If you’re not yet familiar with Falafel Tanami, the tiny kosher Midwood shack that was named one of the 100 best restaurants in NYC by the New York Times two years in a row, it’s time you get acquainted with it: the family-owned eatery is opening a second location, this one in Manhattan’s Tribeca neighborhood at 415 Greenwich Street on August 14.
The new iteration of the falafel joint is a partnership with Juice Press, which already operates at the address.
“They share our commitment to creating exceptional plant-based food and we couldn’t be more excited to collaborate on their first store outside of Brooklyn,” Juice Press writes on social media in a post announcing the collaboration.
Falafel Tanami first opened in Brooklyn back in 2016, serving falafel sandwiches alongside other classic Israeli menu items of the vegetarian kind, like sabich, shakshuka and relatively simple salads. Although the eatery has always enjoyed a loyal local fanbase, the business became even more popular in 2023, when the New York Times included it on its annual list of best restaurants in NYC.
“The eggplant is eggplant, but the falafel!,” wrote then-restaurant critic Pete Wells. “The falafel are extraordinary. The thick cushions of pita, baked to order, may be better yet. It’s hard not to go wild with the salads and vegetables. and garlic, all as fresh as if you were standing in a market in Tel Aviv.”
The eatery was included in last year’s New York Times list as well. Clearly, Falafel Tanami knows what it’s doing.
This actually isn’t the first time that Galit and Ronen Tanami, the Israeli husband-and-wife duo that owns the shop, have tried to expand.
Back in 2021, the company debuted Shawarma Tanami, an outpost offering the Middle Eastern dish, also in Midwood but the space shut down about a year later.
Here’s to hoping that Manhattanites will immediately recognize the outstanding culinary endeavor that will soon call the borough home.
