House of Falafel
Category: Greek and Mediterranean [Edit]
19590 Stevens Creek BlvdCupertino, CA 95014 (408) 446-2411
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 10:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat 10:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m.
Sun 10:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. - Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol: None
84 reviews
Mountain View, CA
"I love this place! I have know Praveen and Mahmet for years, and have always enjoyed coming here with friends and family! Their drink menu…" read more »
112 Reviews for House of Falafel
Fresh, yummy falafels. I liked everything here, easy service and well-priced. Casual diner feel and perfect if you need to grab a good lunch on the run.
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This place isn't very aesthetically pleasing nor spiffy clean, but if the food is really good how a place looks isn't TOO important.
But the food was just okay. I got the veggie wrap and was able to try some of beef shishkabab plate and veggie combo plate. The falafels are pretty good, but nothing blew me away and I've had better hummus. As for service, a lot of people got their food delivered to them, but for us the man just called out the dish and handed it to us over the counter. The service wasn't too bad I guess, but not friendly.
Next time I'll stick to Falafel's Drive In.
However, an upside to this place was that it was nicely air conditioned.
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I was at Cupertino HS down the street for a class through USD extension. We got 45 minutes for lunch so I drove down Steven's Creek to look for food during my break. I saw the sign for "House of Falafel" and decided to give it a try. I saw schwarma on the menu, which delighted me. After I ordered, I realized that I did not have my wallet! Eek! I told the man what happened and said I'm going to try to locate my wallet and hopefully return. I ended up having to drive back home to find my wallet. I had about 20 minutes left from my break and I told myself I'd just risk being back late from the break. To my surprise, when I returned, the cashier person already had my chicken schwarma made and happily took my money. I thought it was such a nice gesture!
The schwarma was delicious. I didn't like the hummus because it tasted like olives and I hate Olives. The pita bread was also really dry and had a bland taste. But I certainly appreciated the kind service.
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Ok, I would give this place 5 stars if rated just on their food alone.
However, the service could most possibly be the worst I have ever experienced. I get the strong vibe that they HATE Americans here.
The place is a dump. The floors are dirty & the tables feel & look like they only get cleaned once a month.
Surprisingly though, the food is VERY good.
I will probably go back here & endure the torture of being talked down to & glared at while I wait for my food only because I do love their chicken kabobs & hummus. Props to the Mexican cooks! :)
I don't leik this place. The falafel's are gross, the staff are rude, and it reminds me to clean my bathroom.The pita's are reminiscent of Styrofoam discs, I like to get them for my doggie, we play Frisbee with them. Speaking of dogs, I always get mad dogged when i go here, all 3 times, first one to try it, second to give it a second chance, and 3rd out of lack of time and desperation. Next time I will just starve myself.
This just proves there really is no accounting for some peoples tastes!
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The Good - The food tastes good. I usually order the lamb schwarma wrap to which I add healthy amounts of that yogurt based sauce and occasional drops of hot sauce.
The Bad - The eating area doesn't look or feel very clean. The man that takes your order at the cash register reminds me of the Seinfeld soup nazi. And I didn't see this first hand, but my friend claims he saw someone return untouched falafel which he suspects was reused in his dish. hmmm
So 3 stars for the taste.... but if hole in the wall style cleanliness scares you, 2 stars.
Conveniently located within walking distance from work, its lunch offerings are cheap and quick. Sometimes, that's really all you're asking for during the week. I just get my falafel wrap, which is my usual order anyways. I found that their wraps are actually pretty fully packed so no disappointments there for me.
They have indoor and outdoor seating. But it's very basic and not the most comfortable. It's also a bit cramped once you have a few groups inside. I'd almost just suggest grabbing the food and finding more comfortable seating elsewhere...
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This is a great quick stop if you are looking for a great lamb swarma wrap. I have come from Michigan where there is a great middle Eastern food (La Shish)... This place is pretty good. The lamb shawma add hommous and the plates are great... Imagine a lamb rotesseri then shaving off a piece of meat and making it into a wrap... Great you won't be dissapointed.
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DO NOT TRY THE YOGURT DRINK! Imagine a bag of farts, ok, now drink it. Yum.
It was by far the worst thing to ever ever ever grace my palate well.. since that rotten egg i once ate when i was 7.
Falafels are okay. They're reasonably price, service is quick and the taste is eh, there. The, what i like to call, "man made yogurt" looks like it's been sitting out of the table for ages;I picked one bottle up and it had dust left on it, bleckkk. Try that at your own risk, but don't say i didnt warn you!
