Pita Jungle

I have been a fan of Pita Jungle since I lived in Arizona and I was pumped when I found out this location was going to be opening up. I came in the first week to some intense club music and it actually felt like too douchy of a place to enjoy my lunch. I left sad and ended up at one of the other places nearby. Then I saw it on Groupon and figured I’d do take out, but stayed for brunch instead.
Everything was as good as I remembered. The Philly gyro was delish and massive. Guava mimosas all day. The service was great and they changed it up on the inside.
I’m happy they made some changes because the food is fresh and really good!

Honestly. dunno how this place got 4 stars.
The bf got a Groupon deal for this place and that’s why we tried it.
People are correct… service is SLOW. The food is pretty meh.
We got the hummus trio for free cos we checked in on Unilocal.The hummus wasn’t bad.
I ordered their special kafta burger. It was made with jalepenos inside and that’s the reason I got it. But the burger was so dry. It said it had chipotle hummus in it, BUT there was seriously like 1 inch diameter of it on the bun.
The bf ordered the chicken philly pita and he said it was ok. nothing special.
All in all, don’t think we’d come back here for food. But we might come back here for their happy hour for the acai berry beer and the hummus trio.

The roasted red pepper hummus wasn’t anything special, kinda tasted like packaged store-​bought hummus. But I enjoyed my seared yellowfin tuna salad with mangoes, pineapples, strawberries, and a honey sesame dressing, and my husband enjoyed his chicken shawarma pita. Both tasted fresh and healthy.
The space was also really nice, which was an unexpected surprise. Very spacious, lots of seating, and cool artwork on display and for sale from local artists. 3.5 stars.

I think Unilocalers were pretty accurate on this one – laid back vibe, deliciously fresh food, nice vegan/​vegetarian options, and good service. I love simple, fresh food, and this was the place for it. I felt re-​energized and happy when I left Pita Jungle. Thank you, Groupon for saving me money, and introducing me to this place.
Unfortunately, serving fresh options does cost more, and I wouldn’t say the prices are completely unreasonable. Without my Groupon, it would have been $ 24 for my delicious Yellowfin Tuna salad, lunch special Turkey Pesto Wrap with a cup of curry soup, and an extra side of pita chips. Plus, $ 4 tip. Which, I don’t mind paying since it is good, fresh, quality food. Probably can’t afford to be a regular though.
Food: If you have a particular palate, a more delicate palate, I’d say you’d like the flavor combinations at Pita Jungle.
1) Yellowfin Tuna Salad was recommended by Blanca, my waitress, and I enjoyed this a great deal. Medium rare Tuna Steak, sliced atop some greens that were dressed perfectly with a tangy, sweet honey sesame dressing, and complemented by some delectably sweet slices of pineapple, mango, and strawberries. Everything was really balanced! Light and refreshing, with some protein – my idea of a good dish.
2) Lunch special: Turkey Pesto Wrap with a cup of Curry soup. Turkey pesto wrap tasted like a turkey pesto wrap. Wouldn’t write home to mom about it, but the wrap itself was nice, crispy, and warm. The curry soup had a good flavor, but no meat, just diced vegetables. Came with ONE pita chip. I think curry soup is just a tease – it lacks the full, thick, richness of curry itself, and no meat makes it feel like it’s missing something. Like you were expecting Kim Kardashian, and got Miley Cyrus. Womp womp womp… A good option for vegetarians/​vegans perhaps.
3) Loved the crispy pita chip, with the chewy inside, so I had to order a side order to go. Those things are addicting! Reminds me a little of eating pizza crust =)
Service: Cute little Blanca greeted me when I first came in, and helped me the entirety of my visit. Blanca asked me initially if I was going to use the whole Groupon myself, and I was confident when I said ‘yes.’ #diaryofafatkid. She was helpful with recommendations, charming, and not pushy at all. Two thumbs up for Blanca, thanks!
Looks like a really good place for a light lunch date =D Wish I had bought another Groupon!

As soon as I walked in it smelled delicious!
Waiter wasn’t very helpful however … My roommate ordered something and they were all out and instead of helping or giving suggestions … He stared at us awkwardly.
My lentil soup was a little bland.
The garlic potatoes were flavorless in the center but the outside tasted good… I would not recommend them.
The chicken combo plate was ok… The mixed beans were tasty but the brown rice was dry. The garlic sauce wasn’t my favorite but the chicken was decent.
I don’t think I’ll be coming back …

Perfect place for a laid-​back vibe and good mediteranean food with a cali twist. The roasted portabello pizza was SO GOOD, insanely good. It has kalamata olives, huge portabello mushroom pieces, tomatoes, feta, mozarella… all on their lavash bread which is really crispy yet soft in the middle. Still salivating. Their lavosh wrap is also great, a LOT of food for $ 10 with the lavosh bread wrap and either chicken or gyros meat (if you ask), grilled onions and tomatoes. Comes with a side salad too.
The restaurant has cool stylings with their tables having different color schemes, cool lamps, some TVs and a good music playlist. If you want a relaxing, fun place to have some good greek food then this is it. Everything we’ve had is great, plus their beer prices are really good! $ 4 for beer = niceee. Check it out, I think you’ll be very pleasantly surprised, it’s a good every day kind of hangout.

