Falafill Opens Monday

Get your fill of falafel with Falafill, opening Monday at 1053 Lake St.

The new restaurant offers a simple premise: stuff your pita or bowl with falafel, then head to the "Mazza Bar" and pile on the fresh grains, greens, sauces and more. Here's local food writer David Hammond in the Chicago Reader:

Exercise restraint with these condiments, which are best deployed in moderation and can easily overwhelm.

Also on the menu (attached as a PDF) are a few sides — lentil soup, sweet potato fries and French fries — along with artisan teas and all-natural sodas, as Falafill employs a "no corn syrup allowed" philosophy.

Here's the bio on restaurant creator Maher Chebaro, an advocate for from-scratch cooking.

In addition to Falafill's traditional offerings, the restaurant will offer special creations dreamed up by a top-flight roster of local chefs, and the proceeds from sales of the special wraps will go to a charity of their choice.

This month, Lula Cafe's Jason Hammel has concocted a classic chickpea falafel — topped with a summer corn and smoked Sun Gold tomato relish, pickled pistachios, crispy fried kale and honey labne. Proceeds from the sale of Hammel's creation will help fun Pilot Light, a healthy food education program.

So what are you waiting for? Let's go eat!

Falafill will be opening at 11 a.m. Monday. Please return to Oak Park-River Forest Patch for updates and a list of Falafill's hours.