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House of Falafel has very good food. I recommend the lamb and chicken shawerma combo plate - alot of food for your money! Also the lamb/beef shawerma is very good. Chicken one is good, but I have had better. Ironically I have not had the Falafel here yet.
-Chicken Shwarma Wrap - salty and boring
-Chicken Shish Kebab Wrap - smoky charbroiled goodness - will go back for this one
-House Falafel Wrap - falafel wrap with the addition of eggplant wrapped in. I'm torn between this and Falafel's Drive In ("FDI"). House of Falafel's ("HoF") falafel has more crunch, due to the smaller falafel balls, and is tightly wrapped in lavash, so it's easy to eat. Anyone who's been to FDI knows to grab a ton of napkins because their sandwiches are so messy. But, HoF's falafel has slightly less flavor than that of FDI and it's more expensive. For the price of a House Falafel Wrap at HoF, you can get a large falafel pita AND a banana shake at FDI. So, here's my suggestion:
If you want chicken, get the chicken shish kebab wrap at House of Falafel.
If you want falafel and don't know which place to go, figure out if you also want an FDI banana shake to go with it--that'll be my tie breaker for now.
I always get the House of Falafel Wrap which is at the $5 range. Not too bad. When it's busy, the guy is an asshole, but when it isn't, he seems pretty damn nice. hahahah so grab a falafel when it isn't lunch hour or something.
I love falafels. And they do a good job at making mine taste dandy. Wish the sauce tasted a little better though. It's kinda bland. But the wrap itself is wonderful. Loveee it.
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I was actually searching for Falafel Drive In....but I'm a dork and mistakenly drove here instead...probably because it's also right next to a Beard Papa's.....walking distance actually.
I don't quite know what I got.....it seemed to be a plate combo of hummus, pitta and the meat ball looking things that weren't meat balls. I really need to beef up on my terminology, but good food is good food right?
The espresso shot was strong...it was helpful since I hadn't slept yet. And since I was shooting for Falafel Drive In I was disappointed that they didn't have banana shakes.....but that's my fault.
Yes it is kind of hole in the wall but it's nice to see that such a place could come from a space that used to be Pizza Hut.
Yeah, I'm that old.
;D
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I love this place though I wish the seating area had more room
for my large family.
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The food is good, well priced and there's plenty of it. If you're short on time, don't get the the lamb Kebab. It takes about three times as long to prepare as the chicken shawerama.
House of Falafel is the place to go if all you want is to enjoy their lamb and chicken kebabs. It's prepared as you watch and served hot !
a. Price
b. Taste
c. Quick service
I've only had falafels a handful of times in my life and I'm not even exactly sure what they're supposed to taste like. Totally unrelated - if I ever get pregnant, I'm gonna be in trouble. I was craving falafels today and I have no idea what they're even supposed to taste like????
Anyways. These are good. Everything I think I was looking for. Crunchy on the outside, warm and umm... falafelly on the inside?? heh heh. I got the falafel plate. Cheap - 5 falafel balls, salad, hummus and pita bread for about 6.50. Service was very fast too, even though there were lots of people during lunch hour. But, the falafels would be cooked already so that's quick and easy... Maybe if you order kebabs it might take longer?
Whenever I need my Mediterranean fix, this is the place I hit up. The hummus is great, and if you love eggplant try their baba ghannouj! I have yet to find another restaurant in the Bay Area that makes this dip so I was pretty excited to find it here. The kebabs are yum, but my personal favorite is the chicken shawerma with a ton of their hot sauce. It is a hole-in-the-wall joint ,so keep that in mind if ambiance is what is important to you. The service here is super. When our table ran out of pita bread, the cashier was more than happy to supply extra free of charge. Don't be surprised if he starts talking to you in Korean btw, (he spent 6 years there) you just might get pwned...like me.
Excellent hummus, falafel balls are large and tasty, plenty of tahini and hot sauce to go around, chicken shawerma VERY good. Beef kabob was alright.
Bad: haven't checked out the lawrence spot yet, but this one feels like it should be take-out only (which is all I really do here now). Lack of seating, not pretty, no ambiance at all. To-go it!
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Ok, so the actual establishment leaves A LOT to be desired but the the falafels are top of my list in the South Bay.
