Art of the Falafel
Categories: Food Specialty Food Restaurants Middle Eastern Restaurants Food Stands Specialty Food, Middle Eastern, Food Stands [Edit]
Civic Center Farmer's MarketSan Francisco, CA 94103
- Price Range:
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$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Alcohol:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Johnny A. said: "I have been here twice now and both times have been very impressed! Both times I went I got the chicken Shwarma and have left extremely satisfied. It is the perfect balance of chicken with grilled onions, peppers and tomatoes and…" read more »
22 reviews for Art of the Falafel
22 reviews in English
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Review from Victor G.
10/9/2010
Art of the falafel catering offering many option of dining around $5.
menu: pitas with different kinds of fillings offered
locale: old oaktown farmers market
lines: none
sampling: falafel sandwich(5)
-contains cabbage, onions, hummus, tahini sauce in a pita pocket.
was surprised it came with a fork. tried to eat it like a sandwich but couldn't. now i see why there's a fork.
-interesting taste, some spiciness. didn't taste a lot of onions, hummus nice. very filling
foodnotes:
-falafel sandwich can't be eaten while on the go (walking, driving) have to sit down.
-noticed store bought pitas, not homemade.
-fast, friendly service.
-maybe repeatableListed in: Food stands/vendors @farmers…
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Review from Mayra L.
12/28/2011
To be frank, Art of Falafel sucks.
I stopped by when i was at the farmers market because it looked delicious but it was a giant disappointment. The falafels were super dry, salty and cold. It seems like they've just been sittin around all day. The tahini sauce was ok, but I don't kniow where the hummus was because there wasn't any in mine. The salad also sucked as well. The falafel sandwich was basically 2 cold falafels, a ton of leaves and some sauce on top.
So not worth the 5$. going to the tamale people next time. -
Review from Johnny L.
Lafayette, CA
5/5/2010
I gotta say, I had their salad and their falafel sammie a few times - not impressed. The salad is loaded with onions (cheap filler) and their sandwich is also packed full of onions. I mean, damn, I know they need to maximize profits and all, but, eating raw onions give you breath that can peel paint.
Ya feel me? -
Review from Leah E.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 4/29/2009
This story is about KINDNESS (and "Mediterranean Fish Wrap.")
It was 3 o' clock in the afternoon and I was rushing to get to the tamales cart at the UN Farmer's Market before they pack up for the day.
I was on a mission to get dinner for tonight that I jumped the chain-link fence at the UN Plaza right in front of the Falafel cart. To my horror, my spikey heel got caught in one of the links and I fell left hip and shoulder first in front of everybody. I dusted myself off, picked myself up and just moved on to the tamales cart. I was fine except for my bruised ego.
On my way back to the office, I heard this voice, "Are you okay? I saw you fall." He was sitting down on one of the benches, made a room for me and said, "Why don't you sit down for a little bit and relax?" He got up to give me a free lemonade.
He introduced himself as "Ronnie." We talked about his latest addition to his menu which was Mediterranean Fish Wrap. He said it was a popular food in Italy. I told him about my trip to Italy years ago. Ronnie is Italian and he is from Venice.
In about five minutes, I felt better. I just met him but I felt comforted by a stranger who acted more as a good friend. Some guys were looking at me and sort of sniggering. This man took the time from his business to show some kindness.
He made my day, my ego's less bruised, the lemonade was actually nice and sweet made sweeter by his niceness. Next time I will try his fish wrap not just to return the courtesy but because I truly love fish. I'm happy that I can add one more dish to my seafoodtarian lunch repertoire at the Civic Center/TL area.
I hope your business prospers, Ronnie. Thank you for making feel better.Listed in: CHEAP LUNCH FIXES IN THE CITY, Heartin' the TL
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/11/2009
Let me start this review by making a confession:
A. I am not a big fan of falafel.
B. The Falafel… Read more »
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Review from Gustie L.
San Francisco, CA
4/24/2007
A bad falafel is a dense log of fried hard beanie hamster kibble and some stale sesame sludge. Few falafelrias can get past this point, most falafel is so bland that it induces suicidal ideation within several bites.
Not so with this mysterious vendor, crisp golden crust on fluffy falafel eggs, each with spicy moist interior. Instead of pale diced romaine stems you get some kind of tasty garden salad filing and a zesty red tomato relish (no icy pale pink slices). The whole deal was smothered in cucumber and yogurt sauce.
This is one good falafel. Even at $4.99 it's a good falafel, and even if they sell nothing else (No shwarma - nothing...)
Problem is that I've never seem these guys before, and the Sunday Un Plaza Farmers' Market is not a regular stop for me. Will they ever return or is Art of Falafel Catering a spectral presence which will torment me evermore with what a falafel can be, and usually isn't. -
Review from mia s.
Oakland, CA
8/14/2009
I think I went to the wrong falafal stand because I don't understand all the 4-5 star reviews here.
