Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    ilili Box

    3.5 (62 reviews)
    ModerateMediterranean
    Open 6:30 am - 9:00 pm

    ilili Box Photos

    ILILI BOX ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - ilili Box

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Teresa L.

    Despite all the restaurants located in the heart of Times Square, it's not that easy to decide what to eat if you only have 45 mins. Pizza? Hmmm... Burgers and fries? Maybe next time. Thai or Italian? Well just had it the last few days. At the end, we decided to return to the City Kitchen. The Box seemed interesting. Got the Lebanese salad and pita chips. Pretty simple meal was what I wanted. Salad was fresh and pita chips were great. We sat by the window to get a view of 8th Ave from the second floor seating. Place was half empty and no lines for any of the eatery.

    Roasted Duck Wrap
    Adam B.

    I'm loving the location of this bougie food court. Lots of space (if you consider the hotel lobby too) and ample air conditioning (also look to the lobby). Perfect for a not-that-expensive and not-that-insane pre-theater meal. 8-Hr Lamb Wrap: So delicious! I didn't see a large spit roasting this shawarma, but it still managed to be nice and crispy without that griddle-to-reheat taste. The wrap was soft and chewy yet had some bits of crunch from the quick grilling. Tons of tasty sauces and veggies instead. Roasted Duck Wrap: Wasn't a big fan. Was hoping it would either have the rich duck confit vibe or be crispy like peking duck. It was neither, but tasted more like those roast ducks hanging in windows in Chinatown. Had the unappealing cold fatty taste. Phoenician Fries: Loved the garlic based dipping sauce. The fries by themselves weren't that exciting and a bit soggy at times, but totally doesn't matter thanks to the sauce. Labne: Was hoping the texture would be whipped and/or creamy, but it was more like someone took a tub of Philadelphia Cream Cheese out of the fridge. Also, no interesting spices to flavor it up. Lemonade: Standard.

    "Kimchee Wrap" .. that didn't have any kimchee.
    Ariel C.

    Kimchee wrap: hardly any kimchee, meat was mushy, contents were over salted, tasteless. Thankfully I had split this with a coworker so I was spared from eating the other half. The only reason we ended up at Ilili was because we were in a pinch to see a musical across the street and needed a quick option. Lo and behold, the only station without a line in this food hall was Ilili Box.. probably for good reason. Sad I didn't see the writing on the wall.

    Beiruti falafel wrap
    Mahmood S.

    3/5 because The food isn't really good Seems like they're understaffed and have an extensive menu to keep up with Considering the space I wasn't expecting a full restaurant menu but they have plenty of options to choose from The food arrived pretty quickly though it almost shows in the food how quick it was The place is clean Good sized seating area that is shared with neighboring markets, has space for plenty of people The service is friendly The quality that you get is below average even when factoring the smaller kitchen and staff Wouldn't come back here The falafel crumbled up like dry cornbread, not sure how that happened but the only way to eat it was with a spoon or fork The wrap fell apart and got soggy from the sauce even though somehow the inside stayed dry There isn't enough greens and pickles to offset the flavors dry falafel for a fresher taste Cool idea, cool menu, not great product

    'Employee'
    Dan P.

    Stick to the store front restaurant on 28st . Don't waste your time or money on bad service, expensive food where the fries have no taste. Fries seem to be the opposite of the actual restaurant these were precut frozen fries. Asked for salt after we all sat at our table to eat and unanimously stated theres no flavor. Did we order the wrong thing? which they were hesitant to do so they asked me to pay for salad oil, salt or seasoning to add to the fries. We were a group of five who ordered the fries at my recommendation which sadly we all threw away. Garlic whip sauce was only flavor to the fries. The fries had no parsley as described. The lamb wrap was ok, lamb and sauce of wrap were tasty. Green tea was surprisingly refreshing at first the taste is of lime. Update: See image attached as I was direct messaged by an "employee" who stated I was a liar. My intention was to advised yelpers of my experience and their response clearly shows the level of professionalism and customer service. Also My initial order was taken by a middle aged man, I was attended by a female employee when I was asking if there were any other variation of fries as I thought perhaps I made the mistake. Who rolled her eyes at every question without assistance. The other employee was a smaller young male working the grill whom I did not speak with. The older employee who took my order was not there when we went back to ask for help.

