The question remains unanswered in the Rutgers community: does Mamoun’s Falafel Restaurant or Efes Mediterranean Grill have the best falafel in New Brunswick? I ventured to both restaurants to find out.
I am a falafel fanatic, so I was determined to find the best falafel joint in New Brunswick. I love a falafel that is flavorful, smooth on the inside, and crispy on the outside. I want my fellow students to have an optimal experience when biting into fried chickpea goodness, so I’ve reviewed these places for your convenience.
I first ventured to Mamoun’s to taste their falafel. I ordered one falafel sandwich to go and to my surprise, it only cost me $3.75. That price could make any broke college student jump for joy.
Photo by Brandon Slover
I then stuffed the sandwich in my bag and headed over to Efes. I again ordered a falafel sandwich to go. However, this time it was a longer wait and the sandwich cost me $6.40—double the price of Mamoun’s. I kept the price difference and wait time in mind as I headed to the student center to try both sandwiches simultaneously.
Photo by Brandon Slover
Mamoun’s was my first test subject. I opened the bag to find the condiments on the side and lettuce and tomato included in the sandwich. I liked how you could choose how much tzatziki sauce (white sauce) you wanted to put in the falafel. Another condiment was this mystery hot sauce. It had a great flavor with a medium to hot spice factor.
I added the tzatziki sauce and the hot sauce. I fell in love all over again. From the first bite, I noted the falafel’s minty note, crispy outside, and relatively smooth texture on the inside. I also tried the falafel separately from the sandwich to justify my tastes.
Photo by Brandon Slover
I then opened Efes falafel sandwich. It was basically identical to Mamoun’s, but was a tad bigger. I noticed from visual evaluation, that the lettuce was of higher quality than Mamoun’s. I bit into the sandwich to find it already had the tzatziki sauce in it, but it was just the right amount and enhanced the flavors.
Photo by Brandon Slover
However, there was something off about Efes falafel. I took a bite of just the falafel plain and came to two conclusions. One, the falafel was a little too salty for my taste. Two, the inside texture was too coarse, almost gritty.
After becoming very stuffed of falafel, I came to my final conclusion…the best falafel in New Brunswick is Mamoun’s.
Mamoun’s sandwich is not as large as Efes, but the quality of the falafel itself is superior. The texture of the falafel is more appealing and the flavors are subtle, but appetizing. Also, Mamoun’s falafel is half the price of Efes’. Not only is it a good falafel, it’s cheap too!
Don’t just take my word for it, you can go try them both for your own taste experiment. I’m just conveying what my palate said tasted best. Also, if you want a full review of Mamoun’s in Princeton, NJ, Spoon has you covered.
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