It’s easy to associate the summer destination of Mystic with foods most frequently enjoyed under sunny skies: lobster rolls, ice cream, onion rings. Just look at the lines at its popular roadside stands and seaside clam shacks on any given summer day.
I admit to being one of these tourists, fixing a laser focus on a seafood meal every time I visit the area. But I’ve always been curious about The Pita Spot, a popular Lebanese restaurant along Mystic’s Route 1, that’s earned raves for its fresh and healthy cuisine. When a springtime assignment brought me and a colleague to the region, we stopped by for lunch.
The Pita Spot is a small, cozy space, its décor exotic and inviting with rich metallic accents. Servers wear hip scarves decorated with small coins that jangle as they move between tables.
It’s tempting to make a meal just from the mezza ($6 to $9), a large array of hot and cold appetizers featuring greatest-hits like hummus, tabbouleh, moussaka, grape leaves, spinach and meat pies and Mediterranean lamb sausage. The baba ghanoush is outstanding, a terrific spread made from fire-roasted eggplant, tahini, garlic, plenty of fresh lemon juice and extra-virgin olive oil.
The lunch menu, served from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., is heavy on pita wraps ($7 to $11) with fillings like falafel (with a spicy “fiery” variety as well); hummus, labneh with za’atar and kebabs with cubes of chicken, beef, lamb or kofta. Shawarma options feature strips of marinated meats, grilled with onion and tomato and wrapped in pita with choice of tahini, garlic spread or yogurt sauce. The chicken shawarma pita is excellent, complemented by a side of shredded cabbage with an olive oil dressing.
Salads ($7 and $8) are an even lighter lunch option, with or without the addition of a kebab or shawarma topping. A classic fattoush gets its crunch from fresh romaine, cucumbers and toasted pita chips, highlighted by sumac spice, lemon juice and olive oil. Other salads feature arugula, goat cheese and fresh oranges, with a cilantro-honey dressing.
Dinner hours feature several main courses, including kebab and shawarma plates with rice pilaf and grilled vegetables, grilled tuna kebabs and calamari, oven-baked kibbeh, rib-eye steak and charbroiled lamb chops. Entrees are $15 to $23.
The dessert menu, proffered tableside on a large tray, is a virtual tour of Middle Eastern sweets: a chocolate cake with a rose water-infused custard, baklava, shortbread cookies filled with dates and walnuts, and a Lebanese “cotton candy” with pistachio and vanilla. We were intrigued by the spin on the carnival sweet ($4) with vanilla-infused strands of spun sugar and a dusting of crushed pistachios.
The Pita Spot is worth a visit any time of year, even when summertime fare beckons. A nice bonus: The healthful nature of these fresh ingredients will leave you feeling more virtuous than a big plate of fried clams.
The Pita Spot, 45 Williams Avenue, Mystic, is open for lunch Tuesday through Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and for dinner Tuesday through Thursday, 5 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 5 to 10 p.m. and Sunday, 5 to 9 p.m. Closed Monday. 860-415-4656, thepitaspot.com.
