My boyfriend and I were in Iowa City, IA last night to catch one of the last Iowa Hawkeye volleyball games of the season (in case you are wondering, they did not play well at all and lost 🙁 ). Before catching the game, I recommended that we eat at a very highly spoken of restaurant: Oasis- The Falafel Joint. Oasis serves Mediterranean food and has been voted the Best Vegetarian Restaurant in Iowa City for the past several years. I had read and heard by word-of-mouth that they have “the best falafel and hummus.” Even their french fries received great praise!
While I had a hard time deciding what to get (which rarely happens since at most restaurants there are only a couple of vegetarian options), I decided on the Genie’s Plate, which includes your choice of any three sides and a plain or whole wheat pita.
I selected falafel, hummus, and the Mediterranean salad. Falafel is essentially ground chickpeas with onion, garlic, and spices that are formed into patties and flash fried (Oasis uses GMO-free and trans fat-free soybean oil). Hummus is a dip made from chickpeas, olive oil, lemon juice, tahini, and garlic. Lastly, the Mediterranean salad consisted of diced cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions with lemon juice and vegetable oil. I selected a whole wheat pita to accompany my meal.
My boyfriend ordered the Kebab Plate with beef kafta, falafel, french fries, and a plain pita on the side. Beef kafta are patties made from ground beef, garlic, and fresh herbs and spices.
The verdict?
To say that my expectations were met would be an understatement. The atmosphere of the restaurant was great and the food was amazing!! It was easily the best hummus and falafel that I have eaten, and the Mediterranean salad was crisp and refreshing. I can also honestly say that something as simple as french fries just seemed to taste ten times better at Oasis. My boyfriend loved the beef kafta and told me today that he was already craving it again!
Oasis also offers three sauce choices to accompany their delicious food. Their tahini sesame sauce was delicious, the hot sauce was a bit TOO hot for me ;), and the mango curry sauce was to die for! We seriously could not stop eating it. I dipped my pita, falafel, and a few french fries into the mango curry sauce and it was all fantastic!
You had better believe that I will be eating here again. Except next time, I will be buying some hummus and mango curry sauce to take home with me!