I have returned. For a fast casual lunch buffet, Falafel 54 is still solid. Most notably because it's one of the select few in the central NC region that offer a Mediterranean buffet. The buffet is vegetarian heavy, offering an impressive spread of fresh salads. From their perfectly cut tabouli, to their fattoush and cilantro salads, it's all tasty. Their crispy falafels are wonderful. The hummus options are crushing it too, like the jalapeño hummus. The true star of the show, however, might be their tzatziki sauce. It is exceptionally creamy, tangy, and packed with fresh ingredients. The dill and tangy flavor was quick to hit the tongue. It almost felt like a zap, and I loved it! The gyro meat, curry chicken and chicken kabobs were excellent. I kept loading up on the tzatziki sauce because it was too good! That sauce was amazing with the kabobs, the lentils, rice and salads! Great ambience and service. read more

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Interesting place - almost a hole in the wall kinda buffet with Mediterranean food. Came in with my 25 y/o son. You pay then go to a very limited buffet. But, the food is tasty and we enjoyed all the selections. I recommend for a quick lunch - remember the hole in the wall comment ..... Don't recommend for small children and definitely not a date environment. read more

Ordered via Uber Eats. Order was delivered in less that an hour so I am going with fast service. The quality and quantity of the food was very good. I would be a regular if I lived in the area. read more

Falafel 54 - Large side salad - Buffets Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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The food tasted good- but I do recommend that they look up what Tabouli is on the internet because the salad was not Tabouli. Burglar and mint are required ingredients in a tabouli salad and both were missing. Also, Tabouli is supposed to be mostly parsley and mint and the parsley was more of a garnish than anything. It tasted good, it just wasn't what it was supposed to be. The shawerma spices were also not typical, but also good. read more

I ordered Door Dash and have to say, I won't be back. I decided to try this place after having really good luck at Mediterrasian Bistro. I should have stuck with old faithful. I ordered a gyro wrap and a side of fattoush. The side was 3.50 and the portion did not match the price. I am glad I decided to order pita and a dip because I would have still been hungry with just the wrap. The taziki was sub par as well. read more

