ShareWhen in any foreign country, the local cuisine should be sampled. In Israel, the national fast-food is the falafel.  A falafel is a sandwich comprised of fried humous balls put in a pita bread with fresh vegetables and sometimes “chips” (french fries in the US). Costing anywhere from 12 to 16 NIS (about $3.50 to […]

When in any foreign country, the local cuisine should be sampled.
In Israel, the national fast-food is the falafel.  A falafel is a sandwich comprised of fried humous balls put in a pita bread with fresh vegetables and sometimes “chips” (french fries in the US).

Costing anywhere from 12 to 16 NIS (about $3.50 to $4.50), this is a cheap, filling and not unhealthy meal.

The question is: Where to buy one?
This past week, my clients ate possibly one of the best and one of the worst.

Let’s start at the worst: McDonald’s.  That’s right, McDonald’s.  At 16.90 NIS, it’s the most expensive.  The falafel “balls” were flat and not too-well fried.  The pita was a simple wrap.  The veggies were, however, fresh and tasty.

Their favorite was Moshe Cohen’s falafel stand next to the main entrance of the Mehane Yehuda market in Jerusalem.   Don’t confuse this stand with the one just behind the police check-point.  Cohen’s falafel is on Agrippas Street just to the right of the checkpoint and sports a sign that though in Hebrew, one can deduce that the stand has been there since 1953.  Here the falafel balls were hot, tasty and delicious.  A variety of salads, pickled vegetables and condiments were available to munch on.  At 12 NIS per sandwich, this was one of the best lunches of the trip.