Pitopia
“I just was walking past the store earlier today and they were giving out free falafels.”
“Doesn't beat Täim's but definitely kicks Maoz's version, which I think is dry and bland.”
“It's a basic falafel (hummus or eggplant can be added to the basic falafel for a minimum charge) with your own self-service, unlimited toppings bar.”
Pitopia
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
8 reviews
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Wow, I just got robbed of $13 for a chicken "shawarma." They don't even have a rotating spit of meat roasting. It's already cut and lying in a bin. Oddly the meat has a sweet marinade. Pretty gross overall. Ate half of it before giving up.
this place is a dream come true for me. Perfect for lunch or a meal on the go. I'm mostly vegetarian and love having salad items laid out in front me. This place has unique Pitas with falafel (I ordered a mexi guac pita). I love the topping items and sauces you can add to your pita, theres so many of them of them and such a good variety of sauces. All this for $6.50! you can't beat that in the city. I wish this place was close to my job in Tribeca, I would be here more often.
The place does get busy and it's pretty uncomfortable to eat their since it's such a narrow space.
Decent place for a fast lunch – Mediterranean style. Order at the register, keep your receipt and the nice people behind the line put your pita or platter together in a minute or two.
I had a schnitzel pita sandwich; it had lots of good chicken but not enough veggies.
Find one of their $3.00 discount coupons if possible.
Kosher – which helps a lot of people.
Tthe quality of the food is very good here. I never had the falafel, but the lamb shawarma is scrumptious and succulent, and the schnitzels are delicious. I usually get the schnitzel platter with a sweet barbecue sauce, and it comes with round, seasoned fried potatoes and salad bar. These fries are crispy and well-seasoned, and the salad bar is full of fresh, crisp vegetables, pleasing to the eye and the palate. I'm partial to the eggplant and the cole slaw. The location is very convenient, and they run great specials for schnitzel sandwiches, falafel, shawarma, and other meals, prices almost unheard of in a kosher store in Manhattan. The only issue is that the place is intended for takeout. It's only a tad larger than a hole in the wall, and it gets packed in there during peak times. The garlic mayo is an addictive sauce for your fries, shawarma, and other items, and the sauces in general are a big draw. The line can be out the door sometimes. The food is delicious, but if you want to eat it there, be prepared to be packed in like sardines on those small, uncomfortable elevated stools.
Nestled along the heavily foot trafficked corridor that is Broadway between Herald Square and Times Square sits this casual eatery and many others.
I've walked by many times than I could count but haven't done so until now. I'm not certain why that is but perhaps it's the same reason why I haven't stopped in a Maoz either. I've been spoiled by the vast Middle Eastern eateries in Brooklyn Bay Ridge and my personal all-time favorites, Ibby's Falafel, Taïm, and Mamoun's which, in my mind, provide the highest bar to compare against.
I ordered the Pitopia Falafel sandwich to give you proper feedback and that one-to-one comparison. As with fast casual, the sandwich didn't take long to prepare, which was good. The falafel had good texture. Browned perfectly and each bite had good consistency. The only thing lacking was the spices that were used in this batch, and that I've come to expect from falafel. I wanted more of that, and these lacked the flavor that i craved. It was simply muted in comparison to their counterparts. It makes sense to have someone sample each batch for quality assurance. I hope they consider doing that and it could also use more hummus or sauce inside. Perhaps less salad or cucumbers?
They have the opportunity to be really great. For 6.95, it fits in the snack/lunch segment nicely as well as falling into the category of cheap-eats for which I'm a fan, but i didn't care much for the salad, so maybe cut me a break?
I'm also tickled with the fascinating to-go packaging. The top tears off… and you hold the bottom which contains the Pitopia (falafel) sandwich. Very neat design.
The location is narrow and doesn't lend itself well to lines or queues so that could prove a problem for lunch-goers unless this moves quickly. They also provide an area to gather your own salad (salad bar) with your meal, for which i lacked interest for, but it looked clean and tidy. I stopped in around the time when people start leaving work to return home.
All in all, a decent lunch stop for office workers. They have other sandwiches which i may try in the future but the falafel could use some improvement before i return just for that.
Pitopia had been doing a string of amazing pop up restaurant collaborations with some tremendous Kosher establishments that are based outside of NYC. So this review is for the pop ups! (Though Pitopia in its own right is delicious too,but that's for another post)
The most recent pop up I've had the privilege of experiencing was the one day pop up with Milt's bbq from Chicago this past Tuesday.
On an actually nice winters day in NYC…A crazy line of ppl assembled to get their hands on an original Milt's smoked pulled brisket sandwich, pulled rib sandwich and a few other scrumptious items on the menu! Plus the not to be missed aioli!
Milt's is my first go to when I land in Chi-town. My car service is already instructed to do a stop there before heading to the hotel when it's ordered. I order take out on the walk to the car and they have it ready piping hot and I'm a happy fat kid.
Wasn't going to miss this pop up no matter what! The fries were delicious! Still piping hot, crunchy on the outside with a soft creamy center. I don't know if they were serving up 2 different aioli's but the one I got had no garlic flavor to it which was disappointing to say the least. The sammies…..the pulled rib sandwich was scrumptious! Smothered in the right amount of their signature bbq sauce that has a little kick to it, the meat was unctuous with the right amount of marbling throughout each bite. I usually love their brisket, the meat quality is always phenomenal but this time it was a bit bland and dry, even with the aioli already on the there. Idk maybe I got the last scrappy pieces, so will not judge too harshly since I know what it usually is like.
But no regrets of devouring both, plus the fries, for the sake of the son to be new kid on the block in my tummy! I will see you in Chicago very very soon Milt's & Chef Bryan!
Got a $5 credit on groupon and decided to buy the $12 voucher to this place. What a mistake! This place was down right dirty. Sauce cups flying everywhere and found them resting in the salad. All the sauce bottle were empty. The floor and seating were sticky. I mean there were already limited seatings.
Didn't matter if this place had unlimited make yourself salad bar – I. can't possibly eat while standing. The salad selection was much more limited than previously posted pics. Fried eggplant were too salty and really greasy. The pickled vegetables were also really salty. The tomatoes were mushy. Half of the salad bars were empty by the time I arrived – 7pm.
I ordered the schwamna chicken platter which came with regular or hot fries, hummus, and a side salad. I stood around expecting my number to be called, only to learn that they will only make your order if u physically stand in front of them to remind them. They forgot my hummus and salad. I had to go back to the counter twice to retrieve each item. The staff was rude when I asked and seemed so confused. I really mentally prepped my mind expecting food poisoning after dining at this place.
$13 dollar (well I paid $2) – for my dinner – who in the right mind comes here to pay full price? If it wasn't for the free cookies and crunchy hot fries – this place would be a 1 star in my book.
The hummus and falafel bowl didn't like much, but then I learned that the real action is at the other side of this tiny place, at the salad bar. I don't know exactly what all the vegetables, but there was a nice item with cabbage in it plus a pretty good Israeli salad. The standout item is a yellow-ish sauce, a powerful condiment with a curry/cumin vibe.
The Yemenite soup with beef and vegetables wasn't that memorable.