It is easily to walk past without noticing it, but it is truly a gem spot! The space is too small to fit 3 more people in it. Definitely a take-out only place. My coworker and I were checking out the farmer's market in Union Square and looking for something to eat for lunch. I found this store on map and decided to give it a try. I'm so glad I made an excellent decision. We ordered one chicken shwarma ($7.75 pre tax) and one chicken with falafel shwarma ($9.75). They are so delicious and filling. You can choose to add or opt out onions or hot sauce. All the materials in the wraps are very fresh. Also, you can't beat such good price given the quality of the food and the busy area of the city. Definitely recommend it! Not much else to say besides go to see for yourself. read more

Rainbow Falafel - Outdoor - Middle Eastern Near Me - New York, New York

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I got the falafel and it's quite basic - iceberg lettuce, tomato, white onion and some sauces. I would have been okay with it but the falafel smelled of rancid oil - not okay. The place is a small shop - not a problem. More like a tiny convenient shop. read more

Decent food. Falafels are fresh. What you see is what you get. Not much else to say. Mom and Pop kinda shop

Tried the shawafel platter and it was ok. Definitely a lot of food but not particularly tasty or anything to write home about so not sure what all the hype used to be about so perhaps change in chef. read more

Came by during lunch. It's a small little stand next to the Chopt. They only have a few people working but they are efficient and make everything fresh. I got the shawafel sandwich (I assume chicken shawarma + falafel) with everything in it. It's a pretty decently sized sandwich (wrap?). The falafel was definitely the star and honestly ... one of the best falafel I've ever had? I think they used some sort of breading that really makes it flavorful and super crispy yet moist inside. I'm usually not the biggest fan of falafel but this made me want to back just for a falafel sandwich. Pretty decent prices too! read more

Rainbow Falafel - Shawafel sandwich - Middle Eastern Near Me - New York, New York

I read the reviews and decided to give it a 3 for the following reasons - Agree with everyone you can pay slightly more for something that I found "tastier", more rich. The one comment I disagree with is I really liked the falafel, but the sauce was watery - What you're paying for here is a hole in a wall type place, that is family-owned. I feel what you're paying for is the family's own way of making this food - The food was not BAD but it gets a 3 star mainly because you don't get a lot of food for the price, and the latest prices do not seem where family-owned / local - In case you're not full, they do give a pita / Arabic bread, but the texture and taste was pretty awful read more

Rainbow Falafel - Middle Eastern Near Me - New York, New York

Shut up! Outstanding. Traditional, flavorful food at reasonable prices. In warm weather, grab a platter and head to Union Square for noshing and people-watching. read more

I haven't been here since the pandemic hit and was so happy that it's still there! Right across from Union Square Park. Cash only, middle eastern home cooked fare. Falafels and more. Tiny space without seating but Union Square is across the street. Solid takeout food at affordable prices. Family owned and I was happy to see them. read more

Rainbow Falafel - a woman behind the counter - Middle Eastern Near Me - New York, New York

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I have been going to Rainbow for years, and I'm so glad they made it though the tough part of the ongoing pandemic. The owners are always so friendly and the food is very fresh and full of flavor. The veggie combo platter is my go-to and you get a huge plate of salad, falafel, tabouli and all the garnishes you would want. They're also reasonably priced. read more

Rainbow Falafel - Vegetarian Combo Platter - Middle Eastern Near Me - New York, New York

The falafel was very fresh- perhaps the best in the City (from a middle easterner!), generous portions, and very pleasant staff. Highly recommend. read more

I live in the neighborhood and finally decided to give it a try. Ordered a felafel sandwich with the works and was disappointed. Largely tasteless and the works consisted of some about to turn bad lettuce a fragment of tomato and some tahini. The pita fell apart within a minute. read more

Tiny, take out only hold in the wall Middle Eastern place. The service was friendly. The falafel had anise in it which gave it a nice licorice kick. read more

I do hate giving mediocre reviews to nice people... Looking for a quick dinner before I left the city, saw a line for this place. Figured, why not? When people talk about a hole in the wall restaurant, they must've had this place in mind. It kind of feels like walking into a closet, but instead of being surrounded by clothes and keepsake boxes, you're surrounded by falafel, pita and candy bars. I walk in and am greeted by the nicest owner around! I end up ordering the chicken shawarma sandwich with everything (but hot sauce, but also an addition of pickles?) and 3 piece of falafel. The chicken shawarma sandwich was decent. All veggies on there were fresh and if I'm being completely honest, the pickles did work too! The chicken to me though, wasn't great. It didn't have that classic shawarma taste I enjoy, nor was the texture there. In addition, somehow the white sauce added leaked through the parchment paper and foil wrap, leaving a pool at the bottom of my paper bag. The falafel, personally I didn't eat. It was for my family. And that too, was met to some pretty meh reviews. Overall, I think you should still try this place out. Maybe I came on an off day, but it seems like recent reviewers love this place! Maybe its your cup of tea but sadly, it isn't mine! read more

