Gotta Eatta Pita

Usually I would give this place 4 stars, we eat here a lot and its usually really good. But today a little after 5 PM (not even dinner rush yet) was a different story.
My wife went there after she got off work to grab dinner for us, we needed to meet at home, eat quickly, and then be somewhere. Unfortunately for us, we put all of our eggs in the gotta eatta pita basket today.
She ordered two bowls with cous cous, no greens, as the base. The employee went to add the cous cous and all there was in the pan was the crusty remnants of the last batch. The employee stuck her head in the back, asked if there was more cous cous, and came back with the news that there was no more. This was after she had already put the last crusty scoops of cous cous into the bowls. She then covered it with greens, and added the rest of the ingredients. It was nasty, like chewing on plastic BBs or uncooked rice.
I’ve also been there when they run out of chicken and its a fifteen minute wait while they scramble to make more. My point is that they dont have a big menu and cous cous and chicken are two pretty major ingredients of everything on it. How can they be so unaware that they are running out? Couldn’t see this coming? Anyways, I had no choice except to eat it because I was low on time when what I wanted to do was return it. In the future we will not be trusting gotta eatta pita as our «go to» take out food.

I am a huge fan of being vegetarian when it comes to most ethnic foods. I just can’t stand having boring salads. Why should I settle with a salad when I can have different flavor explosions in a multitude of spices.
Food: I usually get the Falafel Pita. It’s not your typical falafel pita sandwich. Has many choices that you can fill inside. I have never had all the choices cause that pita would explode but it’s very nice to have options.
I’ve had better falafel at mom and pop restaurants but this is a place I go to when I’m in a rush during lunchtime.
Served in this adorable box that makes eating it somewhat organized and controlled.
Ambiance: I feel like there is this new quest for all «fast food» restaurants to be the next Chipotle, minus the salmonella. Gotta Eatta Pita tries to emulate it but in a much smaller space.
Service: Generally good overall. Somedays are better than others but otherwise, consistent.

I’d give it 5 but there is a limited selection. If you want delicious schwarma, and a few other options, it’ll do. They also have good falafel. The schwarma is killer and they’ll pack a pita with it. I’m not into hummus, but the hot sauce and tahini together make for a refreshing and spicy meal in a conveniently packaged fresh pita. If you want variety and sides you better go to Yalla Mediterranean, which has tons of options but they’re all a notch below GEP.

Such an interesting concept, basically a Middle Eastern version of Chipotle. I feel bad for this location though because Yalla is about 200 feet away in the same shopping complex.
I ordered a shawarma bowl, fully loaded. Your other option is a pita pocket sandwich. While I was waiting, the server cut a piece of pita for me and dipped it in their hummus. Tasty snack and a great marketing strategy… it got me to purchase some bread with my salad.
They start with lettuce and you have the option to add: Israeli couscous salad; cucumber salad; purple cabbage; hummus; tahini; regular couscous and marinated eggplant. There are some premiums options you can add too, including: feta; marinated olives and grilled red bell peppers. The protein options are either chicken shawarma or falafel.
The prices are reasonable and the food tasted fresh and had good flavor. As someone who’s Lebanese, I can’t say it’s all 100% authentic, but it’s definitely tasty. Great alternative to the typical fast food lunch.

nothing but great stuff to say about this place. Looking forward to the day when we get a location in Sacramento so I don’t have to drive down here to enjoy. Keep up the good work and the great food.

All fresh, natural wholesome yumminess! My favorite food! Love all the flavors mixes in together. Again I got the bowl of greens, taboli, chicken, eggplant, peppers and feta… just yummy!!! No complaints! Love this place!

I like this place, I love the concept!
It was pure beauty to my taste buds the first time I tried it. They offer an abundance of Middle Eastern fixins to stuff your pita with, or pack onto your bowl. There’s nowhere really like that’ll hook you up with a filling feast for around $ 8.
Cons: It can get pretty salty and I got tired of it after the third trip. I could see myself coming back, but I’ll stick to the stuffed pita because the bowl was overwhelming.

My falafel bowl was pretty good, but my fiancé said the spicy sauce ruined his chicken wrap. I had to knock off a star for a lack of comfortable, indoor seating and another for a lack of menu items.
As a vegetarian, I did appreciate the friendly staff using fresh falafel for my bowl, as I didn’t want the ones right next to the chicken! That’s another reason for only 3 stars, and that is because I really don’t feel comfortable with my food being 1 inch away from meat! However, they were truly accommodating during my visit!

The VegeGregian Review:
Quick and friendly service, straight forward menu, great portion sizes, delicious falafels, and every single side is unique and tasty. You can get as many sides as you want in your bowl/​pita. Can’t really ask much more for a fast casual and affordable mediterranean joint.
Tips: get couscous and spring mix as your base for bowls. If you are into spicy food make sure you get the green spicy sauce.
If you are an eggplant person you MUST try their eggplant side in your bowl/​pita.