    Mint lemonade
    Lauren T.

    After checking in to our hotel, I pulled out my trusty Yelp app, and it lead me to City Kitchen: NYC Food Hall. After checking out all the options, I noticed that ilili Box clearly had the longest line, so it must be good! I loved my duck wrap! Not sure what the yogurty/white sauce was, but it was sure tasty! The duck was tender, plentiful and a little oily. Grab a lot of napkins, because it got really messy! My date and I sipped on mint lemonade, which was a delightfully refreshing. Great place to go for a quick meal on the go!

    Zarin A.

    I am so glad I stumbled on to this place. Thank you for the introduction MealPal! Every menu item is absolutely delicious! I especially loved the duck rice bowl. It's essentially a duck gyro with delicious tasing rice and sauce. The flavors are amazing. I've been to ilili for restaurant week and was blown away by the portion and taste and ilili bowl definitely met my expectations. I was glad to be able to try almost everything on their menu through MealPal. Im definitely going to order the Brussels sprout side dish next because the ingredients sound like they would taste awesome together. This location in City Kitchen is just amazing. The hotel has a wonderful green tea smell and there is a lot of seating space.

    a group of people sitting at a table
    Miriam S.

    Ordered the greek salad and was very good but the toppings were a little stale. Good customer service.

    the inside of a restaurant
    Sar A.

    Here's what I think of my visit to ilili Box, where I had a Spicy Chicken wrap (aka chicken shawarma). - The shawarma was good, but wasn't the best I've had. - The cold one wasn't a very good one. - Holy moly, that was some pricey meal. Almost $19 for a wrap and a drink in a NYC's food court. - Easy access from where I was staying at Row Hotel. Take out, lay back and bon appétit. Three and half Yelps.

    Chicken BLT, yummy!
    Cari S.

    The City Kitchen eatery is cute. Many choices, including The Box. We had the chicken BLT and the Silk Road Falafel. The falafel was fabulous. Crispy, full of flavor, including a cashew and sauce. The sauce on the chicken was also very good. Great place to sit by the window and people watch at 44th street.

    Brussel sprouts (a must) and duck shawarma
    Joseph S.

    Anytime I am passing by times square, I can't resist not to pass by this store and grab a box of Brussel sprouts and Phoenician fries and a lemonade juice. As good as the main Ilili restaurant on 5th avenue.

    Chicken rice bowl
    Bryan C.

    In a crowded space of med rice bowl places that includes places like Roti this one does not stand out. Portion was decent and food tasted okay. Spicy chicken did not have much spice. Also not much variety as only get a little bit of lebanese salad. They could use to add one free option from among feta, olives and onions for same price as for what get is a bit much. Also add some sauces like a garlic tahini or hot sauce. The homemade hot sauce cost 1 extra. Located within one of the food courts with a few other choices so really nothing to say about space other than when tried to log in to city kitchen WiFi was asked to provide row hotel room number. Most places like this provide free WiFi

    I liked the sauce in the duck rice bowl, but wish it had veggies too. I did get the Brussels sprouts as well, but they contained walnuts, which I am allergic to! And there was no mention of it on their menu board!! they should specify that for people with allergies! ---------------------- I just checked their website and do see walnuts under the Brussels sprouts there, but it was not on the menu board at this location

    See all

    9 months ago

    Looks like they are out of business when I went and doors shut . This was in end of May 2025, but still here on Yelp?

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Dan P.
    84
    3
    10

    7 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Kelly C.
    487
    1080
    1010

    8 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Zarin A.
    53
    44
    14

    8 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Love this restaurant so much! Amazing food and ambience. Will be returning in the near future.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    I LOVED the pork buns!!! They are my new favorite food! The bun was so fluffy and pork had a great hint of sweetness. I am obsessed!