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I thought the food from Falafel 54 was OK. My wife liked the food more than me. The service I experienced was good; however, after looking back at the menu, I think the restaurant staff missed a couple items in our order. Also, the menu pricing was inconsistent in-person vs. on Falafel 54's website (not a third-party vendor). From the looks of it, this is a humble, "mom and pop" type Mediterranean restaurant with a buffet that is (or was) popular. It appears the buffet was an office lunch crowd favorite, pre-COVID. Not sure about these days, but it was open during my dinner takeout visit. Also, I don't believe this business was always open for dinner, but it was when I went. I called before my visit to make sure they were open. They closed early for dinner, at 7:30pm on weekdays. Falafel 54 opened in 2015 in the old Baba Ghannouj Mediterranean Bistro space near the corner of 54 and 55, just off I-40 exit 278, so it's relatively easy to get to. When I visited around 7pm on a Thursday, I was the only customer for the duration of my visit. It looked like the two workers were preparing orders that had come in after mine, from online. I saw the online menu, but it was confusing and looked like it was for large catering orders only. Therefore, I decided to order in-person and wait. I ordered a wide variety of items for my wife and me. We're both fans of Mediterranean food. Here's what I got for us (takeout): Platters * Gyro Platter ($11.50) - seasoned strips of beef and lamb, Greek salad, hummus, baba ghanoush, tzatziki, and pita * Kabob Platter ($11.50) - chicken kabob skewer, Greek salad, grape leaves, cilantro hummus, and pita * Curry Chicken Platter ($11.50) - tender chicken in mildly-spiced curry, basmati rice, fattoush, tabbouleh, and pita Sides, etc. * Falafel (two orders, $3 each) * Baklava (two orders, $2 each) Through the above platters and side choices, we pretty much tried almost everything the restaurant had to offer. The same can also be accomplished by getting the buffet. Several of the items packed in our takeout boxes actually came from the buffet. During my visit, the buffet was all-you-can-eat / unlimited and priced at $13.50 per adult and $8 per child (age 7 and under). You could also take out from the buffet for $9 per pound. I'm guessing the buffet can work out to be more economic depending on what you select. Mask and gloves were required upon each trip to the buffet. I would have felt a little gypped if everything I had ordered came off the buffet, but fortunately that wasn't the case. The server, Sergio, and his female coworker fired up the griddle and cooked some things fresh including some of the meats and the lady made sure to toast and slice the pita. I appreciated all of that. My wife commented that generally the food was tasty, but not amazing. I think part of that was because I showed up about 30 minutes before closing and some of the food had been sitting out on the buffet for a while. However, nothing was bad. If anything, I would have liked bigger portions. I don't mind paying a premium for good food, but for what I paid, I'm not sure the value was there, quantity-wise. I'm glad I ordered that third entree and those extra sides because one entree and two sides alone was not filling to me (and I don't eat as much as I used to). The Gyro Platter was my favorite, but compared to other Mediterranean restaurants, the portions of shaved gyro meat were somewhat lacking. The meat itself was delicious, especially with the tzatziki. Hummus was listed as one of the sides for the Gyro Platter, but we did not receive any; only the baba ghanoush. The Greek salad was crisp and refreshing, with dressing served on the side. A noticeable amount of fat from the gyro had built up and solidified underneath the salad. The Curry Chicken was flavorful and a pleasant surprise. The sauce soaked into the bed of basmati rice. The chicken came with a side of chutney which we weren't expecting. It was packed with flavor and went great with the chicken. I did appreciate the portions of fattoush salad. The salad was packed in a separate container, not in the standard three-compartment foam box like everything else. The tabbouleh had a very strong parsley taste which I enjoyed. The Kabob Platter was alright. Not bad. Our Kabob Platter was missing the Greek salad. The number of stuffed grape leaves received was two (didn't seem like enough). This was our least favorite side and I don't recommend them based on how they tasted. The cilantro hummus was a different story and fared better. It had a really unexpected spicy kick to it. For a restaurant with "falafel" in its name, Falafel 54's falafel wasn't great. These falafel could have been crispier on the outside, more moist on the inside, and more flavorful overall. That said, I still think they're worth ordering. They were appetizing enough and came with yummy tahini on the side. As for the baklava, it was delicious. You can't go wrong there. read more

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So happy I finally discovered this place. I've only gotten take out so can only comment on food taste and quality! The gyros are so good! And the hummus and pita are solid. The fries are yummy. The Greek salad has a great slightly sweet dressing. The star though, in my opinion, is the baba ganoush - ugh so delicious - amazing flavor!!! I ask for extra each time. Super affordable too! What more could you ask for? It's a regular in our take out rotation. Highly recommend! read more

We saw there a giant cockroach coming towards us. We had to get up from our chairs quickly before the roach got on us. We got nausea, and ran the hell away from there trying to suppress the experience. And by the way the food is full of union, I suffered all night of heartburn. read more

This was the first time I've had Baba Ganoush that tasted sweet. I added salt and lemon juice, it was still pretty sweet read more

Falafel 54 - Side of Baba Ganoush - Buffets Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

I found this place while in the area and looking for food to end my involuntary fast. A great find in every way. The customer service is EXCELLENT, every single item I ordered (pretty much all the vegetarian items) was fresh and tasted delicious. I will definitely be back! read more

Wow the food is amazing! So fresh and delicious. I couldn't eat more then half, but I am looking forward to left overs. Wish I had one in Maine. Might order again Sunday before I leave back to Maine. read more

Falafel 54 - Falafel, humus, Greek salad, - Buffets Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

The food was great! We had the buffet yesterday, and we enjoyed the chicken kabobs, hummus, pita, grape leaves and falafel. We would have liked to see more variety, but what they offered was delicious. The place was very quiet, and the service was almost non-existent. We didn't see any employees after we placed our order. The plates and flatware were disposable; not good environmentally, but at least we didn't need help taking care of our table. read more

Portions small. Falafels tasted like they were frozen store bought. No flavor. Texture bready. Hummus runny and tasteless. Baba gabous oily. Not worth the money. Never again. read more

