Falafelly Yours closed

I only went there once but I thought it was decent, and it seemed to be at least reasonably busy most times when I passed by. But gone-zo.

Reopening (in a new iteration ) where Hat City Kitchen was

librarylady said:

Reopening (in a new iteration ) where Hat City Kitchen was

 Hat City Kitchen closed?

I'm glad to hear Falafelly Yours will reopen.

Posted on their website:

We have some sad news and some happy news to share. We've sold Falafel-ly Yours after several years of successful business. We thank you all for your support and for being wonderful customers. Expect some fun and exciting changes from the new owners in the coming weeks.
The good news is we will be taking over Hat City Kitchen in the City of Orange! See you soon!

...And I really liked the old version of Hat City Kitchen... And Ricky's In The Valley before that...

-s.

We’d been to Ricci’s since he moved to Rte 10 (though not for quite a while) and the food was as good as ever, and still with the same prices. We even took our friends there for one of our anniversaries  

As for Falafel-Ly Yours, I’d heard that as a vague rumor a few weeks ago, but I’m exceedingly glad that it will be a reality. I’ve always liked their food, especially the chicken with preserved lemons and the hen with prunes. Honestly, though, the portions are so large that i usually settle for the Mesdames fuul appetizer and still take half home for another meal or two. 

I would guess that  the new owners will have the same kind of restaurant, but who knows?

I believe the new owner of falafelly yours will maintain a similar menu - not 100% sure what the new menu will be at hat city - but we’ll find out soon.

Never tried Ricky's, but also liked the old HCK. Service was always iffy, but the food was pretty good -- the fried chicken with honey was my wife's favorite, and I'd usually get a burger but their ribs were also pretty good. And at one point they had really good wings, too. When it last re-opened with their menu online touting a burger that wasn't going to be cooked to order, I didn't even go down to try the place. 

soda said:

...And I really liked the old version of Hat City Kitchen... And Ricky's In The Valley before that...

-s.

Does Ricci still have a place around here? I thought the Rt 10 location closed a while ago.

From what I had heard the new Falafel-ly Yours proprietors are making a 'Mediterranean' restaurant which will retain favorites from FY's menu. I suspect like most restaurant renovations they'll make the place slightly fancier and the food a tad more expensive. Hopefully it's not a case where the food isn't quite as good as the decor which seems to be the norm around here. I will give a shout out to Mozzarella for upscaling the La Vera experience without ruining the food.

Honestly, Falafel-ly Yours was never that great. Like a lot of restaurants around here it was pretty variable, and when they were on their game it was fine, passable food, but when they were off it was generally not too great. I've actually taken to getting my falafel these days at the Pita Shack on Route 22 which is low on the ambiance and is unfortunately stuck not only on Route 22, but it's in the same spot on the median where Chik-fil-a is, so the parking lot is often a nightmare. So if the new place can consistently make good falafel then I'll be happy!

I really like the felafel at Porto Felafel which is in the strip mall with Staples and Walgreens in Union (Vauxhall).  Much easier to get to than anything on Route 22.   

kenboy said:

Never tried Ricky's, but also liked the old HCK. Service was always iffy, but the food was pretty good -- the fried chicken with honey was my wife's favorite, and I'd usually get a burger but their ribs were also pretty good. And at one point they had really good wings, too. When it last re-opened with their menu online touting a burger that wasn't going to be cooked to order, I didn't even go down to try the place. 

soda said:

...And I really liked the old version of Hat City Kitchen... And Ricky's In The Valley before that...

-s.

 I was at HCK to see some jazz music when they were last open. We didn't even eat; just the bar service was awful. The music was good though.

Oh, and I am wishing Falafel-ly Yours all the best success. 

From what I know - the new Hat City menu will have a lot of cajun and creole influence.  Also, burgers - crab cakes - steak - fish - etc.  

jamie said:

From what I know - the new Hat City menu will have a lot of cajun and creole influence.  Also, burgers - crab cakes - steak - fish - etc.  

 Sounds like the OLD HCK menu... Interesting choice, if true, but...no more belly dancing???

-s.

NoraCharles said:

I really like the felafel at Porto Felafel which is in the strip mall with Staples and Walgreens in Union (Vauxhall).  Much easier to get to than anything on Route 22.   

Porto isn't bad, but the service is sometimes a little wacky. We usually go with my non-adventurous son and he orders the chicken fingers. We end up getting our food way ahead of the chicken fingers and since they're coming out late when they do make it to the table they're boiling hot. We've had a few slightly botched takeout orders from there as well. They were our go to for a while (after we gave up on FY) and now we're just at a point where we don't really have a go to. If we're headed to Millburn for something (which isn't too often) then Pita on Essex will do. We end up on Route-22 more than we'd like so we've gotten used to Pita Shack - which I'd say I prefer over PoE, but I don't have any real complaints about PoE.

The falafel at Jackie and Son is not bad but I am pretty sure they are opened for lunch only

STANV said:

The falafel at Jackie and Son is not bad but I am pretty sure they are opened for lunch only

 Yes they close by 3.

Ran into a guy at Valley Vintage who was buying cool neon signs for a bar. I asked him about them and he said he is the new owner of HCK. He said they’re opening soon and there will be live music every night. I love live music.  I’ve never been but looking forward to giving it a try. 

We've enjoyed the falafel from Chikpea in Maplewood.  

Elle_Cee said:

We've enjoyed the falafel from Chikpea in Maplewood.  

 I’ve enjoyed it several times!