Two New Stops for Middle Eastern Food: Dizengoff and Gyro96

I'm sharing the sentiments of the commenter at the bottom. My dad was seventh generation of his family born in Jerusalem and taught me how to make hummus from scratch. Most people that taste my hummus and tahini say it's as good as any they've tasted in a restaurant. Pretty much the same ingredients although black pepper is a must for my hummus. No recipe, just tasting and deciding it needs a bit more of this, needs more thinning with water, or more thickening with tahini.
As JohanCruyffRIP said, the prices seem staggering, and the portions don't look all that generous. Only in NYC. As shown by the gyro hole in the wall, middle eastern street food really isn't supposed to be expensive, quite the opposite. In Israel they'd roll on the floor laughing if you told them what the prices are in some places. A shrewd competitor could undercut him right out of business. It's really not the most difficult stuff to make. I believe one secret is they use amazing tahini made by Soom, a company in Philadelphia owned by two women. Wish we could get it in Los Angeles, I've heard raves about it from friends who live in Philly and make their own hummus.

Tried Mim's today at Grand Central. Didn't love it. Liked, didn't love. I prefer the texture at Taim and The Hummus Place. I did love the cauliflower at Mimi's, though, I'll be back for that!

Initially loved this place when it open. It's the best hummus place in Chelsea by far. The fresh baked pita bread alone is worth the visit.

What disturbs me about this place is the amount of plastic waste in a meal. A meal is served in no less than three non recyclable plastic containers--that's if you stay to eat. To go packaging includes more plastic and a large plastic bag. They initially served the food in dishes if you ate the location but they've since changes that.

Such a trendy place should consider keeping up with trends to be more environmentally conscious.

The chef throws the first dozen loaves away? Please tell me she donates them, not literally dumps them in the trash? In this day and age??!

So now I have to check it out, and compare it to Taim.

Emily Seaman's pita looks absolutely delicious, bu I do hope that she doesn't really throw the first dozen of the day away. Surely they could be given away?

"He cautioned that falafel must be eaten immediately, and he’s right: One moment it’s ethereal, the next a lead balloon."

So, so true. I'm going to print that on cards and hand them out to every microwave happy fake cook I see.

I was once at a Farmer's Market where a pretty young girl was handing out samples of her "Family made, World's best" falafel. After eating one re-heated lead balloon, I asked why they didn't make them fresh? The father came out from behind his cash register and said that he "has to make 6,000 falafels every day." My response was that he didn't have to make 6,000, he could make half as many but make them good. Obviously, his goal was only money, but he didn't get mine.

Pete nails it. Mimi's has the best hummus in the city. Only speaking for the Brooklyn location though. Haven't been to the Grand Central or 14th Street ones. Not to take away from Dizengoff, whose hummus recipe I've used several times and it has always been a crowd -pleaser.

Dizengoff's hummus is fine for what we have here in the States. Not bad, not great. I'm a hummus specialist and can define between the many regional versions of it throughout the middle east. I really don't think that Dizengoff is better from Hummus Place or from Cafe Mogador (the later is actually the better of those two). It is definitely not the real deal.
What bugs me about this place is the lousy portion, that makes the hummus overpriced. The tiny small salad isn't that great either. And the worst part, the owners not-welcoming attitude towards criticism.
In conclusion, an okay place for amateurs. Not so satisfying for the enthusiasts.