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House of Pita
House of Pita was the first falafel I had when I started working in Midtown. One Avenue away from my office, on the most visited food street for my building. (46th between 5th and 6th is also home to Hing Won, Variety Cafe, Lenny’s, Cosi, City Market Cafe, Pronto Pizza & Wu Liang Ye- among others) What better place to start then the original…
I really liked the House of Pita falafel the first time I had it… and there are some good qualities to it- but as I’ve tried more and more falafel’s in this area I realized there a few areas where it falters. First off, if you’re not looking you could easily walk by this place. It’s not a cart, or a restaurant, but more of a counter where you order, and they prepare your meal. There’s no door, or seats, and the entrance is in a “knick knack store” filled hallway that connects 48th street with 47th Street. There is usually a line/crowd of people in front of the counter, but it moves pretty quickly.
A description of the falafel, and the +/- after the jump…
The falafel sandwich is $4.49 and comes with pickles, tahini sauce, and your choice of lettuce and tomato or israeli salad. First they cut a hole in the top of the pita bread, and line the inside with what I think is a hummus spread, then they fill it with the falafel and your choice of toppings- plus a green hot sauce that is delicious.
There are two main problems with this falafel. First, there is no place to cook the falafel behind their little counter- so, the falafel is cook somewhere else, and brought in metal containers, to be dished into the pita. As a result, the falafel is not always hot, and very dry after sitting in those metal containers. Secondly, the pita bread just comes out of a bag, and is usually dry as well.The best things about this falafel is definetely the Israeli salad. Made from tomatoes, cucumber and parsley- it’s really delicious, and makes the falafel taste healthy and better then ones with just lettuce and tomato. And that’s really the key. Because they don’t cook the pita on a grille, and the falafels themselves are a little drier, and they give you the israeli salad, I definetely think this is one of the more healthier falafels to get in midtown. So if that’s what you’re looking for… this is the place for you.
THE +
- The Israeli Salad
- The size. It’s a good size meal for under $5
- If you are looking for an Israeli style falafel, or something kosher, this is the place for you
- It’s more healthy then the falfel you get at a cart. They also have 15 other salads to choose from.
THE -
- The falafel are cooked somewhere else, so they are usually not that hot, and sort of dry
- The pita bread is out of bag, and not cooked, so it is dry as well
House of Pita, 32 w/ 48th St. btw. 5th & 6th Ave. 212-391-4242
Posted: June 19th, 2006 under 48th btw 5+6th, Falafel, Middle Eastern.
Comments: 8
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Comments
Pingback from Midtown Lunch » Blog Archive » Kwik Meal
Time: June 22, 2006, 9:56 am
[...] Day 1 of Falafel Week: House of Pita [...]
Pingback from Midtown Lunch » Blog Archive » Monotony for the Koshers… First Look: Milk N Honey NYC
Time: August 15, 2006, 6:40 am
[...] If you keep Kosher, there are few places you would find more eating choices then working near the Diamond District. There are a ton of Kosher lunch options (especially if you are Glatt Kosher- which I understand to mean “super kosher”). For sit down meals, you can climb a few flights of stairs to one of the kosher restaurants that sit atop a Jewelry store on 45th (like Taam Tov), or go to a take out Kosher Falafel place (like House of Pita on 48th). [...]
Comment from susan
Time: April 15, 2007, 3:42 pm
The Board of Health closed this place down before I had a chance to sample their falafel!!!! I was too late. :(
Pingback from Midtown Lunch » House of Pita Doubling Their Operation (and their menu…)
Time: May 21, 2007, 10:09 pm
[...] House of Pita, the Kosher Falafel and Bourakas window on 48th btw. 5+6th is opening a new, larger location in the space formerly occupied by Yoshinoya on 46th btw. 5+6th. Based on the language of the sign (”Another Location”), one could assume that the original 48th St. location will remain open (although grammar is not the strong suit of many Midtown signs). They will also be adding Panini and Wraps to the menu, and will offer delivery. [...]
Comment from Anonymous
Time: June 7, 2007, 12:15 pm
Let’s hope this cuts down on the number of agitated maniacs yelling, whining, and complainining in the line there. On one visit, a woman was screaming at the manager, and a man with bad breath kept barking in my ear “She’s talking to you. C’mon, let’s go!” every time the server asked me a question before I had a chance to respond to her. Although the falafel was delicious, I dont like it when the clientele at a place expect that a newcomer should someghow magically know what and how to order and the he/she must do it in under a fifth of a second.
Pingback from Midtown Lunch » Today is the last day to enjoy the Jamaican Dutchy (for a little while) & the original House of Pita (forever)
Time: October 31, 2007, 7:17 am
[...] of Pita has lost the lease to their original location- the window space on 48th btw. 5+6th. You can still enjoy their delicious falafels & burekas [...]
Pingback from Midtown Lunch » The “New” House of Pita Celebrates their Grand Opening, By Closing
Time: December 5, 2007, 2:57 pm
[...] down their Grand Opening sign, the newer House of Pita , on 46th btw. 5+6th has closed down. The original House of Pita location, a window on 48th btw. 5+6th, closed down a little over a month ago , 5 months after the [...]
Pingback from Midtown Lunch » House of Pita Returns With a Strange Choice For New Name
Time: January 11, 2008, 8:57 am
[...] House of Pita has become the little falafel stand that could, re-opening their operation on 8th Ave. btw. 39+40th, in the space formerly occupied by Mandler’s Sausage Co. This comes a little over a month after their 2nd location, on 46th btw. 5+6th closed after 6 months in business. According to the owner, the 46th St. location was always only going to be a temporary location- they were just forced out a little earlier then they expected. [...]
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