New Eatery Delivers Authentic Mediterranean Flavors
SARATOGA SPRINGS – When it comes to lunch and dinner, restaurant-rich Saratoga Springs has a new eatery to offer as an option – The Falafel Den. The eatery, located at 6 Phila Street, just opened its doors and specializes in authentic Mediterranean appetizers, salads, wraps and desserts.
The Falafel Den serves tasty, authentic falafel – a blend of freshly ground chickpeas and fava beans combined with its signature savory herbs and exotic spices, shaped into patties and lightly fried until crispy. They are then served as is for an appetizer, or in pita wraps and on salads with freshly cut vegetables and a choice of hummus dip or tahini yogurt sauce.
Falafel Den owners Sabreen Samman and Zouhir Lian say their menu items are prepared from fresh, quality ingredients to ensure customers experience delicious and authentic Mediterranean flavors in each bite.
“Our restaurant in Amsterdam was very nice, but we’ve always had our eyes on the Saratoga area,” said Samman. “A lot of people from Saratoga, when they visited our restaurant in Amsterdam, told us we had to open a place in Saratoga…so they kind of planted that seed and here we are.”
Samman and Lian aren’t new to the food industry. The business partners previously owned Aladdin’s Restaurant and Hookah Lounge in Amsterdam, which they closed in preparation for relocating to Saratoga.
“The people in Saratoga are more open, they like to try everything and they like ethnic food,” said Lian. “We’ve been trying for almost two years to open here in Saratoga and we did it.”
“We’ve always tried to find places that offer good, traditional Mediterranean food and we always thought we could do it ourselves and do it better,” added Samman. “So that was always in the back of our minds and we just decided to do it ourselves.”
There’s no question Saratoga hosts a wide variety of food options, but The Falafel Den is the first eatery in town exclusively centered on falafel. Samman and Lian say their traditional Mediterranean food is a healthy option at a modest price for those looking to grab a bite to eat.
“It’s really healthy food,” said Lian. “People who come for the first time end up coming back again and again. Our prices are cheap; you can get a healthy lunch for $5.”
“We put everything on the menu that are favorites of ours,” added Samman. “People keep coming back for the hummus too because it’s homemade.”
And for those looking for an alternative to falafel, the eatery also offers other items such as grilled chicken kabob, gyro, hummus, cheese burek, baklava and knafeh, among others.
The location, where Alpha Dogs previously operated, has a grab-and-go atmosphere but also boasts a countertop area where customers can eat.
While The Falafel Den has only been open for about a month, the business partners are enjoying this new venture in Saratoga Springs and hope to one day relocate to Broadway and add more options to the menu.
“The people here are really welcoming and it’s been really great,” said Samman. “We’ve gotten really good feedback so far.”
The Falafel Den is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. For a look at the menu, visit www.falafelden.com.
