Banzo

I asked a stranger on the street what their favorite restaurant in or around Madison was. He said Banzo. So naturally I had to go.

The falafel is the whole thing here, and I immediately understood the hype. Crispy outside, soft inside, crazy flavorful, one of those foods where after one bite you stop talking for a second. The red chili sauce made the bowl for me: a little kick, a little heat, balancing everything out. The shawarma chicken was solid, but I'd go heavy falafel next time.

The hummus was the one thing I was mixed on. It had more of a yogurt-forward taste than I expected. Not bad, just different than what I had in my head. Weirdly the whole bowl got better with every bite, and by halfway I was fully locked in.

It's a little blue-green house on Sherman Ave you could easily drive past. Tiny inside, very casual, very East Side. If the weather is good, eat outside.