King of Falafel [Closed]
453 W. Gilman St
Madison, WI
Entering King of Falafel from University Avenue, all you see is a bleak white takeout counter with florescent lit white walls with and a giant menu. Zero ambiance. However, King of Falafel apparently lives a double life – when you enter the dining room through double doors your experience is completely transformed. Mustard yellow walls with tapestries. Tables with linens. Prints and instruments cover the walls. Who knew? 
The menu at the sit down area in King of Falafel is pretty much the same as the takeout area and features a variety of reasonably-priced halal pitas, kebabs and shewarma plates. We started out with a yogurt salad: cucumber with mint, garlic and yogurt sauce ($5.95). M is a major fan of any yogurt-based sauce, be it Tztziki or Raita, so he enjoyed this slightly spicy variation. M ordered the Shish Taouk: Marinated chicken topped with lettuce, onions and tomatoes ($6.95). The chicken was all-white meat and tender and came with a mildly-spiced marinade. L ordered a Falafel with Hummus wrap, which came topped with lettuce and tomatoes ($6.95). There was an option of ordering it spicy or mild – L chose spicy – and was it ever- thanks to an unnamed yet vibrant green sauce.The wrap was full of fresh Israeli-style falafel, but could have done with a bit more hummus. 
Each pita/sandwich was served with fries and an extra cup of yogurt sauce. Another plus was the very good free tea spiced with cardamom. The only annoyance was the foil that encased our two pita, which kept flaking off into tiny little shards. If we’re eating in the restaurant – why do we need the foil? But the food was so good, and the price was right, so we couldn’t complain. Despite the few remnants of its takeout service, we were pleasantly surprised by King of Falafel, which turned out to be an unassuming and tasty respite off of University Ave.
