Skip to main content

Falafel Wars

It seems that every other new restaurant opening in DC is based on Middle Eastern cuisine and boasts "the best" Falafel.  Enter Muncheez and Taim, which recently opened steps away from one another on a busy street in Georgetown.  I couldn't help myself, and got semi-similar dishes at each to compare.  Here's the breakdown:

Atmosphere:  Muncheez had loud, thumping music ... so loud I had to shout my order.  They also have signs clearly stating that you must give your "complete" request to the person at the cash register and ~not~ talk to the people preparing your food.  This was not only odd but off-putting.  The menus themselves were hidden in the crowded cash register area and I had to make my order from the very generalized, unspecific menu posted overhead.  Taim, by contrast, had a calm wood interior with plentiful tables and a smiling woman at the register.  Taim wins, hands-down.

Price:  This one is trickier.  At $8.95, the basic Falafel Sandwich at Taim is 45 cents more expensive than the basic Falafel Sandwich at Muncheez ($8.50) but has more actual food, so I'm calling this one a draw.

Food:  This is the most complicated.  I liked the pita bread better at Muncheez, but the sandwich fillings were better at Taim.  Muncheez has garlic topping (which I adore) which Taim does not, but Taim has a significantly wider menu.  (A note -- when I asked that the garlic be substituted for the mint at Muncheez I got a "really?" response.)  The pita at Muncheez was large, chewy and slightly toasted, giving it a nice crunch (pictured on the left), while the pita at Taim is more like a hamburger bun (pictured on the right).  It's a personal sense of taste, but the Muncheez pita felt more authentic.  The falafel balls at Muncheez were larger but Taim has them in traditional green flavor and in harissa, which is a nice change of pace.  The sandwich fillings at Muncheez consisted mostly of light-colored lettuce (yech) while the filling at Taim was heavily red cabbage.  Other ingredients on both sandwiches (tomatoes, hummus, tahini, etc.) didn't stand out.  The falafel balls in both cases were nicely flavored but didn't rock my world.  Neither had the hallmark crunchy exterior.  Taim gets a little slap on the wrist for placing all of the falafel on the top of the sandwich.  I had to deconstruct it to spread the key ingredient around.  At Taim, I also purchased a side of Baba Ganoush, another favorite dish.  It came with a heavy smoked flavor (which I don't like) and pita topped with a lot of Za'atar seasoning.  Given that Za'atar is fairly strong, less would have been sufficient. 

Corporate beliefs:  Muncheez gives 1% of their proceeds to charity and is Lebanese based while Taim is 100% Vegetarian/Vegan, woman-owned and Israeli based.

Bottom line:  Both were good, neither wowed.  I still maintain that Falafel, Inc. is my #1 and Little Sesame is my #2 for falafel, with Lebanese Taverna my top pick for Baba Ganoush.  That being said I would give Taim another try, if for no other reason than to try the Strawberry Tomato Gazpacho and the Cauliflower Shwarma.  I just didn't feel very welcomed at Muncheez.  One of those "you're bothering me" vibes coming from those behind the counter.  Given their proximity to one another, I'm betting one bows out at some point. 

Muncheez:  Three DC locations, 1071 Wisconsin Ave. NW for the Georgetown location.
Taim:  1065 Wisconsin Ave. NW

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Afghan Bistro

With family members moving to Springfield, it has been a struggle to find good places to eat so far afield.  After flirting with some chain restaurants near the mall, we tried a Pakistani restaurant (there are many, many Pakistani restaurants there), but it fell flat.  Finally, someone suggested this amazing place.  It's a little hole-in-the-wall in a strip mall.  With oilcloth table coverings, the vibe seems questionable.  For about a minute.  Then you are warmly greeted and given menus with a plethora of choices.  My party ordered a great number of items and every dish rose above expectations.  The staff are eager to please and checked in to make sure everything was okay, from food to drink needs.  When a member of my party dropped a piece of silverware on the floor one of the waiters swooped in with a replacement before we could even ask.   But onto the food.  We ordered the Potato and Leek turnovers, the Aushak (leek and sc...
Post a Comment
Read more

Dera

Was looking for a good Pakistani restaurant in Springfield and this one had some of the best reviews, so I gave it a shot.  Arrived for an early dinner to find some regulars around a table in a cavernous room.  The restaurant staff looked at us like we had interrupted a private party.  We sat and were grudgingly given menus after asking.  Tepid water in questionably clean glasses were eventually brought.  One member of the party ordered a salad.  It arrived in a large mixing bowl and was mostly iceberg lettuce.  A plastic basket of cold bread was literally "dumped" on the table, then the waiter disappeared.  Eventually we were able to get someone to take our orders, which included a curry, a biryani and a kebab.  Portions were huge and the rice, again, came in what looked like a mixing bowl.  It was enough to feed ten.  The food wasn't bad.  Sometimes the seasonings were a bit heavy handed (particularly for the rice) but it was...
Post a Comment
Read more

Junction Bakery & Bistro

Everything here was good.  My party got a Tofu Stir Fry, Roasted Chicken Breast Sandwich, Crispy Flounder Sando, Sweet Potato Fries and a Chocolate Cream-Filled Croissant.  The food took a while but arrived literally hot off the grill.  The two sandwiches came with a plethora of side salad and a great homemade dressing.  Portions were large and all of us took home enough for a second meal.  The bill, with tax and tip, came to just under $75.  As mentioned, it was good.  Very good -- but not great.  Everything came close to being great it just didn't cross the line.  The cross-cut sweet potato fries were extremely munchable but the "Harissa Sour Cream" had a lot of sour cream and very very little harissa.  The Tofu Stir fry had a nice mix for a cold day but needed a little more oomph (I borrowed salad dressing from my companions).  Everything, including the Tofu and Flounder, were breaded and fried but didn't seem greasy until later....
Post a Comment
Read more