The DC area has seen more than its share of kind-of, sort-of fast food restaurants crop up over the past couple of years, and Maoz Vegetarian is one of the gang.
The formula here is extremely simple: walk up to the counter, order a falafel (or variation thereof), wait for your buzzer to go off, and then add your own toppings.
A Meal Deal ($9.15) is a Maoz Sandwich (falafel on your choice of pita), stuffed also with a slice of eggplant and hummus, a side of Belgian fries, and a beverage ($1.00 extra for fresh-squeezed juice).
The sandwich itself is good, with above-average falafel, and the fixins bar (as they say at Roy Rogers) is fresh and clean – located up near the register so the employees can spot if there’s a spill or a taint.
Unlike the great Max’s Kosher Cafe in Wheaton, all the falafel balls are stuffed into the bottom of the pita (Max’s interleaves the falafel with the toppings for a better distribution). This makes for what is essentially a salad for the first half of your sandwich, followed by an overdose of falafel for the second half.
The dollar upcharge for fresh-squeezed juice is money well-spent. They have a power juicer, and my carrot juice was very good. I also got a taste of the orange juice and it was even better.
Like the Sixth & Rye food truck, Maoz is certified Kosher, but not by the Rabbinical Council of Greater Washington.