Yem Yem Falafel

When I lived over here it was called Deli Candy Grocery or some random combination of mundane words like that, but when I stopped by on Halloween night, I was surprised to see it had been totally overhauled. Emerging from the shitty ashes of what was previously a spot only good for Bud Ice in stray single bottles and six-year-old Soft Batch is the more blatantly ethnic Yem Yem Falafel. I'm sure the thinking was that yuppie East Village fuckers love diversity. Smart tactic. As far as the setup is concerned, the devil is in the details with Yem Yem - some decent light fixtures, well-lit deli case and solid floral department were the lipstick on this pig. Make no mistake, Yem Yem is little more than an average bodega. But the difference is that the dudes running this show are still too new to the game to have totally given up hope. Yem Yem is riding that new business buzz, metaphorically high-fiving the American dream and showing the hood they're the new big swinging dicks of the EV bodega scene.

RATING:
1. Smell? Fried chicken. No doubt about it. But I'm guessing that's the falafel frying ...
2. Booze? Nope.
3. Random Cat? Nope.
4. Weirdest Item? Tukas Pepper Paste (not really THAT weird)
5. Nationality? Yemen, duh.
6. Can I get a sandwich? Hell yeah. Boar's Head, bitch. Falafel, too.
7. Is something Illegal Happening Here? They look clean.
8. ATM Fee? $1.75
9. EV Special? (Natural Spirits + Snobby Beer + Something Vegan) Nope.

ADDRESS:
53 2nd Ave.
NYC, NY 10003