Falafel Taco, Pleasantville
Anna Young photo
As Pleasantville’s business community continues to boom, the husband-and-wife team of Jonathan Langsam and Rosie Hernandez are celebrating the success of their Mexican-Israeli fusion eatery Falafel Taco.
When the dynamic duo met nearly 10 years ago, they dreamed of opening their own taco shop. But it wasn’t until their families meshed that they began incorporating their respective heritages into their cooking style. The blend of Langsam’s Middle Eastern culture and Hernandez’s Mexican decent created what they call Mex-Raeli cuisine.
“When we do the Jewish celebrations I always bring my guacamole,” Hernandez said. “We wanted to bring something new and something different to the community.”
The family-run restaurant, which opened last month on Wheeler Avenue, is providing diners with a fresh, eccentric and appetizing menu of two cultures blended together. Their menu includes a selection of homemade soups including Mexican matzo ball tortilla soup or Mexican street corn chowder and dips such as chunky avocado hummus and Mexighanoush (roasted eggplant babaghanoush, zhoug sauce, extra virgin oil, chipotle dust and tortilla chips)
Then there are some eclectic items such as the Tel Aviv Taco (fried fillet fish, shredded cabbage, Mexican brown rice, black bean hummus and chipotle mayo) and appetizers like Mexican latkes and pita nachos.
The menu also offers salads, rice, cous cous or quinoa bowls and a variety of falafel tacos made on Israeli bread, corn tortillas or laffa bread. A selection for kids is available with favorites including cheese quesadilla and chicken nuggets. Falafel Taco also has breakfast options.
“We never expected there would be over 200 people in the first week that actually wanted to sample our food,” said Langsam, a trained chef. “We quickly found we were overrun with customers and since then we’ve had a nice steady flow.”
The 650-square-foot space, which was formerly a floral shop, was renovated into a clean and colorful eatery. While Falafel Taco is primarily a take-out business, there is limited seating inside with roughly 10 stools at a counter and outdoor tables during the warmer months.
The Pleasantville residents, who both have over a decade of experience in the food industry, have been overwhelmed by the positive reception their new venture has received. Hernandez said Falafel Taco has attracted scores of village residents along with visitors from towns throughout the county.
“We have a few regulars that come in here all the time but every day we have more people coming in,” Langsam said. “And I’m amazed that there’s still people in the community we haven’t met that come in.”
As their business continues to grow, the pair said they hope one day to expand their wild fusion idea in a location at an airport. But for now, they’re enjoying their rapid success and hope people continue to enjoy their food.
“It was like somebody was pushing me to do this,” Langsam said.
Falafel Taco is located at 30 Wheeler Ave. in Pleasantville. It is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day but Wednesday. For more information, call 914-579-2526 or visit www.falafel-taco.com.
