On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Category: Restaurants [Edit]
Neighborhood: Northridgefree drinks with a perchese of a menu ideam on sundays when u tell me the code 1998yelp thank you :)
Announced 38 hours agoMon-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Loading...
A laffa is basically an Israeli burrito.
The only difference between Israeli and Mexican burritos is that the Israeli variety doesn't suck balls.
Get fries in your laffa - you'll love it.
OK, I liked their shawarmas, but I thought they put in too much mayo-like sauce. It was good, don't get me wrong, but it was not amazing. And, I ordered my shawarma with rice. It cost me $8. Those things are huuuumongous. I definitely couldn't finish it, so I had to leave half of it for the next day. I want to try a laffa (which I think is smaller) with fries, because apparently that's where it's at.
Also, the service was great. They gave me a free drink because it was my first time being there. Props!
First off - let me tell you that I went to CSUN for 4 years, and NEVER tried this place. Instead, we always went to Falafel Palace. What a waste! This place is amazing!
Last night my boyfriend and I did our usual check yelp for food ideas and sure enough, the reviews were accurate!
I got the Lemon Chicken Laffa, he got the Shwarma Laffa. What's a laffa you ask? Basically, a tightly wrapped greek burrito, full of veggies, meat, hummus, and french fries! We thought the fries would be weird (some yelper said they were soggy), but they were GREAT! I wouldn't crave them in my burrito, but I think I would rather have fries then the rice they offer.
We also had a side of falafel balls. AMAZING. Must have again. We are done with Falafel Palace. This is our new fav for cheap, tasty, fast Greek food.
It's all about the laffa and hummus :)
Tiny place, though.....If it weren't for my CSUN buddies, I would never know this place existed!
We order this from work and go and pick it up the felafel's and shamarma are the best, it is kind a funny to have french fries, (they call them chips) mixed with the hummus, but, I have never had a bad meal there.
I had a chicken kabob and Tony a laffa, kinda middle eastern burrito.
We didn't have to wait long. Both food were very good. We liked it a lot. Definitely recommendable place ..
Gotta thank my business partner for taking me to this great place!
- Falafel balls: by far, the BEST i've had. Usually, they're dry and course in the middle. Not here!
- Gyros plate: so flavorful and DELICIOUSSSSSSSSS! The hummus, salad, rice and pita bread goes very well with the gyros.
- Chicken Shawarma: good!
- Friendly staff.
Pita Pockets, I will definitely be back!!!
The food here is a step above Taco Bell. I got the giant shwarma chicken sandwich and it basically tasted very fatty and saucy. The sauce was heavy on the mayo and not exactly giving the other things in the sandwich a chance to shine. I usually believe what the yelpers say. But this time they are wrong. I never write bad reviews unless a place is awful. And this place is.
I'm gonna keep it short and sweet. Hands down, the best place to go for arabic food. I've brought arabs here and they agree, this is the spot for gyro and shawarma.
The atmosphere is great, even if you aren't a regular. Don't be shocked by being offered a free drink or something of the like.
Here's what you order:
Gyro shawarma (meat and chicken) combo laffa, with french fries inside the sandwich, hold the hot sauce.
If anything, I would say the falafels aren't the best thing on the menu, but they are by no means "bad."
Although the location is a bit strange-this is the place to go for arabic food.
Bomb Laffa.
Bomb chicken plates
bomb food period.
good job Pita Pockets. Giving our middle eastern food a good name.
I ate here once and got the Shwarma Laffa. They told me it came with rice or french fries on the side. When I got my food the fries were inside the wrap and mushy as hell. Maybe it was a bad day and I should give it another try.
From my first impression though this place is more quantity and not quality. I think i'll stick to SKAFs or Zankou since I live closer to these spots.
St. Patty's Day 2009 - Stop #4
After getting sloppy drunk on St. Patty's day, I had to go to work in the morning. I spent the first half of my day drinking water and avoiding customers, and when it came to lunch time, I knew Pita Pockets was good hangover food. A co-worker and I strolled over.
I was not disappointed. I ordered a Shawarma Laffa with the advice of my friend, and it was perfect. I had them do 1/2 rice, and 1/2 french fries, and I scarfed the whole thing down in a matter of minutes.
I'm an average white guy, and am used to curing my hangover with pizza or double western cheeseburgers, but a shawarma laffa is my new cure, and Pita Pockets is my new savior.
Hangover Cured.
Falafel plate fo' shiz. It feeds me for two meals. I love those pita fries.
Carnivores and carbivores love the lamb laffa.
Consistently good stuff. I recommend calling ahead of time and picking up. That way you don't end up drooling all over the glass divider.
