Cheap Eats
University Market Mount Vernon
Published: April 11, 2012
Here’s the thing about the semi-legendary University Market falafel, the one you get/got from the Charles Village location of the now two-store micro-chain: It came on a big and rather fluffy sub roll. You dealt with it and might’ve even acted like you liked eating falafel on a sub roll, because, hey, it’s 3 in the morning and you’re eating a deep-fryer-newborn falafel of pretty good quality. Presented with the option of having said falafel ($5.99) on actual pita at the new Mount Vernon location, the temptation was to say, “Naw, hoagie all the way” just out of tradition and, what, faithfulness? Don’t, because what we have now down in the Vern is what you might call a “daytime falafel,” a most-excellent package of falafel crunch and pita semi-squish (as opposed to full-on, body-pillow roll squish). There’s also tahini and hummus on there, naturally, and some variety of spicy sauce and, for serious, try it with pickles, which goes for any falafel. There’s other falafel down in these parts is the thing—very good falafel, City Paper’s “best” falafel even—and we’d at least keep UniMini in our neighborhood falafel rotation. It scratches a slightly different itch than other, more fancy varieties that’s difficult to explain. On our inaugural trip to the new location, a sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich on rye ($2.99) was also sampled, and it immediately raced to not quite the top but very near it among Mount Vernon breakfast sandwich options—of which there are many. Note that sandwiches come with a free fountain soda or coffee, which is a nice touch.
> Email Michael Byrne
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