Pita Kitchen

Editorial Review

by Contributor at Citysearch

Middle Eastern counter-service eatery serves pita- or lafa-wrapped schwarma and falaffel, kebob plates, hummus. Dine-in, patio seats and takeout available.

10/24/08

CLOSE TO MY HOME, I'VE EATEN HERE NUMEROUS TIMES

by MorgDaddy01 at Citysearch

This joint is less than 1/2 a mile from house, so I come here when I'm looking for Med. food, but too lazy to make the drive to The Royal Grill on Burbank Blvd. This place has the best shwarma? NEGATIVE. The Pita Kitchen (which is an ironic name because the pita is pretty weak; seems hard to find good pita nowadays. The Great Greek has got it down pat, but its Greek, not Med.) is a CLEAR second if judging shwarma compared to The Royal Grill. Both are inexpensive, but The Royal Grill still has a slight advantage there as well. My second fav is the Greek Knight (not Greek Nights on Ventura Blvd.) in Burbank. Also superior to The Pita Kitchen, but par with The Royal Grill. I'm not trying to diss The Pita Kitchen, its good food, but you can mos def find better elsewhere...if you're not too lazy to drive. ;)

• Pros: Good food, quick service, ATM on site
• Cons: No credit cards accepted, poor pita, good but nothing special

12/12/07

Amazing place! The best shawarma you will ever have!!

by pucsicsal at Citysearch

This place has the best shawarma I have ever had, plain and simple. I have been to countless "mediteranean" and "middle eastern" restuarants in LA and OC, and none are as good as Pita Kitchen. Their food is exceptional everytime. Ask for the "beef and lamb shawarma in the lafa, with hot sauce," you won't regret it. The prices are also very attractive and each portion is so large some people might have to take some home! This place is hard to find and literally a "hole in the wall", but it makes it all the better. This place is a GEM! The parkings and "cash only" is a hassle, but thats the least of the matters with food this good. Recommend!

11/01/07

Great Beef Plate

by llyonize at Citysearch

This is a great new find for me. If you like mediterrian food, then you have to go to the Pita Kitchen. The beef plate is so good, and so much food you could easily share or make two meals out of it. It gets pretty crowded on the weekends, so best to go early. The staff is really friendly too.

• Pros: Great food
• Cons: Parking not so great

07/04/07

great take in for one for one dozen

by mathnasium at Citysearch

I have enjoyed every meal I have ever had there or from there. Be prepared to wait. It takes the same amount of time as any sit-down restaurant, because every meal is made upon order; however the appearnace of the restaurant makes me want the food in drive-through time. Sometimes I crave the food for days and it's never disappointing. Always worth the anticipation!!! Carnevours and Vegans alike will love the food at the Pita Kitchen.

05/05/07

Best pita in LA, but get your food and get out!

by thefleck at Citysearch

I'm fortunate enough to live just down the street from this amazing pita spot. Unfortunately, I'm not close enough to walk, and the parking is really a drag. There's a one-way alley behind the store that leads past their little parking lot in back- which is nearly always filled by the staff's cars. I'de say I get lucky about 1 in 3 times and get a spot there. You can get away with parking down the alley behind some of the other shops, but they do monitor the spaces- so get your food to go. Otherwise, the best place to park is on the street trunning parallel to Ventura to the left of the restaurant.

The pita kitchen has some of the tastiest food in the valley. You could easily get addicted to it. My regular item is the Beef/Lamb Shawarma wrap. The wraps have more substance and are a little less dry than the pitas, but the pitas are good too. If you like spicy food, ask for the "hot sauce"- they'll give you a little cup of green paste that really complements the tahini and cucumber well. The kebabs are great too but take a little while to make, so be patient. On a busy day a kebab will take at least 15 minutes. The staff could definitely be a little more friendly. I've never once got a smile or "thank you," and I've been there more times than I can count. The seating can be a problem too, but usually it's not too bad. I wouldn't go with a group larger than 4, though.

• Pros: Some of my favorite food. The wraps are the best in LA.
• Cons: Parking and service. Unfriendly ambience.

04/14/07

Best Kebab, Best Hummus, Limited Seating

by the_fat_guy at Citysearch

I try to avoid the Valley. I live in Santa Monica and hate the drive, the expanse, and the endless menagerie of Ventura Blvd. Let's get this out of the way before I start.

I have been converted. It started with the Pita Kitchen.

I would visit my friend who lived right down the street from this Schwarma stand. We would walk down and let Abe help us pick out exactly what we were desiring. I found that I made more frequent visits with my friend just to eat at Pita Kitchen.

I now go every week and have settled into a regular order which Abe gets fired as soon as he sees me walk up to the line.

The chicken kebab is always hot and off the grill...creating that great cooked on taste of a well seasoned grill. The great salad has the perfect blend of tiny veggies, light dressing, and delicious Feta cheese. The Hummus is simple, but the perfect complement to your meal. Pitas can be filled with whatever you want and they are always happy and willing to pick your winning combo.

The line can be ridiculous around lunch time, but I recommend that you take a deep breath, deal with it, and grab a paper from the newsstand on the corner to pass the time.

People...this place makes the Fat Guy really happy. Lot's of food, fair prices, great flavors.

I might not have the most delicate palate in the world...I love big flavor and comfort food. This place has both.

• Pros: taste, service, serving size
• Cons: parking, seating

11/28/06

Go for the lamb. Bah!

by motherway at Citysearch

Adjacent to a newspaper stand on Ventura and Van Nuys, Pita Kitchen is a basic, casual Mediterranean joint. But they also serve the best lamb pita for $5.50. I live a few blocks away, and I'm able to bring my dog over and sit out on the sidewalk patio. The hummus and other sides are also first rate.

• Pros: Cheap and delicious Mediterranean food
• Cons: Street traffic

11/19/06

If you live by here, you need to go here now

by gnoleb at Citysearch

This is probably my favorite place to eat. I used to live by here (in walking distance) for 3 years, and I ate it at least once a week. I really, really miss this place.

The food is marvelous. My favorites are the beef/lamb sharwarma, chicken sharwarma, chicken kebab, beef kafta, and greek salad. The hummus is the best I've ever had, and it is always consistantly the best.

I usually get the lafa (wrap) unless I'm really hungry or sharing with a female, in which case I get a plate (with hummas and greek salad as sides...just amazing).

I've been to turkey and greece, and this stuff is authentic...and maybe even a little bit better. I love this place. If you are blessed to live by this place, you better check it out. And more than once...the first time I went I tried the the falafel and didn't care for it. Everything else has been gold.

• Pros: awesome food, great prices, quick
• Cons: there is only one of them

11/01/06

Big Fan!

by davep626 at Citysearch

I really enjoy this place A LOT! Great service, quick and tasty ALL THE TIME! Who could ask for anything better!