There is great hummus in Denver if you know the place to glance

Editor’s be aware: This is aspect of our series, Concealed Gems, in which we acquire a seem at all those places to eat you ought to know about but may perhaps not. They are both tucked absent in strip malls or otherwise off the overwhelmed path. Try them out, and if you like what you eat, go the phrase.  

I’m just likely to phone it: Denver is in the midst of The Age of Good Hummus. We are residing in a golden era when tahini flows like h2o and chickpeas are mashed with joyful abandon. When dips take center phase, and we wax poetic more than factors like aquafaba and sumac dustings. When we are made available toppings for our hummus, chilies for our hummus, even lobster for our hummus.

Certainly, beige is the new black.

When the great dining Safta and person-on-a-hummus-mission Hummus Capara may be foremost the charge, there are quite a few lower-key players in The Age of Terrific Hummus, and a great 1 is Golden Falafel at Yale Avenue and Monaco Parkway.

Golden Falafel is a bare-bones, strip shopping mall Mediterranean cafe owned by Zakaria and Halima Chamseddine. They moved listed here from Morocco and have been working in region dining establishments for a long time ahead of opening their personal in November 2021. Halima’s recipes —  for the hummus, and other top rated-notch dishes like chicken kofta kabobs and beef shawarma — appear from her northwestern Moroccan spouse and children, spruced up with her very own twists.

But very first, the hummus. Golden Falafel’s is swirled and sleek, with a light pool of olive oil that is way way too artfully placed for a restaurant subsequent doorway to an Irish move dance studio. Its corners are sprinkled with paprika and cumin, and sprigs of parsley glide more than its sleek floor. Dip a wedge of skinny pita into it and you will flavor the cheerful brightness of a summer months day, the hearty earthiness of Mother Character herself. And when you get to the finish of your hummus, you will be scraping that pita — or probably your fingers — along the bottom of the plate with a willpower that you really should possibly reserve for other locations of your lifetime.

Amazing as the hummus is, my most loved dish at Golden Falafel is the simply just named Residence Spinach. The product-to-spinach ratio is pretty superior on this a person, but as it’s slash with the acidity of kalamata olives and the heat of cumin, garlic and onion, it’s incredibly balanced and very addictive.

The beef shawarma is Zakaria’s favorite and, like every little thing else below, it’s delightful. The rotisserie-broiled, shaved meat is tangy and just a bit sweet, with caramelized lemon and orange mingled with ginger and garlic. For a vegetarian menu sampling, the combo brings you two balls of airy falafel, a rice-and-diced-tomato-stuffed grape leaf, pomegranate molasses-topped baba ghanouj, fattoush salad with pita chip “croutons,” zesty tabbouleh, saffron rice and additional of that hummus.