Biteapitta

Not to blow my own trumpet, but being Jewish in heritage and having spent a bit of time in Israel and surrounds, I’ve eaten a fair bit of falafel, hummus and tahini in my time and reckon I can critique them as decently as most others. Having lived in China for six months now, there are little oases I crave to get away from the oil, MSG and salt that pervades a lot of Chinese cuisine. Don’t get me wrong, I love the local fare, but my palate needs a break from it sometimes!!

Biteapitta, in Sanlitun, is one such escape. It’s run by an Israeli and managed by cheery Chinese staff – many who speak Ivrit. Always super clean and usually always packed with other foreigners, I eat at this little gem a few times a week. The menu boasts a variety of middle eastern dishes, many of which I’m yet to explore. The pitta sandwiches ares my go-to meal – they’re always tasty and especially good with a side order of house chilli sauce (be careful though, it’s hot).

The sandwiches are filled with really fresh salad and then you choose what else you want in them. So far I’ve tried the shwarma pitta, the pitta with hummus and falafel and the chicken schnitzel pitta. The first two are my favourites and the shwarma rivals any late night kebab shop I’ve eaten at back home in Australia (and there have been a few…).

Another dish I love is the mezze dip plate, comprising 10 dips/pickled goodies and served with pitta bread. They also do really good fish and ultra fresh salads, so there are plenty of options for vegetarians.

For meat lovers, apart from the shwarma they do great chicken skewers tarted up with all sorts of wonderful spices. Wash it all down with the house-made lemonana, a refreshingly sweet soft drink full of mint, lemon and other secret ingredients.

There’s something for everyone at Biteapitta. I must be fast approaching their best customer !!