Don't let the long line of NYU students deter you, Mamoun's boys are efficient and keep it moving quickly. This popular haunt makes best lists regularly and now I can see why. For a mere $2.50, cheap by any standards for lunch, you get a falafel sandwich. They don't have many additional fancy options for toppings like many places, but that only makes the quality of the falafel itself stand out and for me, to thoroughly enjoy a falafel pita sans hot sauce is quite a feat.
The key is that the falafel balls, a hippie food staple for years, are not dry but moist and flavorful. With that in place, a good gastronomical experience in inevitable. I splurged and also got a side of creamy, smoky bab ganoush for an extra $1.50.
But what do you think?