Harmonie Garden Quietly Unveils Express Falafel Destination in Corktown

Wayne State-area falafel restaurant Harmonie Garden quietly expanded to West Fort Street in Corktown on September 1 (although a well-informed reader rumormongered the move more than a year ago). The new satellite shop, dubbed Harmonie Express, fills a former Subway shop kitty-corner to the post office and serves an inexpensive quick-serve menu of pitas, platters, soups, salads, and appetizers. Customers can also get a whole baked chicken for $13.

"We felt like we needed to be back in downtown Detroit and nowadays it's so hard to get a location," owner Taher Jaber says. Several post office employees that frequent the Cass Corridor restaurant suggested the new location. Jaber notes that the previous tenants erected bulletproof glass around the kitchen and cash register, but that wasn't his style. "We shouldn't be having any separation between Harmonie Garden and the people who've been appreciating Harmonie's food for the past 23 years," he says.

The restaurant features an open kitchen and is designed to get customers in and out in less than 10 minutes. "We make sure our food is cooked every day — cooked to order... The only frozen stuff we have here is french fries," the owner explains. Harmonie Express also offers delivery anywhere between Mexicantown and Eastern Market for a $2 charge. Beginning next year, Harmonie Express will become a 24-hour restaurant serving hungry late-night crowds. Jaber also reveals that he has plans to open a third falafel shop on the east side near Jefferson Avenue. Check out the menu below: