Weird Falafels
Having remembered that Serious Eats named Rainbow Falafel & Shawarma the third best falafel-provider in Union Square, I dragged my hungry friends there expecting a cheap delicious lunch.
Rainbow Falafel & Shawarma store
Indeed the price was good, but we were disappointed by the taste. the falafel balls were unevenly seasoned as some parts were sourish. Even worse, they left a slight bitter aftertaste. Of course, the they still had the savory falafel-ness, which is characteristic of a falafel, but Rainbow just didn’t meet my expectations.
I felt especially let down because Serious Eats gave Rainbow a higher rank than Moshe’s Falafel Truck, whose warm, soft, chickpea-ish falafel innards seized my stomach when I first tasted it. Well the main differences are that Moshe’s is full chickpea flavor devoid of weird aftertastes, and that it’s a lot fresher. (My friends and I had to request Rainbow to warm our falafels up.)
Despite my contrary opinons to Serious Eats, it is still a community that I respect and trust. Ed Levine is undoubtedly a critic much more experienced than myself, and I do not mean to discredit his opinion. I do, however, disagree with this particular one. Still, I have yet to try #1 and #2 falafels in Union Square on Serious Eats’ list!
Rainbow's Weird Falafel
Grade: C+
Conclusion: Perhaps Serious Eats had me expecting too much, or maybe I went at the wrong time, but man that was one weird-tasting falafel.
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(212) 691-8641
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