Maoz Falafel & Grill

I can’t believe it took me this long to discover this place! It’s amazing. I’ve been here twice so far. Got the falafel pita the first time and falafel salad the second. Absolutely love the falafel, it’s well-​made and flavorful, not dry at all. I also love the unlimited toppings because you don’t have to worry about getting too much or too little of any topping. There’s a ton of sauce options as well, which are a must. The cilantro, the garlic and the green chili sauce are so good. Overall it’s such a great deal. If you’re tired of the same boring basic lunch options, I would definitely recommend Maoz.

Mein Freund hat das Maoz entdeckt und wir beide fanden das Konzept echt gut. Es geht um Falafeln– klar. Zunächst wählt man, ob man einen Salat, eine Pitatasche oder eine Schüssel Reis oder Humus möchte. Man bestellt entsprechend und bekommt dann, in meinem Fall einen grünen Salat mit Falafeln drauf. Ich hatte noch Aubergine dazu bestellt. Die würde ich nächstes mal weglassen. Anschließend geht man dann das Salatbuffet ab und ergänzt sein Gericht um weitere Zutaten, wie z.B. GurkeTomatensalat, Krautsalate, usw. Zum Schluss noch ein paar Saucen drauf und voila, Essen ist fertig. Sitzgelegenheiten gibt es auch. Mal was anderes. :-)

Just walk to the maoz at 7^th ave and 40^th street. It’s a well oiled machine compared to this one, which is a bit shambolic. No one seems to pay attention to what’s run out, and the amount of chaos in the kitchen screams amateur hour.

I stopped here after work on a whim and was so surprised by how healthy and yummy this place was! The unlimited salad bar was fresh and all the flavors melded together well!

This is a great place for a quick bite that’s fresh and pretty healthy. I had the pita pocket with falafel, and it was well under $ 10. You can stuff the pita with as much chick peas, broccoli, cucumbers etc as you want, which was great. Also tried the mixed fries, and they are almost worth the visit alone.

Great concept! You order the base and add the veggies yourself. Not the very best falafels I’ve had, but they were beyond decent.
A bit hard to eat after stuffing the pita, and it’s bound to get messy.
I have to say one thing about this place: GET THE SWEET POTATO FRIES ($ 3.95)!
! The best fries I’ve had in a long time. Super fresh and crispy. The garlic sauce was also bomb.
The place is good for a quick and low key lunch.

I have decided I will be healthy, LMAO, so I was in midtown everywhere and there were pizzas everywhere and i was so close to getting a pizza. But I was like hell no you are getting a salad. Except they were all super expensive in all the places like $ 9 and thats not including the toppings. I saw Maoz and their salad bar and the price isnt so bad, $ 6 for the basic salad. They also have pita with all the toppings and hummus bowl. If you want to add protein its extra, I went with Falafel because I never tried it and i don’t eat meat also.
The salad was packed into a pretty big bowl and the salad bar have lots of options like coleslaw, broccoli, onions, etc. I pretty much packed everything onto my salad, because i paid for it and im going to GET MY MONEY WORTH LOL! The guy in front of me kept staring at my mountain pile of salad compared to his half full salad he just filled up. I was like dude what are you doing get more lol.
Oveall the salad was good, not mind blowing of of course because i just threw everything on there. BUt this is a place with a good price for their food. I am always in midtown for auditions and rehearsals so i will definitely be back to try their other times. Like the hummus bowl.
**They have green chillie sauce and i love that! spicy!**

My favorite lunch spot in this crazy area. The shawarmas are great! And the salad is pretty good. It’s definitely a place where you get good value for the price. I have ordered the chicken, beef and falafel and they are all pretty good, sometimes the steak is overcooked but it is still pretty decent. I love the garlic sauce.

I like this place and I have been there so many times in the winter for lunch. But today was my second time having stomach troubles after eating at this place in a month! I guess it’s probably because the weather got warmer and it’s harder to keep the salad fresh in a open place.

Maoz came highly recommended to me by my friends studying in Columbia back in 2010. On my recent trip to NY, I had to investigate what the fuss was all about. We walked up to the location near Columbia but sadly it was no longer open. So we marched off to Times Square — short walk, subway, another short walk. And there it was! The brand is no longer vegetarian only, which was a little disappointing for the vegan in me. However, the Columbia alums re-​assured that this felt like the same old Maoz. There was also a vegan rice pudding on the new menu!
I was overjoyed at the prospect of unlimited toppings. I helped myself with a ton of chickpea salad, purple cabbage, tabouleh and an assortment of other veggies. On top of this went the amazing mango chutney and tahini. One of the best falafel bowls, hands down. Loved it so much, went there for brunch the next day. Maoz, you made my NY trip even more memorable, and inexpensive!

