Crisp-shelled falafel piled over salads, hummus and pickles, the box lunch that built one of Bristol's longest market queues at the Glass Arcade.

Falafel became Bristol lunch vernacular through St Nicholas Market, where Eat a Pitta grew from a single stall into the city's defining queue. The family recipe behind its falafel is decades old, the boxes are built to defeat you, and the format spread with the business across five Bristol branches. In a city that votes with its lunch hour, the falafel box beat the meal deal.

Where to eat Falafel box in Bristol

1 editor pick for Falafel box in Bristol, ranked by editorial score. All Bristol signature dishes · Falafel box across every city.

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Make it at home

Serves Makes about 20 falafel13 hrIntermediate

Ingredients

  • 250g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight, never tinned
  • 1 small onion, roughly chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 large handful each of parsley and coriander
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • Half a teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • Salt
  • Neutral oil for deep frying
  • Hummus, salads and pickles to serve

Method

  1. Drain the soaked chickpeas well and blitz with onion, garlic, herbs and spices to a coarse, green-flecked crumb that just holds together when squeezed.
  2. Stir in the bicarbonate of soda and salt and rest the mix in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  3. Shape into walnut-sized balls and fry in 180C oil for 3 to 4 minutes until deeply browned.
  4. Serve immediately over hummus, chopped salads and pickles in the Bristol box style.

Editor tip. Tinned chickpeas make wet, collapsing falafel; only soaked dried chickpeas give the crisp shell and fluffy centre.

Common allergens: Sesame, Gluten.