Is a war brewing between Mediterranean fast-casual chains in Greater Portland?

Soon Jaffa covered Route 1 with road signs. new, second location Mr. Chickpea opened this fall in South Portland in Falmouth to rave reviews and is owned by Abbas Ahmed says he has plans Recreating the business model.

Jaffa’s South Portland location, which opened in 2020, has quickly become a lunch favorite among my co-workers as we return to our nearby office after the pandemic, and as a sucker for anything served in bowl form, I’m no exception.

With so many options for falafel, gyros, shawarma, and other Middle Eastern delicacies near both my home and office, I didn’t think I needed Mr. Chickpea, but the more I heard rumors about it, the more I couldn’t resist going.

Falafel Plus Wrap from Mr. Chickpea in South Portland. Photo: Leslie Bridgers

In online reviews, people mentioned the Falafel Plus Wrap over and over again. The lack of an explanation on any menu I could find further piqued my interest: What could a “plus” be? To find out, I followed Siri’s meaningless instructions through South Portland neighborhoods.

Inside the compact store, with rows of stools and a handful of booths overlooking the window, a menu with photos of each item was on the wall behind the counter. Apparently “plus” meant stuffing a few fries into the wrapper for 50 cents more.

At first, I didn’t ask or even look inside the packaging and tried to see if I could distinguish the different ingredients through taste alone, but I soon realized it would be impossible to tell them apart. Fries and falafel turned into a delicious porridge complemented by crunchy vegetables and smothered in curry sauce flavor.

Ahmed later told me that the sauces I tasted were actually three: tahini, mango and tamarind; the regular falafel wrap only has the first two. If you want spicy you can add fourth hot sauce. It turns out that in addition to fries, Falafel Plus also includes cauliflower and eggplant, as well as beetroot stems and a cabbage-lettuce mixture that comes in regular packaging. At under $8, both are a great deal, but that’s a lot of “plus” for just 50 cents more.

Altogether, it was unlike any falafel wrap I’ve ever had before, and it proved me wrong about whether Mr. Chickpea could serve a purpose in my life.

Falafel Plus Pack, $7.95, Bay Chickpeas, Main St., South Portland. mrchickpea.com

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