Mirror mirror on the wall, who has the most tasty pita of them all?
Let’s agree on one thing first: who ever invented the pita bread should be rewarded the Novel prize. After clearing that issue, we can also determine that the pita bread took over the street food scene of Tel Aviv by storm.
Some of you will say that it has been there since the days of the Ottoman empire, providing cover for your familiar Falafel and Shawarma but, in the past few years we started seeing more and more creative foods in a pita.
Let’s try to make some order in the mess and give you a list of our favorite pita sandwiches in Tel Aviv for 2019.
Miznon
Miznon –
Give it to chef Eyal Shani for being the first one to create the whole concept of “upgraded pita sandwich”. With original signature pita sandwiches such as chicken liver, shrimps, minute steak and the famous cauliflower, he managed to start a trend. Besides the tasty food, the Miznon is also a cool place to sit in for an upgraded street food experience with fun, local music and friendly staff.
After the immense popularity of the first branch, Shani expended the concept and besides 3 branches in Tel Aviv, you can now find a Miznon in Paris, Vienna, Melbourne and New York.
Our favorite: The cauliflower
Jasmino
Jasmino –
If you pass by Allenby Street sometimes and see a gathering of people outside one of the shops, you just passed Jasmino and these are people waiting for their food.
The two main things that represent Jasmino most are:
1) Keep it simple – the menu includes only 4 items (they do have some specials occasionally): Kebab, spring chicken, sausage and spicy veal heart.
2) The grill – Most restaurants use a gas grill one but in Jasmino, they use an old school, charcoal grill and you can fill it in every bite.
Every pita in Jasmino comes with tehini, amba (curry and mango paste), grilled onions and chilli pepper and a fresh vegetable salad.
Our favorite: The kebab
Panda Pita
Panda Pita –
The Panda started as a well kept secret in one of the side streets of the vivid Carmel Market and quickly became one of the most talked about street food spots in Tel Aviv.
They offer 3 things on the menu: Eggplant Filet (a unique version of Sabih) , a Tunisian Saviche and Meet Sloppy that you can eat in a pita sandwich or on a plate.
Their secret is the steaming of the pita before serving and also the eggplant so it comes out really soft and fluffy. Together with the rich flavors of the salads, you get a feast in your mouth.
Our favorite: Eggplant Filet
Carmel
Carmel –
In the entrance to the famous Carmel Market you can find the newly added addition to the expending pita world of Tel Aviv.
If you are a meat lover, that is the place for you as they serve almost every kind of grilled meat. Like Jasmino, they use a real charcoal grill and you can find on the menu you delicacies such as: Chicken hearts, sweatbreads, veal brain schnitzel, merguez sausage and chicken liver.
Our favorite: Sweetbreads
Burika
Burika –
As you probably realized already, the Carmel Market is a great place for street food.
The Burika is a Libyan traditional dish made out of two thin sheets of dough filled with mash potatoes and egg yoke (mints meat can be added as well). Once fried in deep oil, the dough becomes crispy on the outside and the inside remains soft and runny.
You can eat the Burika straight out of the oil but it tastes so much better if you put it in a pita bread with a special sauce named Cherchi and a fresh salad of tomatoes and cabbage.
The amazing flavors and the different textures make every bite to be a world of pleasures.
Our favorite: Burika in pita
We hope you try all of this options and enjoy every last bite.