My falafal salad: three cold rock hard falafals served on a pre-dressed, pre-plated bed of wilted cabbage, not lettuce as described on the menu. When I mentioned this to the lady in the cart, she just stared at me blankly and shrugged. The generous dousing of tahini sauce and hot sauce could not mask the dense and flavorless falafals. The dough was dry tasted more like cornmeal than chickpeas. My friend's falafal sandwich was basically my salad stuffed in a pita. Neither one of us ate much of our lunch but we both spent our afternoons in the bathroom.
I could write this off as a hiccup or a bad day and return to try something else on the menu. But considering that falafal is 90% of what they do, I don't see myself giving this place another chance. I saw one of the women working there dumping some precooked falafals from a hotel pan sitting outside in the sun to a container inside the cart from which another worker grabbed the falafals to put on our plates. -
Review from Joseph N.
9/23/2009
With a name like Art of the Falafel, you would expect that they do one thing, and that they do it so well as to consider themselves artists. They got the first part of that right, in that they don't sell much beside the falafels and some hummus. But the falafels you get here just aren't good.
The first word on the sign is "Fresh" but any falafels you get have been sitting there for hours. A great falafel sandwich has freshly fried balls of falafel; a good one can be made microwaving falafels that have been sitting out all day. However using cold falafels definitely does not make for a good sandwich.
Add to that the fact that the tahini sauce is bland, the tomatoes are scarce, and they serve this shit on cold pita bread as opposed to a lavash or at least a warmed pita pocket, and you can imagine how un-tasty this shit is.
Also, using the pita pocket makes the thing unwieldy. They hand it to you wrapped in wax paper and a paper towel, and they give you a fork with it. It's not something that you can put in a bag and take back to the office; and it's overall just difficult to eat.
The only positive is that it's a filling, healthy meal. I wish that this falafel stand was good. I also just in general wish that there was more street food in SF.
If you're at the farmers market and you're hungry, check out the tamale or rotisserie chicken stands nearby. -
Review from Karen L.
San Francisco, CA
5/14/2007
I am a big fan of falafel, so when I saw this stand at the Civic Center Farmer's Market a couple of Wednesdays ago, i could hardly contain myself.
The falafel is pretty good when it's hot, but the flavor is different than how I normally like my falafel - I think there's a lot of garlic in it. However because it's organic, it makes it all good. But the person running the stand sort of has a money and falafel hand mixing action going on, which is a little gross. If I really wanted that, I'd just stuff a fried dollar bill in my mouth (ew that's gross).
Oh yes, when I went the guy couldn't take $20 bills, it had to be $1, $5, or $10. I don't know if it was just that day and maybe he didn't have change, or if it's a usual thing, but just make sure to have some small dollar bills when you go. -
Review from Cori W.
5/12/2010
Now I know why I stick to the tamale cart! The pita was dry and the same poor quality that you could find at a grocery store. The falafels were salty and full of bready filling, they reminded me of shake n bake! Dry and obviously cooked too long or in funky oil since they tasted like frying oil.
The plate was loaded with a joke of a cabbage salad.
I want my $5 back! -
Review from Salsaboy S.
Oakland, CA
9/3/2010
The falafel, for me, wasn't so great. It had a metallic taste. I liked that it was prepared in big, obelisk-shaped balls, but it wasn't tasty. Many on this site have reported that the falafel was dry. I did not have the same experience. Rather, it was mushy. Moreover, the falafel sandwich was doused with so much tahina and saucy shit that the pita bread (which is also not great) disintegrated before my eyes. It was impossible to eat.
A good falafel is hard to find. -
Review from Adam B.
11/25/2009
A like supporting food stands, but refuse to turn a blind palate just because they're an independent vendor. This place has a pretty simple menu that's basically a bunch of falafel, hummus and pita permutations. The main dishes are worth sampling, but the soups and drinks are bleh. The presence of an interesting green hot sauce is what saved this place from dropping below just "A-OK".
Falafel Sandwich: On a whole wheat pita which is healthy, though probably from a bag instead of freshly made. The falafel itself is lightly fried, a nice departure from the hard hockey puck style. It's grainy and moist on the inside, but could use a bit more spices. The hummus has a good creamy texture, but is also a bit bland. Whatever they put in the green hot sauce (cilantro?) though does a good job of adding spices and a kick. The veggies (onion, lettuce, tomato) are fresh, but not any sort of exciting heirloom variety. I liked that there was parsley in the mixture. The tahini was generously poured on, but didn't have much of a signature.
Curry Lentil Soup: Pretty bland for being curry flavored. Not much in terms of distinguishable vegetables except for a few flecks of mushroom and carrot. There were some weird grilled soy sausage chunks floating around. I appreciate the attempt to be different, but it was kind of weird. A whole what pita is given along side, but it just doesn't have the absorption power of a loaf bread.
Mint Lemonade: Was too sweet and the mint was barely noticeable. The lack of any pulp and lack of sour pucker make me suspect this is not fresh. If it is fresh, it still tastes like a power mixture. -
Review from justine a.
