SoomSoom Vegetarian Bar
“Like others have mentioned, tahini is free flowing here–it comes in squeeze bottles on the counters!”
“Portions are generous and there is an all you can add salad bar (unlike chickpea which nickels and dimes add ons).”
“However, with only five seats in the house, it is a grab and go place only.”
SoomSoom Vegetarian Bar
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
8 reviews
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I like this place as a quick, no-frills place to grab a bite to eat to go. I have usually gotten the soomsoom original falafel in a whole wheat pita; you can add in topping you want from the salad bar, which is a nice touch because you control the quantity of sauce/toppings. It's not super cheap but I still like it. The falafels aren't dry or too breaded. On Fridays, they used to have buy 1 get 1 free falafel/meal with a drink. They also have a loyalty card: buy 7 main dishes and get 1 free. The food has been consistent each time I've gone. They close early on weekdays and aren't open on the weekend.
I'm so excited that soomsoom has opened a midtown locale on 46th. The other locale on 56 and lex is a hike from my office. And I believe the original is on the uws. I brought two of my co-workers and we all agreed there is a dearth of fresh and affordable vegetarian lunch options in the neighborhood.
Soomsoom is a vegetarian falafel bar similar to others like chickpea and crisp but here's the nuance. Portions are generous and there is an all you can add salad bar (unlike chickpea which nickels and dimes add ons). Salad bar has stuff like beets, artichokes, some kosher cabbage salads, and other veggies. Lunch and drink is just around $10 which is a super bargain especially given how how fresh everything is.
Get here early because this spot is popular and there will be a line for lunch. Seating is limited so soomsoom is more a grab n go lunch option.
Yummy! I am a born and raised New Yorker with a southern girl palate. Surprisingly enough Soom Soom's pita and falafel gave the right amount of flavor and freshness to satisfy my lunch hunt in midtown for "something different". I will be adding them to the lunch rotation.
This place is a whole in the wall, but nicely decorated. I didnt like that I kept having to move around while waiting for my shawarma plater with hummous. However, there was way too much humus in there to eat. The flavor was only OK, but good. The falafel was tasty but not awesome.
Oh.. yes.. definitely not Vegetarian!
I keep hoping i would like falafels, if i just try one more time- but it is just not for me. I asked for a salad, and he told me 11 dollars! Later I find out from someone who frequent this place that the pricy lunch was because they gave me 6 falafels, as opposed to 3. The cashier never asked me for my preference and assumed I was going to stuff my face and charged me for it! The person at the end of the salad bar who was responsible for packaging my meal seemed frazzeled and took 5 minutes just to get some new plastic forks as they didn't restock. With that said, the food was okay, even the none falafel stuff. They also ran out of whole wheat pita bread.. just seemed so disorganized.
SoomSoom Vegetarian Bar has crunchy falafels, shawarma, and a salad bar to suit vegetarians and meat lovers alike. With a short menu but countless combinations, its easy to try new things and find something that you like here. However, with only five seats in the house, it is a grab and go place only.
You start with ordering your base – do you want a falafel sandwich? a salad? Do you want that with meat or just falafel? How about an egg? After that, you fill it up at the salad bar and get to sample grilled zucchini, carrots and cucumbers, parsley, quinoa, beets, chickpeas, cabbage salad, and various sauces. The layout of the store is quite tight, so be prepared to jostle elbows with your fellow cubicle comrades. Get here early to avoid the hassle and mixed signals. They also have an amazing mint lemonade.
The soom salad (falafels, salad bar, over mixed greens or spinach) is a good deal at $10.75 for a preservative free – vegetable friendly meal. Other options can range from $8-12. Service was friendly and quick, but again, also at the mercy of the tiny counter space and too many hungry standing customers.
Note that they do delivery and you can order on their website. The menu looks different from the store to the website, but you should be able to find what you want.
I was really not a fan – the place was chaotic even for a late lunch and hot inside. Orders were getting messed up and missed.
The food itself was okay – nothing special or different from any of the other numerous options.
I'm not sure why this place has gotten such great reviews. The food was fine, definitely nothing special, and the salad bar was a mess. It appeared to be full of regulars, who maybe don't mind the small space as they run in and out, but I will not be returning.
This is definitely a run in and grab kind of place, where you get a little dish to fill in the salad bar similar to Maoz. I would definitely go to Maoz before this place if you have the chance.