Gila’s Nosh
“Five huge delicious fresh-cooked falafel balls, and a choice of white or wheat pita.”
“I had the SVA special- which is lox and and cream cheese on pita with fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and capers.”
“Sabich sandwich was delicious, made and brought out by Gila herself.”
Gila’s Nosh
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Accepts Apple Pay: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
8 reviews
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5 stars and a super duper bonus haiku!
four family cultures
a nibble, a nosh, a gnaw
gila's love is yum!
so this place gets one of my top top top 5 star rating reviews! let me get the basics out of the way so i can carry on to the good stuff…
— clean and convenient location
— affordable food w/ quality ingredients
— great customer service
— huge menu offering for a tiny place
— smart use of space to maximize seating
— fast service and friendly staff
— very accommodating to food allergies
— family owned local small business
still reading? ok perfect… now for the great part of this review!!!!
— they are more than just good food, they are do-gooders too! they reuse wine bottles for water! so smart and earth friendly 🙂
— they support people with disabilities and were honored with a plaque acknowledging this noble effort!
— they are a uniquely positioned "middle eastern" menu mashup with flavors and tastes and meals spanning Turkey, Iraq, Israel, and Morocco. Owner wants to emphasize the food is mostly Iraqi and Israeli though…
— they offer regular special family-style meals every fri night with a monthly special meal one of those fridays. the meals are $25-$35 plus tax & tip and require advance reservation. they are casual and apparently, even more delicious foods not normally offered.
ok so the stuff i ate…
the falafel is so fluffy and earthy and light. the kube (middle eastern beef dumplings made with bulgar) is pretty difficult to make which explains why i have never seen it until now! and gosh am i in love with this delectable lil dumpl'n. i have food allergies and the owners were kind enough to make a customized tahini + hummus + harissa (hot sauce kinda like a savory chutney.)
now the absolut-fucking-lutely BEST part of my meal was the ice moroccan mint tea, sweetened with dried fruits and topped with a FANTASTIC icey frothy foamy head. it is a family secret learned from another family member (subsequently who also owns a restaurant in Israel.)
please come here and keep this business thriving! what a gem in nyc, especially among sky rocketing real estate & unscrupulous landlords.
There's just something about family-owned restaurants. They put love into everything and make you feel at home.
Gila's There's just something about family-owned restaurants. They put love into everything and make you feel at home.
Gila's is exactly that. Gila toils away in the kitchen cooking everything, while her son Tomy ("like Tony with an M" he says) takes the orders and brings out the food.
I ordered the chicken shawarma sandwich because I heard it was good. When he brought it out, it was more of a bread bowl than a sandwich, using pita bread as the base. No, really. It was served in a bowl lined with aluminum foil, and you needed a fork and knife to eat it. Tomy dropped it off and said "good luck!"
No luck was needed. Just forking skills and a big stomach. Loved it, especially with the spicy hummus on top. The chicken was in this soupy sauce that the pita soaked up, so it was like two meals in one. So good!
Oh and the place is BYOB!
Definitely try and sit down, Gila handing your food directly to you and giving you a warm sunshine smile greatly enhances your experience!
Shake Da Shouka – The stew was very tomato-ey. At one point it felt like I was eating an entire can of peeled tomato that I use when i make pasta bolognese. There were faint traces of spices here and there. Getting it "Spicy" means extra crushed red pepper lol (see picture). The eggs though. really gave the dish substance and much needed flavor. I would get 3 eggs next time (comes with 2). Even with the bread, I was left quite hungry after this – not very filling. However, this is a great meal for older people who have difficulty chewing.
