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Paolina

4.7 (26 reviews)
Closed 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
Updated 2 months ago

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Anthony P.

Stopped by Paolina for a quick lunch and wow love this place! This is the best falafel sandwich I've had in a really really long time (and definitely one of the best ever). The falafel is so fresh, deeply green (and as informed by the super passionate and friendly owner, composed of many herbs/veggies not just cilantro), nice and frittery but soft on the inside. Stuffed to the max with healthy veggies for a variety of crunch and soft textures, inside a warmmmmm softtttt FRESH pita bread - it's all excellent. And the sauces are great, too, to add just the right amount of kick you need. The fries are super great too, tossed in a seasoning mix and were delicious. It's a small space dedicated to perfecting one thing and dare I say they've done it. The owner is extremely friendly and cares a lot of about his business, his mission, and his customers too; it's places like this that keep NYC alive. Keep up the great work!

Falafel with the pita
Eunice C.

Super enjoyable falafel on a pita. There's only three items, falafel on a pita or salad, and fries. Customer service is fantastic. Counter sessions seating and outdoor lounge chairs available. Definitely coming back in the future!

Alan S.

It really is that good. My first Yelp review almost a decade ago was a 1 star for Taim bemoaning their fall from glory, and I'm happy to say that there finally is another 5-star falafel shop in the city. The menu is minuscule: falafel sandwich on freshly-baked pita, falafel platter, or fries. You can watch the falafels being freshly shaped just like they do it in Al Quds, and they melt in your mouth, especially when paired with the creamy parsley (?) dressing. The platter comes without rice and is full of vibrant flavors, although it might best be characterized as a salad.

falafel sandwich
Angelina L.

the falafel sandwich here is a must-get for anyone in the area! the BEST falafel i've ever had -- so flavorful & not dry at all. i would buy a tray of just the falafel if i could. that being said, the toppings in the sandwich pair perfectly with the falafel! they load the sandwich with vegetables that make for a quick, delicious, and filling lunch! it's a no-frills place with a straightforward menu, and they have counter seats for you to eat your food in peace :)

David N.

The falafel is great. The falafel balls themselves are crisp yet not dry on the inside. Room for improvement - they seat people in front of the counter where all the veggies are so you cannot see what is available or pick what you want and don't want. Also I think I heard they had fries but there was no menu so couldn't tell

Kevin C.

Only one thing on the menu, Falafel Sandwich $14. While it is much more expensive than your local halal cart or any option within Williamsburg, they execute the Falafel Sandwich really well. The falafel is made fresh in front of you, the chickpeas are seasoned well (no more bland and dry falafel), and the sandwich is packed well with just enough toppings to not overpower the falafel. Highly recommend trying this, the staff were very nice as well.

Charlene S.

Tasty falafel pita sandwich in the Williamsburg area. Very limited menu here but I definitely recommend the falafel! Lots of veggies, flavorful sauces, not to mention the most delicious crispy falafel. At $14, it's decently filling but could see some people thinking this is expensive.

Joanne H.

it is a very very very good falafel sandwich and i am obsessed with how many toppings there are the food: only one thing! each falafel is fried fresh so it's guaranteed to be crunchy and moist, i thoroughly enjoyed how they made sure to layer each of the toppings and falafels so each bite had a bit of everything. i asked for extra hummus, pickles, and peppers which made it a 10/10 the space: very small with few bar seating the service: super nice!

How they make their pita warm!!
Elizabeth E.

Absolutely incredible falafel. My partner goes to Israel often for work and has been searching something similar to what they have there. This is the absolute freshest and best falafel in NYC. Not to mention the hand made pitta. The food is out of this world. Don't get me started on how good the hot sauce is. Service is amazing. The owner is from Israel and has clearly brought his expertise. Such a cute store. Yellow and white chairs. Just the cutest spot. Will be back!!

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2 months ago

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1 month ago

Excellent service and very fresh and flavorful food. Can't wait to be back very soon!

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2 months ago

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3 months ago

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5 months ago

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27 days ago

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6 months ago

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2 months ago

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4 days ago

One of the best sandos in Williamsburg. Have recommended to several friends that thought they didn't like falafel and all were blown away

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9 months ago

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3 months ago

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10 months ago

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6 months ago

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6 months ago

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10 months ago

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9 months ago

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2 months ago

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5 months ago

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2 months ago

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4 months ago

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7 months ago

One of the best falafel I ever had in my life, Gabriel gave us an amazing service. We skipped dinner after trying the falafel.

