Not all falafel in Amsterdam is the same obviously. There’s the mediocre falafel at doner shops and late night snackbars, at least always a safe vegan option. Then there’s the better quality falafel, often to be found in dedicated falafel places. Maoz is of these perhaps the most known, serving vegans since the beginning of time, when vegan restaurants were rare in town! But they serve the falafel in pita bread. Personally my favourite way is to have ’em rolled up in a Lebanese flatbread, with salads and tahin sauce. This is exactly the way it’s served at Amona Foodtruck. They are located at Waterlooplein and thus offer a quick vegan option right in the centre of town!
Amona started by Majdi Samahah, who is originally from Jordan (the country, not the neighbourhood). He specialises in various dishes from the Middle-East, including some meat but also several vegan options. Legumes like lentils and chickpeas play an important role in the Arab cuisine.
Royal family
He started working as a chef in Jordan, later moved to the US to open up his own restaurant. After that he worked in various kitchens in Latin America, including Mexico.
In 1989 Majdi moved to Europe, finally making his way to Amsterdam. In this period he was working in production kitchens of various airlines. For some time he also worked in the kitchen of the Koninklijke Nederlandse Roei- en Zeilvereniging, where the Dutch royal family were frequent guests! You can read more in detail about these adventures in this VICE article. By 2015 he decided he wanted to be his own boss again, and started Amona Foodtruck.
Jordanese falafel
The falafel wrap is his specialty. His Jordanese falafel is made of chickpeas, parsley, leek, cumin, coriander, sumac and za’atar. Other vegan wrap options are with hummus, baba ghanoush or grilled vegetables and mango chutney. He also has a vegan lentil soup (which comes with bread) on the menu, and french fries as well. All his dishes are served with a friendly smile!
Amona Foodtruck
Waterlooplein (at the eastern part)
Open: Mon-Sat 11:00 – 17:00 unless bad weather