My first time here, and I thought it was great! Best falafal I’ve had in San Diego, the hummus and babaganush were fantastic all on the Mediterranean plate. I recommend the Kafta burger and the schwarma. My server was top notch, friendly and fast. The only gripe is that the pita seems like it was store bought, it wasn’t warm and crispy/​chewy like I expect from a pita place. If they made it fresh there, I’d give it 5 stars.
I actually think this place would do so much better with a name that was more creative. I was thinking Red Sea Bistro or something.

I’m not sure what all the hype is over this place. The décor was nice, but I really feel like the concept is a bit confused. The food is in-​line with fast casual, but it’s sit down service. Our server was distracted mostly and not very helpful when we asked for info on the menu.
As far as food goes, the gyros were not good. The onion was cut too thickly and who puts pickles on a gyro?

I am torn about Pita Jungle, as its concept is confused. The prices and décor are full-​service restaurant but the portions and food style are totally in line with take-​out Greek. There are some things I really liked and some that will dissuade me from visiting regularly.
Let’s start with the favorable traits. First off, the décor and atmosphere are really nice. Sort of a trendy-​hippie vibe. You can tell them dumped a vast amount of money into the décor, tables, light fixtures, etc. The service was top notch! Our server was very nice and very attentive. Refills came once we got down to the bottom one-​third of our glasses. I loved the three options of unsweetened iced tea: tropical black, berry decaf and some sort of green. It’s the same tropical you can find at most places and it was delish. The food was fresh, healthy and tasty.
On to the not-​so-​favorable aspects. While we enjoyed the food, it was immensely over priced. Let’s get it straight, it’s the type of food that comes out wrapped in foil that you eat with your hands. We had two soft drinks, small hummus and two pita wraps (one regular-​sized pita filled with meat and toppings). It was enough for a light meal but the wraps do not come with sides and it was not a great amount of food by any means. The total? $ 29 plus $ 6 tip. For $ 35 bucks, it did not seem worth it.
The prices match the décor but not the food. It’s a slightly better version of the same wraps from Mediterranean Café on Washington. Our total bill at Med Café for that food would’ve been half as much. Yes, I appreciate their health aspect of low-​proceed foods, but I just can’t stomach paying double for it.
One last note… The pita, garlic sauce, and hummus was almost identical to Zankou in LA/​OC. Yes, Pita Jungle’s garlic sauce seemed to be superior b/​c it didn’t have the fatty butter/​fake butter/​oil residue. But the flavors of the pita, hummus and garlic were just like Zankou. For those of who don’t know, at Zankou you can get a whole deliciously crispy yet moist chicken, a pack of pitas, a large hummus, garlic sauce and veggies for $ 16.99. Double the food, half the price… I’m just saying… There’s room for Pita Jungle in Hillcrest, but they really need to bring down the prices or increase the portions by adding sides. They need to focus on filling up the joint and turning over the tables. At this point, I’m not sure if they will last.

Alright. Plain and simple. If you don’t like a pita from Pita Jungle, you’re a dick.
This shit is delicious. I’m talking tender meat, fresh vegetables and warm pita bread with a bit of hummus and tzatziki that’s on point. If you don’t like that, then I don’t know what to say. Enjoy your McDonald’s.
In the ten or so times I’ve been here with at least 8 different people, no one has ever left here feeling disappointed. When I wake up in Encinitas and think, «Uh oh, this might be a pita day.» I don’t think of anywhere else to go but the Jungle. I know it’s a 25 minute drive, but I now when I leave my stomach is saying, «Dayum son! That hit the spot!»
They have some killer local craft beers on draft, but I’m usually too stoked for pita to get involved with them. You should though.

