Eata Pita

Needed to write this after today’s experience. I come here regularly for the falafel and fresh veggies. I have repeatedly noticed how the employees are quite unfriendly and hate any kind of very basic request — e.g., to my falafel pita, I want to add beets (which is right next to every other topping). They will generally give me a bad look and roll their eyes, even though I have no problem paying extra for additions. I usually ignore this because the food is consistent and I don’t need a big smile or thank you when I pick up lunch.
Today was terrible — (1) employees were extremely rude, rushed my order and made no eye contact with me while preparing the falafel — so much so that I could not say a basic thing like «no tahini please»; (2) when I managed to say «please no tahini», they scolded me for not telling them earlier (this was from multiple employees, sadly not just one), although I pointed out that they NEVER ONCE looked up from their station or gave me the chance to say anything other than «falafel.» I literally never had the chance to tell them what I wanted. I also did not ask them to remake the sandwich, but they still had the gall to tell me that it was my fault.
Won’t be going back — employee attitudes were borderline angry. I would say this is their loss, but I am very aware they could care less about their customers.
My suggestion to them (not that they will take it) is that only one person handles an order — having an assembly line for a pita seems unnecessary and ultimately inefficient.

I have never seen a ruder staff. I hit this spot once every couple of years because I guess I forget. And I go through Grand Central twice a day. The staff specializes in looking off into the distance while talking to you. My most recent visit, the person at the counter repeatedly said «Next!» while staring at a woman two spaces behind me on line. When he finally takes his eyes off of her, he looks at me and says «What you want??» Maybe they have the tourists fooled that this is what service is like in New York. But it’s not. Anyone reading: There are options. There’s an Indian place in the GCT dining concourse where the staff is delightful. The Shake Shack team is always nice. These guys clearly didn’t want to come to work, and they pay it forward.

It’s a good place for lunch. I like the vegetarian options. Of course given that it is in Grand Central it makes it kind of difficult to get to, luckily it is by the escalator for a quick escape route from all the madness.

Eata Pita offers Middle-​eastern and Turkish style carryout, from about $ 4.50 to about $ 14. The usual stuff — sauteed vegetables, babaganoush, hummus, falafel, couscous, lamb.
I’m a particular fan of their Greek Salad, which doesn’t seem to be made in house (The Chirpin’ Chicken next door serves a similar product in a similar container). What they do to it is to add heated chicken kabob (in what seems to be a BBQ sauce) and basic vinaigrette dressing (They will substitute lamb on request). I recommend asking for Tzatziki sauce to moderate the very strong vinaigrette. What you get is a _​lot_​of very-​not-​fattening food; lots of greens, peppers, tomatoes, onions, Feta cheese, the chicken, and two Dolmades (rice wrapped in marinated grape leaves), as well as a single pepperoncini. All entrees are supplemented with a foil-​wrapped warm Pita shell.
It’s a delicious one-​dish feast, and if you have time, grab a seat and eat it leisurely. For the price, it’s some of the best eating in the Terminal, and there’s a lot of pretty good competition so that’s saying a lot.

Had a lamb gyro salad. The lamb was good, however the lettuce was tired and the hummus had very little taste. The pita roll was warm and okay. There was plenty of food and it was cheap and quick for a meal to bring on the train for the ride home

We were staying at the grand Hyatt attached to grand central station. GCS has a dining concourse which is more or less a food court. I tried this place to get a lamb gyro pita. It was quick service, only a few minutes. The food was hot, the lamb meat was moist and tender. The Tzatziki sauce was excellent as well. The cost was very reasonable as well. The pita is wrapped in foil and places in a paper bag. Expectedly, it is very messy so several napkins are placed at the bottom of each bag which is an excellent plus for this stand.

Got the shawafel platter (mix of chicken kebab and falafel) with pita, rice and salad. The chicken kebab was really good, especially with the white and red sauce. The only thing that could have been better was the rice, I found it a little plain. Still a good value for $ 11 since I still have half left for tomorrow’s lunch.

Good food for a quick lunch.
I try to avoid Grand Central Station like the plague, but it’s in close proximity of my office and makes for an easy lunch option on rainy days (like today). Eata Pita is located in the food court on the lower level of Grand Central next to Feng Shui and Hale & Hearty (so, the west side of the concourse if you’re looking at a map).
This eatery draws a decent sized crowd, and for good reason! They serve quality Middle Eastern cuisine, including falafels, shwarmas, gyros, soups, and salads. They also serve platters, which cost a little more but include couscous or rice, a salad, and bread with hummus with your meal.
Typically, I get the «Baby Chicken Platter» with rice. There’s something about the way they marinate/​season their chicken that makes it taste very good. This platter costs $ 11 including tax, which is pretty reasonable considering the amount of food you receive and the business’s location. Seating is shared with the other restaurants as one would expect in a food court setting.
Overall, a solid choice if you find yourself in Grand Central.

