2 days Ago By Molly Myers, Kyra Gottesman
CHICO — We love Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine – hummus, shawarma, baklava and, especially falafel. So we went fala-la-la-feling to find out where to get them and who makes them in downtown Chico.Surprisingly, four restaurants in downtown offer falafel, all within a couple hundred feet of each other.
For those unfamiliar with falafel, they are a popular fast-food or street food in Egypt, Lebanon, Israel, Syria and Jordan as well as in other parts of the Mediterranean and Middle East. During Ramadan, falafel balls are sometimes eaten as part of the iftar, the meal that breaks the daily fast after sunset.These savory taste-sensations are typically made from ground chickpeas, herbs and spices, formed into balls or patties then fried and served in pita sandwiches or alone with dips or toppings such as hummus, tzatziki or tahini sauce.
Ali Baba serves falafels with tahini sauce on March 18, 2025 in Chico, California. (Molly Myers/Enterprise-Record)At Pita Pit on Broadway, Thomas Hightower, who started as the franchise restaurant’s manager in 2021 and acquired the franchise in 2023, served us the crispy patties accompanied by a small spinach salad topped with chopped cucumbers, black olives and feta cheese. There were also small cups of hummus and tzatziki, a cucumber and herb yogurt-based sauce.
This side, perfect for a snack or light lunch, is $5.99.Pita Pit’s falafels come to the franchise pre-fried and frozen.
To prepare them “to perfection” for customers Hightower grills the falafels for a “lighter” end product, he said.The result of this cooking method are small patties that are crisp on the outside with a soft, flavorful, course texture on the inside.While the menu at Pita Pit is set by the franchise, the restaurant’s interior reflects Hightower’s commitment to inclusiveness.
Flags representing the owner’s home state of Indiana, as well as rainbow LGBTG+, peace symbol and Juneteenth flags along with flags from the United States, Jamaica and Ireland, adorn the restaurant — and flyers for local events are posted prominently. All customers are warmly welcomed by Hightower and his staff.“I want people to feel, to know this is a safe space,” said Hightower.
“For me, it’s not about just about making money. It’s about making smiles.”Thomas Hightower, Pita Pit Chico franchisee, smiles as he grills up a side of falafels on March 18, 2025 in Chico, California.
(Kyra Gottesman/Mercury-Register)Pita Pit Chico serves falafels with a small spinach salad topped with chopped cucumbers, black olives and feta cheese and small cups of hummus and tzatziki for dipping on March 18, 2025 in Chico, California. (Kyra Gottesman/Mercury-Register)Show Caption1 of 2Thomas Hightower, Pita Pit Chico franchisee, smiles as he grills up a side of falafels on March 18, 2025 in Chico, California. (Kyra Gottesman/Mercury-Register)ExpandAt Ali Baba Mediterranean restaurant, also on Broadway, owner Luke Zinedin said the restaurant makes falafel batter fresh every morning.
Taking garbanzo beans that have been soaked overnight, Zinedin grinds them with parsley, cilantro and celery then blends in a variety of spices including cumin which the restaurant also grinds fresh daily.“We make them to order from a family recipe,” said Zinedin. “So they taste how they tasted in Syria where I was raised.
”Ali Baba’s falafels are aromatic, large and deep fried. With a satisfying crunch that breaks through to a smooth, melt-in-your mouth interior. They are served as a side, 99 cents each, and with the restaurant’s various meal plates.
We thoroughly enjoyed sitting in the small eatery watching customers coming and going for lunch take-out orders as we savored our falafels a la carte with a side of Zinedin’s tahini sauce made from a recipe that includes sesame seed juice, not oil, and sumac.When we commented on the delightfully unique flavor of the sauce, Zinedin smiled and said he enjoyed introducing people to new and different flavors.“People in Chico like to try different foods,” he said.
“It’s really nice to make them something different than they’ve had before and see how much they like it.”Levantine cuisineAt Wraps & Beyond on West Second Street, the falafels are not made in-house but rather purchased premade and frozen. Owner Zeb Shahzaib deep fries them and serves them up by the platter, bowl, in wraps, as a side or singly for $1.
55 each.We ordered four of the large patties which we enjoyed with a generous drizzle of fresh tzatziki on a bed of lettuce.“We do make the tzatziki in house,” said Shahzaib.
“We use yogurt, sour cream, salt, pepper, lemon juice and mint.”Wraps & Beyond owner Zeb Shahzaib serves deep-fried falafel patties on March 18, 2025 in Chico, California. (Kyra Gottesman/Mercury-Register)Wraps & Beyond serves falafels with a generous drizzle of fresh tzatziki on a bed of lettuce March 18, 2025 in Chico, California.
(Kyra Gottesman/Mercury-Register)Show Caption1 of 2Wraps & Beyond owner Zeb Shahzaib serves deep-fried falafel patties on March 18, 2025 in Chico, California. (Kyra Gottesman/Mercury-Register)ExpandShahzaib started at his downtown location by opening up Falafel Corner, a franchise. Due to a series of legal hurdles, Shahzaib split from the chain, opening up his own independent spot, Wraps & Beyond.
“We have everything we had before but different and, in my opinion, better,” Shahzaib said.Now free from the restraints of the franchise, Shahzaib is introducing Pakistani flavors from his culture to his dishes. He noted his mother is giving him valuable input and helped make the restaurant’s rice more flavorful.
New items on the menu include wraps and mango lassis.While he is still getting established with the new restaurant, Shahzaib expressed excitement in this new chapter.“I’m a Chico State alum,” Shahzaib said, “and I’m just happy to be here.
”On East Second Street at Meze Moon Mediterranean Cuisine, the falafels are served as an appetizer for $12, a main dish plate for $19 or in a wrap for $15.Meze Moon’s chef, Emin Tekin, serves them cooked to order using the restaurant’s house recipe that owner David Halimi said is “modified from an old family recipe” and made fresh daily.Meze Moon employee Yusuf Tekin prepares salads in Chico, California on March 20, 2025.
(Molly Myers/Enterprise-Record)Meze Moon serves falafels with hummus and tahini sauce on March 20, 2025 in Chico, California. (Molly Myers/Enterprise-Record)Show Caption1 of 2Meze Moon employee Yusuf Tekin prepares salads in Chico, California on March 20, 2025. (Molly Myers/Enterprise-Record)ExpandThe dried garbanzo beans for Meze Moon’s falafels are soaked overnight, then cleaned, cooked and ground with fava beans, parsley, greens, cumin, coriander, turmeric, peppers and other “special ingredients,” said Halimi.
“There are no preservatives. We don’t open cans and nothing comes out of a package,” said Halimi. “We start everything like they start it in the old country — fresh.
”Sitting in the elegantly appointed Meze Moon dining room, our falafel appetizer was as beautifully presented as it was delicious. Paired with a rich and creamy hummus and tangy tahini sauce, these Middle Eastern fritters were flavor rich with the traditional crunchy exterior and a smooth, moist interior.While the falafels at the other three restaurants were all a lighter beige color inside, Meze Moon’s produced a light green shade.
“They’re as authentic as you can get,” said Halimi.The staff at all the restaurants we visited were gracious and friendly, adding to the pleasure of our dining experience. We were thankful that they are all also within walking distance of one another, so we got to walk off some of those calories we ingested on our fala-la-la-feling culinary adventure.
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