Got word from Lunch’er James last week that Pick-a-Pita (on 8th btw 39+40th), the home of french fry-stuffed shwarma and one of Sam Sifton’s favorite spots has closed it doors. Sadly, there’s no sign explaining the closure and I don’t think there is any sort of Jewish holiday going on. Does anyone know when they shut their doors or why?
Posted by Blondie at 2:25 pm, July 18th, 2011 under Pick a Pita.
Sifton Loves Pick a Pita: Don't know how I missed this last week, but NY Times Chief Restaurant Critic Sam Sifton, casually mentioned in his "Best Dishes of 2009" article how much he loves the spicy chicken shawarma at Pick-a-Pita. Nice.
Posted at 9:30 am, January 5th, 2010 | 1 Comment
As if you couldn’t tell from this, this, or this, I’m a terrible Jew. But on Friday, with Rosh Hashanah looming, something deep inside my subconscious lured me into Pick a Pita (on 8th Ave. btw. 39+40th). It’s been awhile since I’ve stepped into this Kosher falafel and shawarma joint, but it’s been fairly well covered on Midtown Lunch. From my first french fry stuffed visit in 2007, to its move from 38th Street to 8th Ave. last year. In fact, the new Pick a Pita reopened one year ago this week- if you go by the Jewish calendar. Their reopening was the day before Yom Kippur (which is this coming Monday.)
I don’t know if it was divine intervention, or what, but on Friday I stopped in for a little Pick-a-Pita redux.
Posted by Zach Brooks at 11:45 am, September 23rd, 2009 under Pick a Pita.
Unlike House of Pita, which struggled to get their customers to travel to 8th Ave. from their original 48th Street location, Pick-a-Pita seems to be having no trouble keeping their clientele. Granted their original location (on 38th btw. 7+8th) is around the corner from the new larger location (on 8th Ave. btw. 39+40th_… but this line seems longer than anything they were ever dealing with at the original location. It looks like the Mandler’s curse may be broken.
Posted by Zach Brooks at 11:00 am, October 17th, 2008 under Pick a Pita.
Surprisingly the new location of Pick-A-Pita (on 8th Ave. btw. 39+40th) did in fact open on Tuesday- before shutting down on Wednesday night, and all of Thursday to observe Yom Kippur. They’ll be back open for business today… and just in time too. On Wednesday amNY named them one of the falafel places in New York City worth waiting in line for. As for the original Pick A Pita location, which is now closed, they owners still have the lease for another 6 months and haven’t decided what to do with the space yet. We shall see… but if you work in the area, and never knew about the semi-hidden Pick a Pita location on 38th, you should check out this new location. Especially if you like french fries stuffed in your shawarma sandwich.
Posted by Zach Brooks at 9:30 am, October 10th, 2008 under *8th Ave. btw. 39+40th), Pick a Pita.
The original Pick-a-Pita (on 38th btw. 7+8th), home of the french fry stuffed schwarma/falafel sandwich, has closed for the holidays (Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur) and will not re-open. Instead the business will shift to their new location on 8th Ave. btw. 39+40th (the former home of House of Pita.) Originally they said they were going to keep both locations open, but that didn’t make any sense. The sign says they will be opening on October 7th, but the guy inside said it would open after the holidays. Considering that Yom Kippur starts at sundown on October 8th, it would make more sense if they opened on the 10th. I guess we’ll see.
The holidays may also explain why some of your favorite Kosher lunch spots were closed at the beginning of the week. Most are back open, but expect Kosher Deluxe, Olympic Pita, Moshe’s Falafel and others to be closed on October 9th (and maybe even the 8th) for Yom Kippur.
Posted by Zach Brooks at 12:20 pm, October 2nd, 2008 under *8th Ave. btw. 39+40th), Falafel, Kosher, Pick a Pita.
According to a sign in the window, the 2nd location of Pick a Pita (in the former House of Pita location on 8th Ave. btw. 39+40th) will open on October 6th. French fry filled schwarma sandwiches for all! In the meantime, you can still go to their original location on 38th btw. 7+8th.
Posted by Zach Brooks at 10:30 am, September 19th, 2008 under Pick a Pita.
Well that answers that question. Pick A Pita, a tiny but righteous falafel and shawarma spot on 38th btw. 7+8th, will be opening a second outpost in the now closed House of Pita space on 8th Ave. btw. 39+40th. The tiny closet they currently operate will remain open, meaning you will now have two Pick-a-Pita options right around the corner from each other. HOP fans could do a lot worse; I have a special place in my heart for Pick-a-Pita since it was where I discovered the beauty of french fries in a shawarma sandwich. They say the new location will be open on October 1st.
Posted by Zach Brooks at 2:24 pm, August 28th, 2008 under *8th Ave. btw. 39+40th), Falafel, House of Pita, Middle Eastern, Pick a Pita.
A little over a month ago, this photo was posted to the Midtown Lunch Flickr Photo Group by joshbousel:
For un-fat people not looking to stuff various foods with french fries, a picture like this might be hard to decipher. I am not one of those people. Thanks to Josh, I became aware of the very exciting information that Pick a Pita (on 38th btw. 7+8th) will stuff your falafel or shwarma sandwich with french fries. Immediately this place went from “that shwarma place I heard was good and should probably try out” to “Pick a Pita. The greatest place ever invented in the history of mankind”.
Apparently stuffing your shwarma sandwich or falafel in pita is commonplace in many countries in the Middle East… but for some reason I have not seen it done at any of the places in Midtown. I’m sure there are places I have been to that will put french fries in your sandwich if you ask, but Pick a Pita doesn’t force you to figure this out for yourself. They suggest it for you:
50 cents is a small price to pay for the greatest sandwich condiment of all time. Sure, you can order french fries anywhere and put them on top yourself, but then people might think you are fat and disgusting. Pay someone else to do it, and now it’s not your fault! “Honey… it wasn’t MY idea. They put them in the sandwich BEFORE they gave it to me!” If that doesn’t work, I just go with the more accurate ”I’d be crazy NOT to get the fries stuffed into the sandwich!”
More food porn, and the +/- after the jump… Read more »
Posted by Zach Brooks at 8:34 am, March 28th, 2007 under 38th btw. 7+8th, Falafel, Middle Eastern, Pick a Pita.
