Where to get the best falafel in Israel

On my trip to Israel I ate a lot of falafel. Besides the obvious conclusion that Israeli falafel is extremely better than any falafel I’ve ever had in America, I’ve also concluded where the best falafel is in Israel and that is from Falafel Oved in Jerusalem. My friend Elle was insistent on going to this falafel place when she realized we had time for lunch “right near” where it was. “Right near” is in quotations because it was actually a solid 20 minute walk from where we were supposed to eat lunch. But, I ate my words and, despite complaining the whole way, the falafel was worth the walk.

Falafel Oved is a little shack-like restaurant located in the residential area of Jerusalem with

one window where two guys are just making falafel at the speed of light. I ordered my usual falafel order which is a laffa (a laffa is like a flat pita that is the perfect combination of fluffy and thin) with everything in it -- but I specifically ask for it not to be spicy (just to prove I am a tourist). The man working there immediately went to work, filling the laffa with everything you could want in a falafel sandwich like onion, cucumber, tahini, french fries, tomato, and a bunch of other sauces that I didn't even recognize but they tasted incredible. Then, he made the falafel fresh right in front me, placing the balls of raw, mashed chickpeas in the deep fryer. He then flung the sandwich to me over the counter and it was ready to eat!

The sandwich was the perfect mixture of flavors - salty, slightly sweet from a mango sauce he added, and sourness from the pickled vegetables. The falafel was hot and crunchy - it was some of the freshest falafel I have ever eaten. The sandwich was also wrapped tightly so nothing fell out and all the toppings were evenly distributed so I got a bit of everything in each bite. On top of all of that the service was fast and the food was cheap (the huge sandwich plus a drink was only 30 shekels which is about $9.30). I would rate Falafel Oved a solid 9.4/10 and would say it is worth flying to Israel just for this falafel.

Since Falafel Oved is in a more residential area, it is unlikely that you will be near it when doing the classic touristy things on your trip to Israel. However, there is another falafel place which is not only a good second best but is also in one of the most touristy spots in all of Israel: Shuk Carmel. This is one of those falafel stands that doesn’t really have a name or somewhere to sit - only a guy with an array of toppings in front of him and a deep fryer. The stand is located just at the spot where the shuk turns from selling material goods (t-shirts, jewelry, shoes, etc) into selling food. The guy only makes falafel in a pita (I would automatically take points off for them having laffa option) and sells three drinks: coke, coke zero, and water. I again ordered all the toppings but not spicy and it was still incredible. The falafel was yet again made right in front of me as the guy was assembling the sandwich. The sandwich was fresh and filling. My only critique is that the toppings could have been better spread throughout the sandwich but other than that it was incredible. This place is also a bit cheaper, I got a coke zero and sandwich for only 20 shekels which is about $6.20. I would rate this falafel stand a solid 8.9/10 and say one place you must stop if you want falafel at Shuk Carmel.

In my opinion, you really can’t go wrong when ordering falafel in any place in Israel. Out of all the falafel I had (which was a lot) I did not have a single bad sandwich - which says a lot because I can be relatively picky when it comes to falafel. So, my big takeaway is that it is worth a trip to Israel to just taste genuinely amazing falafel.