Falafel Invasion
Famed falafel restaurant Mamoun’s gives Dallas a taste of New York
Falafel fans in Dallas are starting to have it pretty good: Mamoun's Falafel, an iconic Middle Eastern restaurant from New York, is opening its first location in Texas, at our very own West Village complex in Dallas.
Founder Mamoun Chater opened the first Mamoun's Falafel in 1971, on MacDougal Street in Greenwich Village. There are now six locations in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. It's also been featured on the Food Network, and on bucket lists such as the book 1,000 Places to See in the United States & Canada Before You Die.
Mamoun's in Dallas will open in mid-summer at 3839 McKinney Ave., in the former PD Johnson space, between Eagle Post and Edohana Sushi. Its new neighbor will be Verizon Wireless, which is slated to open in mid-July.
The Ghassanis Bros, LLC is the company bringing the concept to Dallas. Raed Ghassanis toldQSR magazine that Mamoun's is "the real deal," stating, "My family knows what authentic Middle Eastern food tastes like, and Mamoun's is it."
In addition to falafel, the menu includes hummus and kebobs with lamb and chicken. Sandwiches come on pita bread with salad and tahini sauce. Plates have double the amount of the sandwich, served on a bed of salad with pita bread on the side.
QSR says that Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine is one of the top trends for 2017. Dallas is enjoying an infusion of like-minded out-of-town concepts such as Halal Guys, the New York chain that specializes in chicken and rice, and Amsterdam Falafelshop, the fast-casual chain from Washington, D.C., that opened a branch in Deep Ellum in 2015.
Mamoun's presence in Texas won't stop at Dallas, franchise director Hussam Chater says they intend to expand further into Texas in the coming years.
