ilili Box

If you’re unsure what to get, start with the duck shawarma. Can’t go wrong.

Wow, i was really looking forward to trying this place out. Their menu looked like great vegan options, 2 different 7 $ vegan falafel sandwiches. I decided to splurge and go for the $ 9.18 Lebanese Salad. Since it cost an additional 1.80 to add falafel cubes, I declined. It is messed up that for over 9 $, I ended up with a paltry bowl of mixed greens, with a few diced cucumbers and radishes. I could have gone to Chopt or Just Salad, spent 2 dollars less, and had an elaborate and delicious salad. This is way overpriced, for 9 $ I expect more than a plastic bowl of mediocre greens. I may go back and try the falafel, but am nervous I won’t get my money’s worth.

The dark shawarma is pure crack. At first I did not know this joint is literally a box. As in, it’s a food truck, and there is no seating in «the box,» and all the foods are served in «a box.» Ok. It’s cold and windy but let me just be out here with a useless buzzer (i’m the only customer) waiting and shivering…
But then the food came and OMG. I forgot about everything else. There is a huge pile of scallion in the duck shawarma, which brings me home because that’s how Chinese people eat Peking duck. And then I had a taste of the duck. Damn. What is in this fig/​garlic whip. It is sweet because of the fig and is garlicky because of the, well, garlic. But why is it soooo creamy and rich and delicious? This is definitely the best food I’ve had that comes out of a box, as well as the best bite I’ve had in a while.

Holy cow this place is good!
If you work in the area it’s a must, especially because you’ll find yourself outside in MSP and not having to wait in the shake shack line.
We came at around 12:45pm on a Friday and they still had everything (including the specials, which they said they run out)
I got the manoushe special and it was amazing… It’s HUGE. Definitely enough to share with someone else. It comes on a this very thick fresh pita, zaatar (which is like a bunch of spices spread on the bread), cucumber, mint leaves, chopped tomato, and then slathered all over is labne, which tastes a lot like creamy Greek yogurt.
Would definitely recommend as a quick, really delicious lunch, instead of jut one of those salad places that are everywhere, this is real food. And only $ 7.81.
Also, they take cash and credit card and the register girls are super friendly !

Oh man this place is great boo boo! That’s an inside joke for anyone that’s been here because the adorable cashier is always so friendly and calls everyone boo boo! Ok on to the food. Amazing. Get the pressed chicken wrap and get the damn fries! They are soooo good with that garlic crack whip they put on the side. And the seating is perfect right in front of the flatiron building. It’s also right on front of eataly so you can get your dessert from there after. Its a fantastic lunch spot.

I came here awhile back when their stand was part of the Madison Square Eats program at Madison Square Park I their Pressed Chicken Wrap which comes with roasted sumac chicken, garlic whip and lebanese pickles (which I asked them to hold since I don’t do pickles).
I also ordered a side of their Phoenician fries. MYGOSHTHOSEFRIES. They are handcut, fried to order, dusted in sumac salt, Aleppo pepper, what looked like paprika and served with their signature garlic whip. That garlic whip is stupid amazing. I would lick it off (almost) anything. OHGODICANTSTOPTHINKINGABOUTTHEGARLICWHIP. Garlic whip is LIFE.
Also, being that a lot of their foods (both in their stand and in their restaurant) use sumac salt — I did a quick look up on what sumac even is because yours truly isn’t Middle Eastern and I didn’t know what this delicious spice on my food was as I was stuffing my face…
The sumac bush, native to the Middle East, produces deep red berries, which are dried and ground into coarse powder. While it’s less common, the berries may also be sold whole. Ground sumac is a versatile spice with a tangy lemony flavor, although more balanced and less tart than lemon juice — interesting. ilili makes me feel as if I need to pick up some of this fantastic stuff and have it in my seasoning cabinet…*
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* The more you know… #DoDoDoooooooo

I’ve walked by this Box roughly 7,000 times, and I didn’t even know until recently that it was in any way affiliated with ilili. Had I known, I would’ve been eating their Phoenician fries every chance I got, because what I said about ilili’s fry game back in 2010 still stands:
«If Bloomberg is going to pass this low sodium initiative, the first thing to go is going to be ilili’s fries. Those things are so salty, and SO GOOD.»
Except we now have the illustrious Bill de Blasio as our mayor, but I think he’s still all about reducing our salt intake as well. Well, the sumac salt seasoning will probably not fly.
So before our politicians try to tell us what to eat, go get these fries. Dip them in the aleppo garlic whip sauce, because that shit is dope. If you’re looking for a more balanced meal, you can have them on the side of the lamb shawarma sandwich (pretty solid) if you’re into lamb. And if you’re not a glutton for gluten, you can get it on a salad.
If I were you, I wouldn’t rock the brussels sprouts with the grapes, it was a little too sweet for my taste. But I’m not you, am I?

