Falafel HaZkenim () or Falafel Najala ( ar, فلافل نجلاء) is an Israeli restaurant and

falafel Falafel (; ar, فلافل, ) is a deep-fried ball or patty-shaped fritter in Middle Eastern cuisine (especially in Levantine and Egyptian cuisines) made from ground chickpeas, broad beans, or both. Nowadays, falafel is often served in ...

stand, located in

Wadi Nisnas Wadi Nisnas ( ar, وادي النسناس; he, ואדי ניסנאס) is a formerly mixed Jewish and Arab neighborhood in the city of Haifa in northern Israel, which is becoming mixed again. ''Nisnas'' is the Arabic word for mongoose, an indigen ...

Haifa Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropoli ...

. Since foundation, guests are greeted with a free falafel ball dipped in

tahini Tahini () or tahina (, ) is a Middle Eastern condiment made from toasted ground hulled sesame. It is served by itself (as a dip) or as a major ingredient in hummus, baba ghanoush, and halva. Tahini is used in the cuisines of the Levant ...

. Foodies consider HaZkenim's falafel among the best in Israel.

History

It was founded in 1950 by George and Najala Afara. The falafel stand initially had no signage. Jewish customers often said that they would go to "hazkenim" (the old folks) for falafel, while Arab customers identified the place with the female co-owner. When the owners did put up a sign, it contained both names. As the couple had no children, they sold in 1984 to Afif Sabit, who had been a loyal customer. In the early 2000s the restaurant had a branch. The former branch still exists but is no longer associated to Falafel HaZkenim.

References

{{Restaurants in Israel 1950 establishments in Israel Israeli restaurants Restaurants in Haifa Defunct restaurant chains in Israel