Day 532...Finding the Best Falafel in my City

One of my favorite ingredients to cook with right now is chickpeas. I have enjoyed making hummus, nuggets, pastas, etc., but one recipe that I have not perfected is falafel. After 3 failed attempts at making homemade falafel, I embarked on a journey to find the best falafel in Atlanta. Basically this means I have eaten A LOT of falafel recently. 

To start, I googled falafel places near my condo in Atlanta and looked for a variety of chain restaurants and local shops. I selected 5 similarly priced restaurants to try and over a few weeks ordered either a side of falafel with tahini or tried the falafel gyro. I also got hummus with most of my orders, but I'll leave finding the best hummus in Atlanta to another compeition that includes homemade and store bought. I graded (1- 5 best) the falafel based on 4 criteria - shape, color, crunch, taste. 

The first falafel place I tried during my competition was Gyro Bros. It is very close to my place, and I ordered a gyro with a side of fries for pickup. When I opened the bag, I was disappointed to find styrofoam packaging, but also when I opened the box, the food looked like it had been sitting on a warmer for hours. I acknowledged that looks don't determine how great the falafel could taste, so I took a big bite out of the gyro. And I found out that the pita felt like rubber and even though the falafel had a great round shape, it tasted overcooked yet underseasoned. The falafel had no crunch and was almost chewy. I was barely able to stomach eating the full meal and unfortunately had to throw some of it out. I rated the shape a 3, color, 3, crunch 2, and taste 2. 

I ventured to a local shop nearby called Café Agora. I ordered a falafel gyro with fries. The falafel were fairly dark in color but had a decent taste. Though the falafel was slightly overpowered by what seemed like extra tahini sauce and hummus on the gyro. Café Agora earned shape of 4, color 3, crunch 3, taste 3. 

The next place I tried was Zoe's Kitchen. This is a popular chain restaurant that might be my work team's favorite place for catering, so I thought I would try it out outside of work. I ordered a side of falafel with their lemon tahini and some hummus. The falafel was fairly flat as opposed to round but but had a nice seasoning and airy texture to it. It paired well with the hummus and the tahini and satisfied my falafel craving for the week. Zoe's got shape 3, color 4, crunch 3, taste 4.

Next, I tried a local shop called Aviva by Kameel. I ordered a side of falafel and tahini. The falafel were perfectly shaped balls and had a nice dark outer shell that had a great crunch. In addition, the flavor pallet of the spices were overwhelmingly delicious in every bite. Topped with tahini, this made for a great lunch. It also scored a perfect 5 across the board. 

I tried another local shop called Zeus Greek Street Food. See below photo for my order of hummus, falafel, tahini, and fries because I was extra hungry this day. The falafel had a great round shape. They were light in color and had a nice crunch with the first bite. The side of hummus and fries definitely added to make this a great meal. Zues Greek Street Food had a near perfect score: shape received 5, color 5, crunch 5, and taste 4. 

I was too busy enjoying falafel that I only snapped a photo at the last restaurant. 

Now, for the results starting from last place. 

5. Gyro Bros

4. Café Agora

3. Zoe's Kitchen

2. Zues Greek Street Food

And the winner of my favorite falafel in Atlanta:

1. Aviva by Kameel!

If you are in the Atlanta area, I highly suggest trying out one of their two locations, and let me know if you agree that they have the best falafel. 

I realize my sample selection was limited to 5, so feel free to share your favorite falafel place for me to check out. And if you have an easy homemade falafel recipe, please share and we'll see if I'm able to make perfected falafel.