At central London’s only Palestinian street food destination, diners know they are about to experience good falafel when they arrive at the table with a golden hue on the sesame seeds. They have a flat and oval surface but enough soft depth in a centre slightly tinged with green flecks, whose flavour strikes a balance between spice and herb. The tahini sauce is bright and lemony, and together with the bracing hit of pickled green chilli from the accompanying kabis kar, a mouthful will pack a punch. Hiba serves its falafel either as a single dish, or in a classic khobez wrap.

The latest project from Berenjak founder Kian Samyani sees Saudi-born chef Shwan Baban design a mezze menu at JKS Restaurants’s revamp of Arcade Food Hall — with plenty of twists.  There’s a continually-basted chicken-and-lamb shawarma with an enticing saffron shine; a dramatically-presented babaganoush; punchy, garlicky hummus, and an original take on falafel. Using British-grown chickpeas and split fava beans from Hodmedods, the falafel are beautifully green and aromatic, with an abundance of coriander, mint, and parsley in the mix. They are thin and crispy, served in a bed of softening tahini sauce, and with a slice of lemon covered in a slightly smokey pul biber chilli, which merits squeezing on. Diners can also order in a wrap, but this dish is so well conceived that it is best ordered as part of a mezze. 

Some things have changed at the Barbary since it hit the peak of its powers around 2017, but the falafel have remained on the menu ever since. They are made in Levantine style with chickpeas, as well as parsley, onion, green chilli, cumin, garlic, and less-conventionally, cured lemon. They are plated on a bed of rich tahini sauce, with amba, and the Yemeni condiments of resek and zhug, whose respective red-and-green hues bely the gentle savour of the grated tomato in the resek and vibrant, herbal heat from the zhug.  

At the grill house from the Honey & Co. team, falafel changes with the seasons, with myriad styles entering and leaving the menu over a year. One such version diners can often find is the Yemeni iteration from co-founder Itamar Srulovic’s heritage. It is not made with fresh herbs, but rather with coriander, cardamom and a plentiful dose of garlic. Currently, there is a greener “springtime”  version on offer made with rocket, chilli and whole coriander seeds, served on a bed of tahini sauce with a pomegranate and tomato salad. 

There aren’t many places in London to experience the Egyptian version of falafel, tameeya. Made with fava bean instead of chickpea, they have a more distinctively vegetal taste. These ones in the heart of Soho are quite flat, but have enough inside softness and outside crunch to merit an order. The flavour of broad beans is there, with an innovative touch coming from using dukkah as a coating, instead of the typical sesame seeds. Here, falafel arrive as part of a salad plate or inside a fairly soft pita, with Egyptian style grainy hummus, turnip and beetroot pickles, fried aubergine, lemon-pickled red cabbage, fresh tomato and lettuce, tahini sauce, chilli sauce, and the atypical but delicious additions of fried halloumi sticks and garlic mayo.

Bubala is a candidate for the best vegetarian restaurant in London, and amongst its more traditional Sephardic dishes, the falafel on offer matches up to the quality of the glossy labneh and silky hummus. They are herby and fragrant, served with the now classic dipping sauce combination of tahini and amba, and some piquant pickled onions for extra zing.

There are plentiful falafel stands on Leather Lane, but Balady is the place to go in the area. Whilst falafel isn’t Moroccan, the Moroccan-origin Israeli Sabbo brothers behind Balady more than do it justice. Crisp on the outside, tender and aromatic inside, they can be ordered inside a fluffy pita with a range of fresh accompaniments. Moroccan-spiced tomato and carrot salads come along for the party, together with the usual hummus, tahini, chopped salad, and pickled cucumbers, and the less usual amba and harissa, if desired. The sprinkling of sumac and fresh parsley on top of the final layer of tahini that covers the surface of the sandwich adds freshness, in a small gesture that reveals the depth of care on show here.

Pary Baban’s vibrant, flavorsome and delicately-balanced Kurdish cuisine is a southeast London institution, a must-visit on Camberwell Church Street for its stunning kubbeh and pastries. Also at Peckham Levels, a lunchtime mezze box features a lentil falafel amidst its kaleidoscope of flavour and colour. Lentils are not usually the base of falafel but these are crunchy and delicious, and also available as the central piece in a “Kurdish burger” that comes with halloumi and a sweet chllli jam. 

Among the rows of fabric shops, burning incense and Ethiopian, Filipino, Algerian and Iraqi food stalls at Shepherd’s Bush Market is a Sudanese place with excellent falafel: perfectly fried with a wonderfully satisfying crunch. The recipe is simple, just chickpeas; onions; garlic; coriander seed; and fresh coriander. This gives them a hint of greenness, and intriguing slightly bitter flavour. The sauces too, are so good that it is worth ordering a portion alongside a wrap. The tahini is rich and thick, the green shatta — made with green chilli, garlic, peanut butter and lemon — fresh and tangy, and the red shatta — made with red chilli, lemon and garlic — fiery but still bright. 

In front of the market is Mr Falafel: a place totally devoted to the stuff. One wall is painted as the Palestinian flag, the others hung with old photos of Jerusalem, and bags of Palestinian imported sumac and za’atar from Yaffa Foods take their places next to diners. Yet the menu is notably pan-Arab, with Syrian (with fresh lemon slices), Iraqi (with amba) and Lebanese (with fresh mint leaves) falafel options offered on top of the classic Palestinian version. The owner has tried to anticipate any possible combination that may be requested, and this results in an incredible bounty of choice. Served inside a khobez, the classic falafel wrap can be ordered in budget, medium, extra-large or king size (everything else can only be ordered in the latter three sizes.) It comes with a very generous amount of tahini, pickle and salad, and the falafel is well-balanced, expertly fried with a distinct chickpea flavour still present. Add homemade green shatta for its tasty, intensely hot kick.

At Park Royal’s best Lebanese restaurant, the falafel are texturally on point. Served with pink-stained turnip and cucumber pickles, and a well-balanced tahini sauce, they are definitely worth ordering as part of a mezze.