Chickpeas

It occurred to me one day that every vegan in my Facebook news feed seemed to have eaten at Chickpeas in Davis except me. The only remedy for that situation was to get in my car and drive across the causeway for lunch.

Chickpeas serves Mediterranean cuisine in a casual setting. The young man working behind the counter was very knowledgeable about which of their items were vegan, which would have made it easy for me to order my lunch if there hadn't been so many choices, especially with regard to the various hummus plates. Hummus with tahini, hummus with chickpeas, hummus with falafel -- what to do, what to do? I asked if the falafel was fried in the same oil as any non-vegan items, and was told that it was not. Only the French fries are cooked in the same oil as the falafel. So I ordered the hummus falafel plate, a generous serving of hummus topped with five crispy house-made falafel pieces and served with fluffy pita wedges. Good choice! The falafel was the best I'd tasted in a long time.

Since I can never resist stuffed grape leaves, I ordered a dolma plate too. The seasoned rice mix wrapped inside the grape leaves was tasty, and the dolma plate was the perfect side dish to go with my hummus falafel. I can see why Chickpeas is such a hit with local vegans!

Chickpeas is located at 640 W. Covell Boulevard in Davis, and their phone number is 800-909-5353. Their website address is http://www.gochickpeas.com/, and their Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/gochickpeas/?fref=ts. The restaurant is open daily from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.