Pita Cabana Cafe

Good place, they know how to use spices correctly.

Stopped in for a quick lunch. The staff was really helpful and friendly. Decided to have a gyro but since it is build your own style I could add a few other items that were recommended by the staff. It was very good and very easy. A good place for some mediterranean food and a quick bite to eat.

Ordered lentil soup on a chilly afternoon and a pita. The pita was okay. I thought t was odd that they didn’t also give me the soup with the sand which, but as I soon found out, it was frozen and they had to nuke it. I took one bite and got a lentil ice cube and sent it back. Such careless attention to detail.

We eat a lot of mediterranean food. Most of it’s good. Sometimes it’s very good and sometimes mediocre. But this place… this place is THE WORST. Wow. Where to begin? We stayed the night in State College on our way back to Connecticut and ordered some take out to the hotel.
Just from looking at it, I knew it wasn’t going to be very good. Both the tahini and the hummus had been thinned out and were quite watery (ostensibly to make them go further?). The fattoush was just chopped romaine, tomato and cucumber topped with *soggy* pita and some mystery-​mayo dressing. The falafel was so-​so. Not warmed all the way through. These things are minuses in my book, but not the worst.
The ATROCITIES of the meal were the baba, the grape leaves and the tabbouleh. I’m not being facetious when I say the baba tasted like a cow patty smells. It was horrible. Like a dirty barnyard in your mouth. The worst. And gobs of liquid smoke, which still didn’t cover the cow patty flavor. I’m not exaggerating.
The grape leaves tasted like whatever can they came out of. Old, falling apart, with a bland flavor and metallic aftertaste. They even retained the crammed-​in shape of canned grape leaves. Not good.
The tabbouleh was a wreck. Parsley was barely chopped and some pieces were mushy. Clearly not fresh. Dressed in some cheap salad oil, not olive oil, and canned lemon juice, not fresh lemon juice. And the container that held the grape leaves and tabbouleh was filled with some brown liquid that smelled bad. Just awful! It’s a real disservice for people trying middle eastern food for the first time, because this is shit is inedible. Even drunk college kids deserve better than this.
We choked down the falafel, hummus and the green salad (because that is NOT fattoush). The rest went in the trash. Where it belongs.

Unless it’s late at night and you’re really REALLY intoxicated, I’d suggest going elsewhere.
My baba ghanoush sandwich and falafal were both super soggy, which only got progressively worse after I put them in the fridge. I used to live next to a genuine Middle Eastern falafel place in Hartford CT, and you could ALWAYS count on having leftovers worth eating. Not so at this place. This food didn’t even survive the delivery ride.
Finally, on the menu it says these sandwiches are served with fries. By that, they mean that they put the fries IN the sandwich. Now, I love putting fries in my sandwiches, but the whole point is to do it right at the moment when you’re eating it– so they’re not soggy and gross. These pre-​french-​fried sandwiches try, but they’re really off the mark.
But on the plus side, the baklava was good!

I came here on a snowy day for hot food. I’ve never had a pita in my life. So I went for whatever sounded good.
I got takeout, so it was in a styrofoam box. It came with chicken, ketchup, hummus, pita and rice.
It was pretty good. I found it weird that it was covered in ketchup, though. Maybe this was a mistake? Overall it was good food.

Good selection, good portions, and friendly service. Could use better care with hygiene.

All right I’ll say it — it’s like a Lebanese Chipotle (curse you limited vocabulary and descriptors).
Pita Cabana Café sits in the strip mall once occupied by Logan’s (RIP you delicious burger place with awesome sweet potato fries), and is serving some delicious Middle East/​Mediterranean food such as quarter/​half chicken, shwarma, grape leaves, falafel, gyros, hummus and the like. The customization of your dish is key and this restaurant’s greatest strength. I was impressed by the quality of the food here — it wasn’t the best I’ve ever had, but for the price and the fact it’s in the middle of Pennsylvania, they are really bringing their «A» game. My only complaint is not enough falafel balls in a standard bowl… I only got two. Overall, with prices that even a college student can afford, Pita Cabana Café brings so much needed diversity to the State College food scene.

Its like a chipotle but middle eastern/​Mediterranean. Instead of a tortilla wrap you can use a pita wrap. The meats and the veggies are all marinated differently but the concept is the same. You can get a pita for 8 bux and it comes out pretty huge enough for a meal and a half for sure.
I didnt like the lamb so much but the sojuk was bomb.
Overall this is one of the better staples of state college.

I’ll keep this review pretty short and sweet. This is a Mediterranean version of Chipotle. Same style, same quality. If you’re looking for something authentic, this might not necessarily be the place. But if you’re a college student, it’s a great sized portion your money!

Pita Cabana is fantastic. They have the best falafel in town and all of the toppings they have are fantastic. If you’re in the mood for something meatier, get the soukou (I think they spell it slightly different), it’s kind of like a spicy meatball and it is really delicious. Overall, the prices are fair, the atmosphere is nice, and you have a lot of options for how to personalize your meal.

