Pita Gourmet: 25 years of Authentic Lebanese Food in Cortland, NY

Don’t you love it when a restaurant lives up to its reputation?

My friend Hilary recently suggested we have lunch at her favorite place in Cortland, Pita Gourmet. Based on that and a bunch of positive online reviews, I had high expectations — and they were met.

Pita Gourmet served delicious Lebanese food at a fair price and in a comfortable atmosphere.

It makes sense to me that the restaurant as been around for a quarter century. We’ll get into their history in a moment. First, let me tell you about the food!

Pita Gourmet storefront Cortland NY — Pita Gourmet’s storefront

Lebanese Cuisine at Pita Gourmet

When I think of good Lebanese food, I imagine fresh, high-quality ingredients — legumes, whole grains, vegetables, meat — prepared simply but fragrantly with a whole palette of herbs and spices: from thyme (specifically za’atar, a wild version), coriander, cloves, allspice, cumin, cinnamon, and pepper to bright highlights of sumac and lemon.

I’ve never been to Lebanon, but I’ve had some excellent Lebanese food in the Middle East (in Jordan and Dubai), and Pita Gourmet’s version tasted authentic to me. Perhaps not so surprising, given that its owners, Charbel and Hana Karam, show up early every morning to make everything from scratch.

I was most curious about the mezze, small dishes that can be eaten as appetizers or combined into a whole meal (similar to Spanish tapas), so I ordered the Fabulous Five combo.

The “small” version ($16.50) was a full meal for one person, probably with leftovers. I enjoyed dipping triangles of pita bread into the creamy hommos (chickpea with tahini, garlic, and lemon) and smoky baba gannush (roasted eggplant, tahini, garlic, and lemon).

Falafel and pita at Pita Gourmet Cortland — Falafel, hommos, pita

I love tabouleh, a salad made of bulgur wheat with finely chopped parsley, mint, and tomato, and was happy to find Pita Gourmet’s version to be fresh and bright-tasting, just like the grape leaves stuffed with rice.

The only dish I’d change is the falafel, which tasted good but felt a bit dry, as falafel often does. (I’m still searching for that unicorn falafel in this region that’s as good as my favorite ever — from L’As du Fallafel in Paris, in case you’re ever there.)

As you can tell from this selection, vegetarians can find plenty of options.

I did want to try some meat, too, though. The “Platters” section of the menu features a variety of grilled chicken, lamb, and beef skewers, plus kibbie (ground beef and wheat) and kufta (ground beef and lamb with spices).

Marinated lamb on rice and noodle pilaf — Tender marinated lamb on a bed of buttery pilaf

Lamb shish kebab was a fantastic choice! The meat had a flavorful marinade and was really tender with a nice char from the grill. I also liked the bed of buttery rice and noodle pilaf it was served on.

The portions were generous enough for me to take half my food home. So I didn’t try the lentil soup until the next day, but it made for a satisfying fall lunch with the rest of the pita bread (which, by the way, I prefer heated — another small improvement I’d suggest). The flavors are warm with just the tiniest bit of heat in the background, and the texture of the lentils with rice is hearty.

We rounded off the meal with namoura, a cake made of semolina and a little coconut, topped with a walnut, and soaked in a heavy syrup with just a touch of orange blossom water. It’s dense, so sharing it was definitely a good idea. Next time I also want to try the baklava or sesame halwa.

Namoura, a dense semolina caked drenched in syrup

I haven’t sampled any of the restaurant’s American dishes (sandwiches, hamburgers — which can be had in a pita instead of a bun) or the gyros, but, quite frankly, not having their authentic Lebanese food when you’re visiting seems like a missed opportunity to try something new (if you’re not familiar with it) or simply have some great Middle Eastern food.

Pita Gourmet’s story

As we were leaving, I had a chance to chat with Hana, one of the restaurant’s friendly owners. (Our server was also very friendly and helpful, by the way.) She told me the story of how she and her husband Charbel came to Cortland from their native Lebanon, where they’d met in high school, to run Pita Gourmet.

Charbel’s parents, Kozhoya “Cy” and Nassima Karam were the first to arrive in the region, having left war-torn Lebanon. Cy, a chef with work experience in Lebanon and France, first helped a cousin with a restaurant in Utica but had always dreamed of starting his own and found the right location in Cortland. Pita Gourmet opened in November 1996 and, after a bit of a struggle in the beginning, gained a loyal following.

After about a decade, Cy asked his son Charbel and Hana, who were then living in Sweden, to come help him and, later, to take over the establishment. In 2008, they began Pita Gourmet’s second chapter and have been running the restaurant to this day.

Tabouleh and baba gannush, made from scratch every morning

“It’s only us who make the food, nobody else,” Hana said. “Me and my husband, we come early every morning and prepare everything before we open. We keep it very family-style, very traditional.”

They especially love welcoming back their regular customers. “Everybody is like a family,” she said. “They come over, they talk, they give us feedback.”

That warmth is reflected in the restaurant’s decor. I wouldn’t call the dining room in the back fancy, but it’s clean and homey, with small photos of Lebanon along the walls and a pretty landscape wallpaper on the back wall.

While the restaurant is a bit of a drive from our house, I’m sure I’ll be back, next time with the kids, to introduce them to some great Lebanese food and the Pita Gourmet family.

Have you been to Pita Gourmet? Tell us about your experience in the comments!