Ta-im: Falafel Paradise in Ebisu

Located at the midpoint between Ebisu and Hiroo, Ta-im (meaning delicious in Hebrew) is heaven for Middle-Eastern food lovers in a city where real falafels are a rarity. The restaurant, which has been serving up authentic, fresh Israeli food for over three years now, offers a variety of dishes ranging from vegetarian options like hummus, to lamb and kebab.

Their lunch menu comprises three sets, each of which comes with a cup of pumpkin soup, fried potatoes, hummus, Israeli salad and bread. Set A has falafels, while set B has chicken schnitzel (boneless chicken coated with flour, beaten eggs and bread crumbs and then fried). Set C includes baba ganoush (a special eggplant paste), matbucha (Middle-Eastern tomato salad) and falafels. No matter which set you order, you can ask for an infinite amount of bread to dip in your hummus.

Set A costs 1180 yen, set B 1380 yen, and set C 1580 yen. For an additional 200 yen you can complement your lunch with a drink. The restaurant also has a take-out menu which is very similar to the lunch menu, with the addition of three types of pita sandwiches: sabich (fried eggplant), falafel and schnitzel.

Lunchtime lasts from 11:30am to 2:30pm, and if you think you’d kill for hummus, don’t hesitate to make a reservation. Ta-im is a cozy restaurant that seats only 14 people and is often full. It is usually closed on Wednesdays and Jewish holidays like Yom Kippur and Pesach. If you’re not sure about those dates, Ta-im keeps their schedule updated on their website.

Dinner lasts from 6:00pm to 11:00pm, with last order at 10:30pm. In addition to their lunch options, their dinner menu has lamb saute, kebab, and chicken with cabbage, among other dishes. All the plates range from 680 yen (a serving of four falafels) to 1780 yen (lamb saute with hummus), which is quite reasonable for a restaurant located in the middle of Tokyo. Ta-im also has a wine menu to accompany their Israeli delicacies.

by Yasmim