Chickpeadx

I am in falafel heaven right now. This is the best falafel ever. Crispy on the outside, fresh together with a great mixture of flavors. make sure you don’t miss out on this and the other falafel virtues on the menu.

Simply delicious! I’ve been on the lookout for delicious falafel in Portland. For a while, I thought it was like a unicorn. This place is it!
It’s in a pod called the Zipper which is cool itself. Several micro restaurants share a common sitting area. We ordered falafel sandwiches and waited. What arrived was mouthwatering magic! Hot fresh falafel, crispy on the outside, soft and moist on the inside. Not like some places where the falafel is cold or so dry you need a glass of water to swallow the darn things. Included were some delicately fresh and crunchy lightly marinated carrots, some tasty hummus and other magical items. The only issue I had was that the pita kind of fell apart before I finished half the sandwich. It didn’t stop me from using my fork because I had to eat every single bite!
The guys working there were friendly. I would like them to succeed because this girl has found her unicorn!

Hands down, the best falafel I’ve had in Portland! Plus all of their sauces are fantastic, and the service is superb (but it’s at the counter, no sit-​down service) The cauliflower is also delicious.
My only issue is that the sauces come in such meager portions. They’re an extra 50 cents each and there’s no way I would be satisfied with less than 3 – 5 sauces at minimum per meal. The saucy portions. That’s really my only complaint and why it gets 4 stars here.
I just love the Zipper Pod situation. You can go with friends/​partners of different preferences, and order a drink at the bar together and walk around separately to find your own things and meet back in the middle. During the drier months they open up the closed central patio with an outdoor fire pit. Obviously one con to this is there’s no sit down service. But this is Food Carts done RIGHT. Truly. I love it all.
Here’s what else the Zipper Pod offers:
–Chickpeadx (obvi & best falafel in town)
–Rua (VIETNAMESE, including banh mi & equivalent of burgers, plus Vietnamese coffee)
–Seven Virtues Coffee (delicious roasters of COFFEE)
–Bywater (New Orleans seafood foods SOUTHERN)
–Paydirt (Whiskey BAR/​everything bar)
–Slice Pizza Co. (PIZZA)

ATMOSPHERE:
Clean, modern, intimate (about the same as other Zipper spots). Only gripe was the cheap stools.
SERVICE:
Friendly, helpful, patient.
FOOD:
I had the falafel bowl and fried cauliflower. Everything was good. Possibly the first time I’ve had falafel, so can’t compare, but I liked everything. I’ve only had fried eggplant once before, and it was seasoned/​breaded. Interesting to have just plain fried eggplant. Struck me as quite similar to plantains.
PRESENTATION:
Outstanding. Looked so much nicer than the pics I’ve seen. And my food came in polished stainless bowls, not the paper boats I expected.
PRICE/​VALUE:
Typical of The Zipper, but seemed high, because I’m a bitter old guy who wants to pay $ 5 for lunch.
OVERALL:
Nice change of pace. I’ve been in a rut lately, and this was just what I needed. In retrospect, wish they had some meat options, but I’ll admit as I was eating my lunch I didn’t feel at all deprived without meat.

These falafels are outstanding! Crispy on the outside, flavorful and mushy on the inside. Sometimes falafels get so dry that you need to put a tablespoon of sauce on each bite to not choke but not these! Delicious.
We ordered the sauce trio which was such a nice variety. Great fresh flavors. Pita bread was good but not the best I have had. Pickles were nice and sour I will definitely try more things on their menu next time.
I love how I can sit at the bar a few stores down and they bring my order when it’s ready. Nice guys, I will go back.

Falafel bowl, good. Nothing stood out as outstanding. For me at least could have been a lot more vegetables. Will come back. Very good falafel.

My favorite falafel pita. I’m surviving since it moved a few miles further from my neighborhood, but it’s worth the drive outside of my quadrant.
Try the sauces, zhug is my favorite.

I had heard great things about Chickpeadx from the vegan community so I persuaded my dining companion to give it a try some weeks ago. We shared an order of the fried cauliflower and each had a falafel sandwich. I normally like Sriracha but didn’t really care for it on the cauliflower. I wish I had noticed it in the description and asked for it on the side because my dining companion had to try to eat the pieces that weren’t drowned in Sriracha. My falafel sandwich was fine but wasn’t anything special. There are definitely other places I like much more around town. With so many options in Portland, I probably won’t be in a hurry to go back to Chickpeadx. It’s not bad, it just didn’t rock my world.

Pretty healthy and tasty. I had a salad, the dressing was a little bit too tangy, would have liked something a bit creamier perhaps?

Every now and then I get a hankering for some falafel. It doesn’t happen often and usually I’ve been known to end up at one of the Nicholas restaurants.
I was on my way home from the Northeast and was riding past the Zipper, the place that opened up on NE Sandy and 28^th. Pizza, beer, Cajun, Vietnamese, coffee and falafel all here in a beautiful space.
I took a look at the menus of the various places and ChickpeaDX seemed like a great option. A pita with some crunchy chickpeas and Lima beans with tahini, carrots, jalapeño, onions and other goodness in a soft, warm flat bread. Yes, it was as good as it sounds. A really tasty combination. There were other options for falafel and I even saw a fried cauliflower item that actually looked good.
Not a bad little spot on NE Sandy. Stop on by and enjoy some good vegetarian fare.