This family run, hole in the wall, tiny store has been on 17th off the Farmer's Market area before the market was here,,,,, I think so,,,? Mother, father, their two sons are an institution on a block where restaurants come in and then go out, Think they've been here at least 40 years. their Landlord must be good to them! The Food? Its consistently great, Try everything, Their smiles are sincere and contagious,,,, read more

We ordered Chicken shawarma. It came out about 5min after we ordered but taste wasn't so good... Chicken was too soft like fish we didn't enjoy the taste at all. Outside seats were available on the street. Since we knew other place to go to, We won't come back here. read more

A hole in the wall space, no seating. Just shy of $10 for a chicken shwarma. Friendly service. Awesome quick fix.

I ordered falafel for lunch for the first time in about a year, and they were not fresh. The portion was much smaller than I remembered, and their cooking counter wasn't clean. I used to think they were one of the best local falafel spots, but I probably won't go there again. read more

I've been a fan of Rainbow Falafel since 1999. Dolma and falafel sandwich are my go-to choices. Long live Rainbow Falafel on E 17th street!!

Rainbow Falafel is one of the best falafel joints in NYC. There seems to be a debate in my family as to who has the best falafel in the city. My wife and daughter think Mamoun's in the village is the best in the city and Waffa's in Greenpoint the best in the outer boroughs. Yes they are all good falafel but they DO NOT COMPARE to Rainbow's falafel. The falafel at Rainbow is nice and crunchy on the outside and soft and flavorful inside. They put large chunks of tomato along with onion and lettuce into a fresh pita bread. Their sauce is very flavorful with just the right amount of kick. Most other places I have to ask for hot sauce on the side as they always add too much. At Rainbow the amount of heat is just right. At Rainbow they also split open the pita and stuff the ingredients inside, at some other places they just roll up the ingredients in the pita, I prefer them stuffed inside. They also sell some very good Baklava and Shawarma but their falafel is my go to sandwich. Rainbow is on 17th Street right off of Union Square in a hole in the wall that was once the entrance to an office building. If you walk too quickly you may just walk past it. There is one very small counter inside so be prepared to take it with you. There is always Union Square Park to sit and eat in when the weather is nice. So give Rainbow a try if you want some really tasty falafel. read more

Rainbow Falafel - A hole in the wall. But a good hole in the wall! - Middle Eastern Near Me - New York, New York

Wanted something to bring to Union Square Park. What a bad choice! The first bad sign was that there is no air conditioning. Ever! Two falafels that are not cut up & spread out. Walked across to the park and unwrapped the sandwich. Untouched, the fragile pita had already split open & fallen apart. The falafels were tasteless. There was no discernible sauce, other than an overall whiteness inside. After a few bites, threw it all away. So unsatisfying and disappointing. Time to close up shop! read more

I haven't been in years because it's not very good even though I'm in the neighborhood five days a week. I was in a hurry so tried again and not much has changed. Same mediocre veg sandwiches with runny sauce. Cheap but you get what you pay for. read more

This place was okay. It is a cute hole in the wall place with a deli vibe to it. The people are kind. They made the falafel sandwich really fast too. It is really good if you are looking for a quick bite but nothing much more. read more

Rainbow Falafel - Falafel Sandwich - Middle Eastern Near Me - New York, New York

A hole in the wall is a correct description but it's also a lifesaver. Compared to other options in the city, especially in Midtown, where I work (Garment District), this is literally a steal. 10 bucks for a bomb of a pita sandwich bursting at the seams, come on man! I had a chicken shwarma plus hummus, tomatoes, pickles, and cauliflower/eggplant mix (that was extra), the only thing if I knew it came with lettuce I would've told them to omit it as I pretty much hate lettuce and try to avoid as much as possible. To the point that I have my Ceasar Salad now sans the abominable iceberg lettuce. Anyhow, the giant chicken shwarma sandwich was the perfect meal to finish off my day once I got back home to Brooklyn (I ate it an hour something later). The thing to keep in mind though is that they only accept either cash or Venmo. I was a bit surprised since that was my first time coming across a business, a food business especially, that accepted VenMo as a form of payment, and primary form of payment at that. I have dealt with businesses online that made transactions through VenMo but never with a business 'offline' so to speak. Anyways, it is a good thing that I did indeed had and use Venmo on my phone, though rarely, bcs I had no cash at all. Whenever in this area, make sure to make a pitstop at this spot. read more

Convenient Union Square location and quick service because it's not usually busy. But every time I eat here I remind myself not to eat here anymore because the food is just so underwhelming. read more

So glad this little dive storefront is still around. I actually prefer the falafel to Taim and Mamoun's. Its green and flavorful inside and crispy and not greasy outsidel. Fresh lettuce, tomato, onion. I love that they ask you if you want hot sauce (b/c I always do). The thin minced beef pies are also delicious. And the grape leaves are flavorful and tightly packed. Take your falafel to Union Square Park and chow down. read more

Shawarfel was outstanding! Very well prepared with a variety of ingredients. Of the best I've ever had!

