At one time, Falafel on Paulay Ede utca was a rare safe haven for vegetations looking for a quick bite in Budapest. Primarily a salad bar, they also served homemade soups and fruit shakes. It was very forward-thinking at the time. But, needless to say, a lot has changed in Budapest since those heady salad days. One need only go around the corner to rival Hummus Bar on Kertész utca to discover that the game has been stepped up in the contentious, niche falafel market.

You know what falafel is: it's the thing you are not ordering when you are getting a late-night gyros. It is to the chickpea what popcorn is to a corn kernel: the transformation of something hard and flavorless into something light, fluffy and fresh.

Sadly, the falafel at Falafel (above) used to be so tough you could break a plastic fork, if not a tooth, on them. They seem to have improved a bit on my last visit, but are still woefully underwhelming, tough little pellets, kind of like food for a very large pet rat. This is a daring move for a place that literally stakes its name on falafel. As for the rest of the salad bar, you are at no loss for variety: legumes, cous-cous, and my favorite unlikely salad fixing: fried carrot slices. But the healthiness of a Falafel salad (some of your options are pictured above; it's Ft 660 for a small order, Ft 850 for a large) is debatable: few are the options that do not come from the freezer, deep fryer, or can. There are precious few fresh vegetables available, which is a bit strange, if not retro, for a salad bar. On the other hand, the pumpkin soup with roasted pumpkin seeds I tried was divine, and well worth the Ft 350.

The Hummus Bar, which recently opened a sit-down counter joint on Alkotmány utca (ideally situated next to Beckett's Pub), is the newest venue for falafel and other vegetarian stuffed pitas. They claim to have the best hummus in town, and will get no argument from me. You can get a falafel in a pita for Ft 500 (up top) or as part of a hummus plate for Ft 1,000, which comes with ten falafel balls, a large portion of hummus and two toasted pita. But this is just the start; you can get several other falafel-based platters for around the same price.

What I love about the Hummus Bar is that the folks behind the counter make each meal as though (casting no aspersions on what they do in the back room) they have the munchies, and were making a snack for themselves. Each sandwich is crammed tight with hummus, trimmings and falafel. The falafel itself is big, fluffy and always fresh. My only complaint about Hummus Bar, if you can call it a complaint, is that they go a bit too heavy on garlic, olive oil and tahini. For light eaters, their plates could serve as a meal for two.

The old Falafel is still a great lunch option, and is packed during most hours, if for no other reason than you can make your own salad for the set price, which leads to very creative engineering of fixings, and due to the steep, narrow steps up to the gallery, it must be home to daily comic mishaps. But for outright falafel fulfillment, take a walk to Alkotmány utca, where a complimentary glass of hot mint tea awaits, and generous portions of excellent vegetarian food as well.