By Erez Ben-Ari, Special to JTNews
Seattle is known throughout the states as a hot spot for some of the best food in the country. Culinary landmarks include the Pike Place Market, which draws an annual 10 million visitors eager to try out delicacies from around the world. While fish and local seafood are undoubtedly the stars of the show in this city, we decided to look to the east and find the best of the Mediterranean food. Local Jews and Israelis each have their own favorite spot for the classics — hummus, shawarma, and most of all, falafel. Our quest focused primarily on finding the most authentic offers.
Versions of these delicacies sold throughout Israel are usually a local interpretation of cooking and serving styles that have come from other places and cultures, and good taste is just part of the fun of a great dish. Hummus, for example, in every place we’ve seen, is served cold, meaning it’s hard to notice any difference between store-bought preserved hummus and an authentic homemade recipe. Good hummus needs to be at room temperature or even warmed up to really hit the spot.
We visited a total of 12 eateries in and around Seattle. There are more, of course, but we decided to point out only the best. If your personal favorite has been left out, please share it with us, and we might review it for a follow-up. Note that there’s no kosher restaurant that regularly serves falafel.
The winner: Zaina
Zaina offers many Middle Eastern dishes, including falafel, hummus and shawarma. The shawarma tastes more like a ghoulash, but the falafel was superb, and the closest we found to the Israeli style. It is served inside a fresh and soft lafa — a flatbread they call pita, but is actually spongier and heavier than a pita pocket — and falafel balls fried to perfection. For those who like falafel, this is by far the best choice. 108 Cherry St., Seattle, with a location opening at 2nd and Pine soon. 206-624-5687.
2nd place: Karam’s
Karam’s is a Lebanese restaurant, offering several dishes, including hummus and falafel. The hummus is served authentically, with a fresh piece of lafa bread. The atmosphere is also enjoyable, as the place is the only one that is an old-fashioned restaurant. The prices are a tad high, at almost $10 a plate, but in terms of taste, it’s the best hummus in these here parts. 340 15th Ave. E., Seattle. 206-324-2370.
3rd place: Aladdin
Aladdin offers a wide range of items, including the regular stuff, as well as ful (fava beans), fried cauliflower and eggplant. The food is served authentically, and tastes good, except the lafa, which was rather stale. Unfortunately, this place emits a hostile anti-Israeli atmosphere, and we felt rather awkward eating in. Perhaps a better choice for take-away — or to just avoid altogether? 4139 University Way NE, Seattle, 206-632-5253.
Best of the rest:
Gorgeous George’s
At this nice little sit-down restaurant in Greenwood, George himself will greet you and serve your hummus, pickled turnips and warm lafa on fine dishware. The falafel is quite tasty, if not a bit dry, but the atmosphere is nothing if not relaxing. Gorgeous George’s won the award for best falafel in the JTNews Best of Everything survey last year. 7719 Greenwood Ave. N, Seattle, 206-783-0116.
Mediterranean Express
One of the richest selections of Mediterranean food we found, and very low prices. We thought the hummus was a little bland, but the falafel tastes very good. This is one of the only places to offer both chicken and beef shawarma. 1417 Broadway, Seattle, 206-860-3989.
Mr. D
This is a Greek corner shop that offers falafel in addition to other Greek delights. It is served Greek-style, with tzatziki instead of tahini, but the falafel is fried perfectly, and the lafa is fresh, soft and fluffy. We would have preferred more authentic (to us) tahini, but the bottom line is that it still tastes really good. 1518 Pike Pl., Seattle, WA 98101, 206-622-4881.
The rest:
Tantalus
Tantalus is a Greek restaurant, and offers only hummus and no falafel or shawarma, but it has a variety of other dishes that will be familiar to Israelis such as moussaka and stuffed grape leaves. The food is very good, and it’s worth a mention because it’s the only place that offers decent hummus outside of Seattle. 317 NW Gilman Blvd # 31B, Issaquah, 425-391-6090.
Sabra
Sabra is unique in that it was originally established by two Israelis named Jacob and Motti. We couldn’t figure out what happened to them, as the place is now run by someone else, and the taste is, accordingly, disappointing. Everything we tried was rather bland, and the facility could benefit from some renovation. Better to settle for the unrelated Sabra Hummus sold at your local supermarket. 1916 Pike Pl. #14, Seattle, 206-441-4544.
Mediterranean Mix
We mention this place as a warning. The food there is simply dreadful, from price to freshness. You’d be wise to steer clear. 205 1st Ave. S, Seattle, 206-341-9265.