Falafel Tanami: The Brooklyn Kosher Falafel Joint in The NY Times’ Top 100 List

It is not often that a non-descript falafel joint in the heart of the Flatbush Jewish community makes a “best of” food list in the mecca of food.

Falafel Tanami is a non-descript falafel joint in the heart of the Midwood Jewish community in Flatbush, Brooklyn. Since its opening in 2018, it has steadily made a name for itself as one of the best places to get falafel in NYC. Now, it has entered the big leagues, though, with the New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells ranking Falafel Tanami 68 out of the Top 100 NYC Restaurants. We love how a simple “no frills” spot can go from nothing to the pinnacle of the kosher food world and the top of the food chain overall in just a matter of years.

It hasn’t been all rainbows and butterflies for Falafel Tanami, though. We recall that at the beginning and for several months after opening, the store was relatively quiet. Over time, though, the falafel and related items, including hummus and sabich garnered a growing and steady stream of fans. In addition to slow beginnings, Tanami also attempted to expand and, in 2020, opened a shawarma location on Coney Island Avenue in Brooklyn, which has since closed. Further expanding beyond the single existing location is that the owners personally make the falafel every morning, and they can only be in one place at once.

Now, though, there is often a line out the door, and at times, the falafel and eggplant for sabich sandwiches can run low or even sell out. Prior to the New York Times publicity, in 2019, New York Magazine’s Grub Street declared Tanami the “Absolute Best Falafel in New York.”

Aside from the great food at Tanami, another curious and fun aspect of the location is that at least some of the non-Jewish employees speak pretty good Hebrew!

Visit Falafel Tanami At:

1305 E 17th Street

Brooklyn, NY 11230