Cafe Jaffa--Falafels in short supply

Cafe Jaffa dishes up some cheap but good middle eastern food. Now, it is abundantly clear, for anyone residing in the Back Bay region that there is a lack of middle eastern restaurants in the region. Now, we believe that this problem is not unique to Back Bay, but in is endemic to the whole Boston area. In other prominent metropolitan areas, a typical falafel stand dishes out their wares at no more than 2 dollars per falafel and there are several such stands within a stones throw of each other. One can't imagine a better vegetarian bargain. It is a sad fact that there is a dearth of cheap falafel places in our beloved city.

It is in this problem that we find Cafe Jaffa's greatest asset. Reasonably priced (not Über cheap) falafel and other such Middle Eastern delights. A darkened interior opens up to a large, long airy space, belied with three rows of tables. Most of the cooking is done adjacent to the eating area on a large grill, whose aroma inhabits the entire area..We didn't come during lunch hours, but let it be known that the lunch hour specials are well worth the visit.

For our dinner, we chose a falafel platter ($9.75), a baba ganoush platter ($9.50), and a hummus platter ($9.50). All the platters came with a freshly made salads and warm pita. The falafels were large crispy balls of soft crushable chick peas (freshly fried) covered in a tangy tahini sauce. Very good, very filling and the platter was large enough to split between two people.

The Whole Kitten Kaboodle

The hummus and baba ganoush were freshly prepared and far superior then any of the junk that you get at Shaws or Trader Joes. You truly haven't lived until you tried some fresh made humus. We can also vouch for Cafe Jaffa's kababs, shawarma and grape leaves.

A special find if you want to get off the beaten path of Newbury street or if you just want to enjoy some Middle Eastern flair.

Cafe Jaffa
48 Gloucester Street
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 536-0230