Mamoun's Falafel has quietly closed its lone Atlanta area location in West Midtown. The restaurant, in an endcap outparcel of West Midtown Center (1269 Northside Drive), opened January 25, 2020, and closed in recent weeks, according to sources in the area.
Established in New York's Greenwich Village in 1971, Mamoun's is a popular late-night spot in New York and is known for its fresh-made falafel. We here at ToNeTo Atlanta don't make ourselves out to be food experts, but we like to think we know a good falafel. We visited Mamoun's Atlanta shortly after its opening and found the food average and overpriced, which is not a good combination in such a crowded and competitive market.
Although the restaurant had a respectable 4.2 star rating on Google, an updated review (from five to one star) from a previously happy patron indicates that they found a cockroach IN THEIR FOOD on a visit earlier this year.
Steve Josovitz with The Shumacher Group had marketed the 1,500 square foot restaurant and the rights to the Atlanta market for sale in 2023 but no sale occurred.
The Atlanta location is one of several the New York-based chain has closed over the past few years outside of the brand's core northeast market. According to online records, Mamoun's franchises have closed in Philadelphia after about three years in business and in Dallas after just nine months. Other reports indicate that a location planned for Culver City, California and a multi-unit development deal in Chicago, never opened.
The Mamoun's website indicates that the chain is currently comprised of just nine locations: four in New York, four in New Jersey, and one in Connecticut.
Fellow New York falafel franchise The Hummus & Pita Co. also saw its lone Atlanta location close after a short stint. A pair of local franchisees signed a multi-unit development deal with the brand in early 2019, opened one location in Dunwoody's Ashford Lane in late 2020, but by August 2021, it was closed.
DC-based Amsterdam Falafelshop announced an Atlanta expansion in 2015, but a decade later (wisely?) never opened a single location.
Despite Mamoun's closure, West Midtown Center still has plenty of casual dining options, including McAlister's Deli, Zaxby's, Blaze Pizza, Chipotle, Gusto, and Dunkin'.
For those seeking great falafel options in Atlanta, Aviva by Kameel (Downtown, Midtown, and now in Buckhead too), Cafe Agora (Buckhead and Midtown), Sabaraba's (Sandy Springs and Chamblee), and Eli Pita (Chamblee) are among our favorites.
Did you ever visit Mamoun's Falafel? What would you like to see open in place of Mamoun's Falafel? Who in Atlanta do you think makes the best falafel?
Please share your thoughts below.