Falafel Gourmet, a really nice Mediterranean Market

It wasn’t so very long ago that we struggled to find the most basic Armenian ingredients such as bulgur here in South Florida — and despite the region’s growth, we’re still left with few shopping choices.

So we get a little excited whenever we hear about a new Middle Eastern store. But that excitement often fades when we walk through the door.

A number have come and gone over the years. Many were small and poorly stocked, and a few have been less than appetizing in their appearance and not very hospitable.

So what a pleasant surprise it was when we visited the just-opened Falafel Gourmet in Coral Springs (not far from Fort Lauderdale) and were greeted warmly by Hamest Guiragousian, a fellow Armenian, and her husband Mohammed Flafil.

The store is bright, clean and impressively stocked with a vast selection of dried, canned and packaged goods, refrigerated cheeses, yogurt, frozen meats (including lamb!), sweets from Syria and other countries that will knock your socks off.

Ms. Guiragosian cooks many of the fresh foods along with a team of cooks, right on the premises. They have a take-out menu which includes appetizers, savory pies, salads, kabob plates which come with rice and salad, and sandwiches (falafel and kabobs), chicken or lamb shawerma, makanek (a beef and lamb sausage), and more.

South Florida’s diversity — and growing Near and Middle Eastern population — is illustrated by the variety of languages and country-of-origin tags, as well as labels marked Halal and Kosher.

Part of the reason the store is so attractive is the gorgeous wood cabinetry that looks hand-made because it is: Mr. Flafil was a custom cabinet maker in his native Jordan. 

The couple got started in the food industry by running a wholesale business for 15 years from home — something they enjoyed doing very much. Their dream of someday having their own store became a reality on December 10, 2009, when the Falafel Gourmet opened.
They hope to expand to include a restaurant. But for now their focus is on their store, with help from their their two high school-age sons whenever school is out of session.
I found them by word of mouth, and now Iā€™d like to spread the word.


Falafel Gourmet Mon-Sat: 9am – 9pm
4344 N. State Rd. 7 Sun: 10 am – 9 pm
Coral Springs, FL 33073.
Tel: 954-752-8340
Fax: 954-752-8339.

(Visited 390 times, 1 visits today)

14 Comments

  1. Bonnie March 20, 2010 at 1:11 am

    Sounds like a real find — thank you for sharing!

    Reply
  2. Anne-Marie Mack June 16, 2010 at 10:48 pm

    This place is awesome. I am blessed with living across the street! It's a very friendly place and the family that owns it is just wonderful. Very, very sweet people, which is so rare these days!

    Reply
  3. Anonymous June 20, 2010 at 12:40 am

    I was in there for the first time today and the owner was incredibly nice! It is not a sit down restaurant, but they make food to go from scratch. Pleasantly surprised with the service and will definitlely go back for future purchases and to learn more about the cuisine!

    Reply
  4. The Muzzarellis April 15, 2011 at 1:30 am

    My husband and I stumbled upon this place by accident – we were heading to Panera Bread and the sign and delicious smells caught our attention. The falafel sandwiches were delicious, the grocery aisles were clean and stocked to the brim with interesting foods and Mohammed shook our hands and chatted with us for at least 10 minutes. Can't wait to go back.

    Reply
  5. Robyn April 15, 2011 at 12:57 pm

    I'm so glad you made that detour! Panera Bread has some fierce competition with their neighbor, the Falafel Gourmet.

    Reply
  6. Anonymous April 24, 2011 at 10:05 pm

    The food is terrible and there grocery section is extremely over priced….

    Reply
  7. Diane February 3, 2012 at 4:31 pm

    Went in to try the falafel since I do not eat meat! The food is amazing…real home cooked taste! The owners are very sweet. OMG I am going there for lunch right now šŸ™‚

    Reply
  8. Onion Petal July 13, 2012 at 8:15 pm

    I noticed the shop when I went to Panera for lunch one day. I love falafel, hummus and kibbeh and wanted to add something new to my menu of things to make for dinner. The woman who runs the place, Ms. Guiragosian per this article, was very patient with me as I asked about the proper way to fry her pre-made falaf…batter(?). It came out great so I went back today for more and a falafel press to make molding the patties a little easier. Her husband helped me today, he was just as friendly and helpful. I need a tour guide for the store. I find myself wandering around wanting to explore all the interesting new food but I have no idea what any of it is.
    Also had a nosh on a Feta cheese pie that was delicious. I want to go back for the shawerma.

    Reply
  9. Anonymous August 14, 2012 at 7:27 am

    The owner is money hungry and willing to lose a customer over a dollar a lot of items are out of date and if you buy and not pay attention he will argue with you till morning and won't compensate you. I bought sandwichs one time and never again because I'm middle eastern and that's not the way the sandwiches are supposed to taste because he is too cheap to use quality ingredients I will never ever go to that dredful place because I always gave him the benefit of the doubt and the owner always failed. He is a nasty person and will never see a dollar from me again. This is for everybody if you want great meditarenean food visit al Natour restaurant on sunrise and just west of university on the left next to state farm you won't regret it and will spend much less

    Reply
  10. Anonymous August 26, 2012 at 11:10 pm

    Bad customer experience! šŸ™

    Reply
  11. Anonymous August 28, 2012 at 7:20 pm

    Bad customer experience from mr. Mohammed! šŸ™ avoid this place at all cost

    Reply
  12. mike September 16, 2012 at 12:34 am

    "Beware The Rotten Hummus"

    I have purchased the hummus at Falafel Gourmet several times which is very tasty if it hasn't been sitting in there cooler for days on end. At least five times upon arriving straight home with the hummus it had that sharp, twangy taste. Two nights ago my wife picked up a container and thought that she smelled something funny on the way home. I tasted it and immediately knew that it was bad. I went back today to return the rotten hummus and the owners were there and basically told me "tough luck". I will never go back there again – frequent this establishment at your own rick of food poisoning.

    Reply
  13. Anonymous September 28, 2012 at 11:32 am

    Owners have quite an attitiude – avoid like the plauge!

    Reply
  14. Anonymous February 3, 2013 at 4:35 am

    Agree with Mike's comment above. Purchased large container of Hummus last weekend, went directly home and served some to my husband and son. Yikes, tasted like sour and twangy bean curds. Called owner the next day to inform them they might have a problem with their cooler – she told me that their hummus is always fresh and I must be out of my mind. Never going back.

    Reply

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