A Vegetarian Arrives into London | Maoz Falafel

After a few glorious days in Iceland, it was time to venture off to another one of my favorite places in the world, London.  A quick 3 hour flight from Keflavik airport to London Heathrow on IcelandAir and soon I was making my way to SoHo.  After my flight from Iceland, I wasn’t interested in a fancy sit down dinner. What can a vegetarian in London eat? How about some tasty Maoz Falafel?

I certainly wouldn’t ever proclaim to have mastered the city of London, but when you go somewhere and you have your favorite restaurant, bar, pub, or store and you can start to say that you’re familiar with making your way around, then you not only feel comfortable, but it makes it that much harder to leave.  Leaving London always makes me sad, but upon arrival I’m giddy like a schoolgirl.

We were staying in a flat in SoHo that I found on AirBnb because I wanted something different for this short stay.  With only about 2 1/2 days in London, I wanted to maximize everything that I could eat, drink, see, and experience and SoHo was perfect for this trip.

It was a quick stop to grab our bags from baggage claim before making our way to the Underground to catch the train from Heathrow to Piccadilly Circus.  I had some leftover money from my trip to London in January so I was able to quickly grab two Oyster Cards and in no time at all, we were sitting on the train on the way to our flat for the next few days.  When we arrived, our host greeted us and we lugged our bags up a few flights of stairs and settled in for a few minutes before deciding we were absolutely starving.

I wasn’t interested in a fancy sit down dinner or anything that would require me to redo my hair and makeup. When we stumbled upon Maoz Falafel, I knew that was going to be dinner that night.  If you’re a vegetarian and you want something fast, Maoz is the way to go.  With franchise stores in Spain, the Netherlands, France, Brazil, and England, I’ve seen Maoz on more than one occasion, but I’m so glad to have had the chance to finally experience it for myself.

TSG Tip: Did you know that Maoz Falafel is now in the US? We’re talking not only NYC, Philadelphia, Chicago, Miami Beach, but Austin, Boca Raton, and Orlando as well.  Yum!

Maoz menu isn’t complicated at all.  Choose from a falafel sandwich, half a falafel sandwich, or salad and for sides you can choose either fries or sweet potato fries. Once you choose your falafel main, all you need to do is pick a white or whole wheat pita and then choose toppings and sauces.  All of the toppings look bright and fresh, which will only make it more difficult for you to decide which ones you’ll want.  I have no idea what I chose, but I think I wanted at least tomatoes, coleslaw, and hot sauce.   Grab your tray and sit at one of the small communal butcher block type tables and nosh away or have them pack it up to take with you.  Some loud American overdressed tourist, dressed as if she was going to work with pearls, heels, and a handbag, but hoping to score instead, decided she would sit right next to us despite the fact that the other tables were open. She then proceeded to recount every experience of her life in a loud voice to the people she was with as any of us were interested, which I wasn’t.  Thank you very much, but I think I’ll grab my tray and my super yummy falafel sandwich and move over by the window to people watch.

While not complicated or elegant, Maoz Falafel was a perfect match for me that night.  Service was fast, the restaurant was clean, and overall the price was just right for the meal.  If you’re a vegetarian or vegan you know how hard it can be to find a restaurant that will meet your needs locally, no less when traveling so I’m glad that Maoz Falafel is there to feed me at short notice.  I wouldn’t hesitate to return and enjoy another yummy falafel sandwich.

Maoz Falafel
43 Old Compton Street, London W1D 6HG
Phone: +44 20 7851 1586
Hours:  11 am – 1 am Monday – Thursday, 11 am – 2 am Friday/Saturday, 11 am – 12 am Sunday