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Category: Middle Eastern [Edit]
Neighborhood: DowntownPark Street (Green, Red)
Downtown Crossing (Orange, Silver, Red)
Government Center (Blue, Green)
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There is no way to describe Falafel King's location but THIRD WORLD UGLY. That being said, ingredient number one in their falafel is most likely crack, becase it's so addicting. MMM.
If rating only the falafel this place gets a 5-star rating, but I got their shwarma as well and it was very ho hum. Also they put dill pickles in my shwarma roll....ODD.
Located inside a sketchy indoor mall (more like a badly lit, single corridor with a cell phone stall, smoke show and cheap Chinese stall), Falafel King is a popular food stall close to Downtown Crossing. The two vertical spits were empty on Saturday. Perhaps there are better days to go? I wanted my shawerma to be carved/shaved off to order. The menu includes falafel, kebabs, shawerma plates and wraps, etc.
Everyone seems to get a free falafel patty as soon as it's their turn to order. That was nice of them. The falafel was dense, tender on the inside, and dark brown and crispy on the outside. I'm not the falafel expert that Dan B. is though.
I had the chicken shawerma plate ($6.95). They give you a ton of food so it's definitely a good value: tabbouli, hummus, cucumbers, lettuce, pilaf, 1 falafel patty, chicken and half a pita. The pita was paper thin and straight out of a plastic bag. Disappointing. The chicken pieces were dry with little flavor. Very disappointing. The pilaf was moist and perhaps the best thing on the plate (or the falafel patty). The tabbouli was very sour. The hummus was average. The super watery hot sauce wasn't spicy but it was sour too (vinegar).
There isn't any seating but there are some dirty looking counters inside. Technically there is one stool.
Even though it kinda (okay, totally) smelled like pee in the passage to get to Falafel King, I would say my huge $8 styrofoam box of awesome Middle Eastern food was totally worth it.
Hummus, falafel, tabouli, salad, and a skewer of chicken makes a fantastic lunch/dinner. I ate 5 hours ago and am not even remotely hungry. That just takes skill.
The owner is from Iraq and might be one of the sweetest men ever (next to my dad, awww!). He was handing out falafels (giant falafels, might I add) to everyone in line, covered in hummus.
We talked Yelp for a bit - he mentioned how it's created a total boom in his business and kept saying thank you for my patronage.
Totally boyfriend material.
I'm addicted to this place. I usually get the chicken rice plate and ask for extra falafels. It's the best! And they're friendly there too.
The Falafel King is more than just a king.
He offers you a taste of falafel upon your entrance to the line. It is kind of similar to that of a crack dealer offering up the first hit for free...after that, you are hooked.
I eat here at least once a week - beef shwarma roll up with some falafel added in....orgasmic!!
A good and accessible lunchtime treat with solid food that satisfies without surprising.
The entire experience is made much better by the free hummus-covered falafel bite they hand you while you're waiting in line.
I usually get the normal wrap with hot sauce, and take it into the park to eat. It's rare to find falafel that I can eat while walking without getting it all over myself, which is another reason Falafel King is, well, king.
Not necessarily somewhere I would take a friend if they were in town for the day, but definitely an important staple to my lunchtime diet.
Falafel King. IS. THE. KING.
Back off, Burger King.
The guys are always so nice and your order is made so quickly, it makes me a bit dizzy.
And the food! It is fantastic. I'm not a food expert on anything Middle Eastern, but this place has officially gotten the thumbs-up from 2 Palestinians I know.
It might look a bit sketchy, but trust me, this place has great, cheap food that you should always get when you're downtown.
It's not secret the Falafel King is the MAN when it comes to delicious falafel. The service is great, and despite the fact that the line is almost always out the door, I still get in and out of here in less than ten minutes. It's too bad they don't have a decent area to sit down and enjoy your food... when the weather is nice, I eat on the common but I won't be so apt to visit the king when the Boston winter weather rolls in.