Place is amazing for its sandwich wraps. The green lemon drink is over priced. Must try their fries!

I give them 5 stars for the food: I ordered a special Manoushe sandwich and a side of brussels sprouts. Both were excellent. Ingredients were fresh, delicious, complex flavors, creative, and like nothing I’ve eaten before. I would definitely come back any time. One thing to note is that both were large portions. Both were so big that if I had shared them with a friend, we’d each have enough for a hearty meal.
The only reason I am giving 4 stars instead of 5 is that the line moved very slowly… there were 7 people in front of me in line and I waited for about 25 minutes before placing my order. The line was also in the sun. It would have been nice if they had some umbrellas to provide shade. The food was kind of expensive too (the sandwich and side dish came to about $ 18) but then again the portions are huge so I can understand why the prices are high.
Overall, a great restaurant and I can’t wait to go back and try more dishes!

I went to the one in Madison Square Park during the week around 2 and there was still a line! Service was really nice but there are only 2 guys working there so it takes a little bit. I ordered the falafel korean and it was amazing. Kimchi and falafel somehow go together really well, it was a great balance of spice and savor. I also got the green lemonade which is… interesting. It reminded me of lemonade with pickles in it which makes sense since it is lemoande, mint, and cucumber. The drink definitely rehydrates you very well though, I felt refreshed afterwards even in the blistering 90+ degree weather.
My friends split an order of the fries so I obviously snagged some of those too. Strange ingredients but it turned out to be an impressive combo, I don’t do aioli or however you spell it, so I was eating just the fries but it was delicious. I imagine this place gets ridiculously crowded during prime lunch hour, but the food is worth it if you have the time. Great seating options in the park and with umbrellas, and nearby bathroom in Eataly if you need it ;)

Probably the best chicken pita /​shawarma in New York City! It reminded me of my days in Dubai. Quite authentic and delicious with all the right flavors of roasted chicken, garlic and pickles. It’s a small place (almost like a cart) in front of flatiron with a lot of public seating around. Small choice of drinks and food but very good. It’s definitely worth trying.

I was excited to hear that Ilili was opening a cheap lunch option, as their restaraunt had looked enticing but the prices had kept me away. Its still not cheap– $ 13 for a fairly thin wrap and no drink is not a cheap bite when there’s a halal cart stationed across the street, and I wouldn’t pay it again. I had the chicken and duck wrap, and while the fig dressing had a nice flavor, there was much too much for the small amount of meat. The flavors are better than the closest strret cart, but with the midtown street cart market open a block away, there’s really no reason to make this a priority.

«HEEEEEEEELLLP ME!»
That’s the sound of lettuce pleading for its life in a suffocating pool of dressing.
Sorry for the bad humor. It’s just that the insane amount of dressing on my falafel box kind of ruined it. I couldn’t even finish my meal. And I want to warn fellow Unilocalers. If you ask them to subtract the dressing by half, I think you’ll really enjoy the food. I am one of many to mention this, so I hope my bad jokes will get their attention.
I even went up to the counter halfway through my meal to show them the poor little strips of romaine that had died drowning in dressing. I told them I wasn’t upset, and that my falafel was delicious, but maybe they would want to see my salad for future reference. They were very friendly right back to me and told me that it’s how everything comes – with loads of dressing and sauce!
Oof.
Seriously, ilili. I am no amateur. I’ve eaten a lot of food in my life. Never have I received that much sauce or dressing on a salad. It might be time to take a look at that.
Otherwise, I think what you guys are doing is great! I’ll try again. And if you can hold back a few ladleful of sauce, you’ll get a 5 from me!

Bleh. It could have been a good lunch but wasn’t. I ordered the duck shawarma box, which is duck, chicken, a lot of lettuce topped with scallions and a heavy fig garlic «whip». The portions of duck and chicken were generous, and quite tasty. The meat went well with the garlic whip, although I couldn’t really taste the fig part. The lettuce is as plain and boring as you’d expect. All in all, it would have been a decent meal, if not for the ridiculous amount of UNGROUND spices that were mixed in the food! Seriously, I was crunching into whole peppercorns and weird little podlike things. Was this actually intentional or did someone make a mistake? It was disgusting and totally ruined the food for me. This is not the way you’re supposed to season food. And for $ 12, just not worth it.