After another visit to Falafel 54, I can't say I'm as much of a fan [p.s. this is the game of the disappearing Yelp review, I swear I'd already written one for this place back in May...] On my first visit, I arrived at Falafel 54 right at 11am when the opened for a weekend lunch, yesterday's visit for a weekday, 3pm visit. The two experiences were vastly different and I would highly recommend planning your trip wisely. Arrive early and things are fresh, full and plenty on the Mediterranean buffet line. Arrive late and you'll find it picked over and with the potential to make for an upset stomach. Although there is a sign out on the buffet stating "let us know if anything is missing...we cook things fresh...", when they're out, they're out. My pro-tips for Falafel 54, they definitely offer up some tasty items, I love their eggplant dish and their chicken kabobs are tasty. Pair that with their humus and baba ganoush and you'll be pleasantly pleased. But you have to get their early, otherwise you'll find limited portions, the naan will be hard from sitting out too long and it's never good for food to sit for long periods of time. Also, note that they regularly offer a Groupon deal which comes to about $15 for two people with water (not including tip). read more

Falafel 54 food is always fresh and authentic. The experience is a is a must do. All my friends and family are told about the quality of the restaurant on a consistent basis. Planing a dinner in the near future for the food is so so good. read more

Let me start with the service: horrible! I made the order and made it clear to the cashier/cook/server :) that it is a dine in. After a long wait, I saw him calling me to come get the plates! I think it would be best to take out the tips off your receipts if you want us to do the work! Fattoush is not really a fattoush, far away from it! It did not taste good at all, so I left it as is. Falafel sandwich was okay, but not done right. The bread is what made it okay. The falafel was not done on the inside. Shawarma sandwich was much better than anything else. I would come back for it. The bread was exceptionally tasty! Maybe the best I have ate in North Carolina. Hence the 3 stars :) read more

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I went to Falafel 54 at around 1pm for lunch. It's in a little mall area next to a car repair shop so while there may not be many parking spots immediately next to the restaurant there are plenty nearby. You can order individual entrees or pay for the lunch buffet. There was plenty of dining area and the buffet trays were fully stocked. I ordered the chicken gyro, fries and sweet tea. Like much Mediterranean food- it wasn't cheap. The cost was a little over $11. The sweet tea was ok. The rest of the food took 13 min to be ready. I always love their fries- they are extra crispy on the outside- probably double fried. The chicken gyro was decent- not mind blowing. The chicken was perfectly cooked though I wished it had more seasoning. read more

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Don't let the outside of his place fool you. I found it in a beat up shopping center after I Yelped restaurants. Since I wanted something different and it had four stars I thought if give it a shot. It's a very plain jane Mediterranean buffet eatery. Nothing special about the outside or the inside but the food was delicious. I first ordered the Gyro platter but the owner talked me into the all-you-can-eat buffet which was $12 for an adult. There is always Gyro meat, Curry Chicken and two other dishes that I can't remember and he rotates the other hot dishes. The eggplant was mouthwatering, I did go back a few times for that. There is also a cold buffet with cucumber and Greek salad, fresh hummus and sauces plus a few desserts. Let's not forget about the grape leaves. I love those. You can either eat in or take out and there are many selections if you don't want to do the buffet. It's definitely worth trying! read more

Falafel 54 - Cold Buffet - Buffets Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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don't let the outside of the place fool you. the shopping center is sus, but the food is incredible! Would definitely recommend, the buffet is only $15 and you can definitely get your worth! read more

This place is nice and quiet with fresh food. The man behind the buffet bar was really nice and greeted joyfully when I came in. I appreciated how fresh the food was, and I really liked the baklava they had, which was actually the first baklava I have ever liked since I tend to stray away from any type of flakey desserts (usually just gets messy from the flakiness and and I always felt the taste was not worth the mess until I got to try this one!). This is a great place to get a quick and satisfying lunch for anyone in the RTP area on a lunch break! Definitely coming back! read more