Wow. Like holy smokes WOW! So let me start this review by just stating the fact on how much I hate eggplants! Ask my father and he will confirm! Anyways, so I’ve been wanting to try this place since they were still a food truck. I didn’t get the chance too but read on their website that they will be part of «the zipper», brick and mortar! So I patiently waited, and finally today was the day! I’m a bit obsessed with falafels, (I’m a carnivore so don’t get it twisted) but in days when I don’t feel like eating meat, falafel had always been my to go to meal! (Sorry Tofu, just can’t do it!). I came here for an early dinner (right after work), and wanted something light. The guy on the counter recommended the salad. It sounded great, except for the fact that it came with eggplants! I hesitated but told him, I’ll try it plus a side order of hummus! Low and behold, I couldn’t stop eating the darn things! Yes! I was eating eggplants! Lol, how was the falafels you may asked?! Off course, they were freaking divine! These bad boys were cooked perfection! Crispy on the outside and soft with enough «mush» on the inside! The salad was pretty dang good, the dressing had this perfect «zing”/spiciness to it, it was a match made in heaven! The hummus and the soft pillow like pita bread was the perfect side dish. The hummus was so good, I was eating it by the spoonful! Yup, no shame I have a feeling, I’ll be coming back here soon!

Amazing, fresh food.
I ordered the platter with three options, and chose:
–Fried Cauliflower
–Potato walnut salad
–Falafel with sauce & pita
The fried cauliflower is food of the gods. This may be my new favorite side dish. Period.
The potato salad was tasty, but personally, I’d prefer smaller potato pieces. The larger ones tend to be more dry & overwhelm the other ingredients.
I’m a falafel snob, and their falafel is perfect. Perfect!
I will be back again & again. I have no idea what the magic fairy dust is on the cauliflower, but I’m already jonesin’ for more.

Yum! This tiny restaurant serves up authentic Middle Eastern falafel dishes and their service is friendly. Well priced for its size. No wait at all, everything came right out. I will definitely be back!

Chickpeadx offers the most flavorful, healthy (their food is not greasy, overly fried, or sodium-​laden) falafel & traditional Middle Eastern accompaniments I’ve ever had. I appreciate their kind, swift service, their impeccably clean, open kitchen, & their highly vegan-​friendly (minus the labneh & feta, items you add on rather than have to subtract) menu. I look forward to visiting often.

Awesome. Super awesome.
My husband and I came here kind of on a whim, and LOVED it. I got a salad, and he got the pita.
The falafels were fresh and flavorful! And my salad came with 4 giant ones! Such a good deal for $ 8! Every component of the salad was delicious– but especially the fried eggplant. Oh my god.
While my husband really loved his pita, but thought it was definitely better with feta.
We could easily eat here every day! Worth visiting.

Like the time it took to eat here, and the time it took to drop two stars, I’ll keep this brief.
Falafel: amazing. Perfectly crunchy, good portions, flavorful, moist not soggy. Better than Wolf & Bears’ (gasp!).
Fixings: fresh, delicious.
Service: fast, helpful, friendly.
Price: reasonable.
Location: convenient, weird, outdoor seating is nice, still not sure if I’m sold on the zipper but I don’t hold that against Chickpeadx.
Sauce portions: meager as fuck, and I use an expletive here to accentuate my displeasure at the thimble-​sized amount provided with my otherwise sizeable and well-​proportioned meal. There is no way a reasonable eating human could believe the included sauce amount to be sufficient. To charge an additional $.50 for extra sauce makes my stomach churn and my vision quake with rage. I refuse to believe Chickpeadx’s sauce overhead is so high that they cannot afford to at least double the sauce amounts, or provide extra sauce for free, preferably both.

The falafel is very fresh, possibly the best I’ve ever had, and I LOVE falafel.
The falafel balls are a good size and not overly fried nor are they dry, as too often happens at some places.
We ordered the «Pita» sandwich and although it was tasty and unique, we felt it needed a lot more sauce.
Next time, we plan to try the «Bowl» or «Salad» and request extra sauce.
We also plan on trying the «Platter» so we can try the Fried Cauliflower, Georgian Potato Walnut Salad, and Farmers Market Fattoush. All of these items sound really delicious on the menu.
Regardless, it’s great to have this vegan spot in The Zipper. The Bywater Grocery New Orleans restaurant place next door doesn’t even have any vegetarian options, except one: boring beans and rice. And yes, it IS possible to have vegetarian AND vegan Cajun food, just check out the menu for Tapalaya not too far away.
Also, the gal that took our order was quite helpful as well as friendly.
We’ll go back very soon. And probably often. We’d been waiting for The Zipper to open for quite some time and we’re glad it’s nearby.

My favorite falafel since first bite.
Now with several great sides to choose from and covered outdoor seating in the Zipper building.
I think I’ll head back right now.
Huge thanks, Chickpeadx!
B^)

Still the bomb! Pita is fresh, falafel is unlike any other, veggies are crisp and bursting with flavor, and the sauces are perfection. Merci! Seriously 5 stars. Did I mention the new location is rad? I miss the convenience of the cart location before, but Chickpeadx deserves a space where it can feed the masses. No holding back. Come and eat!

Just simply a wonderful falafel lunch. Situated in the new ZIPPER food court, this place is totally satisfying a delicious. They ditched their successful food cart for new new digs at Zipper. Wonderful falafel for $ 7. I also had a roasted carrot salad with pumpkin seed. Nice relaxed seating in Zipper. I’ll be back often — oh yeah Vegan!

Absolutely satisfying dining experience despite limited menu. Everything screamed fresh and deliciously prepared.
I suggest ordering one of the sauces if you want to enjoy a more complex flavor experience.
Can’t wait until they get their liquor license.