I decided to check this place out due to the rave reviews on Yelp, its proximity to my place, and my passion for falafel sandwiches. Even though it is in the most unlikely of places and looks sketchy, I did not let it deter me. Besides, I was greeted enthusiastically and with a freebie (fafalel dipped in hummus). The old man was precious.
As for my meal, I was not impressed. Yes, the roll-up was quite large and had a generous portion of food, but it wasn't a knock-out-of-the-ballpark kind of deal. Let me break it down for you.
Pros:
1. freebie falafel
2. cheap
3. slathered in creamy hummus
4. large and filling
5. darling old man working
Cons:
1. no credit, cash only
2. not-so-spicy hot sauce
3. lacking in vegetable variety
4. lacking in some sort of spice/flavor/depth
5. it's a wrap; I think falafel in pita is by far superior
Though I will say this, I am hard to impress as far as falafel is concerned.
first of all, how awesome is it that everyone gets a falafel dipped in hummus as their stomachs growl in hunger. SO AWESOME!
we just beat the lunch crowd, arriving a little before 12, good thing since we had to catch our duck tour. I wanted to try something other than the falafel, so I ordered the chicken shawerma. should have gone with the lamb! The chicken was alright..but not as flavorful as I'd like. When you eat the shawerma, be mindful of dripping sauce!
Teresa got the lamb plate and for less than 50 cents more, you additionally get rice, greek salad and a falafel. I was secretly envious, but I ended up eating a lot of her rice anyways. The lamb was soo flavorful and tender. perfect.
Almost a 5...but the chicken just didn't make the cut. can't wait to go back to boston for all the good eats.
Welcome lunch with a falafel dipped in hummus while standing in line, friendly service ("How can I help you, babe?") and the tastiest falafel sandwich to be had in this city. Yes, please.
Falafel King sits in the back of a hole-in-the-wall food court on Winter Street and you'll find the stand by the long line snaking through the corridor. Like other downtown lunch haunts, Falafel King operates on a tight-run system. You enter, stand in line, the guy behind the counter gives you a fresh falafel dipped in hummus (divine!), you order and receive your food within a minute, pay and you're done.
The falafel is crispy on the outside, savory on the inside. The pickles are crisp. The sauce is messy messy messy. I'm always tempted to order shawarma or the stuffed grape leaves, but the falafel always wins me over.
The only challenge is how to actually consume the sandwich. There's a handy little counter inside the food court, but it's dark and slightly greasy. I usually opt for the Common, where I down my food fast enough to avoid any sauce drippings. Or I try to, anyway.
Falafel King: where $5 gets you satisfaction.
The falafels are really good. The tahini sauce was a little too sour but other than that the sandwich was great. The location is a little sketchy but the food is well worth it.
Boston Kebab House does it better and their Salad and Meze bar options make it worth the extra steps. Since I found BKH, I haven't looked back!
Boy, did I have a time at this place. I had been going here rather regularly because, well, the… Read more »
Excellent food for the price. I suggest taking it to go and eating it in Boston Commons while people watching.
I always get the falafel roll-up here. Not that the other stuff isn't good, im sure it is, but I just love the falafel here and what better way to enjoy it than in a pita wrap with pickles, hot sauce, and yogurt sauce. MMMM. Crispy but not greasy, perfectly seasoned, tender on the inside little patties of chick-pea goodness. The King is also extremely kind and usually makes my day. On weekends, a falafel wrap is also a good way to entice my boyfriend into accompanying me to the madness that is also known as shopping at downtown crossing.
***UPDATE***
I never get the falafel roll-up here anymore. Tried a plate for the first time and will never go back. You can get shawarma or kebab on a bed of rice with a falafel, salad and hummus. Probably over 1 lb of food (see pics). Plates are unbelievably satisfying for $6.50 - 7.30 and I could tell everyone on the T was practically drooling from the aroma. The prices are more than fair for the type of cuisine. The places near me, Shawarma King and Rami's, charge exactly TWICE as much for the same item that is less tasty.
