When you have one successful business, you’re only a hop, skip and jump away from a second. Al-Yousef Supermarket, a Middle Eastern grocer in Oak Creek, has a small but extremely popular restaurant counter hidden inside it. Owner Yousef Abdallah has decided to capitalize on that popularity with a standalone restaurant: Pita Palace Mediterranean Cuisine.
Though it’s a counter-service restaurant, you wouldn’t guess that judging by the interior’s décor. The soaring ceilings, glimmering chandeliers and modern tile work make the space, well, palatial. Head to the counter, peruse the menu on the TV screens and order at the counter. When your food is ready, it’ll be brought out to you on real dishes—nothing disposable here, unless you order a self-serve fountain soda. The food, as presented, fits right in. Entrees sit atop piles of yellow rice, meats are garnished with minced curly parsley and hummus encases a pool of green olive oil, minced peppers and a sprinkle of deep red sumac. It’s all lovely and enticing.
There is little difference between the menu at Pita Palace and the menu at Al-Yousef Supermarket, except for the size. Mainstays are present at both, while there are many added appetizers, meats and specials at Pita Palace. If you’re unsure of what you might like, the Pita Palace mixed grill ($12.99) is a logical place to start. The entree comes with yellow rice tinged with warm spices, a dollop of hummus, warm pita and a simple salad of diced tomatoes, cucumber, lemon juice and olive oil. On top the rice are three meats: shish kabob of beef, chicken shish tawook and kafta kabob made with minced beef. The chicken chunks, which were tender and heavily seasoned, were the standout. Some pieces of beef were rather tough and bland, and I felt that the ground beef kafta kabob was a little too sausage-like in texture.
Lovers of shawarma will be right at home here. Thin slices of beef or chicken are roasted on a vertical spit and sliced off to order. You can get either one ($9.99) or both ($10.99) as an entree with rice, hummus and salad accompaniments. The chicken shawarma is especially tasty, with a thin glaze of creamy garlic sauce poured over top. Or try shawarma in an Arabic sandwich ($9.99-$10.99), wrapped in thin, chewy shrak bread along with pickles. It’s toasted, cut into pinwheels and served with fries.
Portions seem to be large across the board. Four plump lamb chops ($15.99) are grilled for a substantial serving or order a roasted half chicken ($12.99) that comes with hummus, baba ganouj, pickles and bread. If you’re not ready to eat that much, grab a sandwich ($5.99-$6.99) instead, which are filled with various pickles, sauces and vegetables and your choice of meats, shawarma, or falafel.
The appetizer section is so long it’s divided into hot and cold sections. Definitely order falafel ($2.99-$4.99), which come in six and 12-piece portions and are served with tahini. They’re fluffy on the inside and crunchy on the outside. Hummus can be ordered plain with pita ($5.99) or with a topping of shawarma ($9.99), which turns it into a substantial meal on its own. There are also a number of salads, including tabbouleh ($5.99) with parsley, mint and cracked wheat and a signature fattoush ($5.99) of leafy greens and vegetables mixed with crispy fried pita bread.
If you’ve got a group, there’s a very tempting family menu. There are three size options designed to serve four to 10 people ($45.99-$89.99). Each comes in a huge communal serving platter full of rice, various meats, grilled vegetables and garnishes, served with bread, salads and appetizers. They’re ideal for sharing in the cozy semi-circular booths.
Daily specials like lamb mansaf ($14.99)—a stew made with fermented, dried yogurt—offer ways to try dishes that are less commonly seen here. Wash it down with Barbican, a non-alcoholic, fermented beverage that’s popular in the Middle East. And finally, don’t be afraid to order more than you can eat; whether you opt for something familiar or branch out and try something you’ve never heard of, you’re going to find a few new favorites—and have leftovers to take home.
