Pita Paradise

Pita Paradise has served wonderful Mediterranean food at very reasonable prices for more than a decade. The little restaurant tucked in the back of Kalama Village is one of our favorite places for a quick and delicious lunch. When we learned that the owners were opening a second location in diamond-plated Wailea, we were thrilled: Now we can dig into tasty gyros and fish kebabs at Kihei’s affordable prices with Wailea style. (Truth is, the prices in Wailea are a tad higher, but still below those at neighboring restaurants.) The new restaurant has a lovely al fresca dining area, with a huge fountain that absorbs any traffic noise from the highway nearby, and service is gracious.

The gyros are excellent and feature flavorful free-range New Zealand lamb that is grilled perfectly. The pitas are fresh and warm and the ziziki sauce is tangy and cool with cucumber flavors, while the shredded lettuce and the tomato slices bulk up the sandwich and lighten the heavier lamb.

Johnny, one half of the couple who owns both restaurants, is a fisherman and catches the daily special himself, so order with confidence that whatever it is — aku, ebi, or mahi mahi — it will be ultra-fresh. You can order it as a pita, salad, or kebab. We enjoy pasta dishes elsewhere.

The hummus is good, and our vegetarian friends love the veggie wraps and pitas. The rice pilaf, which comes alongside the pita sandwiches, can be a little too salty (and is cooked with chicken broth — so vegetarians, beware).

Local brews and decent wines are available. We are not huge fans of the baklava ice cream cake, but others are. We like that it drips with honey — isn’t baklava basically a device with which you inject honey into your veins? — but it needs more pistachio and half as much ice cream. Check their website for coupons; right now there’s one for free ziziki bread.

Address: 1913 S. Kihei Rd., Kihei, South Maui

Location: Kalama Village

Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Hours: Daily 11am-9:30pm
Parking: Lot
Phone: 808-875-7679