If you're looking for a hearty, healthy lunchtime meal in the RTP area, Falafel 54 is the place to be! Whether you choose takeout or the lushly stocked daily buffet you will have plenty of delights to pick among, from cold salads and standards like stuffed grape leaves, hummus, baba ganouj and more, to a rotating array of hot dishes like traditional eggplant and chickpeas, spicy green beans, assorted meats, and perfectly crisp, delicious falafel, along with pita, sauces, and sweets to complete your meal. Seating, decor and atmosphere are simple but the food is fresh, filling and despite being served buffet style it is still well prepared, plus since the place stays busy the dishes are often refreshed. Everything is clearly labelled for dietary restrictions, which is a wonderful touch many buffet style venues neglect. I do wish they would use more environmentally low-impact plates and cutlery if disposables must be used, but other than that there are few downsides. Next time you need comfort food that will soothe the palate and the wallet, stop by Falafel 54! read more

I had such a craving for a nice traditional Gyro, because I work from home I ordered from this restaurant via GrubHub. I placed my order before the restaurant was even open, and was told I would have my lunch no later than 1145, it arrived about 12:15 PM. One thing I can say is they have the best french fries in the triangle but the star of my order should've been the Gyro and I was very disappointed. The pita tasted stale it was a little tough to bite into, there wasn't much filling in it I would've enjoyed more of my beef lamb combination and tzatziki sauce. But there were very few pieces and I was disappointed I spent $20. I don't think I would order from them again read more

Came here for lunch buffet with my BF today. After we got here, we realized it's next to where we have our cars done. We decided to come here for lunch every time coming for cars. The buffet was very good with a few selections of both cold and hot dishes. All are very fresh! The hummus was good! It's much thicker than most other restaurants. The baba gamoush was also good! It had a lot of eggplant inside. I love eggplant! The lamb gyro and falafel were fantastic! All freshly made! My BF loved the gyro here! He had some gyro on every trip! Just can't have enough! I highly suggest everyone try the falafel with their cilantro sauce! Supper supper delicious! I also like the curry dishes here, curry chicken and curry vegetables! The hot eggplant dish might be my favorite among veggie choices. It was really soft, tender and flavorful! The rice was very good as well. Almost forgot to mention that their coconut cake is also delicious! Must try it! Buffet is $11 from Monday to Thursday, and $12 from Friday to Saturday. The dishes would be exactly the same through out the week, but price would be different. There are also other lunch specials around $6~7 available. But buffet is definitely as solid deal here! read more

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Came across this place trying to find lunch nearby. Ordered the chicken kabob plate with sides of falafel and tabouli. Then realized they have a lunch buffet option for $2 more, but felt bad because my bill was already rung up. Falafels were amazing. Crispy outside shell with soft interior topped with a creamy sauce. Freshly hot out of the frier. Chicken kabob not bad, some of the pieces were a little on the dry side for my taste. The moist rice underneath alleviated some of the dryness. Pita bread was fresh out of the oven, soft, unlike some places where the pita bread cools down so fast and hardens halfway through your meal. Tabouli was pretty standard. Little tad bit heavy on the garlic but then again, this is Mediterranean food. Will definitely come back to try more variety with the buffet next time. read more

Falafel 54 - Chicken kabob plate - Buffets Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

My husband and I had delivery from Falafel 54 yesterday. Overall the food was fine and filling but nothing was particularly great. We ordered the falafel platters. I'm generally a huge fan of hummus and falafel, but this hummus and falafel were pretty bland and the tabbouleh had a little too much red onion for our liking. I did appreciate the warm pita bread. They've got great reviews so maybe we will have to give it a try again in the future. read more

Fantastic food, especially for a buffet! They are constantly adding small amounts of food to keep the everything fresh. The falafels are so amazing! Kabob meat is moist and delicious. Love the dips too. read more

So yummy! Everything we ordered was delicious, and was being bagged right as we arrived--perfect timing! Loved the fries too, really good even as takeout. Definitely going back often, love a good local spot in the neighborhood. read more

I was pleasantly surprised with how good the food was here. I came for lunch and had their Greek buffet and boy did I wish I had more room in my belly to try more things! I had two plates of food and everything I tried was amazing! I will be coming back to try the rest of the food I missed! read more

Falafel 54 - Buffets Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

In a sea of RTP lunch options it's easy to get lost. My friend and I met here and but got by-weight meals instead of the buffet, and I found the food to be delicious and very reasonable. Very authentic and delicious. Highly recommend a visit. read more

I am usually not a fan of buffet restaurants. However, I go out of my way to eat at Falafel 54, usually a couple times each month. I see a lot of the same customers each time I go because the food is always fresh and delicious. The restaurant is always clean. The food is not bland and spiced just right. They have fresh salads, vegetables, meats, Mediterranean dressing/sauces and desserts. I think it's a pretty good deal for 13 bucks. These people work hard and it shows. If you like Mediterranean food, this place is definitely worth a try. read more

It's an amazing Mediterranean buffet! Definitely try it. There's a good variety of both meat and vegetarian options to try.