A totally average Restaurant Week experience… no surprise there, I guess?
I’ll start with the good — the RW lunch at Pita Jungle is a steal. $ 10 for a 3-​course meal? Sign me up. And with two of us going, that’s 6 different items to taste and share for a mere $ 20 + tax + tip. Unfortunately, the quality just isn’t there.
We dropped by Pita Jungle on a Sunday, and it was only about half full, despite the RW promo. I liked the bright and cute interior. Very friendly vibe and staff. Here’s what the two of us shared:
APP #1: Baba ghanooj with pita. Good, fresh baba ghanooj, with a nice spicy kick. Tasted similar to the Sabra brand, if you’ve ever had that.
APP #2: «Garlic dip.» This dish is a total bait-​and-​switch, since it’s not really garlic dip at all. It’s just mashed potatoes with garlic blended in. Tasted fine, but not what I was expecting.
ENTREE #1: Kafta burger with parsley, onions, jalapenos, and pomegranate molasses. Definitely my favorite out of the two entrees. The burger had good flavor, but it was literally buried under a giant salad, so I had to eat it with a knife and fork. The garlic potatoes were good too.
ENTREE #2: Chicken shawarma. I wasn’t a huge fan of this, since there was barely any chicken in there! It was mostly a lettuce wrap, with a few sad and overcooked chicken scraps inside. Fail.
DESSERT #1: Rice pudding with cinnamon, strawberries, and golden raisins. This was also pretty bad. The pudding was was ridiculously sweet and had an unpleasantly watery/​runny texture. Fail again.
DESSERT #2: Baklava. Great, crispy texture with lots of fresh pistachios. However, just like the rice pudding, the baklava was overwhelmingly sweet. After a few bites, I had sucrose-​overload and didn’t want anymore.
Service was fine. Each item was brought out by a different server, so I couldn’t figure out who exactly our server was. At least they were quick and efficient.
Despite the quick service, it’s unlikely I’ll be back here until the food improves. :-/

Decent spot with good eats and service. We’ve stopped in for lunch a few times and they’ve never been super busy so we’ve gotten a table right away.
They have a variety of beers on tap along with a decent menu of non-​alcoholic beverages. On this most recent visit I had a glass of their fresh squeezed mango lemonade. It was super tart which is how I like lemonade. I’m a creature of habit so I typically order a grilled chicken pita of some sort. On this most recent lunch I tried the chicken souvlaki wrap. It was so delicious! The wrap was very heavily toasted which actually added a lot to the texture. The man has tried a few items including the curry chicken salad and the mahi mahi with hummus and pita. Both equally delicious.
I’ve found the service be very friendly and accommodating. They accommodate funky requests and anytime something seem exactly as I have expected they have quickly followed-​up to correct the issue.
Definitely a nice lunch spot. Be sure to bring some cash to pay the meter as they only have street parking.

Pita Jungle I love you! Good night! ;)
That is my take on the rockstar exit. Pita Jungle is a rockstar. Seriously, I lurve them.
My favorite thing about this place is the freshness. I loooove myself some steamed broccoli, and here it is always a fresh treat! All the other ingredients are super fresh too.
If you come during happy hour (which seems to last most of the evening), you can get a ton of things for super inexpensive (sorry, I can’t use the word cheap in this reference; doesn’t do the deliciousness justice).
I’ve had a ton of things here that are all just slap yo mamma’ amazeballs! The falafel platter comes with this super sick salad that has an amazing dressing. The hummus trio and pita, is a nice way to try some different types of hummus, and the pita is always fresh and warm (psst…they will give you another pita if you need it to finish the hummus).; the philly steak gyro is the things that little greek boys dream about in Santarini I believe (Yes, spelling, bad… got it); and the pita crisp… sigh…I think I will quit my job now just so I can leave here and go order one. No, I mean RIGHT NOW.
Add to that an open floor plan seating, amazing staff and, did I mention you can call in an order and in 10 to 15 minutes be back at your apartment in boxers wolfing down a meal?
Try it. No really… TRY ITTTT!
I love pita jungle and will be back again, and again, and… well, you get the picture.