I run my businesses on service, not on attitude. Management needs to hire accommodating and positive people that want to help, not a group of rejects who don’t give a shit about whether or not customers come back.
Food was good. The idea is solid.

I love love love this concept. It’s essentially a Subway but Middle Eastern style. You start with what bowl you want — pita, hummus etc. Then add your protein and get unlimited veggies.
I opted for the hummus bowl — which was a lot of hummus. As in a two person amount. So if your with someone I would recommend sharing, and the other person order the pita or something! I then went for the chicken shwarama and it was again really good. Although I also wish I had ordered some falafels on the side, which you can do. The veggies were self service which I really liked it — as you can pick exactly how much you want. I went for a Middle Eastern salad, carrots, broccoli and cucumber and some white salad. There was also some additional dressings to choose from, but I didn’t try any. They also had lids etc so you could take out if needed.
I’m really glad Shake Shack next door, had a queue out the door that was snacking. A much healthier option, which I really enjoyed for my first meal in the big city.

While visiting New York I noticed Maoz while walking from the hotel to work. Admittedly I didn’t even think of trying it out, but the glowing reviews won me over.
I came for lunch and ordered a Chicken Pita. In hindsight, to maximize the experience here I should have ordered as a rice bowl and not a pita. There are so many tasty free salads and sauces options available at their bar I just couldn’t add everything I wanted to a pita.
They also sell juices like Orange and Carrot. Just know that drinking pure carrot juice might make your lips orange for a while.
Tip — If you do get the rice bowl, take a risk and try several of their unique free options including the cilantro sauce.

I am absolutely delighted by this fast-​casual restaurant.
Talk about good, wholesome, delicious, fresh and healthy, this place is IT!
As someone who prefers meatless options, I love every complementary option they had offered! With the Falafel-​rice plate, you get to choose whatever your heart desires.
Olives, pickled beets, cauliflower/​broccoli, carrots, chickpeas, meatless options galore!
The sauces were stellar! I can only remember thanking myself for taking a dipping container full of that awesome sauce! Tzatziki is just perfect over anything you choose.
I wish that I had more words to say, but in reality there were none –just instructions.
Step 1. Food in mouth.
Step 2. Make heart happy.
Step 3. Come back immediately.

This place was great as far as food goes. It tasted very good and it was reasonably priced. The location was convenient too! So I really liked that.
What was actually pretty cool was the wide variety of free toping you can add to your food. It makes for a different meal every time.
Another thing I really liked was the look and feel of the place. It had nice décor and it felt very unique and homey. The only complain I have about this place was the staff. They weren’t very friendly and they were talking with each other the entire time. So that’s the only downfall, in my opinion.

Price is extremely reasonable and food is fresh! I received my chicken schwarma on a pita with hummus piping hot, and was left to add whatever accompaniments and sauces I wanted from the salad bar. This included broccoli and cauliflower, tomatoes and red onion, tabbouleh, olives, chickpea salad, beet salad, and other Mediterranean sides. I was giddy with excitement at the prospect of not being limited to only a few toppings. After a long stretch of walking in the city, Maoz Falafel definitely hit the spot and satisfied my need for food in my belly.

I’m so disappointed to write this review because Maoz has been a favorite lunch spot of mine for years and I come to this location at least 2−3x a week. Well, not anymore after the experience I suffered a couple of days ago.
I got my usual falafel salad which I was happily enjoying until I bit down and tasted GRIT. It tasted like sand from unwashed spinach. This was unpleasant enough, but I decided to eat around the spinach hoping to avoid anything else. But nope! In that same salad, I found a HAIR that did not belong to me.
Absolutely disgusting! The Health Department should pay these guys a little visit and they really need to get their kitchen hygiene together. Sad I can’t come here anymore, but I think I’m turned off for good.