Anyways, on to the food. Shawarma can be dry in general so the fresh hummus is a great complement. The kebabs taste fresh off the grill. Also, I'm a bit of a rice snob and this rice was perfect...plump, cooked right, with just the right amount of flavor. If you prefer sandwiches, then like the other reviewers, I recommend the King's special which is chock full of falafel, hummus, and your choice of meat...omg.
***UPDATE***
Lamb shank plates are the Friday special. You get one giant shank of lamb stewed in a flavorful tomato-based sauce to fall-off-the-bone tenderness. No gamey lamb taste at all. Carnivores will not be able to pass this up (see pic).
Don't be scared if you come across this place and you see a big line, it goes really quickly. And a line is a good sign.. means lot of people are willing to wait for some amazing food- in this case falafel!
They have a decent menu here wraps and plates of falafel, chicken, lamb, shrimp and much more. I have had a lot of different things here but my favorite is just the falafel wrap. Simple but soo yummy... crispy fresh falafel, hummus, and salad on a wrap. The fafalel plate is huge and just as good as the wrap but less portable- not a very good sitting on the common and eatting lunch option. Plus once you reach the counter the guy assembling your meal a the speed of light hands you a falafel dipped in humus! I feel like this is a special extra treat but I cant fool myself into thinking it is for free, surely its built into their meal prices but still fun to get.
It comes highly recommended by Sami "Perverted Pariah" W.
Don't let that deter you.
Free soup with an entree right now - heavy.
My falafel experience is a bit limited, but this was better than the stuff I've had before. Guess I'll just add my voice to the crowd.
The guy at the counter gave me and "my wife" (my fiance really, but close enough) a sample with some hummus. He whipped our falafel's together in like 45 seconds, and thanked us for the business as we left.
In short: real fast, super nice, good food.
How are these guys doing by the way? We went post-7:00 PM on a Friday, and I don't doubt that that isn't their prime hours, but we were the only ones there. Is it more of a lunch place?
There probably isn't any reason to review this place because it's clearly amazing.
I'll just say...I wasn't a fan of falafel before I went here...I always found them mega dry and there was a gross herb I didn't like. HOWEVER, I'm a convert and look forward to my next taste.
Fantastic food, free falafel with hummus while you wait in line, and the line moves fast. Free soup with a meal now, that seems to be recent, but either way, go here for food if you are near Downtown Crossing or the Common.
I always get the King's Combo (I think that's the name) with chicken, and it is amazing. Love it and highly recommend this place.
I like Barack as much as the next guy, but it's about time we switch over to a monarchy. If the Falafel King ran our country half as efficiently as he runs his restaurant than we would have no recession, perfect international relations and a cure for cancer. I would have given this place 5 stars anyway, but now our generous king gives out free soup? Now that's stimulus plan I can get behind.
The soups are pretty good, I usually go for the lentil. As far as food goes, my go to is the falafel combo with baba ganoush, but if I'm really hungry I get a plate. All the meats are very good, with the exception of the lamb, which was only decent. What's weird is the first time I went to this place I thought it was good, not great. But then a funny thing happened. Every time I went to lunch some place else, I asked myself "would I have been better off going to the King?" 9 times out of 10 it was an astounding yes. This place isn't slap-you-in-the-face good, but it is quality food for cheap.
This place is unreal! They are way too nice!
They always seem to go above and beyond with falafel samples and the free soup with meal deal. I have not had the soup because I don't think I can have such a big meal for lunch and I don't want to waste food. I promise I will the next time to the guy working just because he is very insistent!
This place is cheap, fast and has great service. Eat your lunch at your desk, though or standing up in the sketchy mini food-court.
All I have to say is ...... FA LA FEL FOR EVERYBODY!!!!
The guy who runs/owns it is the bomb. Gets fired up if you jazz up your Falafel in any way. It's the cure all for any bad mood or hang over....Just block your nose as you pass the smelly Chinese take out hole in the wall.