So I've often seen a line for this place so decided to try today and it was quiet, had the falafel sandwich and to say I was dissatisfied was an understatement, firstly the falafel wasn't cooked fresh and was cold and so was the pita with just lettuce and chopped tomatoe the whole thing was a cold mess that just completely broke apart, the upside on this is that the birds at Union sq had a meal, go someplace else pay more but have it prepared fresh and warm, waste of money read more

Had the most disappointing chicken schwarma in the history of chicken schwarmas today. I was starving and i have been here in the past and thought the falafel was solid. I love chicken scharma so i wanted to give it a try. First of all the chicken had zero flavor. The chicken was so beyond bland. Secondly, the chicken was so dry! Even the yunmy white sauce couldn't help it. There was no effort with this sandwhich. I was sad when i was eating it. No other special touches...just plain lettuce with dry chicken with no falvor. Sooooo disappointed!!! read more

Rainbow Falafel - The most disappointing chicken scharma ever. $6.20 - Middle Eastern Near Me - New York, New York

Really delicious generous portion falafel. Fresh and tasty. Hummus is extra $1.25, but it's all very good. No seating, save for a single stool. Highy recommended. read more

Rainbow Falafel - Middle Eastern Near Me - New York, New York

It's cheap but you get what you (don't) pay for. Ma'moul and knafeh were both cheap but the doughs were off and the fillings were sparse.

I wouldn't go back. Maybe this place was a hidden gem back in the days but definitely not a place you should go. 1 - It's cash only. (he's really stuck in time with this one) 2 - It's not that cheap, I was lucky to have some cash on me $7 and I was able to get a falafel sandwich. 3 - It's not that good. Although the falafels were really good the sandwich was ice cold, warm falafel but everything else very cold. Go somewhere else. read more

So glad that this neighborhood spot is OPEN during these quarantine times. I love their Spinach Pie and Falafel. But others rave about their Kibbe, Za'atar Bread, Lentil Soup and Greek Salad. They also do Catering if you'd like pans of mouth-watering Middle Eastern food to share with friends this week. This is a local business that has been serving the area for over 40 years, let's ensure that this hole-in-the-wall slice of Mediterranean goodness remains here for many years more! Support this fine family and fill your belly with goodness! read more

Great spot! I have been going here for years. I wish I could comment on something other than the falafel, but that's what I always get. It's delicious and fresh and they pack a lot in there. The place has been around forever and glad it is still here. Really nice family-run operation in a tiny storefront (takeout only, even pre-Covid) that accommodates maybe two people. Well-priced so pop in and get a falafel (or something else) next time you're in Union Square. read more

Definitely worth a try. I have been walking past this spot now for a few months and noticed the long lines, so today I broke down and decided to take the plunge and stand in line to get into this "little more than a closet" vegetarian Middle Eastern take-out joint (and I am not, and hope never to be a vegetarian.) They make a nice falafel -- the fried chick peas have a nice flavor to them (including what I think might be cinnamon, garlic and other spices.) I ordered it extra-spicy which made it a bit extra-messy as well, but for $3.50 I was not complaining. With a bottle of coke you are looking at a $5 meal -- can't even get that down the block at McDonald's anymore. Skip the baklavah -- I was unfortunately disappointed that it did not have the crispness I have come to expect from a good middle eastern pastry such as this. But if you need to satisfy your sweet tooth, it's only $2 additional. Looking forward to giving their Babaghannouge a try and perhaps their Tabouli salad and/or the stuffed grape leaves -- all of which are VERY affordable in this affordable city. read more

Rainbow Falafel - Middle Eastern Near Me - New York, New York

Best falafel in town. Get the falafel plate with the fixings. This was my go-to when I worked close by. Father and son own it. Excellent falafel and hummus. read more

Love this place for what it is...a small, family run take out place with homemade middle eastern food. Everything we had was outstanding and the owners are great people. Said they had been there 23 years. Perfect for a lunch or light meal. Pick up your meal and enjoy it in the parks nearby. read more

Such nice owners! Their falafel is incredibly crunchy, was really impressed and happy with my falafel sandwich. It's a tough season right now, but they are definitely worth supporting! read more

This place is still as awesome as ever. Inexpensive and cash only. I love the falafel and I buy the spinach and cheese pies to take home for later and heat up to pair with a salad. The best ! read more

It's a hole in the wall, but their falafel is superb. My office was nearby and I used to go there often. Still go there from time to time when I'm in the area and I was never disappointed. read more

Honestly so good it hit the spot just the right amount of dressing! Bring cash! I got the falafel but will be going back to try something else read more