Cafe Rakka

CLOSED!!!
:(I loved this place and they were so friendly. Sadly the one on Ave B is totally vacant now.

Delicious Middle Eastern cuisine. Before Café Rakka, Mamoun’s was the extent of my knowledge but this place is definitely just as good if not better. The place is small, but the people are relatively nice and the portions are great. It is also fairly unique for the area, providing food drastically different than the rest of the area.
In particular, the falafel is delicious. Best falafel I have tried. Its filling, they give a lot and its just plain delicious. They also have solid platters with a lot of food if you’re looking for a good and filling meal. Their schwarma are not nearly as good as Mamoun’s, but satisfying nonetheless. The falafel is the selling point though.
The price is also quite affordable. Really cheap but simultaneously unique cuisine in the area. The place is small but quaint and its enjoyable food.

Café Rakka is a humble establish with one guy behind the counter whipping up falafel, gyros, etc. I plan to return for a quick, value price lunch or midnight snack.
Bottom line = Fresh falafel for under $ 5…what is there not to like?

Very fresh and delicious! Both the gyro sandwich and fixing were great but the real winner was the variety of sides! The babagahush was incredible. The beans, couscous, and baba all came with salad and two pitas too! That entire order w the sandwich was only $ 13! Amazing deal and the portions are great. We sprung for the baklava and holy cow we are thinking about ordering another one… ok yeah we just did. Heaven is ours. (btw I’m stoned.)

Not gonna lie i like this place! ya its a hole in the wall smushed in between a chinese restaurant and a mexican restaurant but the food that comes out of it is fresh, flavorful and cheap. I usually get the ‘any meat sandwich with fries’ which is $ 7.50 and i usually get the chicken kabob sandwich and its super good with the hot sauce and tahini sauce and veggies he gives you with it. And its fresh he cooks it in front of you. Its right around the corner from where i work so I’ll definitely be returning to try more!

This place has AMAZING food. We got the falafel with hummus and gyro sandwich. The place is inexpensive and extremely tasty. Its a hole in the wall, with limited seating which doesn’t seem used often (more of a take out place), but we ate there happily and got seconds. My gf didn’t love the Baklava, I thought it was ok. Skip the fava beans, they weren’t anything special. But definitely try the falafel and hummus and gyro sandwich. They’re great!

My friend and I stumbled upon this place while drinking over at Idle Hands bar — we were told we could order food upstairs, not sure what place that was but it smelled like fish, the menu was weak, and the crowd was gross. Anyway we started walking and saw Café Rakka which came up on our earlier Unilocal searches. Good for us because she’s vegan and I’m eating a very protein heavy diet, places like this usually accomodate us both.
The place was very tiny, typical NYC hole in the wall type of eatery but it looked clean enough to eat at. The guy behind the counter was very friendly and explained our options to us, also good was that some of the food was on display right in front of you (behind glass of course). She orderded the falafel and I got the chicken kebab. I assumed this would have some to me in a stick but it came in a pita — not what I wanted but it was still delicious. I’m not sure what kind of sauce was in it but it was tasty, a bit smoky. Honestly I don’t remember what we paid, but it seemed reasonable at the time. We also split a tiny piece of heaven called baklava. This was different from the other kinds I’ve had, I think I have had it made with Walnuts, where this was pistachio. Very fresh, tender, crispy, just the right amount of sweet… so so good. I would definitely come back here, perhaps more sober next time to get a truly better outlook but I was happy with the late night food options.

CHEAP and DELICIOUS.
After a few hours at a nearby bar, hunger struck. There were lots of spots in the area but i wanted cheap, quick and good. Hell it just had to not make me puke. I needed food!
Café Rakka was my north star. If there is anything you can rely in NY, its a falafel. Cheap, filling and delicious. Im sure it wouldnt even be bad for you (but then you GOTTA have toppings!)
The place is a hole in the way with but a few chairs available for sitting. Lots of people came in and out for take out.
The guy behind the counter was a bit sarcastic but then warmed up a bit when he realized I wasnt an asshole. The offerings looked amazing but i chose a falafel and had my new best friend behind the counter hook it up with the works– even the spicy stuff. They have a nice variety of yummies like hummus, babaganoush, stuffed grape leaves etc etc. It didnt take long to get the falafel and it satisfied me oh so well.
This place isnt meant to impress you with its looks. So be warned, its not whats on the outside, but whats on the inside of the pita that counts.

I was really disappointed with Café Rakka. Being so close to other options, I figured it would be a good spot to be busy many times of the day.
The falafel had a weird texture for me and the crust was thicker than I preferred. I ordered the plate that was definitely over priced — unless the 4 pitas were worth $ 5 bucks?
My biggest disappointment was with the mujadarrah (my spelling is terrible, I know). It was made much earlier and was microwaved before serving. I know this happens elsewhere, but similar to my thoughts of sanitation and restaurants, I don’t want to see it!
In all, the hummus was good. It was not a bad place but overpriced compared to more compelling options. Also, the guy behind the counter was nice but this is not a place you hang for very long in.

