Taïm Falafel & Smoothie Bar

222 Waverly Place, New York, NY - (212) 691-6101

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Posted By Chris Ayers & Amy Briesch on 2/25/2012 11:47:00 PM

Though we’re not the first to proclaim that Taïm serves the best falafel in New York City, we can effortlessly declare that this woefully small café in the West Village makes some of the best falafel we’ve eaten in the United States. Thirty years ago, we don’t remember seeing falafel very often, except in remote Middle Eastern restaurants. Since then, they have spread like wildfire across the country — thanks to the Mediterranean craze — though we’ve had more terrible falafel than we could count. Having wasted stomach space on chewy, chalky, flavorless, dry, bready mouthfuls of bad falafel, we were rightfully overwhelmed by Taïm’s savory, crispy, extremely tasty preparation of the now ubiquitous fried chickpea spheres.

Cooked to order, Taïm’s falafel come in three flavors/colors: traditional green (parsley, cilantro, mint), harissa yellow (mildly spicy with Tunisian spices), and pepper red (mild roasted red peppers). Smooth hummus, Israeli (tomatoes, cukes, parsley, lemon-mint dressing) and tabouli salads, and tangy babaganoush are sure to satisfy any connoisseur. The sabich sandwich layers fried eggplant with a hard-boiled egg, hummus, pickled cabbage, and tahini. Authentic dipping sauces include amba (pickled mango) and the spicy s’rug (chili, garlic, cilantro). Plus, you can wash your meal down with your choice of an inventive smoothie (e.g., date-lime-banana, strawberry-raspberry-thai basil) or a homemade lemonade (e.g., ginger-mint, brown sugar)! The restaurant also has its own food truck, parked daily in various spots around Midtown and Brooklyn. Taïm is open every day 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and the schedule for the Taïm truck can be accessed at www.taimmobile.com.

Scorecard

Overall: One of the Best - Worth a Trip

Falafel Sampling	Sabich Sandwich
Mixed Falafel Platter	Sabich Sandwich

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"This $4 sampler includes all three falafel flavors, each a distinctly different color."
Chris Ayers & Amy Briesch

"This platter includes all three falafel flavors, hummus, Israeli and tabouli salads, and toasted pita sprinkled with za'atar."
Chris Ayers & Amy Briesch

"Three sauces accompany all platters (from l. to r.): spicy s'rug, mango amba, and tahini."
Chris Ayers & Amy Briesch

"This close-up shows the intense color of the Traditional falafel, laden with parsley, cilantro, and mint."
Chris Ayers & Amy Briesch

"Chris and Amy of ayersian pointed me in the direction of this falafel sandwich and it was the freshest I've ever tasted. Thanks so much!"
Bill Homan

"The Sabich is a heavy pocket of fried eggplant, a whole hard-boiled egg, hummus, pickled cabbage, and tahini."
Chris Ayers & Amy Briesch

"Good, flavorful, simple ingredients make for some amazing food."
Bill Homan

"Taïm serves the best falafel in NYC, though sitting inside the cafe is often cheek-to-jowl tight."
Chris Ayers & Amy Briesch

"A tiny storefront in the West Village but packed with lots of flavor"
Bill Homan