5 stars without a doubt. Best Falafel I've ever eaten. I'm usualy not a fan but I came here because of the reviews.
My wife and I walked up and asked the King a question about the menu. He instantly handed me two falafels with hummus for sample. It was amazing. I then asked him for a recommendation and he instantly told me that the chicken kabob was the best thing they sold. It was great. This place is quick, the service is excellent and the food shouldn't be missed. The prices are also quite reasonable; especially for Boston.
The man is king for many reasons.
Free falafel? That certainly doesn't hurt.
Fast service? In the words of a former veep candidate: "You betcha!"
Delicious grub? Yes, my friend.
This is a frills-free vendor, past the ciggy/lotto/phone card rack, at the end of a creepy hall off Winter street so expectations are low. Falafel King blows all of that out of the water and leaves you wanting more. This is a great lunch choice in the DTX/Common area.
The best falafel I've had, but to be fair my experience is limited.
However my boos has been all over the middle east and swears by this place; she recommended it to me by saying it is "The best falafel outside of Tel Aviv."
A fantastic place to stop in for a delicious, fresh, nutritious lunch. I always get the falafel salad plate because I don't mess with success! I tried some of the meats (lamb, chicken, etc.) but I found that they were too overcooked, dry, and salty for my taste. You can't go wrong with fresh veggies, hummus, falafel, and tahini.
Free falafel while waiting = love! delicious falafel wrap with awesome pickles!
Tucked into a small nondescript building on Winter Street, you will find the best Falafel outside the Middle East. The Falafel King is the king of all Middle Eastern foods in the City of Boston. From an array of different choices, ranging from Chicken Shwarma Plates, Falafel Salads, and Lamb Kabob Pita sandwiches, the Falafel King Does it right every time. To top it off, every time you come, the owner and staff always gives you a free falafel to sample and are always warm and welcoming.
This place is so good, that I make a pilgrimage to the king at least 2 times a week. Nothing can beat the freshness or the value for that matter. So, the next time you are in Downtown Crossing shopping at Macy's (Formally Jordan Marsh) or you're checking out what became of Filenes and Filenes Basement (set to reopen in the future), come check out the Falafel King... Since he truly is royalty in a sea eateries in Boston.
I go here about one or two times a week... the recent addition of soup is welcomed. You need to make sure you get The King himself. Check out his website, and go straight to him when you get there.
You'll always get a falafel with hummus. Anyone refusing this (people do) is an obvious n00b, and you can jump ahead of them in the queue.
If you're not being served by the King, the other staff need you to ask very explicitly for what you want... they don't appear to know what a combo sandwich is, for example.
The King himself is the most friendly, welcoming and genuine people in Boston though.
Falafel King rules! I love this place and when I used to work downtown I would go for lunch every other day. The feature of this place is that when you are standing in line you get to munch on a warm crunchy falafel. I would recommend the falafel king special chicken rollup which is out of the world. On a less busy day if you start talking to the owners you get a free chicken soup which is absolutely delicious and great relief from the cold.
It is a takeout and there is no place to sit but in the summer you have the commons right next to you which is great to eat and people watch
Talk about fast food! This guy is speedy. Ask him questions about what the stuff is that is behind the glass, he'll tell you and throw it into your styrofoam lunch box.
So tasty, so quick.
Can I be your Falafel Queen?
Finally visited this legendary lunch spot, in mid-afternoon after the rush.
5 minutes to walk up Tremont on a mission, 60 seconds to sample, order, pay, 5 minutes back to the office (with a warm falafel wrap, and change, in my pocket). The walk back seems sweeter, birds tweet, the characters on the Common seem less shifty.
It was good.
For me it is always a toss up between Falafel King and Boston Kebab House. Things that make me go to Falafel King.
1. I like the free falafel.
2. Price is cheap, 7.30 for a plate that includes the kebab, rice, small salad, additional falafel and humus (no yogurt like the Kebab House)
Though the quality served at the Kebab House is slightly better, I like the additional choices(the hummus and falafel) at the Falafel King. The place is now open till 8 PM which is a plus and since food is served in the order that it was placed, there is no confusion or waiting for your number to be called.
