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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

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