Forest Hill loses King Falafel after 38 years
One of the city’s original Middle Eastern eateries is making room for the LRT
Noseiba Rifi wasn’t even old enough to see over the counter at King Falafel, her parents’ restaurant, when it opened its doors in 1977.
But come Thursday, Rifi won’t be craning her neck to catch sight of customers. Instead, she’ll be bidding farewell to the closing Forest Hill eatery, which recently celebrated 38 years of serving up sumptuous falafels, shawarma and kebabs.
“It has been around my whole life,” Rifi told the Star on Monday. “It is like an attachment, a part of the family.”
It was months ago, she said, that her parents discovered the property had been sold to Metrolinx for the Eglinton Crosstown transit line, forcing their shop and a handful of others at Bathurst St. and Eglinton St. West to close.
Falafel King had long been a nofrills community staple known for its moderate prices and authentic Middle Eastern cuisine.
Rifi can’t quite recall exactly how her late father, Abderazzak, dreamed up the menu, but it was mostly inspired by his Moroccan birthplace and penchant for bold flavours.
“He wasn’t big into cooking, but he loved food,” she recalled.
“If he did cook, it always turned out good because he was good at putting spices together.”
His decision to open a storefront operation arose from a lifelong dream of owning a business. In the early days, Rifi said, rent wasn’t cheap and success was uncertain, so Abderazzak worked at a wire and cable manufacturer to make sure the bills got paid.
In time, business boomed and Rifi and her five sisters — one of whom was driving in from Boston for her last falafel on Monday—joined Abderazzak and their mother, Jamila, behind the counter.
When Rifi had her own children, they adored visits to the shop, especially when it meant they could stuff themselves with tahini-topped treats and chunks of meat on soft pitas.
“I sometimes go there and pick up (shawarma and falafels) before I pick them up from school,” said Rifi. “They can always smell it the second they open the door.”
Now, said Rifi, “I go in every week and see customers that have been coming there since I was a kid . . . Since we announced we are closing, it is amazing the outpouring of people coming in.”
Many, she said, are asking what’s next for the business.
That decision lies with Rifi’s mom, who has mostly handled the shop since her father’s passing.
“She said she will close for now and think about it and see if she will reopen,” said Rifi.
But for now, she added, her mom is “mourning.”
“It’s a reminder of my dad and a big piece of her, closing.”