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Sar A.
    1316
    843
    11414

    9 years ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of c f.
    3
    11
    20

    8 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Joey M.
    286
    9
    2

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Mark B.
    251
    1678
    4822

    9 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Cynthia S.
    846
    96
    975

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Elaine H.
    1184
    1745
    5633

    11 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    ITS DELICIOUS! This is one of my favorite places to order lunch from to work. They've never messed up my order and the food arrives intact.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Tina W.
    539
    1156
    2241

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of John H.
    312
    36
    60

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Joe F.
    154
    45
    0

    8 years ago

    There is dry, there is drier and than there is Ilili Box's falafel wrap. Please try harder, I'd like to come back and refer friends.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - ilili Box

    You might also consider

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Mediterranean 33,892 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    ilili NoMad - Lamb & Beef Shawarma (6.5/10)

    ilili NoMad

    4.1(2.9k reviews)
    1.0 miFlatiron
    $$$

    Gorgeous upscale dinner spot in midtown! We came as a group of 7 and were seated comfortably, lots…read moreof room within the restaurant. Great place to share several food items with a group. It was a little hard to hear and converse at times as it gets crowded, but the food was delicious and there are really unique items on the menu. Food: The duck shawarma was one of our favorites! The lamb and scallops were also flavorful and tender. The dips were delicious with the pita, but I wish the serving size for the dips were bigger. The fries were great - well seasoned! Also recommend the milky pudding, it was a nice refreshing way to end the dinner. Service: Our server was super helpful in letting us know what items are more shareable and his suggestions for cocktails. Definitely try some of the arak based cocktails. Vibe: Gorgeous interior, the mirrors and lighting really elevates the space and makes it a lovely spot for group dinners or dates.

    We went for Mother's Day brunch. When we arrived a few minutes early we did have to wait a bit. The…read morerestaurant had two floors, nicely decorated and cozy. We were lead upstairs to a table. There were 7 of us The seating was cozy but not cramped. We started with 7 family style small dishes: Hummus with Falafel Pops (chickpea purée, tahini, falafel, olive oil), Spring Burrata (roasted cherry tomatoes, toast, basil oil), Hamachi Crudo (passionfruit vinaigrette, citrus zest, cucumber, mint, sesame tuile), Scallops (carrot puree, serrano pepper, brown butter sauce), Tenderloin Skewer (zaatar chimichurri, fresh herb salad), and Shiitake Stuffed Grape Leaves (tomato coulis, yogurt foam, herbs). Everything was delicious. The hummus was well seasoned the falafel had a nice crunch. It went well with the warm puffy gyro bread that came to the table. The burrata was wasm and creamy. I love the vinaigrette on the fish. I ended up eating most of it. The scallops were the sweetest, most tender ones I have ever had. The tenderloin skewers were tender and well seasoned. I liked the grape leaves but the rice consistency was very soft almost mushy and you can barely tell there were mushrooms. There was barely any mushrooms flavor. Next we all chose an entree. I got the duck breast, my husband and daughter each had the beef tenderloin. The duck breast was smaller than i expected. The skin was nicely seared and very crispy but boy did it give my jaw a workout. It was done medium rare. It was juicy but tough. The small beef tenderloin was tender and smoky. The waiter poured the sauce over the tenderloin for added flavor. Finally dessert was a fruit plate with ice cream and pudding. The fruit was fresh and the flavors of the ice cream and pudding unique. It was a nice end to a good brunch. The price was a little expensive at $85 a person.

