Falafel Omisi

Falafel Omisi’s story dates to 1961, when Rachel Omisi opened the family’s first falafel shop in Tel Mond, Israel. Today, its Perth reincarnation is a humble fast-casual falafel kiosk at a soccer pitch in Yokine.

Falafel Omisi’s namesake is the number one reason to punch it to the northern suburb. Made according to owner Yaakov Omisi’s grandmother’s recipes, the 20-cent-sized falafels are crunchy, unctuous and crazy delicious. Falafel Omisi chef and partner Maor Mantin serves them up in a few ways: tucked into a pita pocket; as part of a falafel plate; or as a crunchy accent on plates of hummus. All options come with hummus, tahini (made in-house) and pita bread.

The second reason to make tracks to Falafel Omisi post-haste is the sabich, a Jewish-Iraqi sandwich starring sauteed eggplant, a hard-boiled egg and salad crammed into a pita pocket. Other sandwiches on the menu include a chicken shawarma as well as a chicken schnitzel pocket.

Towards the end of your order, Mantin will ask you if you like spice in your falafel. Answer correctly and your prize will be a dab of zhoug in your falafel pocket of choice. It’s a Yemeni hot sauce made with chilli and coriander that lifts everything it touches.

The space is best described as clean and comfortable rather than anywhere you’d write home about. A giant decal of a summery Tel Aviv scene (and a drinks fridge) adorns one of the walls. A handful of tables are inside while the small undercover area outdoors is scattered with chairs, high tables and a patch of fake lawn. There’s little in the way of signage so you’ll just have to trust that Google Maps is taking you to the right place (if you’re in a car park next to a soccer pitch, you’re in the right place). Your destination has a big blue mural painted on its outside and is next to a playground. True, Falafel Omisi isn’t the most straightforward of places to get to, but it’s certainly worth travelling for.