One Great Dish: Baked Falafel Sandwich At InterUrban

By Melissa Wiley in Food on May 1, 2014 6:15PM

As someone who relies on Sultan’s Market for her falafel fix roughly five to 17 times a month, I never expected anyone to top my go-to lunch option, which is even better with extra tabouleh. But InterUrban, an alleyway café in Lincoln Park, has done the impossible with its baked falafel sandwich: made the deep-fried variety (sorry, Sultan’s) taste a little dry in comparison.

Baked falafels, it turns out, have a higher flavor quotient as well as a softer, creamier texture that make good on Chef Christine McCabe’s illustrious pastry pedigree in kitchens such as Charlie Trotter's, because there's a hint of sweetness here too. Interurban’s version is also simpler than what you’ll find at most Mediterranean fast food spots, with yogurt in lieu of hummus and mesclun greens in place of Jerusalem salad. Yes, the famed pop tarts here are famous for a reason, but for me the real hook lurks inside the pita bread. For $6.50, this sandwich is making this back-street stretch feel more and more like home.

InterUrban is located at 2008 N. Halsted.