My love of falafels has fallen off big time over the past couple of years, perhaps it’s because of the myriad of times I used to visit the much hyped Mamoun’s (where quality has slipped horribly since their expansion) and score $2.50 lunches or maybe it’s just because I’ve had too many in my lifetime but the bottom line is I don’t eat these sandwiches anywhere near as much as I used to. And that’s a shame because in most cases one can get a filling falafel sandwich for less than $5 with ease which makes them quite appealing but when I eat a falafel now I really have to be in the mood.

I work in the Financial district which pretty much sucks as I’m always looking for a variety of cheap interesting lunches . I scour the streets and the web looking for new carts and restaurants (I’ll be featuring as many of these as I can) but when I just want something quick and close I usually go with Zak’s Halal , Subway, Chipotle or Sam’s Falafel Stand.

The main reason I stick with Sam’s is because the price  just can’t be beat. A mere $5 buys you a stuffed grape leaf, a huge spoonful of rich and creamy hummus, sauteed onions and eggplant, baba ganoush, tomatoes, peppers, pita bread and about nine nicely sized falafel balls. That’s a great deal and Sam or whoever runs the cart is a hell of a nice guy but I always walk away feeling sick, bloated and like I will never touch a falafel again for the rest of my natural life.

I’m sure I’ll keep going because those cravings will come but I’m fairly sure they’ll do so less and less as time goes on. In the meantime if you like falafels and work downtown you’d be a fool to not take advantage of Sam and his sandwiches and platters.

Sam’s Falafel Stand – Cedar Street (Between Trinity and Broadway) NY, 10006, no phone

Filed under: Cart Food, Halal/Arab Food | Tagged: Baba Ganoush, Cart, Chili Peppers, Financial district, hummus, Mamoun's, Pita Bread, Salad, Sam's Falafel, Thaini, Wall Street