Back in July of '05 The Falafel Bar opened on Elmwood Avenue. Since that time, the restaurant has garnered quite a following of food fans. Now the restaurant is opening a second location in Allentown. We had been hearing the rumors for a while, and finally the business has landed a location. As of April 1st, the Falafel Bar will be taking over the Palm Tree Restaurant space located at 69 Allen Street. There is no word whether the Palm Tree will be re-opening elsewhere. From my original Falafel Bar post in '05:
You can add The Falafel Bar to Elmwood's list of Mediterranean restaurants. This quaint little eatery (formerly Edrito's, and Pano's before that) is very homey, and the food really is splendid. Owner and Executive Chef, Oded Rauvenpoor, has turned this infamous location on Elmwood into a colorful oasis with a brand new patio replete with umbrellas, cozy dining area, and an extensive menu aimed at pleasing just about everyone. The dishes are quite remarkable as is the overall atmosphere. The portions are rather large, so if you are going to order an appetizer, you just might end up taking your dinner home with you. The home-cooked authentic food ranges from hummus and tabouli to baba ganoush and lebaneh.
The size of the Allentown business looks like it will be a bit bigger than the one on Elmwood. I would imagine that Allentowners would gravitate to the Falafel Bar due to the healthy food options. In recent months Clover Management (owners and operators of the majority of buildings on Allen between Main and Delaware) has managed to attract some excellent local businesses since the sad loss of NEO Gifts. NEO re-opened on Elmwood this past summer. Rick's Bike and East End Salon are currently in the process of moving into the former NEO space.