Beyond amazing. I saved an article on this place from the chronicle many months ago. Knew I had to try. I was a but intimidated as this we new food for me but they walked me through the options with incredible patience. Wow wow wow. I have not stopped thinking about my incredible lunch and will be back for sure
Amazing food

I stopped going for a while and started going to Yalla, but I received a «We miss you coupon». I came back for a half chicken half falafel pita. Wow! Their falafel is SO MUCH bigger and more moist than yalla. They don’t have as many options, but they have perfected what they do offer.

Dropped by at Gotta Eatta Pita last evening for a quick dinner before my husband and I had a movie to catch. It’s a small but a clean and cozy joint in Downtown Pleasant Hill.
I opted for the HALF-​N-​HALF PITA which is a combination of a Falafel and a Shawarma. The Pita was generously filled with the options of my choice and the veggies seemed fresh. The chicken was well prepared and marinated to perfection. The eggplant marination could have been better though. This was followed by the BAKLAVA — not the best I’ve had but quite nice.
Pretty much enjoyed my meal overall.

Great on the go! fresh! Mediterranean food :) I read all the positive reviews about this place so I finally decided to give it a shot and I will be coming back. The only concern I have is sodium content. Everything was tad bit salty and was just needing water after eating here. And I guess the options you have is getting a pita or a bowl, and surprising this tiny bowl gets to be very filling as all the sides add up, But I managed to finish it all! It be cool if they had a small side of pita and hummus as a side to choose from… Maybe an idea in the future.

Everything was good except the amount of salt in the falafel and chicken was of insane proportions. Even my husband said so. We both drank inordinate amounts of water afterward. The proportion was large for what you pay for, about 8.50 for a bowl and about 7.50 for a pita. We both loved the giant pearl couscous and eggplant. The feta cheese was indeed creamy. The hummus was too salty too. I wish this company would reduce their sodium. Otherwise, perfection!

Listen… The food was so darn good I do not even have words to describe… I ordered the half and half with cous cous and mixed greens topped with hummus, S’Hug, tabbouleh, tahini and tomato/​cucumber salad… geezus!

So much good I want to say about this place, but you just GOTTA try it.
Food: GEP locally sources a lot of their ingredients and makes their own pita in-​house… no preservatives, so you better eat it that day, not that you wouldn’t. Simple menu and assembly-​line style, which is great for those of us that love controlling what we eat even when we dine out. I switch off between the pita and the bowl, but mostly stick to the bowl as I feel it’s the best bang for your buck. Get a bowl, fill it up with everything and then pay 75 cents for the pita on the side. You’ll get so much more! My usual bowl consists of: chicken shawarma (juicy, charred, but flavorful), grilled eggplant (the best eggplant I’ve ever had, so much flavorful), cucumber/​tomato salad, mixed greens, feta, roasted peppers and tahini on the side. The feta and peppers are extra, but I don’t mind at all. Their feta is some of the creamiest I’ve had; it melts on my tongue, so you know its straight milk and no filler. I’ve had the couscous and tabbouleh salad, but they fill me up quick and I don’t like the feeling of being full… as weird as that is, I want to know their room in my stomach for dessert. You can order extra of anything or order stuff by the pound as well. GEP is fast food Mediterranean done right!
Service: Consistently friendly and patient employees. And I’ve been here at a range of different times. It shows they value service.
Ambiance: Cute little shop, mostly just a counter to order from. However, a decent amount of outdoor shaded seating that faces the PH shopping/​dining area.
Overall: Fast and fresh Mediterranean food with superior service, huge portions, great pricing and tons of flavor.

Ermahgerd this place was delicious.
Was scouting for a place to eat lunch after I had an interview in Brentwood and was checking out apartment complexes in Walnut Creek. After a stressful morning of driving and being «on» for interviewing, all I wanted was a good lunch and a relaxing place to sit down. This place did not let me down!
It’s pretty much a Mediterranean version of Chipotle, albeit incredibly flavorful. I was a little stressed out by how fast the line was moving and how I didn’t know what I wanted, but the guys behind the counter were incredibly friendly. I was ½ and ½ with the falafel/​chicken shawarma option, and just decided to get everything on there (eggplant, tomatoes & cucumber, tabouleh, etc). Such an amazing blend of flavors. Also, a pretty much perfectly balanced meal (or meals, the portion was huge) for $ 10.
If I’m ever in that area again, this would definitely be my go to spot for quick and easy meals. YUM.

