasted like a gyro but something was different about it.

Tamam is 1000x better and is directly across the street. Highly recommend Tamam as an alternative for fresher ingredients, support of a small business, and an all around better meal!

Mamba rules! Love the one down by NYU but the new spots uptown are on point! Great falafel and service on upper east. Great food and mediocre service on upper west

Very very dry chicken. Unedible. Bought the kabob plate with rice and salad. I do not recommend

Whether you're a longtime fan or a first-timer, Mamoun's never disappoints. The shawarma is perfectly spiced and can't beat price.