Review: Mamouns Falafel Restaurant, New Haven

by Ciro Festa

The first thing that strikes you when you walk into Mamoun’s besides the wonderful aroma of middle-eastern spices is the cozy, inviting décor. It’s an old world ambiance that has served this location at 85 Howe street in New Haven for almost 50 years. The New Haven location which opened in 1974 is only superseded by the original location in Greenwich Village NYC which opened in 1971. In addition these two, there are now nine total locations in New York, New Jersey, and Georgia.

There is a modest 18 small tables surrounded by tapestry-like rugs which hang on the walls with a prayer from the Qur’an over each one. Above the front service counter facing the seating area is a photograph of the three brothers who started the business. One is Mamoun, for whom the business is named after. Another is the New Haven location owner, Suleiman Chater’s father. I sat down with Suleiman to discuss the history, integrity, and culture of his restaurant.

Suleiman is soft-spoken and has a broad, warm and inviting smile. When I ask him about how the restaurant came to be, he was eager to discuss the path that led his uncle to open the first middle eastern restaurant in New York City, and one of the oldest in the United States. “My uncle had come here from Syria to the United States to become a doctor. The rest of our family came over to the US for the larger opportunities available here. My uncle opened the Greenwich Village location as a way to make money to help support the family while going to med school. What happened was that the numbers ended up in the favor of the restaurant being a much more viable way to support the family”

When Suleiman’s father started the New Haven location in 1974, his family settled in Duhram, which at the time was considerably even more rural. They were the only Arabic speaking family in the area for years. School in the United States was, as you can imagine, an adjustment, as it was for the many other immigrants who came to the United States to make their way.

Suleiman has an interesting outlook on this: “I learned quickly to respect other people’s cultures and opinions. There is no need to make others believe in what you believe in, as long as you respect each other’s opinions and beliefs. When that breaks down, everything else breaks down”

This goes hand in hand with the quote from the Village Voice which is on their website: “KISSINGER COULD TAKE A LESSON IN DIPLOMACY HERE – HE’S GOT ARABS AND JEWS EATING AT THE SAME TABLE…” (The Village Voice, 1976)

Speaking further on such diplomacy, Suleiman discussed with me how he is personally very against war and conflict of any kind. To him, war and conflict have only one positive result: “When civilians flee a war-torn area, and come to accepting places of refuge like the US, they bring their culture and cuisine with them. If we accept them in the interest of learning about their culture, we can only benefit. Food helps bring people together. In the US, we have so many different cuisines to choose from. Many other countries are limited to mostly their native cuisine”. When he said this, it instantly reminded me of the quote which has been attributed to Walt Whitman (albeit unsubstantiated): ”Be curious, not judgmental “

I myself then was curious to talk to Suleiman about the quality of his food which has been having people come back for almost half a century. “You can not please everyone. Ninety plus percent of people tell me that our Baba Ganouj (a roasted eggplant spread) is the best they have ever tasted. Then you are going to get that small percent that doesn’t like it. The key is consistency. I use the same recipes and ingredients for over 40 years. I could easily use cheap canned chick peas, but I choose to sometimes wait up to 6 months for my shipments from overseas. That is what keeps things consistent, and I know I have put out the best product possible. I have seen generations of families come in. They may have come for higher education in the area and now they bring their children and grandchildren”

He also sees a large repeat business from the people that work in the area, such as Yale employees. “I am in a great location near the University, the hospital, and other local businesses” The lunch here is quick, fresh, and delicious, all positive factors that keep people coming back for more. In addition, they are open every day until midnight or one a.m. to satisfy the late night cravings.

In regards to the preparation of items with meat, the restaurant follows the rules of Halal; basically, as Suleiman puts it, when the animal is butchered it has to be one quick motion, – the animal is not allowed to suffer. I also asked Suleiman about the delicious pastries in the case up front – the baclawa – as to what makes it different from Greek and Turkish baklava. He states that besides the obvious difference in the spelling, that the Syrian baklava is completely vegan.

When you visit Mamoun’s website, you will see information regarding the restaurant engaged in a program to assist in the relief efforts for the earthquake which hit Syria and Turkey recently. I spoke to some individuals I know who have regularly patronized his restaurant and discovered another interesting fact – Suleiman and the restaurant have been contributing to the surrounding community for years. He did admit to me rather modestly when I followed up with him that he has throughout the years given food to homeless people and let people who have suddenly encountered financial hardship to start a tab and pay him back later. He does say he has to be careful about when he does this, not everyone is honest.

So, when you visit Mamoun’s it will be like a comforting blanket – delicious food from decades old recipes in a cozy space with no pretense – simply the honesty of the food shining through.

For details: http://www.mamouns.com