Cabbie seal of approval: Pita Alsharq

En route downtown in the sub zero last wk, my cabbie mentioned he used to own a restaurant- and that it was the only thing worse than driving a cab in the winter in Chicago. Delighted by that comment, I of course had to know more and conversation ensued. I had to ask him where he eats, being that he's a Palastinian refugee far from home. He told me the food that tastes most like his mother's can be found at Pita Alsharq in Harwood Heights. It used to be at Al Bawadi, but the chef left and surfaced with his own place in this foodcentric strip mall on Lawrence just west of Harlem.

Having never been to the Holy Land, my baseline for falafel isn't from first hand knowledge or tradition, but these are the best f**ing falafel I've ever eaten. Made and fried to order, which we know is a source of pain here on LTH, I likened them to crispy, spicy kishke, and my tablemates readily agreed. Baba was smokin' and the hummus, smooth and light. With the addition of some shawerma and some drizzles of olive oil, a perfect foil for the warm pitas. Tabouleh was very good, but another star of the show was the braised lamb shank over rice w/some grilled onion and tomato, accompanied by a rich tomato sauce w/some cumin and maybe cinnamon. A kallaya (skillet) of eggs w/potatoes was nice, but pedestrian in comparison.

It's small, 20 seats or so, and they do daily specials that sound excellent. Reminds me of a Palastinian version of Rainbow Thai, both food and service wise. Food's great, but they're in no hurry. You're on their turf, so suggest letting it be. You'll be justly rewarded.

Pita Alsharq
7336 W Lawrence Ave
Harwood Heights, IL
(708) 867-7955
12-9

Man, this rings a bell

I don't think the present chef/owner has had it that long though. I'll find out more next time.

Curious to hear . . . my experiences were headed in the wrong direction and I eventually gave up. On the other hand, my falafel from Middle Eastern Flair on Harlem were about as perfect as falafel get -- so light, fluffy, perfectly spiced.

I once drove 45 minutes just to have lunch at this cozy restaurant. The drive was well worth it.

Jazzfood wrote:It's small, 20 seats or so, and they do daily specials that sound excellent. Reminds me of a Palastinian version of Rainbow Thai, both food and service wise. Food's great, but they're in no hurry. You're on their turf, so suggest letting it be. You'll be justly rewarded.

The comparison to Rainbow Thai is apt, and I liked everything about Pita Alsharq. Loved the falafel in particular, crisp well spiced though not the light fluffy variety BR describes, and would order any of the dishes Alan mentions again.

Daily specials including molokhia and mansaf, looking forward to a return visit.

Pita Alsharq, count me a fan!

Had a very nice lunch here today with Jazzfood and stevez . . .


Pita Al-Sharq - 7336 W Lawrence Ave, Harwood Heights



Musabbaha - chickpeas, creamy paste of chickpeas & tahini, lemon, garlic, olive oil, spices



Pickles - spicy and delicious



Kafta Obscura



Kafta - Nicely crusted and juicy. Cooked like someone actually cared about it.



Vegetarian Combination - Baba Ghanouj (left), Hummos, Falafel and Stuffed Grape Leaves
Loved both dips very much -- one of the best babas I can remember having.



Falafel - A closer look
I thought these were very well cooked but not necessarily a style I favor over some others. The flavor was very subtle.



Chicken (daily special) - Cooked very well. Crispy outside. Moist and tender inside. Nicely seasoned.



Condiment - This was served with the chicken and rice. We were advised to squeeze a lime in it and pour it over the rice. It was delicious but we weren't certain what it was made from so we asked . . .



Molokhia, aka Minced Jews (Mellow) aka Jute Leaves - This is the base of the tasty condiment shown above.



Tea (gratis)

While I can't say I am quite as enthusiastic about Pita Al-Sharq as Jazzfood and some others who've posted here, I thought there were some real highlights at our lunch and I'm eager to go back to try some more items. And getting to try a condiment I've never had before was a genuine treat. Service was remarkably friendly. It's only about 15 minutes from my office, so I'm sure it'll end up in our regular lunch rotation.

=R=

Scans of menus I picked up while I was there yesterday . . .





=R=

Wow. What a throw back to the old Salam, and the brief era of quality Bab Al Salam. Molokhiya looks great and is hard to find in many Arabic restaursnts. If it was given to you with the chicken then it was part of the meal, and not just a condiment. Traditionally, the chicken is used as a base for the broth and is then briefly roasted at high heat and served with rice. Good choice! I need to check this place out.

Habibi wrote:Wow. What a throw back to the old Salam, and the brief era of quality Bab Al Salam. Molokhiya looks great and is hard to find in many Arabic restaursnts. If it was given to you with the chicken then it was part of the meal, and not just a condiment. Traditionally, the chicken is used as a base for the broth and is then briefly roasted at high heat and served with rice. Good choice! I need to check this place out.

Molokhiya, with chicken, is often on the Friday afternoon buffets at Fattoush in Worth. Still one of my favorite (if not the favorite) Arab restaurants.

Habibi wrote:Wow. What a throw back to the old Salam, and the brief era of quality Bab Al Salam. Molokhiya looks great and is hard to find in many Arabic restaursnts. If it was given to you with the chicken then it was part of the meal, and not just a condiment. Traditionally, the chicken is used as a base for the broth and is then briefly roasted at high heat and served with rice. Good choice! I need to check this place out.

Yes, the Molokhiya was part of the meal, but served as a condiment to put over the rice. The dish was a daily special yesterday. By all means, check this place out. As has been mentioned upthread, the cook is the former cook from Al Bawadi, and he's got some serious chops.

I was reading this fascinating discussion yesterday and was instantly craving Middle Eastern food. I'd been to Pita Alsharq only once before, a couple of years ago, and had a vague memory of a favorable opinion so, since it's not too far away, I gave it a shot.

I ordered a kafta kabob plate, falafal sandwich and chicken shawerma sandwich, to go. The young guy at the counter surprised me by asking whether I wanted fries with the plate when the menu says soup or salad. I went with the soup to eat-in while they prepared the rest. It's a blended lentil soup, yellow in color, served with a warm pita, fine if maybe a little bland. A few shakes of salt perked it up a bit. A squeeze of lemon would have probably brought it from fair to good and, while I'm certain they would have accommodated a request for a wedge, I didn't ask.

When I got home, I found myself a bit pressed for time so I was only able to try the falafal sandwich. It's really good, clearly fried to order and nicely made. Balanced hummus, some cucumber, parsley, a touch of mint, possibly a dairy condiment (?), the crispy exterior of the falafal with the tender interior all came together. I forgot to ask whether Alsharq offers a house made hot sauce but a few drops of Yellowbird Habanero every other bite got it done.

I reheated some of the rice and kafta when I got home from poker late last night and it's all good. I also cut about a 2 inch chunk off the chicken sandwich and ate it cold. Based on how good it was like that, I'll bet that is a great sandwich fresh and hot.

The space is a little tired. It was empty when I arrived but a family with three small children sat down as I was collecting my food. They marked the otherwise identical foil wrapped sandwiches, a small but appreciated detail. I forgot to grab a menu but the prices looked about the same as the one posted in this thread. The falafal sandwich did get bumped from $2.99 to 3.49 but that's still a pretty good deal for tasty, freshly made food. Next time, I think I'll spring for the lamb shank and maybe try some of the more interesting appetizer items. Pita Alsharq is a place that I'm happy to recommend and look forward to my next visit.