If you are from the DMV area, chances are you have been to Amsterdam Falafel. Amsterdam Falafel is a fast casual Middle Eastern restaurant with locations in Logan Circle, Adams Morgan, and L’Enfant. Due to its location in the major nightlife hubs of DC, Amsterdam Falafel is notorious for being a late night drunk food hot spot. No matter when you go to Amsterdam Falafel, gluten-free patrons are in for a treat with their extremely NOBREAD friendly menu…
Before going to Amsterdam Falafel, I had never tried falafel. I assumed that the falafel balls contained gluten due to their consistency. Thankfully Amsterdam Falafel proved me wrong! They let their chickpeas soak overnight, which allows them to bind together to create perfect balls without the use of breadcrumbs. Amsterdam Falafel also fry’s their falafels and french fries in 100% canola oil, which makes them free of trans-fats. Since these two items are the only things in the restaurant that are fried, the french fries and falafel should be safe for those who are extremely sensitive.
Expect for the pitas, everything on Amsterdam Falafel’s menu is gluten-free! And with a multitude of delicious toppings to choose from, you will not even miss the pita. You start with either a small bowl (three falafel balls) or a large bowl (five falafel balls.) From there, Amsterdam Falafel offers over twenty toppings and sauces to top your falafel with. You can put as many toppings as you want on your bowl, and I took that to heart. I topped my bowl with yogurt dill sauce, hummus, fried eggplant, red cabbage, cucumber tomato salad, and garlic cream sauce. My falafel bowl was amazing! The falafel was crunchy on the outside but moist on the inside. The fried eggplant has the capability to turn even an eggplant hater into an eggplant fan. Along with my falafel bowl, I got a small order of fries. Small is by far an understatement. Amsterdam Falafel’s small fries are big enough to feed 2-3 people, while their large fries are big enough to feed 4 people. The fries were crunchy and paired perfectly with my bowl. As with the falafel, there are a variety of sauces offered to dip your fries into. I tried the ketchup, peanut sauce, garlic cream, and Dutch mayo. I highly recommend the ketchup and the Dutch mayo.
Whether you are looking for a quick lunch, some good falafel, or something to eat at 2am after a long night out, Amsterdam Falafel is the place to go! Their menu is almost entirely gluten-free; and with over twenty toppings it is easy to create a delicious falafel bowl to match your tastes.