The title for best falafel in Gainesville came down to a split decision.
Gyro Plus, Farah’s, Falafel King Sandwiches and Sababa UF came together Tuesday night for the first ever Falafel Fest at UF Hillel, located at 2020 W. University Ave.
Sababa UF came out on top in the popular vote while Gyro Plus won over the panel.
Both restaurants will receive a plaque from Hillel to go along with bragging rights as the best falafels in town.
Falafel, a common Arabic food, is a deep-fried patty made up of ground chickpeas and is often served within a pita stuffed with salad.
The event, which was free to the public, allowed participants to sample falafel along with pita and sauce from each restaurant before casting a vote.
Matthew Weithorn, chairman for Jewish Awareness Month at Hillel, said about 120 people voted along with a three-judge panel.
UF Hillel hosted the event in conjunction with the Jewish Student Union and with support from Islam on Campus.
The event was a preliminary celebration to kick off March’s Jewish Awareness Month, said Jeffrey Kaplan, a 27-year-old Hillel campus impact specialist.
Riley Sullivan, 22, co-owner of Sababa UF, said winning the popular vote accomplished his goal of “full falafel domination” during the event.
Kaplan said the event was aimed to celebrate Middle Eastern culture through food.
“A lot of people don’t always associate being Jewish with Middle Eastern culture,” he said. “Hopefully this shed some light on that.”
Jonathan Church, 21, a Burrito Brothers Taco Co. employee, and Simon Nash, 20, a Santa Fe philosophy and political science junior, pick falafel and hummus to sample.
