Tahini/Edna's Falafel Shop - St. Mark’s Place & 3rd Ave

Tahini/Edna’s Falafel Shop
$
**
212.254.0300
23 3rd Ave

What’s the name of this place?  Is it “Tahini”? “Edna’s Falafel Shop”?

This East Village falafel place seems to be having a bit of an identity crisis, but it still serves a pretty good falafel sandwich. The halal cart near my office sells falafel sandwiches for $3, making Tahini’s (Edna’s?) $5 price tag seem a little steep, but Tahini’s does do it better. The pita is warm and the falafel is bright green when you bite into it. The vegetables taste fresh and crisp and come with an assorted choice of sauces, none of which are labeled, so I’ll just call them yellow, green, “spicy”, and white (tzatziki, I assume).

The chicken kabob pita sandwich is also quite good, although it’s a bit of a misnomer since the chicken does not come from a kabob, but is shaved off a tall, vertical spit, like the ones used for gyros. The chicken was tender and surprisingly flavorful, tasting almost Indian with spices like cardamom and turmeric. This is also served with chopped vegetables and in the same warm pita as the falafel.

St. Marks Place between 2nd and 3rd Avenue is full of falafel joints - some boast $1 falafel, others look like a front for more illicit (and probably illegal) behavior, but Tahini stands out to me - it’s clean and fresh, with good, filling food.