Dining on pita and veggies

Tasty+dishes+await+at+the+Pita+Zone+in%0ABolingbrook.+The+menu+has+meat+and%0Avegetarian+options.

Tasty dishes await at the Pita Zone in Bolingbrook. The menu has meat and vegetarian options.

Laine Cibulskis, News Editor

On the corner of Weber and Hassert in Concord Plaza lies Pita Zone, a pocket of Mediterranean culture and food smack dab in the middle of the suburbs.

Located at 497 S Weber Rd, Bolingbrook, Pita Zone is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

They serve a wide variety of dishes ranging from vegetarian to meat entrees, burgers, salad, soup, and dessert.

Beginning with the cornerstone of American fast-food culture, Pita Zone’s fries are nothing like the modern equivalents in today’s cuisine.

A small serving knocks in at $1.99 with a large at $3.49, but these fries are worth it. The balanced soft texture accompanied with the perfect amount of crunch is sure to compliment any meal.

However, the best addition to any meal are the basil seed drinks sold for $1.99.

I was hesitant at first to try them, but eventually settled on the orange flavor. A sweet kick of orange hit me as I took my first sip, but the sweet basil seeds, comparable to chia water, really pleased my palate.

The main reason I keep coming back to Pita Zone is the vegetarian mix. At $8.99, the dish combines four falafel, two grape leaves, hummus, baba ghanoush, tabbouleh salad, and Jerusalem salad, all served with two pitas. The stuffed grape leaves are not my favorite because of the strong, sour, almost lemon taste with a grainy texture all wrapped in a slimy leaf, but the rest of the dish balances out the grape leaves.

Their hummus is miles away from the regular, processed grocery store brands of the squashed chickpeas. The smooth texture adds an abundance of flavor to the two types of salad and falafel.

The Jerusalem salad adds the perfect amount of crunch and savor to the dish, also complemented with the sharpness of the parsley in the tabbouleh salad.

The cherry on top has got to be the falafel.

As a lover of world foods, I must say that Pita Zone has the best falafel I have ever tasted. A satisfying crunch on the very first bite and the softness of the ground chickpeas and fava beans on the inside results in an absolute delicacy when paired with the creamy baba ghanoush.

Pita Zone also incorporates falafel into a signature burger, a delight priced at only $5.99. A falafel patty on a bun with lettuce, onion, and tomato, rivals the best of vegetarian burgers I’ve had in my lifetime, and that’s saying a lot.

As a vegetarian, I don’t usually have many options at most restaurants, but the opportunity to have a burger other than the same old veggie patty is absolutely divine. The distinct spiced flavor and soft texture of the bun culminates into a well-rounded and unrivaled burger.

For dessert, the baklava box for $5.99 offers a wide assortment of flaky delicacies that serves as the perfect ending to any meal at Pita Zone.

Besides the mouth-watering dishes, the service Pita Zone provides is impeccable. Questions about any dishes will surely be answered, and all orders are met with a smile, which is worth more than any other similar restaurants have to offer.

Consider stopping at Pita Zone to enjoy Mediterranean comfort food or to just enjoy a delicious meal.