Top 5 Falafel in Mississauga

Falafels are the perfect all-purpose Middle Eastern food and there are some great choices in Mississauga. I say “all purpose” because falafels wear many delicious hats — they make a great pita filling, side dish and entrée. No matter what form it takes, this deep-fried ball of ground chickpeas and fava beans will definitely satisfy your appetite.

Here are the top five places to get falafel in Mississauga:

5 – Lezzet Shawarma Falafel House

Lezzet is located in a plaza at Dixie and Burnhamthorpe and it boasts a great sense of humour along with delicious falafel. These guys aren’t afraid to endear themselves to customers with their cute t-shirts that say “Don’t just go out for lunch…Go out for Lezzet” and this sign below. I wonder if they have ever asked for that $10?

Outside of their humour, they make really good Middle Eastern dishes, including shawarma and falafel (as the name suggests). They throw the falafels into the fryer as soon as you order and they’re ready in five minutes. They threw some tahini and garlic sauce on them and those doughnut style falafels were delicious. Great people and great service.

4 – Pita & Grill

There is almost always a 5/10 mention in our Top 5’s and this is the first of two on this list. Being a 5/10 boy, I knew this place when it was Zoy’s. Who remembers that? Pita & Grill is there now and they know good Middle Eastern food and, naturally, falafel. A good falafel should take about five minutes to cook.  If you get one instantly, you know you’re getting a pre-made, re-heated snack. These guys started making my falafel as soon as I ordered and five minutes later, I got the balls you see below. They were nice with a good crunch on the outside and a soft, flavourful inside.

3 – Tarboosh Restaurant

Tarboosh is located in a plaza at Confederation and Dundas. These guys are not new to the game, having been around since 1988. Tarboosh was the joint venture of two brothers who shared the idea of introducing traditional culinary secrets to the mainstream. It’s a nice sit-down restaurant that has everything from Kafta to shawarma to falafel. The falafel was one of the most flavourful of the top five and the fluffiest. The tahini that came with it was excellent as well.

2 – Paramount Fine Foods

No Middle Eastern food list is complete without a mention of Paramount. With three locations in Mississauga, these guys are everywhere. My favourite location is off Dixie in nowhere land. They still haven’t fixed their confusing takeout system, but I’ve already mentioned this before in an earlier article. As soon as you order, you see someone start creating the falafel balls and throwing them into the fryer. They have a really nice outer crust and tons of flavour inside. I always ask for a side of the house-made garlic sauce. Dip the falafel in the garlic and you are in heaven.

1 – Acacia Fine Food

Acacia Fine Food is located in a huge plaza by Creditview and Burnhamthrope. As soon as you walk in, you realize how big this place is. They have the bakery with all the Middle Eastern desserts and the open kitchen where you can actually see the action happen. I watched my falafel be created by a man that stood by the fryer throughout the entire cooking process to make sure it was fried to perfection. Let me tell you that these falafels are the best balls I have ever tasted this side of the Mississippi. The outer layer had that perfect crunch and they put a little extra effort into the filling. Look at the size of the falafels in the picture below. These babies are delicious and I’ll be coming back for more.

1. Acacia Fine Foods
2. Paramount Fine Foods
3. Tarboosh Restaurant
4. Pita & Grill
5. Lezzet Shawarma Falafel House