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8 months ago

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10 months ago

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Review Highlights - Paolina

For those who are indecisive, don't fret - they literally only have 2 things on the menu - the falafel pita and fries - that's it!

$15.99 Falafel Pita (v)

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Falafel Tanami - Super soft and savory falafel I have ate! Delishh sandwich

Falafel Tanami

(102 reviews)

Midwood

I've lived next to this place for 5 years now and although it always smelled delicious never made…read moreit out til today. The smell was just too enticing Menu is simple and affordable. I got few whole pitas plus humus. Food was cheap but tasted delicious Whole pita is stuffed with 5 falafel balls fries, salad, cabbage, pickles and more. Tahini sauce is flavorful and a pita leaves you stuffed for $10 The humus is creamy and with a hint of lemon. Highly recommend and will definitely be back Plus the place is vegetarian which is great when entertaining a friend of ours who is vegan.

After my doctor's visit, I was craving some falafel and decided to visit this place since it's…read morepinned on my google map. The restaurant is certainly clean and I like how it's in the open so you can see all the action and cleanliness. I ordered their falafel whole pita sandwich and was told I can add whatever choosing I wanted. I also ordered two sides of their falafel balls to enjoy. They were 3 balls for $1. As for the sandwich, I thought it only tasted okay. I was very hungry at that point so if I thought my sandwich was okay then I know I'm not a fan of it. The flavoring was bland, I asked for spicy sauce but didn't taste any. I also asked for the fried eggplants to find out as I'm biting into it that there was none. Make sure you watch them when asking for your choosing. They might now hear you and you'll just end up feeling disappointed like me because I love the taste of eggplants. Regarding the falafel ball, I thought it was too doughy. I usually like them a little more loose and garlicy.

Queen - Schnitzel Plate

Queen

(263 reviews)

$$

Bushwick

I've been back here a few times since my review in June 2024. The service and the food has…read moredeclined over time since then. This time I had the mushroom and onion hummus, which was a little watery and only came with one small piece of pita for a large bowl. I also got the fries, which are still actually pretty good. The reason for the steep downgrade aside from the dwindling food quality and the so-so drinks, is the service this time was just ATROCIOUS. Bushwick service has gotten kinda cruddy overall these days because so many places have this transplant hipster vibe where they just can't be bothered, but this guy acted annoyed and put out to even be there. It was not great last time, but this time was astonishingly bad. He took my order and as soon as my food came out, he disappeared behind a screen and didn't come back out unless someone came in the door (which was only a couple times). Never checked on me. Never asked if I wanted another drink (my mint julep was awful, so moot point I guess). I had to wait for him to emerge when a to go order came in for me to flag him down for the check. Probably the last time I come back here.

Restaurant was decorated and music was kinda loud so it was hard to hear someone across from me…read more They later dimmed the lights and had candles which was nice. Staff were nice and attentive. The hummus and falafel plate was good. I really liked the rice and veggies - the flavors paired well. Maybe too much hummus for the portion ratio? Decent price for what you're getting, maybe $40 including tax/tip(?) for two of these plates.

Miriam Street Food

Miriam Street Food

(33 reviews)

Park Slope

Please bring back the old sides, the new carrot heavy options aren't a great replacement and we…read morewere disappointed with our last order. Otherwise big fans.

