Written by Liana Aghajanian
Photographs by Cheyenne Moore
Originally published in Brownbook Magazine (No. 52), July/August 2015
On an unusually overcast day in California's San Jose city, an unexpected symphony fills the outdoor air, yet on this stretch of Stevens Creek Boulevard, there's no concert hall in sight. The sounds instead come from an unlikely source: Falafel's Drive-In, a bona fide institution that has been dishing out irresistible balls of fried chickpeas for close to five decades.
“70!” “71!” “72!” Joanne Boyle yells from behind the counter as orders for falafel sandwiches come in. Amid coins jingling in the register, Nassif Grayeb quickly crinkles white wrapping paper around sandwiches piling up at his work station. Customers ask for extra harissa chili sauce through the window as cups of their famous banana milkshakes are placed on the aluminum counter. In the corner, fresh, handmade falafels are submerged in a vat full of loud bubbling oil. In just 20 seconds, they’ll be ready for the growing line of customers coiling around the building that never seems to die down, no matter what day - or what time of day - it is.
This cacophony, which joins the sounds of orders being shouted across the kitchen with those of coins being dropped on the counter of the ordering station, is a part of everyday life at San Jose's popular falafel joint. Open seven days a week, the family-run Falafel's Drive-In attracts a diverse customer base composing tech entrepreneurs, students, engineers and construction workers. In a sense, the drive-in brings together a range of people who are not just looking for good food, but good falafel.
Falafel's Drive-In, though, is not just a standard diner; it's an institution that, since the 1960s, has transformed the food culture of the Silicon Valley, attracting customers from California and beyond. According to the owners, some customers have come from as far as Japan for a taste of its falafel. With the restaurant's signature harissa chili sauce that accompanies a falafel sandwich, the special family recipe has become something of a myth - and one that almost always lives up to expectations.
The drive-in's humble beginnings can be traced back to its founder, Anton Nijmeh. A Palestinian policeman turned pig farmer, Nijmeh's roots take him back to Ramla, before he and his family decided to relocate to the United States in 1966 for a fresh start. Upon settling in California, Nijmeh and his wife bought out the Snow White Drive-In and immediately began operating it, serving all-American fare. However, among the burgers and hot dogs, nostalgia for familiar food soon set in and the couple decided to expand the menu to include a delicacy that was abundant on every street corner in Palestine falafel.
At first, Nijmeh, using his own recipe, began making falafel and giving it away for free. 'Try it, you'll like it,' he'd reassure his customers with his Arabic accent and a big smile. It wasn't long before Nijmeh created the supply and demand for falafel, knocking the burgers down the restaurant's list of most popular food orders. With falafel becoming a popular choice among returning customers, the Snow White Drive-In got a name change. With the exception of a few renovations, the institution looks exactly the same as it did when Nijmeh was running the show - its neon sign continues to glow in the driveway, drawing in customers who can't get enough of the sandwiches and shakes.
Falafel's Drive-In became so famous that popular American food show host Guy Fieri made a televised visit there in 2007. It was featured on his Food Network series 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,' which brought in a new legion of devoted fans. But even before its 15 minutes of fame, Falafel's Drive-In had become permanently embedded within the culinary landscape of the area, a place customers continued to return to. Patrons who had been teenagers when Nijmeh first opened up shop now bring their families to Falafel's Drive-In, preserving the tradition of dining out on falafel sandwiches and banana milkshakes. 'To them it's not Arabic or Palestinian food,' explains Nassif Grayeb, Nijmeh's son-in-law.
'This is American food. We did our share. We cooked and they loved the food, and the rest is history.' Though Nijmeh passed away in 2006 at the age of 76, his family continues his legacy and is still very hands-on with the business. Falafel's Drive-In is, at its core, a production run by a very close family who takes pride in the food being served. On any given day, you'll find Nijmeh's children, including Joanne, Deanna, William as well as Grayeb, taking orders and making sandwiches, along with a handful of long-standing employees. Though Middle Eastern food has recently permeated American culture from coast to coast, emerging even in supermarket aisles, the success and longevity that Falafel's Drive-In has garnered comes down to one simple factor: consistency. 'We haven't changed it because there's nothing to change,' says Grayeb of Nijmeh's falafel recipe. 'When you have something awesome like this, it's good for centuries.' Consistency in the cooking process has also been key. Every morning Grayeb arrives at 7:30am, which is hours before the restaurant opens its doors, and grinds the chickpeas he's soaked in water the night before.
Using local ingredients, the family's special spice mix and 'no shortcuts, Grayeb proceeds to make fresh falafel from scratch. If you eat one of the drive-in's hot falafel at lunch time, you can rest assured that it was made that morning. The customers also appreciate this fact. Rudy Rucker, a computer scientist and science fiction author from Kentucky, has been coming to Falafel's Drive-In since the 1980s. According to Rucker, these San Jose falafel are the best in the world. 'The balls are crisp, the inside is moist and it's made from fresh ingredients, not canned,' he says while tucking into his sandwich, drenched in harissa sauce for an extra kick. At the next table sits Astrid Arretz and her mother - who've been coming to the restaurant for nearly two decades. To Arretz, ordering a sandwich at Falafel's Drive-In is more than just grabbing a bite - it's also supporting small local businesses. And it's not just the customers who can't get enough. The men and women behind the counter also indulge in their own creations every day - a clear sign of their devotion to good food. 'We eat other food too, of course, but when you make falafel, you want to try them in the morning to see if they're good,' Grayeb says while taking meal orders. 'We're the quality control.'