Union City, CA
1/29/2010
Recently, I commented to my boyfriend about never taking me out on dates... thus, he turned our lunch outings to dates :P
Yesterday, we left work to have lunch across the street at the Farmers Market, Civic Center. He was excited and wanted to try everything!
From Art of Falafel we ordered:
- some type of salad thing... I don't really remember what it was called. It was ok. I was NOT pleased when I bit into a piece of fresh onion thinking it was a piece of lettuce :(
+ thankfully, we had mint lemonade! really good. Just the right amount of mint! there was a little too much sugar, you could pick up on some that weren't fully dissolved, but it was still REALLY GOOD! so good.. that we had to buy a second one! fyi: mint lemonade in a 12 or 16oz, I'm pretty sure it was 16oz, was ONLY $2.00 !
We will be going back for the mint lemonade :D -
Review from m A n I k.
San Francisco, CA
4/6/2011
I rarely give 1 star, but the falafel sandwich here was so terrible, a higher rating would be a lie. The falafel balls were lukewarm, super salty and, while I love garlic, it was all that I could taste--blech. The raw cabbage and untoasted store-bought pita bread were not helping either. I hope they can improve because the workers seem nice.
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Review from Annika L.
2/15/2010
It's inexpensive and filling. But irregardless of whether you like falafels or not, these are dry, and lack flavor.
Last time I went, I ordered their "fresh mint lemonade", which has been good before. They didn't have the right change and said they would just give me one and I could pay them back next time. They poured a cup from a grimy sports water cooler, and I noticed it didn't have any mint. Even though it was lemon season, it tasted distinctively like tepid Country Time.
It would have been pretty disappointing to pay $2 a cup of Country Time to wash down that falafel.
Art of the Falafel seems like a pretty healthy option at farmers market (in between a chicken roaster and a waffle cart). However, it's a pass. -
Review from Magnus B.
San Francisco, CA
11/14/2007
"Meh" sums it up, really. Not bad, not great, just so so.
Plus points for being all organic, and quite reasonably priced ($5).
Minus points for being really dry (more tahini!), and packed in a dry pita bread that kept falling apart and made it really hard to eat. The falafels themselves weren't all that great either.
My favorite remains Truly Mediterranean! Tightly wrapped, fresh & moist falefels with a great flavor, saucy (but not too much either). -
Review from Laurel B.
San Francisco, CA
2/6/2008
Tasty, fresh, organic falafal in a good pita with lots of salad and tahini. It was very good, and a fine reason to head over to the Heart of the City Farmer's Market at Civic Center on Wednesdays. (Falafals, tamales, waffles, and produce, all at the Wed farmers' market. Yee ha.) If the falafal(s) were warm, it would be a solid 4 stars, but the room temperature hovers the review more at the 3.5 side.
Listed in: The Tenderloin/Civic Center
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Review from Nomey T.
San Francisco, CA
5/14/2007
Love at first taste... Their $5 organic falafel comes in a paper baggie, so even if you're crazy baglady, you can one hand a falafel sandwich and maneuver through Farmer's Market. They pack 4 crispy-crust falafels and top it with a garden salad, dressing, and sauce that are purrfect. Just a stroll through the UN plaza and I'm as happy as can be on a Sunday afternoon...
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Review from Maria L.
11/14/2007
I didn't like how the seaguls and pigeons were eyeing my falafels... but then after a few bites I seriously considered sharing the hard little fried nuggets with them. The sandwich was messy to eat on the street... but the mint lemonade was yummy. It helped wash down some of the pungent garlic after taste of the falafels.
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Review from dana c.
San Francisco, CA
7/15/2009
I had the nastiest falafel I've ever had from this food cart. They were so dry no wonder he has to keep pouring the tehini sauce on it. There was no salad, just lettuce, no tomatoes, and onions. I had a few bites and had to sadly throw it away. Will not be back.
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Review from Judy L.
San Francisco, CA
11/18/2007
Yellow station near the fountain at Civic Center farmer's market. Walking by, I was offered a freshly made sample with hummus. 6 falafel for less than $6? It was worth it.
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Review from Michael L.
San Francisco, CA
11/21/2009
Have you ever ate refried horse sh**? Me neither. But if I ever did, I think it woud taste like the sh** I ate here....
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Review from Huy N.
Washington, DC
3/18/2007
This stand down at the Civic Center Farmer's Market makes a tasty organic falafel sandwich. Be sure to get freshly fried falafel in your sandwich otherwise it will disappoint. Usually the guy has a helper that takes your money, but when I was there today there was only one guy taking money and touching your food ALL OVER!!!! EEEEEWWW!!! EEEEW!!!! I had to leave the line because that was grossing me out. Someone should inform him this is totally unacceptable.... especially for a place that is using healthy, organic ingredients as a selling point. I might just do it myself since he seems like a nice guy, and I don't want to see him ruin his business. I'll up his rating or downgrade it according to how he responds.
