My search for the best falafel in New York continues….
Hipsters come from all walks of life. I had been meaning to try Queen of Falafel in Bushwick for a while now. The storefront is covered with street art and is on one of the hippest streets in Brooklyn.
I assumed this is an immigrant run Middle Eastern business selling falafel and hummus to the hipsters of Brooklyn. I was surprised to see the folks behind the counter seemingly calling the shots were some of the hipsters of Brooklyn.
When I told the kid who took my order that I didn’t need a bag, his response to me was “chill.” Not sure what that means but it’s a hipster thing to say.
The café is connected and co-owned by the folks behind House of Yes, which is a super popular and trendy performance space. It’s good to know that the coolest kids in the city are coming next door for some great falafel.
My Middle Eastern platter came loaded with all sorts of goodies – hummus, tahini, a bright and fresh Arabic salad, creamy labne cheese, and a few richly charred smoky slices of eggplant. And of course, falafel.
The entire platter will probably make my end of year 100 Best list, but this post is about the falafel in particular.
Like everything else on the plate, it was superb. Freshness was key here and the insides were as bright green as the café decor. Each falafel was packed with herbs that made the inside flavorful and chewy. The exterior was just as exciting with crunchy bits throughout and a nice tenderness.
My only complaint was that these weren’t terribly hot. That might have been because it took me a while to take all these photos before popping them in my mouth. But they were still warm and fresh, so I could see past any flaws caused by this silly food blogger.
Maybe these are hipsters running the show, but they certainly knew what they were doing when it came to traditional Middle Eastern food. I guess they have hipsters in the Mediterranean. And thankfully they came to Brooklyn to give us great falafel.
Does Queen of Falafel have the best falafel in NY? I would think it would be hard to get much better then these. I give them a 9 out of 10 crunchy and tender and loaded with fresh herbs. The cool factor is just an added bonus.
| QUEEN OF FALAFEL |
| 2 Wyckoff Avenue (at Jefferson Street), Bushwick, Brooklyn (718) 504-8628 |
| queenfalafel.com |
