Ba’al Cafe & Falafel

At $ 7 bucks for falafel in a pita pocket, it’s pricey for what you get. Makes for a good snack but it won’t fill you up for long, especially if you’re walking around the city. Falafel wasn’t bad and the guy at the register was kinda terse. This place is just A-​OK.

Awesome falafel sandwich but you have to get the plater otherwise entirely too small — 3 stars for the very unpleasant experience due to the rude guy behind the counter.

Fresh, quick, flavorful and delicious.
I got the chicken sandwich with whole wheat pita. It took them 5 minutes to make the food, so I was very surprised when I tried the sandwich and it was delicious. I’m a very picky eater, I give the halal guys cart a ²⁄₅ compared to ⁵⁄₅ for these guy. Next time will probably try the platter because that looked really good too but you can’t go wrong with the sandwich. So flavorful and filling. Definitely recommend this place to anyone. They have limited sitting but my friend and I were able to sit and eat, which was nice because they also have very fun songs playing.

Stopped in for a light lunch today. Got the spinach soup with chickpeas which was nicely seasoned with cumin and not too salty with a side of the grape leaves or dolmah, which were about a $ 1 each which were really great. The tzatziki was also really great. With a half a piece of pita for some dipping in the soup I left nice and warm and happy.
Overall great little lunch spot with really authentic food. Looking forward to trying the cauliflower sandwich and the ba’al soup next time.

8 dollars for a tiny pita sandwich, 4 dollars for ice cold roasted potatoes. Really? Why would I want cold potatoes?
The sandwich tasted good, but I don’t think I’d order from here again. Way too expensive for what you get.

$ 4 for a small container of lentil soup, which I was assured had NO artificial ingredients. Unfortunately, the aftertaste of some kind of preservative came to my tongue a few hours after eating, and next day diarrhea doesn’t lend to a good rating for this place.

I have to say… Mediterranean food has really been my weakness lately.
Working in an area where food is especially overpriced for small portions (looking at you, Soho), it is extremely hard to find a quick bite and not sell my an organ just for lunch. I first discovered this place through Seamless and it is one of the only lunch spots I can rely on for a quick, healthy, and reasonably-​priced lunch.
This place is an absolute haven for those who like variety. They have an extensive menu of sandwiches that you can get a different one everyday of the week… and still have more to try the next week! Overall, I love their sandwiches, especially the Chicken Shawarma and Eggplant & Zucchini, but the sandwiches are mostly filled with cucumbers and tomatoes.
I’ve also tried the 3 sides platter with falafel, babaganoush, and Za’tar fries – not worth it, unless you want a full meal – it’s very much like having tapas in one platter. They give you a hand full of falafel balls, some babaganoush (which is smooth but not very flavorful), and the «main course,» the Za’tar fries – they taste just like regular fries. There’s a lot of seasoning but they don’t do much for the fries. The sauces they come with, however, will add the zing factor.
Great place to grab a cheaper and healthier bite. It’s a true hidden gem on Sullivan and lines can fly out the door during lunchtime!

The zaataar fries were sooo good!!! The Baal sandwhich pita was okay. I found it Lisa dry because they didnt really put enough hummus and tahini. The mint lemonade was very sweet but at the same time soothing!

I go here all the time. So consistently good. I get the 3 sides: fattoush, hummus and fries. The couscous and falafel are amazing too.

Stopped in for lunch and had a falafel with a bit of hot sauce. Service is very quick despite the crowds. Reasonable price ($ 7) and out the door because there’s only seats for maybe 7 – 8 people and the line was already out the door. Great flavors in the balls as well as the garnish and sauces. Really top notch. Will definitely be back.

Great food and flavors including vegetarian options! And the price is just right! Not too expensive. This is my new go-​to place.
I like the chicken shawarma or the cauliflower.
Also the owner just hooked me up with a free lemonade for coming in so many times this week!