Tried this spot at the new City Kitchen in Times Square. Let me start by saying I absolutely love City Kitchen and I am so thrilled to have this array of wonderful options in one place! However, Ilili Box fell short. I ordered the Falafel Korean. NOPE. The flavors of Mediterranean meet the flavors of Korean are just extremely overwhelming. They hardly create a beautiful ballroom dance on your taste buds, more like a car crash. I feel like the confusion of flavors will linger in my mouth for the rest of my life, and that’s not a good thing.
The ingredients were fresh, quick service, and I enjoyed the Green Lemonade. That’s what my second star is for.

Great quick bite place. Located on the second floor above a souvenir shop.
Pressed Chicken Wrap– ⁹⁄₁₀. Chicken, Lebanese pickle and garlic whip in a crisp wrap. It was delicious and fast.
Green Lemonade– ¹⁰⁄₁₀. A refreshing drink, mix of lemonade, cucumbers and mint. Perfect top off with the meal.
Adding to my lunch rotation.

I had high expectations for this place considering I’m a fan of ilili, but their Box option fell flat. You’re really just paying (a pretty penny) for location.
Having enjoyed the duck shwarma at the brick and mortar location, I decided to splurge and have some outside when hunger hit me around the area. The pita bread is nicely crisped, but I missed all the aromatic flavors I expected. Instead, what little flavor the meat had was overwhelmed by too much this overly «garlic whip.“I can’t believe I paid $ 12 for this.
It’s very hard to mess up hummus. Ilili’s original location makes some of the best in the City, and the Box sells pretty much the same stuff (minus the piping hot pita you get at the restaurant, of course). Small, but enjoyable, thus hummus alone is about 4.5 stars.
Service is another big miss here. I always order tap water when I eat out (when you’ve got tap water as delicious as NYC’s, why would you not?). Here, the cashier told me «they didn’t give out tap water.» Huh? I’d understand if this was a food truck charging half the amount, but a stationary restaurant that doesn’t give out tap water with a $ 16 meal. That left a nasty taste in my mouth before I even ate.
I waited about 15 minutes for my food, which considering it wasn’t busy on a weekday at 1pm is saying much.
Just go to ilili’s regular restaurant if you want great Middle Eastern food. This place is downright disappointing.

They’ve changed the menu a bit, knocking down prices (and likely portions) on some items (duck), changing the prep on others (lamb is no longer pastrami’d), and even removing some (desserts that sounded appealing with just a choc pudding remaining). Staff was super friendly in honoring our $ 50 GC for 5 wraps (2 chicken, duck, classic falafel, and manoushe special), the phoenician fries, and 2 chocolate puddings. Everything was well-​portioned and pretty well-​prepared, and I was glad to see they were busy and kept up with the demand.
August 2015 re-​visit for LevelUp:
They never have the labne cheesecake, so Phoenician Fries it was:
Transaction Amount $ 3.24
$ 2 First Visit Reward — $ 2.00
Total Balance $ 1.24

Yes yes YES yes! Everything about this little dollop of culinary yum across from the Flat Iron Building is ideal. Delicious, cheap, out doors. Summertime in a box!
Obvs if you are looking for something much more involved or upscale than what can be produced in a box in the middle of a busy intersection you are barking up the wrong tree.
Given a search for something delicious, affordable, and rich in flavor this is your spot. NYC has been really doing street food right in recent years and this charming installation is a great example of success in that phenomenon.

Is this a new trend? Good restaurants opening walk-​up windows with overpriced sandwiches? I hope not.
First Khe-​Yo opened Khe-​Yosk, with silly overpriced, very fatty pork belly and duck Banh Mi. Now ilili has followed suit with ilili Box, selling even fattier sandwiches at the same ridiculously high prices.
I guess you can get less fatty, slightly cheaper options here, but those are all vegetarian, so who would ever think to try those when there are meat options.
I shelled out a whopping $ 14 for the Duck Shawarma Wrap. I guess some people enjoy eating duck fat, but I didn’t find it that pleasant. It was decent, but nowhere worth $ 14. We also got the Lamb Pastrami Sandwich for $ 12. Completely different from the duck one, this one was like a panini, with some deliciously hot, crusty bread. This one was wasabi mayo spread all over it, which was a little too much. Once you take the first bite, a ton of the mayo squishes out from all sides of the sandwich. This is probably partly a tactic also to hide the extremely fatty pastrami.
We also tried the Phoenician Fries ($ 4), which were the best thing we got. They were nice and hot with a ton of seasoning on them that made them really tasty. I wish they didn’t dump that mayo sauce right in the box with the fries though, as a good number of them were completely slathered in it, resulting in some that were extremely overwhelming and soggy within a few moments.
This food is pretty tasty. I wouldn’t bother returning though with so many other great, cheaper options right nearby (e.g. Madison Square Eats for the next month, and of course Shake Shack across the street).