I was in this neighborhood a couple of months ago with one other person. We initially planned to go…read moreto Miriam next door, since the other person had been to the Upper West Side location and enjoyed it. Still, they were working on it, so we decided to go to their sister, more casual spot instead, with me, in hindsight, being happy because I liked this more than Miriam (at least the UWS location.) The place is casual, with a warm and inviting atmosphere, and I can see it being very popular for lunch or brunch. The service was friendly as well. We both decided to get the Israeli Experience for $32 each, though they warned us it was a lot of food and we could split it. We did indeed take home some leftovers, and it was a terrific deal. Said experience is a comprehensive sampling of their menu, featuring two skewers, five salads, hummus, tahini, and two pitas, served with a choice of yellow rice or French fries, with the salads and skewers being our choice from the menu. Since we were going to share a few cold mezzes/salads, we decided to get fries and rice. The fries were well portioned, with a light crisp, while some were a bit soft. I found the rice, as expected, to be a better accompaniment, as it's lighter and goes well with the sauces. The pita bread was warm but standard and presumably store-bought. For the salads, our favorite of the bunch was probably the Spanish Eggplant, listed as fried eggplant tossed in tomato & pepper sauce. This was very similar (if not the same) as Turkish Soslu patlıcan, so I'm not sure why it's listed as Spanish unless they're Spanish eggplants or something. All naming aside, this was very tasty, with the eggplant both very garlicky and soft, but not too much that it lacked texture. I also liked the Moroccan Carrot, listed as thinly sliced carrots cooked & marinated in Moroccan spices. I have seen this in a few Moroccan places, such as in Astoria, and this was good. The carrots were soft, and the spice blend had a slight tang among other flavors. I would also recommend this. I am not usually the biggest fan of Israeli Salad, which is made here with chopped cucumber, tomatoes, scallions, parsley, and za'atar lemon vinaigrette, but this was good. I believe there was a bit of tahini or something similar in the dressing, which made it a bit more flavorful than the usual version, and all the vegetables are very fresh. This was better than expected and good. The Hummus was pretty good. I like some other spots with thicker hummus or a bit more kick, but it was still tasty. The same can be applied to the Tahini, which was standard but good. More standard and tasty was the Purple Cabbage. Nothing particularly special, but it was good, and they appear to have updated since I had it last, adding beets and roasted sesame seeds, which sounds like a pleasant addition. The Kale and Dried Apricot Salad with winter kale, dried apricots, and roasted almonds dressed with house vinaigrette was fine. I'm a bit biased here as I don't like kale, but there were plenty of crunchy almonds. However, I wish there were more apricots, and the dressing didn't mask the kale as much as I'd like. I wasn't a fan of the Corn Salad with grilled corn, red pepper, and jalapenos. The dish should probably be served warm, since the cold grilled corn had an unappetizing texture and flavor when mixed with the pepper. It reminded me a bit of a dip gone wrong. This was easily my least favorite, and neither of us finished it. The skewers were pretty good but more standard. In terms of options, each of us got a Harissa Salmon, he chose a Chicken Thigh, and I got a Ground Beef & Lamb Kofta. The fish was surprisingly tender, but I found the harissa to be only very mild, which was a bit surprising given how red the dish looked. He seemed to enjoy his chicken skewer, while the kofta was alright. I have had much more flavorful kofta before, but at least it wasn't dry, with the meat being pretty juicy. The "experience" reminded me of a much better version of Kashkaval Garden in Hell's Kitchen, minus the fondue, of course. It's essentially the same price point as getting the salmon from there, but it has many pluses. The side dishes are much better and more varied, the skewers are smaller but much more tender and less overcooked, and the portion size is much larger. This doesn't even include the large portion of rice or salad, which isn't included there. I didn't love everything here, but it's hard to deny this deal, especially in this fancy neighborhood.

Batata - Chicken Schnitzel Sandwich

Batata

(237 reviews)

$$

Kensington, Windsor Terrace, Flatbush

I finally made it here for lunch and wow I was impressed!…read more They have a Mediterranean influenced menu and we ordered a few items which we loved. I ordered the chicken schwarma plate and falafel salad which were excellent - the fries were terrific and the overall atmosphere was to die for - it's a nice cozy space and the service was excellent The owner cares deeply about serving quality food at a reasonable price - they make challah bread over the weekends which sells out fast Definitely try this place you won't be disappointed

I was craving falafel and this is one of the few places that popped up in the neighborhood…read more I ordered a falafel sandwich and it was fresh and flavorful. I would definitely order again. Israeli style with pickles, which I love. The chickpea soup was a standout. So flavorful and nourishing; definitely a nod to the sopa de garbanzos that I grew up with. The generous portion of labane is rich and complimented by herbs and an excellent olive oil. But it only comes with one pita! Personally, I'd prefer a smaller portion with more bread. Ok, first, let's be accurate about a few things. Etymologically, "batata" comes from the Spanish for "potato." This is a nod to "Sephardic" Jews, from the Hebrew word for the Iberian Peninsula (by definition, Spain and Portugal; after "expulsion," this came to include a diaspora more broadly northern African. In order words, western and southern European, not Eastern like Ashkenazi Jews.)

Paolina - falafel - Updated May 2026

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