I absolutely love Middle Eastern food, and many times I’ve found a great snack by pointing Unilocal towards Mecca and going on a falafel binge. When I found myself in Soho this week and this place popped up, I was thrilled.
The shop is small but has super comfy high-​top seats, and the staff could not have been friendlier. I ordered a chicken shawarma pita and a side of falafel. The food was up in under ten minutes.
The salad was great, the portions were huge, and I really enjoyed the falafel. But I can’t get past how bland the chicken was! Not just a little dry, but totally bland. For all the variety of Middle Eastern places in NYC, I can’t ever really remember having shawarma without flavor, let alone from a cheaper place, where the combination of family receipes and street cart grease usually provides for overwhelming flavor.
It certainly wasn’t bad, and the menu showed a lot of promise, but I was so surprised to be underwhelmed. Perhaps I’ll be back, but it was not a pita to remember.

This is a great vegetarian lunch spot. The Mediterranean salads are good and so is their falafel. I recommend ordering a platter and choosing 4 sides. It comes with a lot of food and with pita so you can make your own sandwiches for about $ 10.
The place is small and only has seats for about 8 people.

A huge fan of the «chicken shawarma» its so fresh, extremely delicious! I would recommend everyone to try at least one of the sandwiches, you’ll love it!

Decided to add some pics and to try the baal sandwich for the first time. It was recommended by a friend and boy was she right!!. The stuffed grape leaves were fresh and my sandwich hit the spot

I was looking for a quick bite in the area after shopping, and I came across this small café that seemed to have a good menu.
I ordered a fried cauliflower sandwich with pickles, and it was a delicious and filling meal that felt light but still completely had me leaving full. The flavors were delicious and the spicy sauce they offered added a lot of depth to the sandwich!
Overall, a nice spot for a quick bite at a great price.

Portions are so small and it’s not cheap. Another reviewer complained that the pita sandwiches are small and the fried eggplant inside was minuscule and almost unnoticeable. The exact same thing happened to me.
Every time I eat here I hope I’ll get a decent size serving, but alas… not to be. It is because I’m a girl? I swear I’m not a pig. I just want lunch.
I’ll give them one more try. The quality is there, the portions are not.

I’ve passed this time several times on my walk down Sullivan Street to SoHo and beyond but never stopped in. well that changed last week as I came in after a business trip for a quick bite. I took the combo platter that came with falafel, hummus, grape leaves and salad. It was pretty filling and servered pretty quickly. Seating is at a premium here, but I did score a high chair. I just wish it was a bit less salty, and I compare all fast serve middle eastern food in the preceding area to mamouns and this felt just a drop below, still not a bad spot for a quick bite while on the run between the Siberian peninsula of Greenwich Village to Tribeca.

This place is always popping every time I walk past to go to Spice. I wanted a falafel so bad. I walked in around 1pm and there was one other person paying at the mini counter. Sneeze and you fall out the door. The table takes up about 80% of the store. So incredibly tiny. You have to turn to the side to allow people in/​out. I ordered and had my food within one minute. $ 6.25 for a fresh falafel sandwich is amazing. I also purchased a Bruce Cost Ginger Ale with passion fruit which somehow ended up bring my total to $ 9. I’m just now realizing that I paid $ 2.75 for that nasty ass ginger ale. Anyway I’ll stay away from the beverages in this joint from here on out.

We were craving falafel for lunch and came here on a whim =) I got the combo platter with 3 sides ($ 8) with baba ganoush, fattush, and falafel. It came with a warm pita bread with olive oil and za’atar, tahini sauce, and a hot sauce on the side. My friend got some fries with his platter that he really liked, and my other friend got a feta falafel sandwich that came in a pita pocket.
Pros:
— good food
— relatively quick, except for the fries, but that’s cause they made them fresh to order!
— very affordable lunch
— nice ambiance
Cons:
— small eating area, I’d recommend take-​out
Also, keep in mind that this place is cash-​only =)
Bottom line: I’d come here again