Pita Paradise Opens in Wailea: First Impression

The new Pita Paradise has a lovely outdoor seating area. Big umbrellas keep the sun off, while the gentle Wailea breezes drift through.

If you’ve read our book, you know we’re fans of Pita Paradise. When we heard they were opening a new Wailea location, we felt a mix of anxiety and excitement.

Anxiety, because a second location can stretch a staff, and sometimes the quality suffers.

Excitement, because the new digs in Wailea are in a beautiful new shopping center, and there’s a full bar inside!

Last week we were headed into the Kihei location for lunch – a lamb gyro craving had struck – when we realized that the Wailea location had just opened the day before. So we turned around to check it out.

We give a new place at least three months before reviewing it so they can work out the kinks, so we are not prepared to render a full review of this new, more upscale restaurant.

We both ordered lamb gyros – cravings are cravings, after all, and this was not a review visit. So we can really only give our impression of that one meal – lunch – and that one dish – lamb gyros.

In one word: Yay.

The lamb was perfectly seasoned, tender, and cooked beautifully. The tzatziki sauce was cool and tangy. The pitas were fluffy and flavorful, and the vegetables simple but fresh. Exactly what we expected and craved.

The new Wailea location features a very pretty bar and a lovely sit-down restaurant area. I definitely need a new camera.

The ambiance – breezy outside, fresh Mediterranean decor inside – was much better than the Kihei location, and we are looking forward to returning in a few months for some of the new pasta items – and certainly the fresh fish dishes that they do so well (the owner hasn’t had time to fish lately, due to opening up this new place).

Let us know what you think!