Pretty good, cheap place, tucked away inside a building with other take-out places in downtown crossing. My only complaint is that it would have been nice to have more falafel in the sandwich, but the veggies were good though. The falafel sandwich came with free soup; the lentil soup was good.
Falafel King passed the true test of take out places ... I did not get sick later.
His head is down, but he knows I'm there... he speaks as he looks up.
"Hello my friend." as he hands me a big piece of falafel dipped in hummus.
"King special with chicken." I pause. "Hot sauce."
He nods... the sandwich is already half made. Just a shot of the white sauce, a belt of the red stuff, roll it up with the foil, slide it in the bag, and pass it down the counter. I thank him and smile, and follow it as it goes to the counter. He's already greeting his next friend with another piece of falafel.
I need more friends like that.
It's hard to believe I've lived and worked here for how many years without having experienced the Falafel King. This place, my friends, could potentially rival my undying love for Chacarero.
Falafel dipped in hummus before even ordering? for me? really? if you insist! oh wait, you do that for everyone? not just the pretty girls on their lunch break? oh well, even if you do that for everyone, you, my King, had me at the hummus. swoon.
and well I'm not cool enough to be able to order in Arabic, I did listen to advice and get the King's Special (falafel and chicken shawarma). soooooooo good. and 2 meals later, there is still a portion of sandwich sitting in my fridge. i heart leftovers.
AND, I didn't even smell like goat when I got back to the office!
The good thing about this place is that the guy hands you a fresh falafel dipped in Hummus before you order your meal, and it hits the spot. I always make a point to speak to him in Arabic so that he takes care of me, and it never fails unless that Mexican dude was your man, then you're screwed.
I always get The King's Special, a combination of falafel and chicken shawarma in one big fat sandwich at a reasonable price.
My advice is never to go there to impress the ladies, because if you're not careful eating, you'll end up with tahini sauce all over your clothes, and that is also not good knowing that you are going back to the office smelling like a goat.
I gave it 4 stars because I have had better back home.
One of the only things I miss about working downtown was the close proximity to a variety of excellent lunch spots; Falafel King was (and is) one of my favorite places to grab a quick lunch, and I really miss being able to skip out of the office to snag some oft, tasty, delicious balls of fried glory. Despite the inevitably humongous line, the service was always incredibly fast. Even if it looks like it's going to take forever, don't abandon the mission. You'll be receiving your free piece of falafel, dipped in creamy hummus, and placing your order in no time.
The prices at Falafel King are low, especially considering the generous portions. Though the prices have increased slightly over the years (what hasn't?), it's still a fantastic, delicious deal. The Falafel plate is awesome, but I usually stick with the falafel combo roll-up ($5.50), which comes with either hummus or baba ganoush. While the hummus is great, I strongly recommend trying the baba ganoush. Oh man. This stuff is just amazing, and really adds a great, unique flavor to the sandwich.
Nicest staff ever, ridiculously fast service, fabulous food, and low prices--Falafel King is where it's at.
Pretty much all the good things that everyone says about this place are true. Excellent falafel, good prices, fast service, and The King really is one of the friendliest guys in Boston.
Unfortunately, it feels like that wonderful falafel is only about 25% of a falafel sandwich. Most of it is lettuce, tomato, and bread. And unfortunately, those parts tend to be pretty bland at Falafel King. The bread is dry and kind of hard. The lettuce tastes like... water, really. The tomatoes aren't much better. And this all really takes away from the falafel.
Most of the vegetarian selections suffer this problem. There has to be a better way to deliver falafel to my mouth! I wouldn't have a second thought about paying, say, $6 or $7 for a sandwich with higher-quality, tastier ingredients. As it is, I'll get by stealing the occasional extra falafel my coworkers bring back to the office.
Neighborhood: Downtown
Category: Sandwiches
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Category: Middle Eastern
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