Speedy Falafel (El Cajon)

Speedy Falafel has closed.  It will be missed. 

This, mmm-yoso!!!, is a food blog.  Cathy is writing today. 

We noticed this rather large building after visiting City Bistro earlier this year (it's one block West).  There were notes made and finally, The Mister and I returned to the neighborhood.  Order, pay, grab a beverage, find a seat; your food will be brought to the table.  There is plenty of seating.  Speedy Falafel has been in this El Cajon location for about ten months. 
 The menu is on the wall, where you order and pay, also HERE.  (EDIT: there is a new chef and some menu items may be added or not available at all times; I'm pretty confident that the choices we made on these visits are 'standard')  Falafel sandwich ($3.99).  There is a choice of falafel types; this is Lebanese (made with garbanzo and fava beans, cilantro and spices).

Other falafel styles are Iraqi (garbanzos, onion, garlic and spices) and Syrian (garbanzos, cilantro and spices).  You can get sandwiches made with either flatbread or samoon bread.

Here is a beef kabob sandwich ($5.99) on a samoon. Each sandwich came with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle.  There was a small side of hummus, a small serving of fresh made fried potatoes and we each got a bowl of soup (I think because we were eating in). A very good vegetable soup this day; celery, mushrooms, carrot and onion.  Hearty. The sandwiches were each fresh, flavorful, definite return-for items.

On another visit, we tried a Bureg (beef and vegetable stuffed in a baked, thicker egg roll wrap ($2).  This was good, but one was enough. 
We also shared a Za'tar topped flatbread ($4.99) Gosh, this was great.  The fresh za'tar spices (oregano, sumac, sesame seed, salt, pepper) mixed with olive oil on this wonderful, fresh, slightly crisp flat bread was just a perfect treat.  

We decided to share the Pompano Zubidi (fried fish) ($10.99).  This came with two bowls of wonderful lentil soup.  The perfectly fried fish had yellow basmati rice and tomatoes, onions, cucumber and pickles on the side.  It was wonderful; tender, fresh, flavorful.  
 On the far end of the eating area is a small bakery with a few individually priced items and mostly different 'by the pound' baklava pieces.   This mixed nut roll was $1.50 and really good- there were small hazelnuts, pistachios and walnut pieces.  These baklava creations, one with shredded filo filled with nuts and fig and one triangle piece, a more nutty traditional baklava cost $2.86 (pricing of $10.99/lb).  These are sugar syrup, not honey based, sweets. very fresh, crispy, nutty, deep flavored bits of just enough dessert.   

Speedy Falafel 1142 E Main St. El Cajon, CA 92021 (619) 938-4455 Open daily 8-10 (yes, there is a breakfast menu; basturma, foul medammas and other traditional Armenian items are available)(again, there is a new chef and the menu may be changing) website

 

 

Comments

[kat]

everything looked nice!

[Caninecologne]

Yay, it is the return of the fish carcass! I am curious about the basturma...

Nice find. I liked that you explained the regional fifferences between the falafels

[Soo]

The beef kabob sandwich looks great!

[Cathy]

It was all really good, Kat.

Ah yes, whole fish carcasses take special photography skills, cc; the pompano is particularly easy to detach from its skeleton. If, for some reason, they do away with breakfast, both City Bistro and Valley Foods Market (across the street) have basturma as a breakfast meat. Yes, there are many types fo falafel; it was nice to see a variety offered (but I must admit that the Lebanese -fava beans with chickpeas- is my favorite; smooth and tasty).

The kabob was great, Soo- moist, properly flavored with fresh herbs and spices and all of the condiments in a fresh baked bread made it just so very perfect.

[RedDevil]

Another great post. Thanks!

[Cathy]

Thanks, RD. It is a very good restaurant.