The Falafel Waffle And Other Unique Falafel Dishes In L.A.

We are always in search of the perfect falafel with the right level of crispiness on the outside and creaminess on the inside. But in the same vein, we're not falafel purists, and like a little oomph in our falafel dishes. Luckily in Los Angeles, there are a few spots that play on the chickpeas and fava bean treat, bringing in fun twists—like the falafel waffle and a kale falafel burger.

Falafel Waffle at Canelé (Photo by Jean Trinh/LAist)
Update: The Falafel Waffle is unfortunately no longer on Canelé's menu, but the other dishes on this list are.

Falafel Waffle at Canelé

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Atwater Village's Canelé recently launched a lunch program, and with that came some new, mouthwatering dishes. Their lunchtime Falafel Waffle is a special treat, not only because of its fun-to-say name, but also because it uses a falafel batter that gets pressed in a waffle iron. It's crispy on the outside, and the garbanzo beans are soft on the inside. It's perfectly complemented by the toum dressing (a garlicky, lemon juice and olive oil concoction) that accompanies it. Feel free to be liberal in pouring the toum all over the waffle. And along with its gorgeous presentation, there's also an accompanying market vegetable salad. When we ordered ours, we got a tangy and sweet salad with ribbons of cucumber and fennel, and pickled ramps.

Canelé is located at 3219 Glendale Blvd. in Atwater Village, (323) 666-7133. Their Falafel Waffle, which costs $11, is only available for lunch service, which is Wednesdays through Fridays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Kale Burger at Fala Bar (Photo courtesy of Fala Bar)
Kale Burger at Fala Bar

Fala Bar is where you go when you need a falafel fix. They're serious about their falafel as the tiny Melrose Avenue restaurant has five different varieties—from sweet potato to kale. But one of our favorite dishes on their menu is the Kale Burger, which employs their kale and garbanzo bean falafel and stacks it with a serious mix of ingredients. Sandwiched between two soft buns (almost like torta bread), the kale falafel is combined with chopped purple cabbage, lemony kale, grilled onions, avocado and house-made vegan thousand island dressing. It's a filling vegetarian dish that even this particular carnivore enjoyed.

Fala Bar is located at 7751 1/2 Melrose Ave. in the Fairfax District, (323) 424-7131. The Kale Burger costs about $8.

Stir Market's 'Fairfax Veg Flatbread' (Photo courtesy of Stir Market)
The Fairfax Veg Flatbread at Stir Market

How do we love Stir Market's Fairfax Veg Flatbread? Let us count the ways. This shareable flatbread (though, we wouldn't judge you if you got it all for yourself) is a great dish that plays on the boring ol' falafel. The quinoa and chickpea croquettes are moist on the inside, and sit atop a bed of creamy edamame hummus and feta. All of this rests on a warm, slightly charred flatbread. We're salivating just thinking about it.

Stir Market is located at 7475 Beverly Blvd. in the Fairfax District, (323) 879-8283. The Fairfax Veg Flatbread costs about $13.