Since we are Point Loma folks, we do not dine in Hillcrest anymore. Yet since we spent many years living in Bankers Hill, we love the area. We have noticed this place plenty of times, as we go to visit my mother. We have kept saying we should try it. Now I will say any type of chain food bag, draws my ire. We love eating at the Olympic Café, so I had major doubts about Pita Jungle. I was thinking it would be horrid like Luna Grill.
So we as a family voted to go eat at PIta Jungle, since we were enjoying the water front in Mission Bay. So sand soaked, and with three wildly hungry children, we make our way to Pita Jungle. I will say the décor is very nice. Several painting on the wall, almost make me want to spend 200 for the one I fell in love with.
We were seated right away. If we were a party of two we would of sat outside to people watch. As we walked by the open kitchen, I was looking for the dirty signs only someone who has worked years in a restaurant would notice. Not seeing them made me happy. As we walked to our table I saw some really yummy looking lemonade hybrid.
As everyone else sat down I had to use the restroom. I will say the smell that hit me, was one of the most pleasant ever to encounter in a men’s restroom. Very clean and smells wonderful in there. That is a sign of good management.
I was dreading what the options for the kids menu would be. I did not get involved in the battle of choices, I was trying to figure out what to eat on the cheap side. Since I was really starving I wanted to get a appetizer too.
Since I am not Tom Clancy I will get to the food… Garlic Dip. This was the best thing I have had in a very long time. It is not Hummus since I hate that stuff. It is a potato garlic purée deal. If your a garlic hound this is pure heaven.
Garlic Dip
An emulsion of olive oil and lemon juice, with fresh garlic and smashed potatoes.
I also had a typical Gyro. It was far above par. Most place the meat will be dried out to some extent, yet this one was mostly moist. I added some of the Garlic Dip to my Gyro.
Gyro
Broiled beef & lamb marinated with spices and herbs, served in a Greek pita with mixed greens, tomatoes, onions, pickles and tzatziki.
Now the kids plates that came out, were above and beyond some of the best plates served to our kids. Nice healthy portions. Yet the way you get to decide what comes with what for you child’s meal is just awesome.
This will be a go to spot for our family, since it was a lovely time and we stayed for a good solid hour, without any melt downs, and lots of talk. If you are in Hillcrest give Pita Jungle a chance. The Guava Lemonade is to kill for.

Whether for lunch or dinner, I love pita jungle. It’s close, reasonably priced, has a really cute atmosphere, and most importantly tasty pitas sandwiches!
My most recent visit was last week. My friend and I went on May 22, 2013. Pita Jungle is located right in the heart of Hillcrest on University. This can present a challenging parking stiuation. I usually come after 6 for dinner, and have been able to find parking a the meters right in front of the restaurant. If I come during the day, I can usually find paking in the surrounding neighborhood after driving around for 10 – 15 minutes.
I usually order the mediterranean chicken, or chicken shwarma pita sandwich. It is large. The sauce is garlicky, which I love, and they do not skimp on the thinly sliced onions. The chicken is moist and flavorful. The pita bread tastes soft and fresh, I also order a smoothie. You can customize it, but I pretty much ask for every flavor mixed together and it is delicious!
The bill for me is usually around $ 10 with tax and tip.
The service on my last visit was not so great. We walked in and waited a really long time to be seated. There wasn’t a hostess at the front like usual. It didn’t look like they were slammed with customers, so I was confused as to why we waited so long. Our waiter was nice, but at the end of the meal, it took a while before we could get the check.
Also, they have some pretty fantastic hummus here if you want to try that as an appetizer.
Overall, I love the pita sandwiches and the ambiance makes it perfect to have a meal with friends, either indoor or outdoor, and I will be back!

This is my first visit to a California Pita Jungle. Been to about three of the other stores in Arizona and at last check I’m pretty sure thee are at least 18 or so to date. Great to see a win for healthy alternatives!
Looking at Unilocal,you could be a bit skeptical at this Hillcrest location, because so many reviews complain about service. The caveat is many of these reviewers are in California, and with the territory comes their expectations the world serve them and the world serve them perfectly and promptly. Maybe it’s because we are from Hawaii and pretty chill in general (and not so high on ourselves), but we found the service here to be outstanding.
In particular, our server today made some spot-​on suggestions regarding the extensive brunch list. We frikking love brunch and Pita Jungle gets it right every time. The décor is … interesting. It looks like this place might have gone through or is going through a bit of an identity issue. And, it’s a bit strange how when people walk by your table, the floor has a bit of «bounce» to it. Definitely didn’t see that coming.
But most important is the food. Dishes here are on par with the rest of the locations, and I could see myself stopping by this place often for lunch. The breakfast menu too is among our top three favorite in the city.
Rated three stars because it is definitely A-​OK with room to grow!

While I have been to Pita Jungle twice and I love the concept, neither time have I had a worth while experience.
First off, the service is very inconsistent. In my last visit we were seated in the corner and I had to wave the server down several times after 15 minutes or more to get water, to get the check adjusted and to pick up our credit cards to process. They appear to have the wait staff covering large areas of the restaurant where they cannot be attentive to multiple tables based on proximity.
Additionally, my friend and I both had a buy one get one free entrée that we had got separately through a promotion. We had four people in our party. No where on the promotion did it say «Limit one per table or limited terms apply» or anything to indicate limitations. After trying to use both for our four diners the waitress, who was not knowledgeable of the promotion, said the manager would only let us use one of them.
Furthermore, the food is mediocre at best. I got the Chicken Sawarma Pita and while it was very fresh, it was luke warm and the seasoning on the chicken was minimal. I honestly think I could have made a better one at home had I put in the time.
My friends ordered the Philly Cheese Pita and both were still hungry afterwards because the portion was moderate at best. Possibly a side salad or something else would create more of a meal experience rather than just a wrap/​pita.
While I do appreciate their goal of healthy eating and their website gives all the appropriate nutritional information very clearly, I think I would chose elsewhere in the future.

