Pita Pete's: A College Student's Escape

College campus’s are notorious for their not so delicious cuisine we all like to call dorm food. But once in a while it’s nice to get out of residence hall dining’s tight grasp and venture off into the world of regular restaurants.

Pita Pete’s is the stereotypical, yet very satisfying, “healthy hippie” food you would expect to see on college campus’s. Whether your in a hurry to get to your next class or need a place to sit and study while you eat, Pete’s laid back personality and quick order-at-the-counter type style is perfect for every college student. “I love how convenient it is to just drop in and get a quick bite to eat between classes,” says long time patron Cassie Johnson.

Their philosophy is based on the fact that fast food can be healthy. They also love cash, but accept major credit cards, deliver, and stay open late. They will not take checks or reservations, park your car, sing happy birthday, or get you a date. See what I mean about the light hearted attitude?

There is a wide range of different types of pita’s you can choose from. Whether you’re a vegetarian or a steak person, Pete’s has got you covered. They have everything from falafel and BLT, to hummus and garden. After you tell the cashier what type of pita you want, they go over to the grill and cook the main ingredient. While someone’s doing that, you tell another person what other ingredients you want in it. They have a large selection of these ingredients, including lettuce, tomato, cheeses, giardenera, cucumbers, carrots, peppers, pickles, rice, corn, olives, and so on. Once they add everything into the low fat pita, you pick the dressing and they put it on in front of you so you can be the judge of how much is added. And if you want a dressing, Pete’s has got it. They have anything from ranch, italian, and caesar, to salsa, horseradish, and tahini sauce. They also have four types of mustards, two types of barbeque sauces, and much more.

Another option is to order a naked pita. You pick any type of pita and ingredients, and they make it into a salad. My favorite menu item is the chicken caesar pita with romaine lettuce, parmesan cheese, croutons, and caesar dressing. However I have had the fajita pita which comes with steak, green pepper, onion, and whatever else you please. That too is very good but only if you’re in the mood for mexican.

They have fresh homemade hummus and chipotle hummus that once dipped with their homemade pita chips is absolutely to die for. I prefer the chipotle flavor because it adds a little kick at the end.

For drink options they have your regular everyday fountain drinks, but also Vitamin Water, SoBe, and each day they have a different flavor of fresh brewed iced tea (I prefer the mango).

The staff is very helpful if you have any questions and most of them are college students as well so they’re very witty and sarcastic - but in a funny, charming sort of way.

The Garden Pita comes in as the cheapest at $4.99, and the Philly Steak Pita is at the top with a $7.49 price tag. It’s $2.00 for double meat, $0.75 for extra cheese, $1.00 for extra bacon, and $1.25 for extra hummus, but all the other ingredients come with the original price. Regular potato chips are $1.00 which I think is cheaper than most places, and homemade pita chips and hummus are $2.69. It is a little pricier than dorm food but I have never had a bill over 12 dollars, which included a pita, a drink, and chips and hummus. But spending the extra buck is well worth it since eating dorm food every day for every meal can drive a person crazy.

*** 901 Lucinda Ave
Suite #T, Dekalb, IL
(815) 758-3012‎