Falafel King

The food is incredible! Super fresh and all homemade. The environment is less spectacular, but the service makes up for it. Everyone is so friendly. The guy that helped me went above and beyond, recommending favorites and letting me try different sauces and sides. Great experience! VEGAN FRIENDLY! A must try!

Was there on Saturday 10÷12÷13. Never been there before. They were very helpful in recommending menu items. All three of us very much enjoyed our meals and will go back soon.

Totally charmed. Stumbled across this place today. Was a little hesitant to go in. When I stopped (mid-​afternoon) the place was deserted. It’s on a not very attractive stretch of W. 7^th, and the outside of the building is not very inviting. But the inside was encouraging. Nice wood booths. And the staff was very friendly and attentive. You order at the counter, then they bring the food out to you. Presentation was quite a few steps above what I was expecting. The food just looked so pretty on the plate. The falafel was nicely browned on the outside, and moist, tender and tasty on the inside. The pita was very fresh and appeared home made. The salad was nice with only Romaine, no iceberg. Also some purplish leafy veggie. Couldn’t tell what it was, but tasted great. I liked the tzatiki sauce, loved the hummus and the tahini sauce. The shawrma was good too. The hummus is served with a single olive. The olive tasted good, but the texture was disappointingly mushy. Would have liked fresher olives and more of them. The only other small complaint was the iced tea (free refills, thanks) tasted like instant, not fresh brewed. The baklava was very good. Overall, Falafel King far surpassed my expectations. Am very much looking forward to coming back soon. No wi-​fi. Would be nice if they could offer this as well.
07÷10÷13 — Oops, my bad. They DO have wifi. Ask at the counter, and they’ll tell you what network to connect to. Also try the ‘King’ Salad. It’s delicious. Diced cukes, tomatoes and chopped parsley marinated in a zesty lemon dressing. Especially refreshing on a hot summer day.

Since I was in the area around lunch time I decided to stop in to FK for a sandwich on my way down west 7^th.
I don’t remember them having an Italian beef sandy at the Lake St. location, so I thought it was worth a try. Hot veggies — why YES! Fried onions — of course! I skipped the dip though as a sandwich is to be eaten with your hands and too long of a dip can make for a mess. Bonus! Free beverage with sandwich purchase!
The sandwich arrived a few minutes later and was piping hot. Excess onions were scattered around on the foil liner of the basket. The beef was sliced thin and had been warmed on a flattop, but not to the point of being dry. The roll had been butter toasted on the flattop too. The giardinaria had a nice light burn to it without being overpowering.
Definitely worth a repeat visit when I am in the area!

I was favorably impressed with my visit here. The pita is made fresh locally, and not that limp stuff you get at the supermarket or at many restaurants. The salads on my vegetarian platter were very fresh, and compared favorably with those I’ve had elsewhere. The falafel was a little dry, but crisp and on par with others I’ve had. I also had some tea, which had a kind of spice to it. The manager was eager to make sure we were happy. Neither my companion nor I had the meat, which is what seems to get the negative reviews here.
We will be back to try the breakfast food.

I’m not sure if the Falafel King self-​professed themselves the monarch of fried chickpeas, or if it was a title earned over the years, but it seems like a reach in my opinion.
This outpost is still relatively new, taking over a storefront on West Seventh that has changed hands multiple times in the last few years. While their hours are convenient, I’m not sure I’d return any more, save perhaps some late night need to cure some hunger pains if I’m in the area.
I have tried their falafel, gyros and grape leaves over multiple visits and haven’t found anything I’d want to return for. The falafel was bland and dry, the gyro meat limp from being stored in a steam tray and sauteed in a fry pan when ordered and the pitas served with my Greek platter on my last visit were anything but fresh.
The counter service on each of my visits has been very friendly and the prices are pretty reasonable, but there are a handful of better options a stones throw away that I’ll be patronizing when jonesing for falafel or a gyro/​shawarma.

I’ve had worse.
I went here with trepidation, but it turned out okay.
We buzzed in on a recent weekday for a quick lunch. I’d never even been inside this place, but I was pleased to see just how clean and fresh (and empty) it looked inside.
I ordered the Falafel King sized, so I got a Falafel sandwich with rice or fries and a pop. My coworker chose the Philly Cheese Steak.
Our food came in just under 10 mins and looked pretty good. I was a little hesitant since we were the only people waiting for food and I kept hearing the microwave being used. Robert Irvine would not approve.
My sandwich was pretty big and not too bad tasting. I didn’t love it. The Falafel had okay flavor, but quite honestly, it tasted like heated up Trader Joe’s Falafel. I don’t know if that mean TJ’s is restaurant quality or FK uses TJ? I would have prefer the Falafel balls and the rice both a little hotter temperature wise. So I know the microwave wasn’t used on my food. I had one bite of the pita and it was nothing special, so I just ate the Falafel with the rice. I mos def didn’t like the salad it came with.
My coworker liked his sandwich and I stole a fry. It was okay. The people working were very nice, the girl at the register even came out and gave us refills on our pop.
It was okay for $ 8 or so, but I wouldn’t race back. If I’m on this side of the river, I’m going to Foxy or Mim’s.

I won’t lie;I was a little scared to come here after reading the reviews. I had, however, purchased a few deal chicken certificates for this place, so my brave BFF and I entered with caution.
We both ordered the same thing, a combo plate which had Falafel, hummus, pitas, and the typical gyro meat. I really liked the Falafel and the hummus was pretty good too. I have to agree with the other Unilocalers about the meat however. It did seem «odd» tasting and my friend thinks it is because she did not see the meat on a spicket. They do something different with their meat. I didn’t like it and most definitely will not order it again. Next time, I am going to stay with the falafels and chicken.
If I were to give a review on food only, It would be two stars but the woman who took our order and waited on us was SO nice! She even came and checked on us and refilled our drinks. Who does that at a order at the counter type of place? The longer we stayed sipping our diet cokes, the bigger her tip got.
I am not sure I would seek this place out, as there are so many other great Greek places to eat in St. Paul but if you happen to want some Falafel and are in the area, stop in and check it out.

I last wrote a review of this place a month ago and gave it high marks but I now have to give it one star. In the last month the quality of their food has gone way down and consistency is non existent. You can order the same thing two different days an it will be made differently. They used to let kids eat free every day with purchase of adult combo but when I went in there last they told me the kids eat free deal is now only good on Tuesdays despite the sign still being up. My only hope is that when they go out of business a similar kind of restaurant with higher standards will take its place.

When we went there and it was Caro’s it was great but yesterday the meat tasted like it was soaked in water and not grilled either. I was kind of nervous I might get sick, from the odd taste. The quality is down… Since becoming falafel king.

I decided to drive along West Seventh and see what struck my fancy. I’ve passed Falafel King in other parts of the Cities, but this was my first visit. It was also my last.
I ordered the king-​size gyro, which comes with rice and salad. The cook was nice enough to let me try a piece of falafel, which I barely choked down. The gyro was decent, though it was a bit messy. The rice was dripping with oil. The cook was nice, as were the other employees in the place, which was deserted at 9 p.m. The tables were set neatly, and the meal was presented nicely, too.
The one part I thought could salvage the experience, the giant piece of baklava, was disgusting — 20 layers of brittle filo that came off in one crusty piece, revealing a grungy smear of nuts atop an oily, barely sweet layer, which I could hardly cut through.
I would have been better off to drive to Mac-​Groveland and eat at Shish, which is about the same price and infinitely better quality. I would have to be pretty desperate to ever visit a Falafel King again.