Five stars for the cauliflower appetizer – grilled with this great orange sauce and pine nuts. We ordered it on two separate occasions and both times, while more sauce the first time, the appetizer was excellent both times! I definitely recommned!
The humus was fresh and good too. The shrimp appetizer and mushrooms appetizer were good. My friend liked her gyro pita and I just thought the philly cheese steak pita was okay.
But we were not as fortunate with the other dishes we ordered. We were disappoiinted with steak over humus because the meat was chewy and hard to eat. The server kindly had the cook serve us the dish again and this time the meat was cut in smaller pieces and not as chewy but it wasn’t that great.
Restaurant has nice atmosphere.

Sadly, disappointed. My eating partner got the Mediterranean Roasted Chicken Shawarma. His first comment was, «I’m not sure what makes this a ‘shawarma’…» and I was like, well, maybe because it’s in lavash bread? Because it pretty much just seemed like a chicken wrap. He said it was plain and was not a fan. It was big, though.
I got the curry coconut soup, which was probably my favorite thing of the meal, but it was cream-​heavy. The flavors of the veggies could have stood out more and the heavy cream flavor should have been toned down a bit. I don’t just want a bowl of coconut cream.
We also got the Caramelized Cauliflower with tahini, which was a large portion. At first I was excited about this dish, because it looked so attractive on the plate, but soon I realized that the cauliflower was pretty much drenched in some kind of sauce. I mean, when someone orders cauliflower, they are probably ordering it because they want something a little healthy, no? I don’t want my veggies drenched in sauce. A little would have gone a long way.
Lastly, the sirloin hummus (it was one of the specials). $ 11 for a large portion of hummus with bits of sirloin. The meat was tough and the hummus was… how do I explain it… it was the most food-​processed/​blended hummus I’ve ever had. We both noticed it right away. Like, completely smooth. Which is not necessarily a good thing. And it wasn’t very flavorful. Kind of a bummer.

It’s kind of funny, but the last time I’ve had a Shawarma was when the AVENGERS movie was the Number #1 movie in the world and at the time, Shawarma sales around the country skyrocketed straight into the stratosphere. I’ve tasted some of the good as well as some of the bad around San Diego and the Shawarma I had for lunch at the PITA JUNGLE was one of the better ones.
First off, let me tell you that it was my birthday this past weekend and my kid brother was out of town when we had a party to celebrate. My brother wanted to do something nice for me (even though it was 5 days later) and treated me out for lunch. He recommended the PITA JUNGLE which was not too far away from where he lives and told me the food was excellent.
Upon getting there, I was impressed with all the décor. The «Birdcages» around the 1970’s glass style chandeliers, the modern paintings and the outdoor patio stood out and gave me the impression that this is a really HIP place to eat. And the staff were extremely friendly with a good sense of timing, knowing when you needed something without being annoying like some other restaurants have a habit of doing.
To be honest, I wasn’t really in the mood for Shawarma when I got there. But after seeing my brother and my son order the dish, I decided to GO FOR IT also.
The Shawarma was hot, fresh and very tasty. I rank it up there with the KABOB SHOP in taste and quality. And the Shawarma’s at the PITA JUNGLE have pretty good size. The Shawarma portion alone filled me up enough that it was hard to look at the dessert menu… that was until my brother ordered probably one of the BEST DESSERTS CHEESECAKES I’ve ever eaten.
The Cheesecake was called the «Turtle Cheesecake.» This dessert had one of the BEST crust’s I’ve ever had from a cheesecake. And the caramel topping with the chopped almond nuts and chocolate in the middle, made this dessert pure delight. Even though I was stuffed, I couldn’t get enough of this cheesecake… I was in Cheesecake Heaven.
As for the drinks… we all had a Kiwi/​Strawberry Iced Tea which was made fresh. Being an Iced Tea lover, this had to be ONE OF THE BEST Iced Teas I’ve ever tasted.
All in all, I love the PITA JUNGLE. It has nice ambience inside, a very nice atmosphere in the patio section, the staff is friendly, and the food and drinks are very good/​tasty and not too expensive.
5 Stars!