I eat here at least once a week. It's pretty junky, but their wraps are just irresistable, especially with those sauces on every table. What iz dat shit? Lots of white dude, presumably from nearby Apple or something, squirt the sauces right onto their wraps, as they would like onto a burrito in a taqueria, but I saw some authentic middle eastern dudes doin' it right. Supposedly, you're supposed to squirt the sauces on to the PLATE, and mix it with your spoon, AND THEN smear it onto your wrap with your spoon. When in Rome, right?
Yummy, delicious, filling and relatively inexpensive food. Love their plates which come with hummus, rice, two pitas and salad. You can choose a veggie or non veggie combo. I love the lamb or chicken shawerma and will get the shawerma combo when I want both. The plates are big enough to share. It's so good! $8.99
The wraps are also tasty and the House of Falafel wrap ($5.99) has falafel, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and grilled eggplant, super good. They wrap it in lavash bread instead of a pita so it looks more like a burrito. Tahini and hot sauce at the tables. Service is order at the counter and they bring the food to the table. Friendly staff and always available to answer questions.
Near Cupertino Square (Vallco), perfect for before or after meal when you head to AMC, Strike or whatever else they have at that shopping center.
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This place has really good chicken shawerma and pretty good falafal considering its in the South Bay.
This place is awesome~ Their lamb shawerma plate is great, comes with hummus, salad, and pita bread. It was my first time trying Mediterranean food and I fell in love with it. It's not nice and fancy but its a perfect "guy place" to grab some quick bite that's good and cheap.
Not so good for professional business dinners...
- bad seating
- unclean kitchen
Ended up walking over to MERLION instead!
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Quick, tasty, large portions, and cheap. If you don't set your standards for cleanliness and authenticity too high, this place gets the job done when you're looking for a schwarma, falafel wrap, or hummus. This place gets really crowded at lunch -- the service is fast despite the amount of people, but seating is very limited.
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This place looks like a drive in burger joint, but it's not! It's a walk up falafel house. Soooo good. If you've never been, get their banana shake and falafel wrap combo.
It's messy and oh so yum! Their chili sauce is slightly sweet with a tang. I'm drooling just thinking about the food! This is just a quick place to get quick and cheap food. It's extremely casual, and can get pretty crowded on the weekends.
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Tried the House Falafel wrap and lamb shawerma with salad. The shawerma was...meh. Rather greasy and not quite worth it. The wrap was good, though I think I will still go to DishDash to get my fix for wraps.
Wow!! I was impressed. Inexpensive, generous portions, & quick (even with the busy lunch line).
My lunch was so good (I had a lamb wrap) that I went back and ordered dinner, a tasty ensemble of a Greek salad, the chicken dinner plate and the combo hummus, falafel plate. Their babaganoush kicks!! (the hummus is a bit boring-I prefer more garlic).
The honey cheese dessert was quite delicious as well.
I'm looking forward to my next seminar in Cupertino since a tasty lunch will be the reward!
Good prices, good food, and fast!
I've been here a number of times. The lentil soup is really good. For the price ($2.50) it's a pretty generous amount of soup.
I generally get a falafel wrap, and I also like the baba ghanough. The tabbouleh is good.
Decor wise, it isn't fancy and if it's full you may be sharing a large table with other people. It may be loud due to machine and cooking noises. On a hot day it may be extra hot inside, but you can sit at a number of tables outside.
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YUMMY!!!! This place is a staple for my work team for a quick and tasty Mediterranean lunch. Love their chicken kebab wrap with lots of tahini..and I'm not typically a fan of lavash but theirs is quite good. When I'm not feeling quite as carby, I get the #6 chicken kebab plate with no rice, and extra salad and it's sooo tasty. Also puffy-heart their hummus and the chicken is usually quite juicy. At times, it can be a little dry...I think if they are super busy the quality is not quite as good but we find when we go around 12:45pm, we miss a lot of the lunch crowd and the food is better.
The guys behind the cash register are fun to talk to as well, their English isn't the absolute best, but they like to joke around with you and sometimes we find a baklava in our bag...can't complain about that.
Ambiance is definitely not there in terms of it being a fancy place, but for a quick weekday lunch, we seriously love it. Call in advance for take-out and nix the 10 minute wait for kebabs!
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falafel wrap is ok, but the pita bread is dry and the wrap doesn't have enough hummus. the kefta wrap was pretty good, but again, the wrap comes out a bit dry. the hot sauce is pretty much the rooster (sriracha) hot sauce...a decent spot for some middle eastern food.
I am smitten with the falafel wrap. I will, when starving, eschew tradition and sanitation in favour of fast, adept delivery of food to face. I used to come here after working morning shifts and grab lunch before I went home and passed out, sometimes still covered in bits of falafel and sauce.