I know this is just fast grab and go food but I was not very excited about what I had for lunch today. I had a lamb gyro pita and there was quite a bit of lamb in it but the rest of it was significantly lacking. The hummus did not have much flavor, the salad looked like an iceberg medley that comes prepackaged at the grocery store and the taziki sauce was more of a watered down ranch dressing consistency. It was also just so hard to eat. It was falling apart and thank goodness I was sitting down and not trying to walk and eat because that certainly would have been a disaster. It was a big serving for 9 dollars and they did make it fast. Perhaps their other pitas are better, I would not come back and get the lamb pita again though.

I’ve been coming here religiously for lunch during work, I get the chicken Greek salad. It’s a lot of salad/​food for a reasonable price. Also the falafels are delicious. All in all its really good but the last few times have been a miss.
The straw that broke the camels back was when my colleague found hair in her salad and then I found 2 small hairs in different parts of my salad, got grossed out. EWW
We need to take a break.

I often wonder how some people in the restaurant business stay in business, and even stay as busy as they are — even though it does not seem deserved. This is one such place. Being of middle eastern descent, I often crave this food. I also probably have higher expectations than the average Joe because I actually know what this food is supposed to taste like when done well. I am sorry to say, but Eata Pita does not satisfy this craving.
Where it goes wrong:
The salad (regular or the tabouli) is not dressed; it’s just dry leaves that one easily chokes on. The tabouli especially is supposed to be made with a delicate balance of acid (lemon) to olive oil (as well as salt and pepper). These guys just skipped it all and serve up dry parsley, mint and tomato they call «tabouli». The «white sauce» which I am assuming is supposed to be tzatziki is watered down to the point that you’re not even sure if the base is made of yogurt. The tahini is also watered down to a flavorless beige sauce. The humus is too thick/​pasty, and lacks lemon and salt. The chicken shawarma lacked spices and was a surprising, a bit too dry.
Where is it passable:
The pita (which I’m sure they didn’t make). The rice (it’s good enough to eat when you’re hungry, but peas and corn are not staples in middle eastern pilaf).
I did not get to try to falafel, and I probably won’t since I am not going back, but falafel and humus are the two cornerstones of a good middle eastern shop; if they can’t get those right, it’s all downhill from there.

Had the Falafel in a Pita; Bread was cold and the
Falafel was overly salty. The sandwich fell apart and I noticed they didn’t give me any utensils, so I had to trudge back with my food to get some. I told the guy
The bread was ice cold and he didn’t say anything.
I Won’t Be Back!!!

This spot offers sandwiches and plates of your typical Middle Eastern options. Had the chicken shawarma sandwich during a lunch break. The sandwich was decent but I didn’t really expect much from this spot inside the Grand Central food court.

Great place to grab some quick Mediterranean food. I am a big fan of the chicken breast pita. The line is usually not that long and when it is, it tends to go pretty quickly. The staff is strictly business and not very friendly, but given the amount of traffic in Grand Central is it explainable. I would definitely recommend this place for a quick bite to eat.

I had their chicken shwarma and falafel plate, which came with some cous cous and a side salad. The meal itself was just ok-​the chicken was a bit dry, the salad was wilted… I just ate half the plate, really.
Plus, it’s Grand Central-​I think all the food in the lower concourse is just ok.

It’s fast Greek style food. Nothing great but you can do worse. Prices are averagely high for the area but you could probably split it into two meals.

A disappointing first meal from Eata Pita. No sauce on my chicken shawarma makes for a dry, flavorless meal. With the inability to see them close up my meal order, I wish they would’ve offered the sauce addition…
And no dressing with the salad (basically just lettuce and a few strips of carrot).
NO FLAVOR TO SAVOR :(

I eat here a lot, despite today’s rating. (Tuesday 11:45) The rating is for poor attitude and poor listening. Order taker #1 didn’t understand me. #2 made me something I didn’t want. #3 took over and totally screwed it up…
And was Downright belligerent. No excuse.
Slow down guys. And listen.

If anything else, the sizes here are decent.
Had a lamb gyro on pita, and the lamb was good, but by the time you got to the end of the pita, it was just all hummus inside, a bit heavy and greasy there.
Still, a better option than most, even at almost $ 10 a pita. And quick. Grab a fork on your way past — you’ll need it for all the stuff at the bottom.
If you don’t eat a lot, you can probably get away with sharing one.

Located in the lower confines in the ever exciting Grand Central food court, Eata Pita might be the most friendly of all the commuter food choices. Rather than indulge on some of the overpriced ho-​humers of the nearby stalls, it’s easy to settle for a filling falafel stuffed pita instead, which is why I ever come to Eata Pita.
The options for a pita combo or even their platters are solid, but are understandably limited. Rather than bore you with everything else they offer, there are only a few items worth considering: a lamb gyro for you meat eaters, hummus /​baba ganoush for you saucey folks, and a pita with falafel and tahini sauce for you folks on the go.
Before you get annoyed by the shoddy service from the folks behind the stall, just know they’ve been dealing with folks who are in a rush, terrible attitudes, and slow out of towners. They won’t be in the best mood during lunch time and try to remember it’s just food court kiosk /​stall. Things could be much worse.
It will be pricey. $ 10 for a platter and a $ 7 pita doesn’t wet anyone’s appetite, but all things considered (Midtown East /​touristy Grand Central price tags /​crappy alternative options), it will be a solid filler till your next meal.