Abbout Falafel House, 465 Sydney Rd, Coburg. Phone: 9350 4343
My falafel plate is breathtaking in its awesomeness.
It costs $10.
Food, in my world, simply does not get any better – at any price.
Even better, my faith in the eternal goodness of falafel – shaken somewhat earlier in the week – is emphatically restored.
It’s easy to miss Abbout Falafel House.
It has an unremarkable facade and is flanked on either side by several kebab shops.
But what makes me persevere is the endless stream of people trying to get a table in the dining room that adjoins the food preparation/takeaway area.
When I discover how good the food is, and why the place is so popular with many folks who are obviously regulars, the five-minute wait dodging staff members coming with empty plates and dishes and going with full ones seems a mere trifle.
Even if I am wedged between a tiny wooden table in the front area and one of the drinks fridges.
This is not a kebab house.
The fare is almost all vegetarian of the Lebanese variety – but it’s exceptional.
There’s dips and labneh and foul, all of them served with beaut trimmings.
My six falafel balls are amazingly unoily, true lightweights and terrifically tender – although some may find them a little under-seasoned.
The labneh and “hommos” are likewise state of the art, sprinkled with parsley, paprika and olive oil.
The pickled cucumber slices and turshi – pickled turnip – are sour and crunchy in their own different ways, just as I like ’em.
The pickled chillis are sour, too, although with a nicely mild kick.
The olives fall somewhere between green and black, and are fine.
The two pita breads arrive fresh out of the oven, plumped up like bladders and emit a puff of steam when punctured.
How good is that?
As much as I love our west, I have to concede it lacks a place just like this or Al-Alamy.
Abbout Falafel House is open for lunches only seven days a week.
consider the sauce 
Yum!
I am adding this to my list of must-eats – thank you so much for the review.
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I friggin’ LOVE falafels! I’m definitely making a visit to grab myself a plate of those. Yum!
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Good as they get, IMHO! Return trip planned for fairly soon, I hope, to confirm. It’s not just the falafels – it’s the dips and bits and pieces, too!
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I just tried this with my girls on your recommendation. The felafel were superb. Good dips, too. I’d have liked more pickles, though. Entire bowls of turshi, that is. Girls and I love the stuff. Especially wrapped in pita then dipped. I noticed other tables had entire bowls of pickles and plates piled high with tomato and chillis and mint; I assume they’re an accompaniment to some of the other dishes.
We’ll definitely be back. I think it’ll become one of our cheap local lunch staples along with Al-Alamy.
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Hi Andrea – been thinking you may comment, given I know you’re an Al-Alamy fan! Glad you liked it – I can’t wait to get Bennie there. Yeah, I noticed other dishes had the mint and more goodies, or so it seemed. What did you have?
Bennie’s not a turshi fan … yet. But, me who loves it, are certainly gonna try your dipped turshi cigar idea!
Sunday lunchtime was insane. How was it earlier in the week?
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We stuck with the $10 felafel plate – I was after a cheap lunch and it was perfect. Might add a baba ghannouj plate next time.
We got there a bit after 12.30pm. There were about six tables full, which rapidly dimished to a couple as we ate.
The only thing I really didn’t like was the “lemon drink” I grabbed from the fridge. I was expecting something tangy and refreshing, but it was incredibly sugary. I’ll stick with water next time. Otherwise, suspect I’ll be back tomorrow with a friend after the kids’ swimming lessons!
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Thanks! Yeah, funny about the drink – I recall from early days in Melbourne a number of Lebanese places – takeaway and restaurants – that had the tangiest most delicious lip-smacking lemon drinks. Been a while – may have to explore doing it my self!
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On your recommendation, I gave up my felafel roll at the Half Moon Cafe in Victoria Street (the mall) and walked around the corner to the Sydney Road, Bell Street roar to find the Aboutt Felafel House. It was worth the walk! The roll was terrific, maybe I have a new favourite! Felafel were fresh and hot, salad was crisp and exotic and the folks were fun. The ergonomics of the entry could do with a redesign as you say but the food wins.
I noticed as I was walking back to the train later that the butchers and greengrocers in Sydney road could teach the Footscray market traders a bit about pricing. Chicken and stone fruit in particular were a dollar or two cheaper. Loss leaders perhaps, but cheaper non the less.
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It’s winner!
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Hi, thanks for writing about falafel house. I visited the place today, and the bread is indeed outstanding. But in terms of the falafel and baba ganoush I had, half moon does it much better I think.
Also, just extra info, I walked away to get takeaway containers. Came back to find most of my bread missing. Turns out the next door table, one of the guys took two and ate one. His lady returned one, saying that the guy was hungry. I was fuming, so pathetic to eat other ppl’s leftovers..
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