It's difficult to add anything that hasn't been said already, and I'm not surprised that Pita Pockets is universally loved. I've eaten here several times and I've been limited to the shwarma gyro and falafel. They are so good, and I can't think of getting anything else. The prices are more than reasonable, and the pita is very large. The place could use a little updating. It looks like the back menu has been taped over a lot over the years. This could be a real hot spot if the owners decide to change the old wallpaper, but I guess the old hole in the wall restaurant has its own respectful vibe. Doesn't matter, though, the food is great, and that's what I'll be back for.
they have the best schwarma outside of israel TRUST ME (abba's side is israeli)! they even serve it like they do in israel (with the fries in the schwarma). when i got my food to go, i asked where my fries were and the guy said its in the schwarma. i didnt expect to get that here in the us. reminded me of israel :( spend the extra money and get the laffa. imo, their laffa is actually tastier than the ones i have had in israel.
schwarma was spicy for me, but not that spicy. i cant handle anything spicy so i am sure it would be fine for the normal person.
anyway, i like to do things that remind me of israel and coming here definitely was. people going to aroma in tarzana- its mainly persians there which is still cool, but doesnt really feel like israel.
csun students- you get a discount or a free t shirt.
i really want to try their other dishes too, but for now, my unemployment checks go to the schwarma at pita pockets!
Walking in out of the blue based on a recommendation a few years ago, I had no idea what to order. I ended up getting what was recommended to me by the owner which was a Shawarma Laffa.
This was my first forray into the world of Shawarma, and damn am I glad I found out about it! I used to frequent this place at least once a week when I worked in the area, and so far, I haven't found any other place that serves up a Laffa (which in my opionion, is the burrito of the Mediteranean). The place is run by a family of really cool people and it's just really good - plain and simple.
wooow greeeaat foood! i wasn't sure if this would be any good but they impressed me. i tried the shawarma laffa w/ fries inside and i was hooked. the price was decent and the laffa itself, was huge! the only reason why i gave four stars instead of five, bcos even though i thought the sauce (that was inside with the shawarma laffa) was delicious, it was super messy. i had a puddle of it all over my table and got some on my shirt. i guess next time i'm bringing a bib and an extra shirt. But all in all, it was worth the mess.
Not the most authentic israeli food, but the best Chicken Shwarma Laffa in LA/The Valley. Pita Pockets kills it in the laffa bread department as their laffa is hand baked in a clay oven, kind of like indian naan. Their portion sizes are awesome, I can't help but eat the whole thing, eventhough it makes me so full I can hardly move.
A lot of people don't like that they dont have authentic israeli salad...they use lettuce instead of cucumber, but they totally make up for it with their shwarma, hummus, laffa bread and portion size!
The name may throw you off but they serve some pretty tasty middle eastern/Mediterranean food here. I've only tried their lemon chicken plate but everything on the menu looks delicious and comes at a pretty decent price.
I don't miss much from my time at CSUN but this one of the few things I miss. I'm gonna make every effort to come back to this place when I'm in Northridge.
Why, oh why, did I not find this place while in the 5 years I spent at CSUN?! My girlfriend suggested Pita Pockets, and always willing to try something new, couldn't resist. I got the Gyros Laffa, and she got the Chicken Laffa. Both were really good.
From Dave's review, I'm kind of glad I got the rice, I had no idea the fries would've been wrapped up too. Oh well, maybe I'll try it anyway. I'll definitely be back here to try out more.
Saw them featured as a top spot to check out on an LA Times article, checked them out that same day, tried what the article described as quite possibly the best "sandwhich" to get in the LA area from the Middle Eastern tradition, its called the Shwarma Laffa and its a MUST!!! mmmm my mouth is watering at the mere thought of it. The portion is huge, the price is just right, healthy!! and surprisingly really delicious, the only reason is I'm giving it a 4 star is because I havent really strayed off and been adventerous. I am sure that anything there is yummy-o
I like grape leaves.
Six years ago, my buddy told me about a place where they serve laffa wraps. I had no idea what a laffa was and was educated in the ingredients of a laffa wrap. When I arrived at the location, I realized it was in a strip mall which I visit quite often, but never thought twice about going into Pita Pocket. It's a small place tucked away next to a Vons market. The place itself is pretty clean and employed by the owner and his family along with few others.
