I love falafel. I love those crispy crunchy nuggets of ground chickpeas and herbs and spices. However, I know that it’s quite difficult to get a good one. Supermarkets are the worst offenders – the leaden balls of dry crumbliness they sell give falafel a bad name. A passable falafel can be had at many of London’s Lebanese restaurants and in a pinch, Maoz Falafel in Soho is pretty good. But I knew they could be better. There had to be a place in London somewhere that produced superior falafel. I had faith. I had faith in London.
I’d heard a rumour that Shepherd’s Bush Market was the place to go for falafel and for a couple of years, I thought that place might be the little black and white stall that you see just at the entrance facing the tube station. But it was this post by the Syrian Foodie in London that pointed me in the right direction. It’s easy to get confused though – I counted at least three falafel stands in the market. Mr Falafel is located in the New Shepherd’s Bush Market, behind a produce stall and across from a clothing stall and a luggage stall, just off the Uxbridge Road.
Mr Falafel claim to have the best Palestinian falafel in London and to date, I’d say it’s the finest falafel I’ve had in the city so far. Of all the options available on their menu, I chose a Medium Deluxe Falafel Wrap (with fried caulifower, potato and aubergine). Would I like chili sauce? – Yes, please! I sat down at one of the tables and my order was brought to me when it was ready.
The medium size was perfect for my little lunch – I wonder how large the large size is! And that wrap was delicious. The fried vegetables were all tender and tasty but it was the falafel that were the stars; the chickpea nuggets were beautifully browned and crunchy on the outside but so so light on the inside. No dense leaden balls here! Wrapped in a flat bread with lots of crunchy, tangy pickles and garlic sauce aplenty, this was a fine lunch.
Mr Falafel, we shall meet again.
Mr Falafel
Units T4-T5
New Shepherd’s Bush Market
Uxbridge Road
Shepherd’s Bush
London W12 8LH
(I’m not sure what their opening hours are during Ramadan but otherwise the normal opening hours are available on the website.)
Wed, 1 Sep, 2010 at 00:46
my word, that looks tasty. will i give in to my falafel craving today, i wonder… but alas, it would only be a mediocre up-the-street falafel roll.
Wed, 1 Sep, 2010 at 07:48
That looks gorgeous! I adore falafel but there is nowhere near me that does them. The best ones I’ve had on a trip to London was in the outside market bit of Borough Market. Cooked frsh in front of you, lots of pickles, salad, tahini and chilli sauce – delicious!
Wed, 1 Sep, 2010 at 10:38
I’m a regular there and I agree – the best falafel in London. Do try the wrap with makdous – pickled aubergine stuffed with walnuts. Delicious.
Wed, 1 Sep, 2010 at 12:59
Ooh, nice one. I used to get some decent falafel from a tiny shop at the top of Fulham Palace Road — though the key there was to get the freshly-fried ones rather than the ones that had been sitting on the side of the fryer for a while.
There’s a lot of interesting-looking stuff in that little market — I kept meaning to have a proper hunt through when I lived nearby, but somehow never got around to it.
Wed, 1 Sep, 2010 at 16:00
That looks and sounds great – a proper mix of crunchy, moist and crumbly. With some taste to it as well. To date, the best ones I’ve eaten in London are from a stall on Whitecross St market – they were a real revelation for me. Yum. VERY morish.
Wed, 1 Sep, 2010 at 18:15
My Palestinian future brother-in-law would be thrilled to see this review. The falafel wrap looks very tasty!
Wed, 1 Sep, 2010 at 18:28
Mmm I’m bookmarking this one to try soon as I love falafel but often it’s too dry for my liking. Pity it’s in Shepherd’s Bush as I’m in NE London/Essex Borders.
Wed, 1 Sep, 2010 at 21:16
Looks like a great falaf sandwich …..
It’s amazing, the amount of Middle Eastern folk living in London and it is so hard sometimes to get the simple stuff done well….
Will def have to try this one ….
Thu, 2 Sep, 2010 at 14:55
this looks incredible -and definitely somewhere to head for my next Iftar meal.
Fri, 3 Sep, 2010 at 00:12
Looks delish – reminds me of the yummy falafel wraps from one of the stalls at Broadway Market (Arabica Spice Company?).
I’ve seen a good recipe in the Moro cookbook that I’m eager to try out. You’ve reminded and inspired me!
Sat, 4 Sep, 2010 at 11:15
The recipe in the Moro cookbook is really good. Highly recommend you give that one a try.
Shame they do not freeze that well.
Sat, 4 Sep, 2010 at 11:32
That is a serious felafel roll! I used to like the ones from Just Felaf in Covent Garden, but they closed. Shepherds Bush is such a schlep though!
Sat, 4 Sep, 2010 at 13:42
Yum. Must try this out. I can also highly recommend Pil Pil in Spitalfields market. They bake their own pitta bread every day. Its fantastic.
Sun, 5 Sep, 2010 at 17:30
Have you tried Hoxton Beach in Whitecross Street yet? I think they’re pretty delicious.
Sun, 5 Sep, 2010 at 20:02
I used to live about five minutes away – now it is a major schlep
Mon, 6 Sep, 2010 at 02:15
If you ever come back to NYC, you should try Taim. It’s da bomb!
Mon, 6 Sep, 2010 at 21:12
What do you think makes it Palestinian falafel, versus, you know, falafel?
I love going to Pilpel (spitalfields market) at lunchtime. I haven’t liked the Borough Market falafel very much, but I think it’s because that stand gets crushed on weekends and so they make a pretty inconsistent product under all that stress.
Wed, 8 Sep, 2010 at 18:09
bowb: Oh my goodness, I’ve given myself a falafel craving too.
Katie: That’s a bummer – every neighbourhood should have a nice little falafel stand! And a proper bakery. And a fishmonger. And a butcher. And… well, you get the picture.
franmouse39: Will do – I’ll make that the next one I have. Thanks!
Kake: Lots of fruit and vegetables and some I’m not familiar with. I need to spend somemore time there again and I know what I’ll be having for lunch if I do…
The Grubworm: How can the supermarkets get away with calling what they sell falafel?!
Nadia:
I hope he’ll approve of this wrap!
Robert: Ah yes, that is indeed quite a distance to travel for a sandwich!
Dave: I know what you mean – it’s the same with Chinese food, Japanese food, Indian food, etc etc.
gastrogeek: They close quite early for the dinner crowd – 6pm. I wonder if he’ll open specially for Ramadan though.
LexEat!: I bet your homemade ones will be amazing!
Foodycat:
It’s not that far! 
Actually, if you’re in Notting Hill Gate, it’s only a 10-15 minute stroll away.
Monster Munch: Oooh, homemade pitta bread? Thanks for the tip!
Krista: And another tip – thank you!
Helen:
That is indeed deserving of a sad face.
gargupie: I’ve seen photos of the falafel at Taim and they do look fantastic! Hope I can go visit NYC again soon!
An American in London: Other than it’s just like the falafel he had in Palestine, I have no idea. It’s delicious though!
Thu, 9 Sep, 2010 at 14:25
This looks amazing! I can’t wait to go.
Wed, 22 Sep, 2010 at 21:20
Hey – I went there today as I happened to be in Shepherds Bush and I had tucked this recommendation into the recesses of my mind. It was better than brilliant. I had the wrap with the makdous (as recommended by franmouse) and it was great. I hadn’t realized it had walnuts when I ordered it, now I know what the nutty crunch in it was. My only objection to the place was finding it in the market. And what a market – felt more like being in India than in Britain. Also its as good as anything I’ve eaten in Jerusalem or Ramallah (admittedly those memories are fading).