Chicken Shawarma – I tried a piece of chicken of my friends shawarma and it was abolutely delicious. THEN I REALIZED IT WAS CURRY. That brown sauce was identical to my mom's chicken curry we make it home. Maybe Gila stole my mom's recipe!! Anyway, it was delicious 🙂
Moroccan Mint Tea – Very calming and slightly sweet. There's mint in the tea but it's also brewed with 2 fresh mint leaves. The smell is intoxicating
Service – For our first time, we were 'delighted' to be served by Gila's son (we were expecting her daughter seen in some of the pictures). The son is very friendly and open in an intrusive way, but his sarcasm and slight rudeness can be off-putting. As we waited for an order, he was very curt in his tone to a lady asking for a menu, and she literally walked out angry saying, "You know what, I'll come back"; she never came back. Then, there was a sweet old mentally disabled lady that came for a pick-up order. She was obviously struggling, but he didn't seem to be that receptive or make it easy and help her. With us, he was very friendly but his humor was on the crass side (maybe reserved for people you are familiar with). As we dined, we got used to it and really enjoyed his service. He just needs to be careful as everyone is different.
You have to appreciate the authenticity and Gila's amazing food, A true gem!
Recommended: Anything Gila puts her golden Midas touch on; Chicken Shawarma, Shake da shouka, Homemade Filo Rugelach, Moroccan Mint Tea, Turkish Mint Tea (highly caffeinated)
I have a theory. If the business is well curated and shows attention to detail, the product and service will also reflect this.
What I found upon brief inspection: White, office tile ceiling, straight out of Office Space with neon bulbs, a trash bag in the middle of the restaurant, and dirty walls.
Still, I sat down and tried the skillet signature: Shakshouka. What I got was a pan of tomato sauce with two eggs.
It tasted like a pan of tomato sauce with two eggs.
Perhaps the dish is typically better executed than this?
No decaf coffee drinks were available. Wait staff was nice but a bit young and awkward/seemingly inexperienced. The flirting, awkward small talk, and constant attempt to up-sale everything was getting on my nerves.
Still I will give it a second chance and try the felafel next time, but I'll get it to go.
But get rid of that trash bag in the middle of the restaurant, and please, wash your walls and take out the ceiling tiles.
I like it !
Laid back with good food.
Need to go back to try other dishes, but the lamb platter was delicious.
I had lunch here today and was pleased with both the food and the service. After deliberating between a few entrees, Gila and the waiter helped me decide on the lamb shakshouka, which is similar to the Turkish menemen where eggs are poached in a skillet of tomato sauce and spices. Separately grilled pieces of ground lamb are then placed in the skillet and served to you with the rest of the dish. It's a simple dish, but delicious. It was served with a side of hummus covered with spices and pita. I'm looking forward to trying some of their other Israeli-inspired dishes soon. The waiter was very courteous and welcoming. Great job guys.
Gila's nosh is an adorable family owned, managed and run Mediterranean restaurant. The food is made fresh to order, you can even see Gila preparing your falafel balls from start to finish which is a really nice change from what you get elsewhere. There's a wide selection of options and I'm sure each is as delicious as the next.
The food: I ordered the falafel sandwich, it was stuffed to the brim with fresh falafel balls so the pita fell apart, and I was left to eat with my fork (not complaining… Less calories!) the Israeli salad and sauces were great, I just wished there were more add ins.
I will definitely be back for more. I hear the shakshuka is amazing!
My friend and I finished dinner and wanted to grab our post-meal cup of joe, so we stopped by here because Pushcart Coffee was closed (at 7PM!!!), but mostly because I've been meaning to stop by here for a long time but had never brought myself to do it. They are also a partner of cups app, which makes it a fantastic location to stop by on my way to work to grab a cup of coffee.
I've been to the restaurant next door, and even though they seem to have a similar square footage, Gila's manages to make the small dining space feel spacious. The gentleman behind the counter was super sweet and kept cool even though he's in charge of everything up front (making drinks, seating customers, taking orders, packing delivery orders, etc. etc.). He helped us pick something off of the drink menu which we both really really enjoyed: the upside down coffee. I think it makes a big difference that they use high quality beans; I'm not particularly discerning when it comes to coffee, but I really liked theirs!
At some point we left, thinking that we'd find another place to sit and chat, but after a few minutes – and after deciding that we really enjoyed the quiet atmosphere at Gila's – we returned and ordered another coffee for the evening. I can't wait to be back for the upside down coffee and to try their food menu! I'm lucky to live just down the street from this wonderful establishment. 🙂
I think they have a credit card minimum, but if you are just stopping by to purchase coffee with your cups app, you're in the clear!