Where to get tasty falafel served up in Austin

The falafel at Sosa Mediterranean Foods is crisp on the outside and pillowy on the inside, and unusually light.

Haider Harbi, the sole cook, proprietor and dishwasher at Sosa, tells Axios that was his nickname growing up in Baghdad. He serves straightforward fare, but it's excellent.

• The chicken in the shawarma wrap was succulent; a cucumber-tomato salad was freshly chopped and gently seasoned; the dolmas were scrumptious.
• But the highlight was the falafel, served on a bed of rice with "white and red sauce" and totally moreish.

Of note: Harbi, who has been known to generously hand out falafel as customers decide what to order, said he served in the Iraqi Special Operations Forces before moving to the U.S. nearly a decade ago.

• He now lives in Northwest Austin with his mother.

• He may be the hardest working person in the falafel business: From Monday through Friday he mans his South Austin truck, and on the weekends he operates his Pflugerville location.
• Meanwhile, he's working toward a degree in culinary arts at Austin Community College.
• He'd like to hire an employee at $15 an hour, but the job market is so tight that Harbi says it's hard to come by candidates.