One of my hobbies is picking up trash in the neighborhood. One time, a neighbor came out of his house and approached me. “What’d you do?” he said. “I’m sorry,” I replied, confused. He pointed to the picker and my trash bag. “You’ve been picking up trash for more than five years. That’s a lot of community service. Did you kill someone or something?” So when a lady approached me in the street a few weeks back, I flinched, looking for the can of pepper spray. “Aren’t you the food writer for the newsletter?” she asked. I nodded. “Have you been to Pita Fusion yet? It’s good!”
Pita Fusion, next to Dos Batos, opened one week into the new year slinging pita pockets and salads. Our pita outpost is the third with the original up yonder in Round Rock and the second near Lakeline Mall. Conceived by the Calandro brothers, they developed their own pita recipe, which is softer and more pliable than the neolithic pitas you’ve eaten before. The brothers even have a whole wheat version. Baked fresh every day, the pitas are by far the best I’ve ever had: soft, strong, and good cocoons for the innards.
The whole Pita Fusion concept is like a Mediterranean version of Chipotles with fast-casual service and interactive ingredient selection. And my neighbor was right: these dang things are dang good! The proteins are deeply savory and the veggies pop with color, flavor, and crispness with each bite.
You can fill your pita from the ground up or start with one of their “Cult Favorites,” including the Touchdown Tim (chicken and gyro with grilled black olives and banana peppers), The Chingo Bling (chicken, steak, bacon, avocado, grilled onions and green pepper), and the Danimal (chicken, pepperoni, salami, and bacon with grilled jalapenos and avocado), among others, including a vegetarian option with portabello.
Once you place your order, the main items get a good griddling while you choose your veggies and one or more of the 15 (!) sauces, the latter of which range from pedestrian (mayo) to raised eyebrows (jalapeno ranch, ancho chipotle) to WTF (pita punch). Depending on what you order, you’re looking at a reasonable $11 to $14 bill with an extra $3 for a bag of chips and fountain drink. It may still be coming, but there’s sadly no iced tea and no no-sugar, no-chemical-sugar-substitute bevs (but there is fizzy water from the fountain).
So far, I’ve had the Chingo Bling (twice) and the Danimal and have walked away with a smile, a full stomach, and plans to return. The staff are friendly and happy to make recommendations if you are overwhelmed. Pita Fusion is a simple concept exceedingly well done.
web&where: interwebs; 2525 west anderson lane, (512) 284-9807
what’s the deal? pitas with fresh ingredients; fast casual
overall: *** (food***; drink*; atmosphere**; service***; instagrammability*)
cost: $$$$
our scale:
– meh [think twice]
* OK [it’ll get the job done]
** good [solid neighborhood joint]
*** damn good [we’ll definitely be back]
**** yippity-yikes that was amazeballs [fantastic; one of the best]
***** holy sh!t [transcendental; best of the best]
each $ = $10; cost is based on a typical dinner entrée and appetizer (no drinks)
I wrote this review for the Allandale Neighbor.
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