Very good! I pickup up because of COVID but I wish I would have stayed to eat.. friendly owners and very tasty food Falafel pita with FF yummmmm read more

They simply don't mentioned properly about the one free soda offer attached to Yelp. Food is okayish and soda offer is only for buffet which doesn't specify when person check in on Yelp. On Yelp all it says free soda Mon to Fri but nothing about the rule mentioned by guy. He sounded super rude and I wouldn't recommend this place it doesn't have good and satisfying customer service. It's just not about soda it's about their attitude towards customer. read more

Great selection of Mediterranean food on their buffet. Tons of hot and cold options, plus Mediterranean deserts. Great menu options as well if you're not into the buffet. I particularly enjoyed their falafel wrap with side of tzatziki sauce and I always enjoy the grape leaves. The location is a bit obscure and not inviting from the outside but the delicious buffet inside makes it a diamond in the rough. Plenty of seating inside makes this a good lunch stop for those in rtp/south durham area. read more

I went for lunch today after reading the great reviews. I walked in and got nervous, since the dining area is nothing to talk about. But the food was amazeballs. I wish this place was next door to me, I would be there every day, maybe all day. Can't wait to return. read more

We finally went here today after the rave reviews this place got on Yelp. Our experience was mediocre to say the least. The shopping center off 54&55 was nice as well as the parking. They did not have any eggplant which everyone raves about...when I asked about it...the guy said they weren't making it today. No discount for senior citizens or vegetarians as some others stated there was. So for $12 per person...we didn't feel it was worth the cost. The food was okay. I liked the chicken curry, the chicken kabob and the gyro meat was good too!! My partner liked the curried potato casserole, the jalapeño hummus and the chick peas. We did not care for the falafel at all. My partner liked the baklava and the coconut cake. You must use disposable paper plates which were pretty heavy and plastic utensils making this an extremely casual atmosphere as well. We came...we tried but we won't be going back. read more

Intrigued by all the good reviews on Yelp I thought I would cash in on a Groupon and check this place out. Popular with RTPer's, it was pretty busy on a Tuesday afternoon. Counter service coupled with plastic utensils and styrofoam plates makes this a super casual all-you-can-eat meal. The buffet is on the small side with a handful of meat choices but plenty of vegetarian options. I was pleasantly surprised with my meal here as everything we had was FULL of flavor and delicious. The curried black eyed peas stole the show for me and I had to go back for seconds. I'm not normally a buffet person but I appreciated being able to try some unfamiliar dishes as well as some of my favorites. I'm in no hurry to return but I'm glad I checked them out. If you're in the area and got a hankering for some flavorful Mediterranean food, I think this place will satisfy your needs. read more

Falafel 54 - Offerings from the buffet - Buffets Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Just returning from Israel I was craving a good falafel. They did not disappoint. One of the best "Americanized" Mediterranean food places around. There's GRAPE LEAVES ON THE BUFFET!! BONUS!! read more

Really love this place. I come here regularly and it is consistently good. I highly recommend it! It's my favorite Mediterranean selection in the Triangle. read more

Went here last week with a coworker for lunch. We were warmly greeted by who I assumed was the owner. We both ordered the lunch buffet. I started off in the salad section and their Tabouli was very fresh. Then moved onto the classic hummus with pita bread. Their hummus has a hint of sourness which could have been from lemon juice but I wasn't really used to. For meat, I tried the seasoned chicken and the slices of beef/lamb. Both were also included on the buffet menu from Baba Ghanouj (which was the previous restaurant). The chicken was really well seasoned and had a lot of flavor. The beef/lamb was tender and delicious! My coworker got this rice dessert which looked pretty good but I didn't get it since I'm not a dessert person. I think we'll definitely come back in the future. read more