Pita Pita — Restaurant in Laguna Hills

I dine out everyday so I am always on the look out for eateries that offer dishes which both taste good and are also healthy. This places Mediterranean food high on my list of frequented restaurants.

I have eaten at Pita Pita a number of times over the past few years. It was never a favorite, but it was a good place for a change of pace. In the past I would have given Pita Pita a 4 star rating.

Maybe it is a bit unfair to compare a fast-food Mediterranean eatery with a genuine, full-service restaurant, but these are my only experiences. As such, Pita Pita has dropped to a 3 star rating for the following reasons:

Food quality - still 4 star Cleanliness and atmosphere - still 4 star Service - was 4 star, now 2 star and this is why I feel this way:

In the past you entered the restaurant and walked past a line of food servers who were helpful and asked you for your preferences as you passed down the line. You could see the food, ask opinions of the various servers, choose different toppings and sauces, etc.

Now that area is blocked off with obscure glass panels and you interact with one order taker making you feel like you just drove up to the drive-through window at McDonalds. When I asked this young gentleman why this change he said it was because of COVID and will likely be permanent now. I regularly frequent many restaurants that now have returned to normal, and I feel comfortable once again with the warm atmosphere. Conversely, Pita Pita now feels like a cold, corporate run food factory.

I ordered the steak pita and a spinach salad. In the past there would be many questions asking about various toppings. This time I was served my meal in what appears to be take-out containers, offered no choice of toppings, and I had to return to the cashier because they didn’t even ask if I wanted tzatziki sauce for my steak pita.

My meal cost me $23.00 for the steak pita (which came with home made potato chips), a small side spinach salad (about the size of a large bar of soap), and a fountain drink. True, this was far less costly than a quality Mediterranean restaurant, but after my recent experience here I do not believe I will be frequenting this establishment again in the future.

I will miss the...

I enjoyed pita pita when I discovered this place around 6-7 years ago, but it seems like it's always changing every time I come visit.

When I first came to this location, they used to make the food in front of you while you ordered. Next thing you know, they got rid of that system, and now you order at the register and wait for your food. Then, the pitas got changed to a pita wrap wrapped in aluminum. Now they had me picking the aluminum shavings off my pita from when they cut the wrap in half with a knife. Another time, they added chicken sandwiches on the other side of the store. All of a sudden, they weren't accepting American currency after the pandemic. Menu got changed several times and also prices. I understand the pricing part to keep up float, but now I feel like I'm paying more for less food. It's nice to see that they went back to pita pocket and this time wrap in paper, but for $15, it doesn't come with potato chips anymore. Just a pita with hardly any tzatziki sauce in it.

It seems like they are still trying to find their identity with all these changes even though they have been in business at this location for a long time now. Hopefully, they can get it together with better pricing and portions or at least have promotions. And also start accepting American currency again. After all, we are in the United States. You might as well accept crypto currency since you want your customers to pay in digital...

Food is great and tasty, why 3 starts? First they removed the shawarma from there menus- so yes it’s a minus for a middle eastern restaurant

In regards to the other problem? PRICE$$ we needed up paying $17.2 for a chicken plate Still- it’s not a fancy restaurant- would appreciate more reasonable pricing

They do advertise it as 13.95$ for the plate, but add +$2 for checking, add taxes- and yes- it’s too much for a grab and go place

Prices are going up, but business owners need to consider the nature of their business and provide fair pricing if they want us the customers to continue shopping here in the future

For me- it’s a once in 3-4 months order here from now on

We usually take about 4-5 times lunch for employees at the company from such locations and price doesn’t make it attractive as it used to be a year ago here ($12.5 per plate- this is almost 50% increase in price and doesn’t make...