Fresh Pita, located on Sepulveda in the heart of downtown Culver City, is very proud of the fact that it serves food made with 100 percent quality, organic, Halal ingredients. They have every right to be because, while the canteen-style service and perfectly basic layout of the restaurant implies “casual,” the food does not.
The staff behind the counter are pleasant, chatty, and happy to answer any questions you might have about the Mediterranean fusion / Middle Eastern cuisine, though even those with the most superficial knowledge shouldn’t have any issues recognizing most of the dishes.
Fresh Pita serves falafel, shawarma plates and sandwiches, tabbouleh, grape leaves and, umm, fresh pita. We opted for the chicken and beef shawarma plate, and were not at all disappointed.
As advertised, the meat is quality and cooked wonderfully; both the chicken and beef are juicy and packed with taste – not at all dry but also not overly fatty. The chicken in particular is crispy and almost caramelized on the edges, but still tender inside. Similarly, the beef is flakey and delicious. Whatever the meat is marinated in is sweet and complimentary, and not over-powering.
On the side (you get two choices), we went for the hummus and the eggplant salad. The hummus was authentically delicious (pro-tip – always buy your hummus from a Middle Eastern take-out place rather than the supermarket, as it tastes far better and doesn’t really cost any more), but the eggplant salad was the surprise package. Cold eggplant can be a tough sell for some, but here it’s fresh, vibrant, and just the right amount of oily.
The standards that also come on the side are a basic green salad with tahini dressing, a couple of slices of pickled turnip, and some zesty garlic sauce.
And then, of course, there’s the fresh pita bread, which really does taste very fresh. It’s not thin and cardboard-like, as is so often the case elsewhere. Rather, the bread is thin but still has some life and bounce to it. It’s soft inside, with just the right amount of to make a satisfying tear when drenched in hummus.
Overall, Fresh Pita Organic Express serves the Middle Eastern standards that you know and love, not too much adventure, but the food just tastes a little bit better than it does at similar joints. Fresh ingredients and some attention to the preparation really does make all the difference.
Fresh Pita is located at 4315 Sepulveda Blvd. Call 424-835-4130