    Photos
    ilili NoMad - Ilili Restaurant NYC's outdoor dining

    Ilili Restaurant NYC's outdoor dining

    ilili NoMad - Brussels Sprouts

    Brussels Sprouts

    ilili NoMad - Glass of Chateau Ksara 'Blanc de Blancs' 2023 (~$17)

    See all

    Glass of Chateau Ksara 'Blanc de Blancs' 2023 (~$17)

    Sophra Grill - Entrees

    Sophra Grill

    4.6(187 reviews)
    1.0 miMurray Hill, Midtown East
    $$

    Absolutely amazing spot for Turkish food in Murray Hill. It was close to my hotel, so I figured to…read morestop in. I'm so glad I did. I got to try a variety of different items, inducing: ayran, chicken Adana sandwich on home bread, Turkish tea, and rice pudding. The ayran was probably the best I've ever had in my life. It was so refreshing, the perfect amount of salt, so good. And it's homemade. I would highly recommend you try this drink regardless of what you order, it's that good. The chicken Adana sandwich was also quite nice. The chicken was fresh and well seasoned in a good portion with some lettuce, onions, tomatoes as well. The bread was great. It's served with two wonderful, flavorful sauces: hot sauce and yogurt sauce (I much prefer the latter). Portion is incredible for the price. Then, I was initially interested in trying the fig pudding for dessert but they were out of it, so I went with the rice pudding. Again, a huge portion that is well worth the price. So creamy, so good. And, they brought out 2 Turkish teas for free to make up for not having the fig! The people are just very nice here, and the tea was also lovely, piping hot and just perfect. It's a pretty small restaurant but doesn't get crowded early on. They were playing some Turkish music while I ate, and I really enjoyed it. The people are very kind and attentive and the food is just incredible. Must try!

    Great Mediterranean/ Middle Eastern flavors in Murray Hill... perfect for take out or dining in…read moretheir restaurant where you can stare at their amazing desserts in the display case. Fast, friendly, yummy. From salads, apps (bababganush, hummus, muhammara, tabouli, etc.), gyros, pides and platters. Everything looks delicious. For take out I love their chicken gyro on home bread, with "white sauce" no hot sauce. $13.50 plus tax.

    Photos
    Sophra Grill - Lahmacun

    Lahmacun

    Sophra Grill - Hummus & Muhammara

    Hummus & Muhammara

    Sophra Grill - White Wine

    See all

    White Wine

    Turkish Kitchen - Yum.

    Turkish Kitchen

    3.8(637 reviews)
    1.2 miKips Bay
    $$$

    Turkish Kitchen is my neighborhood mainstay, I can't even count how many times I've been over the…read moreyears. The birthday coupons are what had brought me in every year, but even though they stopped during Covid, I still enjoy visiting. My go-to dish is the Iskender Kebab - delicious slices of lamb with tomato sauce and yogurt over baked pita bread. I also enjoy the combination platter with dips - the baba ghanoush is delicious. The atmosphere is classy but down-to-earth. The cocktails are tasty. The service can be slow, but it means we are never rushed out. The prices are mid-high, but commensurate with the quality of food. I recently came with a large group, including kids. Service was welcoming despite the chaos. Our bread was frequently replenished and our bottles of wine poured. On top of that, we were given tastes of dessert & liqueur - such a nice treat at the end of a long meal. I especially appreciated that the head guy alerted us that gratuity was already added to the check. We had such a great time, that we opted to tip more! I was happy that my group had such a positive experience, and surely will continue to return.

    A group of my friends were in town, and we happened to pick this place just by walking down the…read morestreet in the area until we saw something that looked tasty. We could not have been happier with what we got for a place that we picked totally randomly. First of all, the place is popular and we did not have resos, but the staff were super nice and found us an open table that we could eat at as long as we put in our orders quick so they could get the table ready for a later reservation in an hour. Then the food itself arrived and was really delicious and well presented, just look at those kebab plates and dips! They also gave our group free baklava at the end I think just because they felt a little bad they had to rush us, which wasn't even their fault and was super appreciated. Also, the interior decoration is fantastic. The restaurant feels super classy and elegant. Great vibes for a date, a business dinner, or just a fancy dinner. Overall, easy 5 stars. Great food and amazing service. Oh and the wine was delicious too.

    Photos
    Turkish Kitchen
    Turkish Kitchen
    Turkish Kitchen

    See all

    ilili Box - mediterranean - Updated June 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...