Pita Pita Mediterranean Grill

Feeling in the mood for a funky fix while I was shopping, I scrolled my way through Yelp looking for a place that was on the go near my house. Let me tell you, I am an incredibly indecisive person so this process took a solid 30 - 40 minutes. I picked Pita Pita on a whim, hoping to expand my cuisine horizons and open myself up to new flavors.

Upon entering the restaurant I made several observations, first off it was completely empty. I'm not talking maybe a person or two, no, there was nobody to be found including staff. In a way this took away some of my anxiety, as I know nothing about Mediterranean food and feared I would look incredibly out of place. Secondly, I couldn't tell if this place was fast food or sit down. The pop machine in the corner of the room had me leaning more towards fast food, but the meals came out on ceramic dishes? Lastly, although I didn't understand any of the words, the Greek pop music playing in the dining area really set the mood for this food experience. And oh what an experience it was.

Pretending I knew what I was ordering, I asked for the a small order of muthawama (it's essentially hummus made with potatoes instead chickpeas and a lot of garlic), sauteed chicken and veggies, and a passion fruit ginger ale to wash it all down. After placing my order, I found a booth in the corner of the dining area, excitedly waiting for what was to come.

Because it was so desolate inside, I got my food very fast — good thing too, because I was HUNGRY. The muthawama was first to arrive, and the presentation alone blew me away. Gently spread around the plate with sprinklings of parsley, drizzled with olive oil, a dash of paprika at the edges and partnered with pita bread, this appetizer was the fanciest thing in the place. If the presentation didn't already blow me away, the taste was about to. It was so rich and creamy, with a very strong garlic flavor, but the potato mellowed it out immensely. The pitas were warm and fresh from the stovetop, making the muthawama almost melt into the bread. Although already starting to get full, I was determined to stick it out through the entree round.

I'm going to be quite honest with you, I don't know what exactly I ordered. The menu categorized it under "Sauteed" and I chose the "Chicken and Veggies" option, if that helps at all. Again this dish was presented beautifully, and was incredibly aromatic as well. The chicken was tender and the tomato based sauce complemented everything on the plate very well, especially the rice. As a carboholic, I decided to dive right into the rice first. Not only was it cooked perfectly, but it was seasoned properly as well. Although the flavor was a bit repetitive after a while, eating the chicken and veggies with the rice was definitely the way to go. To finish the dish was a salad. Sadly, this portion of the plate did not live up to the same expectations as the others. The dressing was not only filled overwhelming with herbs, but the salad seemed to be "pre-dressed" before plating, making it really soggy and unpleasant to eat. Minus the pot pourri-esque dressing, the salad would have been incredible, and I would have finished the plate completely.

As a final side note, this passion fruit ginger ale was so good I finished it all 3 minutes into my meal and had to go get another. Enough said.

Overall this restaurant was a total win. With prices just over that of a nice fast food restaurant, and food that screamed flavor, I couldn't be happier. I already know I will become a frequent visitor. If you want to check out Pita Pita, they have several locations across north eastern Illinois, with the closest being in Orland Park.

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FOOD RATING: 9.5/10

PRICE RATING: 9/10

ATMOSPHERE RATING: 8/10