Banzo was born as a cute little falafel cart on the Library Mall in 2011. It has since grown up and out, expanding both its menu and its presence across Madison. Banzo now has a second food cart on the Capitol Square, shows up in neighborhood parks on Let’s Eat Out Madison food truck nights, offers delivery and take-out, and, as of August 2012, has a permanent location on Madison’s east side. The restaurant is in a converted house on Sherman Avenue, right next to Maple Bluff. Despite the many other ways to get Banzo in town, the restaurant is definitely worth a visit.
If you haven’t already caught on, Banzo is short for garbanzo bean, otherwise known as the chickpea, otherwise known as the main ingredient of the menu’s main attraction: falafel. This is excellent falafel, people. Banzo’s co-founder, Netalee Sheinman, is originally from Israel and claims, on the Banzo website, to strive to make the kind of falafel she grew up eating. Other Mediterranean staples are just as authentic. The (wonderfully pillowy) pita bread is shipped in from Jerusalem. There are a few not-so-Mediterranean options, as well, like the brisket, the schnitzel, and the homemade French fries.
The menu makes ordering so simple a garbanzo bean could do it. Step 1: What do you want? There are seven choices, several with names that are either delightful or embarrassing to order, depending on your personality: “The Banzo” (classic falafel balls), “The Chick” (grilled chicken), and “The F-Bomb” (falafel balls plus a choice of chicken or beef). Step 2: How do you want it? You can get your Step 1 choice on a pita sandwich, a platter, a hummus plate, or in a salad.
The food is all made from scratch and full of little extras that make it clear every detail was thought through. The pita sandwich gets a little crunch from a few hidden potato chips and some welcome tang from chopped pickles along with the usual cucumbers and onions. The platters are served with excellent side-dishes, including good hummus and delicious majadra rice (a Middle-Eastern mix of rice, lentils, and spices).
Even the service is carefully thought out. Pita sandwiches are served on upright metal stands that seem silly at first. But their genius becomes clear after you take your first bite and go to put the (very full) pita down. Instead of struggling to keep the sandwich together while laying it on your plate, just stick it back into its little metal nest (then immediately pick it up again to take another bite). If you go the delivery route you won’t get the metal stand, but you will find that the sandwiches are packaged in clever cardboard boxes with a similar purpose.
The restaurant’s indoor space is small and casual, and the front patio is big and inviting. A large maple tree right next to the building provides ample shade for lunchtime, and string lights provide a warm glow at night. The patio looks out onto the wide, green lawn of Burrows Park just across the street. Sit on the patio for a falafel sandwich, and then take a nice, leisurely walk through the park and along the shore of Lake Mendota and into the great parks of the Maple Bluff neighborhood.
Even if you don’t take the walk, have the falafel sandwich. We’ll say it again: it’s excellent.
