Falafel Inc., the fast-casual franchise centered around Middle Eastern cuisine, originally opened in the summer of 2015 by Palestinian-American entrepreneur Ahmad Ashkar in Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
Ashkar also founded the Hult Prize Foundation, a nonprofit organization backed by Bill Clinton that allows aspiring entrepreneurs the opportunity to expand. He quickly turned that goodwill inwards and began expanding his own business. Its latest extension has been to Connecticut Ave, across from the National Zoo.
As an always-and-forever falafel lover, I decided to sample this place, as it was conveniently close to the WIS campus and had great reviews. Overall, the establishment is clean, with good customer service, well-priced food and great falafel! The menu is small but still has a great variety.
Falafel Sandwich w/ Hummus – 10/10
This is the falafel sandwich that is claimed to have made the establishment famous, so I had high hopes, and those hopes were met! It has a great blend of ingredients, and the falafel was crunchy and delicious – working great with all the sandwich components. It has a bit of a kick, but is manageable if you have low spice tolerance like me. Slightly messy to eat, but worth it. It was good, and I will order it again, especially because it’s only $5!
Falafel Bowl – 8/10
The bowl was good, but compared to the falafel sandwich, it’s slightly worse. The falafel isthe same, but the flavors don’t go as well together as the sandwich, and it’s a bit hard to mix. It is still very tasty option if you’re looking for something slightly healthier, as it’s a lot heavier on the lettuce.
Zaatar Fries – 9.5/10
Nice and crispy with a good use of spices. I don’t know exactly what’s in it, but I know it’s good! It works really well with all the free sauces, especially the garlic and mazbout.
Tzatziki – 9/10
Great yogurt flavor that works well on its own and with other dishes! A little plain, but that serves as a strength, as it stands out against such a flavorful menu.
Chicken Shawarma – 9/10
I am a vegetarian, but I had this and a few dishes described to me by the closest expert: my dad. “Moist and packed with flavor,” Jose Diaz-Asper said. “I’ve had a lot of good shawarma, so I can tell: this is good.”
Beef Shawarma – 8/10
This one was simply “very tender, mildly spicy.”
Small note: this is said by someone with a very high spice tolerance, so beware if you have a low one.
Chicken Shawarma Wrap – 9/10
“Chicken was flavorful” and “nice” said Jose Diaz-Asper. I found the pita was just the right amount of chewy.
Baklava – 10/10
I expected it to be stale due to its packaging, but it had the perfect nutty flavor and crunch. Nice combination of moist on the bottom and dry on the top. However, it was probably the most unfairly priced item on the menu, priced at $3 for the 3.
Bonus: Sauces!
From left to right:
Mazbout – 9/10 (amazing with the fries)
Habibi – 6/10 (very spicy, not my forte)
Garlic – 10/10 (personal favorite)
Invisible – 5/10 (VERY spicy)
White – 8/10 (a little bland but good)
Red – 5/10 (as you can probably guess: spicy)
In all, a great place and a great experience! My only wish was that there had been more items to sample. If you have an empty stomach and some free time, I would recommend checking it out.
By Mahina Diaz-Asper