This is actually one of my favorite spots to have a healthy lunch in the entire city. Price-​wise it cannot be beat, and as long as you take full advantage of the Maoz topping’s bar you will NOT leave hungry. This specific Maoz location is different than others due to the fact that this spot isn’t vegetarian. There are still the ordinary vegetarian options that the other Maoz spots offer, but there are also things for us meat eaters to enjoy.
My first visit to Maoz I got a mixed greens bowl with beef shawarma, avocado, and an egg as my add-​ons. This made my entire order about $ 12? Second time around was about the same price, except that time I got chicken shawarma, avocado, and babaganoush on top of my salad bowl. If you kept it simple, a bowl or pita with a protein, you wouldn’t spend more than $ 10. I personally like putting more, so I don’t mind dishing out a few more bucks, especially since every add-​on is unbelievably fresh. I will say that the chicken shawarma is better than the beef, but the beef is still good. And they’re made fresh from the kitchen! Just expect a bit of a wait if you do order a protein (5 – 10 minutes in my experience).
Now, I can eat a LOT, so I was surprised when these veggie based meals satisfied me. Of course, that had a lot to do with the toppings bar. There’s something for everyone. And you can pile on as much as you can fit. My personal go-to’s are olives, chickpea salad, beet salad, and the tabouli salad. They also have a wide range of sauces. My favorites being their cilantro sauce (on the bar) and garlic sauce (in a bottle). I’ve tried their tahini, but it’s not the best.
The ordering system might be a bit confusing initially, but once you’ve got the hang of it nothing will be easier. Walk over to the register, order your rice/​hummus/​salad/​pita with or without proteins/​add-​ons, then stand at the front of the toppings bar and wait for them to hand your order to you.
The only negative thing I could say about Maoz isn’t even really something I can speak about personally. When my boyfriend came with me he ordered a pita with beef shawarma and fries. Now, this isn’t something I’ve ever had, but he told me this is a pretty normal order in falafel/​shawarma spots. Again. I dunno. But he said it wasn’t good? But he wasn’t very specific. He didn’t tell me if it was the pita, or the fries, or the shawarma. He also hadn’t taken my advice to fill up at the toppings bar, so his pita looked pretty lackluster (and unhealthy) compared to my salad. He wound up not loving Maoz, but his opinion has not changed mine and I’ve been back plenty of times since.
I’m very surprised that this place isn’t busier. It’s cheap, fresh, and filling. A better alternative than Chop’t or other salad bars in the area. I just wish there was more seating space, I’ve found myself ordering my food to-​go and eating elsewhere.

I’m going 4 stars on this one with the following breakdown:
Service: 5 stars
Cleanliness: 4 stars
Price: 5 stars
Food Quality 4 stars
I truly enjoyed my first Maoz experience! The service at this location was first rate! The person behind the counter taking my order really walked me through the experience. I’d liken it to a cross between Cava Grill and Amsterdam Falafel.
Ordering is done is stages where you first choose if you want salad, grain, pita, etc. Then you choose your protein (s). Last, you get your food and navigate the toppings bar. I chose sweet fries, and a hummus bowl with falafel as the protein. The sweet potato fries were spot on perfect (not greasy, served hot, outside crispy with inside soft). The falafel was only ok, it lacked that crunchy outer edge (it was soft all the way through). I felt the hummus was good but was grittier than other hummus I’ve had.
The toppings bar was great. I love pickles!

Ordering is kind of confusing, but once you have it down: maoz is your oyster.
Stand to the left and order and pay at the register. Pick a delivery mechanism (pita, rice bowl, hummus bowl, salad), pick your protein and any additions, and then wait somewhere in between the topping bar and the ordering line.
I always get the same thing: brown rice bowl with chicken schwarma with hummus and a whole wheat pita. This is definitely too much food, but I can’t help myself. I usually load up with pickles, broccoli, vegetable salad, and coleslaw. Last but not least — some tahini on my bowl, garlic sauce on my chicken, and sriracha on my hummus. And then the feast.
Their falafel is really tasty, but too much to add on. Would be a good thing to share a side of it.

Surprised this Maoz location near Times Square doesn’t get more traffic, maybe it’s the tempting Shake Shack down the block. Well, if you’re looking for a much healthy alternative, give this place a shot.
Maoz is about as cheap as it gets for healthy food. $ 4 – 6 for a pita or bowl, $ 2 – 4 for falafel or your choice of meats, and $ 1 – 2 for other toppings like hummus or babaganoush, feta cheese, or avocado. You can spend as little as $ 6, load up at the salad bar, and leave a happy camper. Or you could opt for their premium toppings but paying a couple dollars more.
Was hesitant getting food from Times Square (have you seen the streets? disgusting… no offense to anyone though. I actually live in Hell’s Kitchen!), but the inside was very clean. The staff constantly wiped down the counters, tables and floors and restocked the salad bar.
Now onto the food:
— pita was warm
— beef schawarma I had to wait for cause they were making it fresh from the kitchen (I won’t complain)
— salad bar food quality pretty good and wide variety. From what I can remember: red cabbage, tabouleh, cauliflower+broccoli, cole slaw, red beets, pickles, some sort of eggplant)
— different sauce options (garlic, tahini, vegan, mayo, mango pickle (?), sriracha (random), cilantro sauce, spicy green chili).
No snobby attitude from the staff which is very appreciated :) One of them even courteously offered me a small bowl for the salad bar after watching me struggle piling loads of cabbage onto my falafel sandwich.
Take out supplies are also accessible to everyone, making it convenient to pack up your leftovers without any fuss. It’s little things like this that make me want to come back :)
Also, whenever I pass by after work, they usually offer samples of falafel! Keep an eye out.