When entering the restaurant one is immediately embodied in this Middle Eastern scent — herbs, spices and special seasonings for the beef shawarma to the baba ghanouj. Although not particularly inundated into our culture, menu items such as the tabbouleh and kafta are concisely explained on the menu, and there is no better person to ask for details than the man up front. An accented greeting, a warm smile, and his wife running around the kitchen are verification that you’ve just walked into a mom-and-pop shop of the Middle East located in Clairemont.
Menu items are priced fairly for their portion sizes, and if you want to get the most out of Lebanese cuisine, bring a friend, order from all over the menu, and feast yourself on all that Mister Falafel has to offer. Appetizers serve more than one person, and ordering something like the hummus or labneh (each $3.99) will only set you back a little and will whet your appetite for the rest of the meal. Entrees come in the form of a solo sandwich — served with one side — or the “plate” version, which comes with two sides and a helping of pita bread. The beef shawarma sandwich is set at $6.50, while the plate costs $8.50, which means you should go for the plate.
Home-cooked meals take time to cook, and Mister Falafel does require some waiting for its freshly prepared meals. Good or bad, you will quickly notice the lack of space in this restaurant, but it does make choosing a seat — the one table outside or the three or so inside — a much simpler task. With some not-quite-Lebanese Shakira playing and egregious orange walls completing the bizarre atmosphere, the only hope for authenticity is the food.
What came out of the kitchen was a comprehensive array of dishes and flavorings that were quite unknown to my uncultured tongue. The “taco” of the Middle East — the falafel ($3.50) — was a good start to the meal. A falafel, more than just a funny word, is a bite-size, spice-packed garbanzo bean delicacy that is a staple of Middle Eastern cuisine. It is complemented with taratosh, or a sesame tahini spread, which, with its subtler flavors, accents the falafel’s flavor. Lentil soup ($3.50) was made for my under-the-weather dining partner, and although its mossy green complexion and carrot chunks did not stir up my appetite per se, its taste and texture made up for its appearance.
And then came the main dish — the beef shawarma. A tin foil log is presented, and when you unravel it, the smell comes first. Then you notice the high meat-to-pita ratio. And then comes the first bite. Seasonings are a little exotic for what seems to be a typical beef entree, but with the addition of the cucumber yogurt salad, the strong beef overtones become milder as the yogurt covers each strip of beef and create a much more palatable and smooth combination. Between the other spreads I ordered — the baba ghanouj and the hummus — my highest recommendation goes to the baba ghanouj. An eggplant dish with a strong hint of garlic was an exceptional variation to the typical hummus most have tried. The meal is topped off with a paper boat of pita — served cold, which was disappointing — to help palate all of the dips.
When ordering at Mister Falafel, nearly everything is different. Turning toward the more popular menu items is justifiable — doing so will help ease you into the more exotic flavors of the Middle East. Go to items like the baba ghanouj, one of the shawarmas, and, of course, the falafel — all will easily satisfy you, especially when accompanied by the varying dips you may choose from. Although the spices are a notable part of what Mister Falafel’s offerings, no dish in particular stood out as “The One” that I would come back for. What does make up for this, however, is the homey atmosphere and attractive price.
When we imagine an “ethnic” or “exotic,” dining experience, we want our expectations to be met in reality. When you come to Mister Falafel, you do not experience a little piece of authentic Lebanon. The Lebanese flag isn’t hung ostentatiously, nor are works of great Lebanese artists hung on the walls. Even the music isn’t traditional. What you will experience is an aesthetically confusing environment and your food served on a disposable plate with plastic utensils. The visual ambiance may be lacking, but if you close your eyes and taste the food, you may be able to imagine that you’re back where Mister Falafel’s owners came from.
