Primary-colored tables and chairs and a knowledgeable and accommodating staff welcome customers to The Pita Pit. But it's not much of a pit at all. Cartoon illustrations of vegetables and other foods decorate the walls, making the eatery as upbeat and user-friendly as a kindergarten classroom.
Bright colors aside, Pita Pit offers a menu not quite like the others. You won't find a choice of 6-inch, foot-long, white or wheat. Pita Pit's sandwiches come on pita bread, a Middle Eastern bread that, when cut open, forms a pocket. Customers can choose their main sandwich elements and then mosey on down the counter to the fixins, where a pita pocket artist customizes their meals.
The menu, while dominated by meat choices, has vegetarian options galore. I went for the Mediterranean theme and tried a falafel pita ($3.90) with hummus, baba ghanoush, tzatziki and some
lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers. The falafel, little balls of fried, spiced and ground chickpeas, tasted great ÷ not too seasoned, as some falafel can be. The hummus ($1 extra), a spread also made of chickpeas as well as tahini, and baba ghanoush ($1 extra), an eggplant-based spread, tasted standard. They may have enhanced the pita wrap more if the portions were a bit more generous. The veggies were fresh and the tzatziki, a cucumber and yogurt sauce, put a cool finishing touch on the sandwich.
As for the pita itself, it held its own ÷ impressive since it's hard to come by quality pita bread. Unfortunately, it was served room temperature as opposed to warm, which makes all the difference.
If the Mediterranean array of food doesn't sound appetizing, something else on Pita Pit's menu will surely appeal to you. Skip the souvlaki and go for a traditional chicken Caesar wrap or opt for a salad instead. Other choices include chicken breast, BLT, Black Forest ham and tuna, to name a few. Spice up the pita wrap with barbecue sauce, teriyaki sauce, pineapples or one of the other many sauces and toppings available.
If you're looking for all-American with just a touch of the exotic, try the Philly Steak pita sandwich ($4.95), complete with grilled veggies and melted cheese. But though it was good enough to try again, the Philly steak is probably best left to the Western world.
If carbs are the enemy, the fresh vegetables with which you can customize a salad, and the variety of meat you can throw in, will leave you assured when it's time to order. I got the Greek salad ($5.25) with tomatoes, feta cheese and the "secret" sauce that usually dresses that dish. The salad was fine, primarily because of its fresh romaine lettuce. But don't expect real Greek olives. The black olives taste like the standard canned ones. And though the "secret" or house dressing usually comes with Greek salad, its blend of jalapeno, oil and oregano, among other ingredients, ends up tasting like a tart vinaigrette without a flavor focus. So try the tzatziki as a salad dressing or even a scoop of hummus or baba ghanoush.
Despite the cold pita and disappointing house dressing, Pita Pit makes for a great addition to the UA's little restaurant district. The prices at Pita Pit are beyond reasonable for the amount of food received. The Pit is open late, too. So next time Los Betos seems like the only option for late night gorging, or you're torn between lunch at Sinbad's and Silvermine, remember to try University Boulevard's newest addition. Options aplenty, everyone's sure to find something satisfying for their stomachs and bank accounts.