Gotta admit to loving a cheap hole in the wall type place. A little dirt and griminess doesn’t bother me if the food tastes good and doesn’t kill my wallet. Heck, they even have an «A» rating on the window so looks are deceiving. Total dive but don’t be scared to give Café Rakka a shot.
This is one of those spots where you can score some tasty Middle Eastern food after a night out bar hopping in the near vicinity. Think falafel, hummus, and chicken kabab sandwiches. We had just that the other night after a beer & bourbon tasting event at the nearby Idle Hands bar. The hummus was creamy and served up with toasted pita points, and the chicken kabab sandwich came with the works and tahini sauce on it. My friend Monique R had a delicious falafel sandwich that was loaded with ingredients. They don’t skimp here for the nominal prices of $ 3.50 to $ 7 a sandwich depending on what you order (chicken, lamb, falafel). An assortment of platters, soups, vegan options, ad some desserts such as the standard baklave and bird’s nest. Lunch deals too. All pretty cheap and reasonable overall.
Would surely come back here next time in the area. The place itself doesn’t offer much by way of décor, atmosphere, or even a lot of seating. What it does offer is solidly tasty Middle Eastern fare to fill your belly after a night out. Open pretty late too!

I love this cozy space. They make great Falafel. I love there Chicken Kebab sandwich and the platter is big enough to share among two skinny friend. Good place to go if you are short on time for the fast service. Yummy food on a budget.

This place has been around a long time — the sign says since 1982. This was the second place I ever tried falafel (The first was a place nearby on Second Ave that no longer exists) and the first place I ever tried baklava. That was way back in 2000!
After all these years, this place is still delivering good quality Middle Eastern food. There is not much atmosphere which doesn’t matter to me. There is some outdoor seating though. What’s important is they make very good falafel and hummus plates, with the option to add french fries. Or, you can everything in a white or wheat pita sandwich as well. The low prices have not changed much either.

Gyro and Grape Leaves. Pretty good Gyro, nothing like the street kind. Took an actual pita, opened it up, put good quality lamb shavings in there and didn’t overstuff it with lettuce and tomatoes. Good, normal sized gyro.

$ 3.50 for an awesome Falafel? Absolutely!
A bit of a dive, and there’s usually only one guy working behind the counter, so you may have to wait a bit, but totally worth it.

Twenty years ago joints like this were practically on every East Village street corner. I hadn’t been to one in over a decade, but was feeling hungry and nostalgic, and found myself on Ave B. Why not go for what used to be my standard East Village post-​gig indulgence?
A felafel sandwich with hummus is now $ 4.50, but that still makes this tasty, large fast food item a deal. The first few bites will be a bit dry, and the last few will leave your fingers dripping with sauce. The tahini sauce and the hot sauce are both good — get a little of each on there. The hummus and felafel are both correctly flavored, and the sandwich is generous enough to be a proper meal.
Great place for a quick, casual bite. And you can bring your vegetarian friends, too, because most of the menu is stuff they can eat.

Win. Best falafel I’ve had in the city thus far. Very good grape leaves as well.
Stumbled upon this place while beer bar hopping — very glad I did — give it a try!

After a friend wrote an enthusiastic review about their St. Mark’s location, I stopped here to grab a bite on my way to the Nuyorican Poets Café’ last Friday.
I wasn’t disappointed.
The falafel sandwich ($ 3.50) was excellent: fresh and flavorful, with nice, crunchy vegetables, and the pita is not overstuffed. The hot sauce was ok, although I would have liked it hotter.
Since they were out of shawarma, I tried a side of mujadarra (fluffy cracked wheat and green lentils with fried onions; $ 3). Although flavorful, this dish was rather dry. It is probably best enjoyed together with hummus or babaganouj.
Service is slower than at other similar establishments, but if you consider that the falafel is fried fresh in front of your eyes, I can’t complain. I’ll take a fresh falafel sandwich that takes 5 minutes to prepare any time.

I’m surprised that this place managed to secure a consistently high score throughout all 25 reviews. I had a shish kebab, and my boyfriend had a chicken kebab. The meat I had was tough and in large chunks, and took me great effort to chomp down. The white sauce had a strange bitterness about it. It might have been only $ 6, but I still expect my food edible.
Saving grace? The emptiness of the tiny café. We ate and we left as soon as we could.

Just tried Rakka’s falafel sandwich — super flavorful and tasty.
The falafel balls themselves were huge and infused with the most delicious blend of spices. I didn’t even do the hot sauce, just falafel, lettuce, tomatoes, and tahini, and it was lovely.
At $ 3.50, it rings up more expensive than Mamoun’s, but Rakka’s sandwich is a bit more filling due to the larger falafel balls, and the veggies seem to be of higher quality. A great deal all around.

Love this place. It’s a quick, cheap, spicy option for dinner. I used to go with a gyro or chicken kabob sandwich (~$ 5); both are flavorful, well-​constructed pitas with salad and hot/​tahini sauce added to your liking. I also ask the Surly Weekday Rakka Guy to throw some onions on there just for kicks.
Recently I’ve discovered that for around $ 2.75 more you can get yourself a nice chicken/​gyro platter and add 2 veggie items like falafel (best I’ve had in the city), hummus or babaganouj. You get a couple of pitas, and salad, and you can go home and construct at least 3 of your very own sandwiches. If I wasn’t a fatboy, I would even say that it could feed two people. For less than $ 8.
I was in there late one night while some yappy, drunk girl was babbling nonsense at SWRG after she ordered. He just stared straight at her, leaned over and turned the music all the way up. That made me like SWRG more. Tip him.