This is a slightly different restaurant review, as Fafa’s is more of a takeaway rather than sit-in restaurant, although it does have a few seats outside, and inside a couple of window ledges with stools where you can, and we did, enjoy this delicious Middle Eastern street food that I have been told features in the ‘Where Chefs Eat’ guide. so if you work around the Covent Garden area, or are in town heading to the theatre or shopping and want to grab something quick and tasty to eat, then Fafa’s is a great option.
Fafa’s started out as a modest street food kiosk in the Finnish town of Punavuori and Tel-Aviv-born Doron Karavani has now put Fafa’s firmly on the map; with 40 sites across three countries including one in the UK!
On the menu are breakfast dishes from £5.50 that include broken eggs with salad and tzatziki; and avocado and fried egg with chilli and mint. All-day pitas, served from lunch until late, are packed with tabbouleh, sweet and smoky matbucha, fresh tomatoes, kale, chopped chilli and parsley.
I chose a pita with falafel and halloumi, whilst other options include hummus, goat’s cheese and pesto, or roasted vegetables and feta. Exciting flavour combinations, exclusive to London, include grilled shrimp with harissa and tzatziki which my friend chose and exclaimed was gorgeous; Fafa’s burger (patty) with tahini; and slow cooked short rib with harissa and beetroot.
For those wishing to shed a few pounds following the Christmas and New Year indulgence, why not choose the house mezze box, a low carb meal featuring spiced chicken breast, grilled shrimp or Fafa’s burger served with falafel, hummus, tabbouleh, matbucha, a range of vegetables and pickles, tahini and tzatziki, or a salad that includes chicken and tabbouleh or goat’s cheese and pesto. Don’t miss on-trend sides such as fries with homemade beetroot ketchup and halloumi strips with harissa for a glorious mix of crunchy, spicy and salty. These would be worth eating in, as the halloumi lost its crispiness after a while, but it was a while as we were throughly enjoying tucking into our pitas and salad boxes whilst enjoying the halloumi strips, fries and sweet potato fries!
Although Fafa’s is a takeway, they do not scrimp on the drinks on offer, as they do sell cans of cocktails, flavoured gin drink, cider and craft beers, as well as a selection of soft drinks.
So, if you work around the Covent Garden area, or are in town heading to the theatre or shopping and want to grab something quick and tasty to eat, then Fafa’s is a great option.
1 Monmouth Street, London WC2H 9DA