SO DELICIOUS! Getting a bowl with half chicken shawarma and falafel with hummus and the spice sauce and basically everything else you can add will create a more than satisfying meal. Also you get so much bang for your buck ($ 10 for a bowl with just about everything I it). Lack of seating (I think there are like less than 10 bar style chairs along a narrow table available next to the window) but totally worth coming here to eat a healthy and fulfilling meal.
Can you please bring one over to Davis, CA?!

* Fresh, delicious, and healthy ingredients
* Stuff-​yer-​face portions
* Your-​wallet-​will-​love-​you pricing
* Chipotle goes Greek! (Minus the norovirus ;o))
We were looking for food in the Concord/​Pleasant Hill area recently so I checked Unilocal to see what my friends were recommending. I was skeptical when I saw that the highest rated restaurant in the Pleasant Hill area was a Mediterranean chain-​store with a kitschy name, but I love Mediterranean food and so we headed on over. I am glad we did, because Gotta Eatta Pita is now one of my favorite eateries!
What makes G-​E-​P so special? Try fresh and delicious ingredients, gobstopper portions, value pricing, and friendly and helpful staff. Since most of the ingredients are vegetarian (or all vegetarian if you go the falafel route) the food here is quite healthy as well — as long as you don’t overeat.
The ordering routine here is very similar to Chipotle’s. You choose either a pita sandwich or a bowl, couscous and/​or lettuce base, any or all of the free toppings (hummus, eggplant, purple cabbage, Greek pickles, etc), and then choose chicken shawarma, falafel, or a combo of both topped with tahini sauce. Like Chipotle, G-​E-​P also has «premium» items available for purchase, such as Kalamata olives, roasted peppers, and baklava for an additional charge. If you get the bowl and want pita bread as a side it is $ 0.75. They also sell pita by the bag and you can order individual ingredients by the pound and mix up your own Greek feast at home.
I ordered the shawarma chicken bowl and managed to tuck it all away in one sitting, but if you order the bowl instead of the pita sandwich you can simply put a lid on it and take it to go if the portion exceeds your appetite at the moment. The store itself is very small with very limited indoor seating so you should plan on getting the food to go. Since Greek food tastes great at room temperature this is not a big deal.
This is one chain restaurant which I hope expands throughout the Bay Area so that we can all enjoy their food more often!

If you want a ton of food, that COULD feed you for two meals (or me stuffing myself silly in one meal and not being able to move and having a food coma for the rest of the day…) then Gotta Eatta Pita can be the solution to your lunch or dinner hunger pangs. Just be judicious to what you put in your pita or bowl otherwise you just get one big mush of flavor which might be good or bad depending on who you are!
Location:
In Downtown Pleasant Hill right next to Coco Swirl, so you COULD get your froyo on!
Parking:
On the main street it’s a little challenging, though I did get lucky when I went around 1:30pm on a Monday. Otherwise there’s a larger parking area in the back.
Inside:
It’s small. lined along the window and one wall is a long table and I believe there were seats outside with small tables. The kitchen and ordering area basically takes up 90% of the place. It’s definitely more of a to-​go place.
Menu:
It’s basically Chipotle for Mediterranean. You pick either a pita ($ 7.45) or bowl ($ 8.45). Select your stuffings. Pick your meat: chicken shawarma, falafel, or half and half.
My Order — Half & Half Bowl — $ 11.28 (this price includes one 22oz Fountain Drink — $ 1.95)
I basically got the bowl with both Israeli Cous Cous and Organic Mixed Greens and stuffed it with all the free stuffins. The Feta Cheese, Roasted Peppers, and Kalamata Olives were extra cost of $ 0.75 each. What were the extras? Well here’s the list:
— Hummus — standard
— S’hug (hot sauce) — which was spicy and kind of overtakes your tastebuds alongside the tahini.
— Tomatoes & cucumbers — very refreshing
— Purple cabbage salad — adds a nice crunch texture
— Tabbouleh Salad — standard
— Eggplant Greek Style Salad — a little dense in flavor and kind of takes over the taste in the mouth. Tastes like fireroasted eggplant which I do like but it’s kind of the Sesame street game… one of these things is not like the other.
— Pickles — I love pickles.
— Tahini — I like tahini and adds another flavor layer but again it’s rich.
I also did half chicken shawarma and half falafel. You get a lot of chicken and 3 small crunchy falafel balls. The falafel’s aren’t the BEST I’ve ever had which was in Paris, but they’re good. The chicken is also well marinated and tender and they don’t skimp on it at all. Actually they don’t really skimp on much here.
Overall:
It’s my fault for being greedy and picking every topping so flavors really clashed or just too strong. It’s also my own fault for stuffing myself silly and eating the whole bowl (I’m so full… and uncomfortable). I would definitely come back if I was hankering falafel or shawarma and I will learn from my over stuffin’ and over eatin’. One of those places you should try out at least once.