I have definitely already reviewed this place and my review is now seemingly *gone* which is interesting to me. As an update, this place is still pretty awful. As a person from an area of the country where this kind of food is prevalent, this was really really awful. As a person with a Lebanese great grandmother, this food is not even edible.
I find myself occasionally ordering just because I’m so desperate for this style food but every single time and each bite I’m wondering «why did I order this again?»
Why was there KETCHUP SAUCE on my shistawook???
and for everyone calling this Lebanese Chipotle? no. The closest thing to that is Cava. And Cava is amazing.

I am obsessed with this place!!! Hitham and Braden introduced me to this «Lebanese chipotle» and it’s now one of my favorite places. The hummus is to die for, and the owner and employees couldn’t be more helpful!

LOVED PITA CABANA!
It is the Lebanese chipotle!
The owner is amazing and I would come back again and again just to chat with him :) the employees really made the experience more than what is typically expected from a fast food type restaurant! They were great about giving me exactly what I asked for even though I made a couple substitutions! Everything is made 100% homemade and it was so delicious!

I got one of their recommended chicken rice bowls, which was one of the best Mediterranean dishes I’ve ever had. The large size was very big, and all those spices, fresh vegetables, rice, and hummus mixed very well with the grilled chicken. The combined texture and taste made each bite full of flavor. The complimentary tea, which tasted kind of herbal and fruity, was the perfect drink to go with the meal as well.

I’m always impressed by how fresh everything tastes here. This might be one of the most underrated restaurants in State College.
Perfect for lunch. Everything on the menu is fantastic.

Good food, but the Pita bread comes apart because it’s stuffed to the core.
I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be that way, but the food, price, and delivery are excellent.
One of the few good places in State College.

We went here after a swim meet at Penn State — I found it because of its high rating on Unilocal (which most restaurants in State College lack). It’s a cute little place downtown, right next a giant Chipotle. It’s similar to Chipotle in that you can create your own meal — you choose from a rice bowl, a pita, or a salad. I like how there’s small and large sizes. Do yourself a favor and get a small, because it’s deceivingly filling. The small pita is huge, the small salad is more than enough, and the small rice bowl is also guaranteed to fill you up. The rice they use is basmati rice filled simmered with spices and green peas.
You pick your base, choose from hummus or baba ganoush, and then pick meats (or you can choose one of their bowls if you don’t want to make your own — some of them sounded pretty good). Then you pick various toppings like red cabbage, coleslaw, etc. and finally pick a sauce. They have a variety, from hot sauce to tzatziki. The guys are nice enough to tell you what various things are and to give recommendations.
I got a salad base with lamb and stewed beef, red cabbage slaw, tzatziki, baba ganoush, and beans. Definitely couldn’t even finish it all. I should’ve added some rice though — it would’ve made it taste better.
Be sure to try their free sweet tea and take a free fruit to go! Overall, a solid, interesting meal. Only reason that it didn’t get more stars was because its falafel wasn’t too great and the meats were slightly dry. The tzatziki wasn’t as flavorful as I would’ve liked either, but if you’re looking for a decent place to eat in State College that won’t break the bank and is reasonably healthy, this is the place to go.

Food is fresh and awesome, service is great, owner is extremely polite and genuinely appreciates their customers, plus free dessert (baklava) on your first visit!
What’s not to love?!

After visiting Pita Cabana for the second time, I feel pretty comfortable reviewing it. I hesitated visiting this place for a long time, even though I live downtown State College, and tend to eat down here often. Something about the look or setup just wasn’t appealing to me. What a mistake though… This place has some of the best food I’ve eaten in town, and that’s coming from someone who went through an undergraduate program here, and is now in grad school. I wish I would have visited this place earlier. The food is fresh, well made, and homemade. It also might be the cheapest meal you can find in town…
Both times that I’ve visited, I’ve gotten the half-​chicken, and it’s some of the best chicken I’ve ever had anywhere. Seasoned rice with fresh organic salad, on top of which they put a deep fried half young whole chicken (which is marinated and baked beforehand.) The food is so fresh, all homemade, with great flavor that isn’t too intense. The half chicken plate is less than $ 10. I split it with a friend and it fed us both. This is quite a meal, and really filling food. I thought this place would be really exotic, which is what turned me off about it. Nothing could be further from the truth. This place is just right.
My friend also got the salad with lamb chop meat. The meat was braised, and they put the salad together right there from whatever you want on it. They have things like their own hummus, pickled cabbage, baba ghanoush… All are homemade and exceptional. How silly was I for never checking it out before.
I plan on going again and trying the many other things they have, but I’m really going to have trouble not ordering the half-​chicken again. 5 stars for this place, and I’d easily give them more if I could.