While traversing Europe a few years back, S and I came across several fantastic restaurants. One in particular, a hole in the wall, quickly became one of favorites - Maoz Vegetarian. We stumbled upon it in Barcelona and ended up eating our way through their outposts in London, Paris, and Amsterdam (the original). Recently they opened up a shop on Telegraph in Berkeley near Cal's campus; so we decided to be nostalgic and head across the Bay!
Their menu is simple - couple of meal deals and a la carte options. We opted for a junior maoz meal (falafel in a pita, sweet potato fries, & lemonade) and a regular falafel. The falafels were freshly made and fried crispy on order and served in a warm pita. Ingredients were fava beans, cilantro, and parsley giving a distinctive moist flavor and green color inside. The best part is the unlimited salad bar - filled with garbanzo beans, carrots, cucumbers, carrots, cole slaw, pickles, olives, cabbage, and an assortment of sauce (tahini, garlic mint chutney, yogurt, and spicy ketchup). All the sauces were excellent, but the tahini was my favorite. By the time you take a few bites, it's back to the salad bar to top up!
Overall, the falafel was just like we remembered it; brought back fond memories! The pita was a bit thicker than in Europe, but tasty none the less. As for the fries, they were a bit under-cooked so by the time we were on the last few, they were cold and raw. The lemonade was surprisingly refreshing, not sour and not sweet. Located in heart of a college town with a price point to suit, means there will always be a steady stream of hungry students for years to come. In my book it's on par with the famed Falafel Drive-In of Santa Clara/San Jose. My vote when in Berkeley (or in the East Bay), check out this place for a fast, healthy, vegetarian meal and you won't be disappointed.
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