I don't bother to think about whether or not the squeeze bottles of sauce are ever cleaned, nor do I have any idea why there is a huge photo of Philadelphia on one of the walls. I don't really care. I'm not dead yet, and I figure if there was something bad going on at House of Falafel, I'd be dead or sick by now. All I care about is how fast I can get the falafel wraps (and the baklava, and the hummus) into my gaping maw.
And so what if the falafel balls are a bit drier than other places? That's why God gave us condiments, my friends. Use some sauce to liven it up a bit. That's also why the pickle was invented; Ask for pickles inside your wrap, thus increasing juiciness by approximately 32%. The pita-ish bread in which the meal is contained is flaky, almost like a stale tortilla, but in a way that doesn't detract from the flavour. There's a full soda fountain at your disposal, as well as yummy hot tea and a bottled yoghurt drink I've yet to try. I wish they had beer... falafel is a great beer food. Maybe I should start getting it to go.
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I loved this food. Convenient, pleanty of parking.
This place was a little bit pricey and strange because they make other types of food besides falafels. I prefer for places to specialize in one type of food, unless it is Taco Bell/KFC. Not overall impressed with the building nor the food.
As good as Falafel's Drive-In? No.
But still very good food for pretty cheap prices. Very fresh tasting falafel; the kabobs are superb mixed up with rice and hummus.
The baklava is really good too- not too syrupy (which is how I preferit anyways).
Watching them slice meat off of the giant roasting spit is pretty awesome to watch too! :)
I see a few reviews about the falafel being too dry, what is that about? It's fried, people, so of course it's gonna be dry. That's why HoFalafel has tahini and red sauce on the table, so you can moisten your plate/wrap up as much as you need! (And on a side note, anyone treating Falafel Drive In as the mecca of falafel seriously needs to visit more falafel places.)
So with an intro like that, obviously I love this place, along with its Sunnyvale location. Although the Sunnyvale location definitely wins when it comes to decor and seating space. But, the Cupertino one is closer to me most of the time, so what you gonna do? I have tried the falafel wrap, chicken shish kabob (plate & wrap) and chicken shwarma at both places and love them. The backlava also rocks the casbah.
As several other reviewers have hinted at, the employees are definitely on the flirtatious side at times, but in my experience, it's always been harmless. Plus, who's going to refuse some free baklava?!?! I've seen the people at the register let both genders pay a few cents less if someone doesn't have enough change, which is nice. For example, if the total comes to $4.30 and you're searching through change for those 3 dimes, they tell you it's ok to just give them the $4.
One other great thing about HoF is that they're open late- 10 on weekdays and 11 on weekends. I've never been this late, but just knowing that it's around if I want it that late is awesome.
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This is the place of conversion. I used to hate any kind of Mediterranean cuisine, avoided shish kabobs like the plague. But when you hang out with a veggie friend, you have to be open to new places. So we headed over here, of course I was apprehensive, I was just hoping I could find something edible on the menu.
After pointing to nearly every item on the menu and asking what it was, whats in it, etc etc, I settled on the falafel plate.
Hello yum! The falafel was delicious! And oh how I have fallen in love with their hummus. Yum... one of these days I have to brave up and get the Vegi plate so I can get some of my own babaganoush and leave my friends alone. :)
I love this place. Relaxed, cheap, and very homey. And the staff is always very friendly and nice. -1 star for the cramped conditions.
I have been coming here ever since I saw the place open down the street from my home. I think that the management has changed since I started coming here because they used to pile on the food in the first year, but they still give you your moneys worth in my opinion.
It is definitely a no frills, hole in the wall joint so don't try to impress people by coming here for a business lunch or a fancy engagement dinner. That being said, they have great falafels, hummus, and chicken kabobs. The shewerma is probably one of the most popular dishes, but it can be in the salty and dry side at times. Their rice is usually top notch and they have those little pickled beets I like on the salad.
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I was thrilled to read about a great shawerma place. I've been looking everywhere trying to find some like the ones they have in Europe. I've been craving those damn kabobs with white sauce, just like in Nice.
Not so much luck here.
3 stars because there is a time and a place for House of Falafel. I do sometimes get a hankering for a giant shawerma, and it's close to my school. But I find their meat to be dry and their employees to be perverts. Also, why so stingy with the sauces when you get something to go?
I'll be back out of force of habit. I guess I need to yelp shawerma places.
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