Ayat

At the fourth NYC location of this Palestinian restaurant, everyone is eating stacks of just-out-of-the-oven pita. This large corner spot in the East Village has tables for casual group meals, where people use the hot bread to mop up hummus and muhammara. It also has a counter, where you can sit and watch the pita being shaped into balls, baked until they balloon, and handed across to you, still steaming. There are skewers of grilled meat too, but especially if you’re with a few people, we'd recommend one of the massive traditional platters, like mansaf with bone-in lamb, topped with slivered almonds. You might find live music here some nights, and a crowd spilling out onto the sidewalk.