I ordered the chicken swarma laffa since that was what my buddy recommended. The bread they use in the wrap, laffa bread, was baked to order. They have this cylindrical baking oven they use to bake each laffa bread. Once the laffa bread is ready, they spread hummus, your choice of meat, lettuce, onions, rice or french fries, tomatoes and some sauce. When I bit into my wrap, I was amazed at how much flavor it had. The spice from the chicken swarma, seasoned onions, and along with the other veggies blended together very well. The laffa bread alone is something I could eat by itself, it's that good. Soft on the inside and a light crisp on the outside. Ever since that day, Ive been visiting Pita Pocket atleast 3 or 4 times a month. I order the chicken swarma laffa or the chicken swarma plate. The plate comes with your choice of meat, rice, hummus, salad and pita bread. I usually order the laffa bread instead of the pita bread. I have also tried other dishes(lemon chicken, lamb, falafel balls) and even though everything taste good, I'm a creature of habit and always go back to the laffa or the plate.
This place does get crowded during lunch and dinner hours. I've been there during dinner hours and realized they had ran out of chicken swarma so get there early. It is also very close to CSUN so you do get alot of hungry college students. This is one of those family owned, small hole in the wall places where they serve great tasty food.
I am a huge fan of middle eastern food- absolutely love it. Not all places are good though; flavorless shwarma and dry falafel? No thanks. Pita Pockets, however, has it all right...everything I've tried here has been absolutely delicious--nothing to complain about at all. I have been here a few times, and usually order the lamb shwarma (gyros) plate, which I always get with rice pilaf (yum!). The shwarma is tender and flavorful, exactly as it should be. The hummus is homemade and delicious...everything is so yummy. The prices are also reasonable, considering how much food you get. If you like middle eastern/mediterranean style food, this is definitely the place for you.
The guilt for not giving Pita Pockets 5 stars in my original review has been eating at me for weeks now. I felt as if I was haunted by my poor decision. I went back into Pita Pockets after I gave my original 4 star review and could barely look Amin, the owner's son and most common worker at the front, in the eyes.
Pita Pockets has never done anything except serve me up with a delicious meal and friendly service. I go so often and bring so many people that they actually let me eat free sometimes as a thank you for all the business I bring. Yes Yelpers, I admit I stabbed my Best Restaurant in the back and betrayed all that we have worked so hard for over the last year since our love affair started. To make things even worse the last time I went in they suggested the I try the Lemon Chicken. Normally I'm a Sawarma or Chicken Kabob guy and I was happy with that because Pita Pockets dominates all other Middle Eastern Restaurants in the Valley and beyond. My friends....I can say with confidence that the Lemon Chicken is one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten. Do yourself a favor and get a Lemon Chicken Laffa with rice not fries. You would actually be doing a smart thing by getting any Laffa this place offers but I have to say that it is safe to be adventurous with this menu. Everything is good except the grape leaves.
Here is some advice for newbies or Pita Pockets virgins:
- If you're a Pita Pockets virgin just be prepared to become a shameless Stage 5 clinger. Bring protection too. Remember, you dribble before you shoot.
- The Laffa's and Plates are the way to go. Although the Pita bread is good and very nice to dip in their humus, the pita sandwiches are too much of a tease. You will want more.
- The Laffa bread is so good you'll want to slap yo' mama! My mother still isn't talking to me. Sorry Mom!
- Don't let Amin or any of the others talk you into getting fries in your Laffa. They offer rice or fries and the rice is just better. Trust.
- They give you humus with a spicy red sauce called Turkish ketchup. I'm not sure what this stuff is and it looks like some kind of salsa but it is incredible. Try mixing all the humus and Turkish ketchup together and dipping your pita or Laffa. Okay, I actually use a spoon to put this heavenly concoction on every single bite I eat whether I order a plate or Laffa.
- If you get a Laffa to go you need to sit down to eat pretty quick. After the Laffa has been sitting for too long it gets soggy and isn't very good. Try eating your Laffa in one sitting because the left overs don't compare with a fresh Laffa.....Not even close.
So although Pita Pockets doesn't look like anything special in its small storefront next to Von's don't let looks deceive you. Picture a hook and then picture Pita Pockets like two miles off of it.
The only reason I didn't give this place 5 stars is because of the look of the restaurant itself.… Read more »
Samantha and I have a theory about this place. Whenever one person starts thinking about Pita Pockets, other people pick up on your brain waves and start thinking about Pita Pockets. Because the place is frequently empty when we arrive, but usually has a line after we leave.
I swear by the gyros. Usually get them in a pita, sometimes in a laffa if I'm hungrier. Their yogurt and spicy sauce are an irresistible flavor sensation. Samantha loves the falafel, with the same pita vs. laffa caveat depending on hunger level.
I can't speak to much else on the menu. Others we know love the shawarma. The one time we tried the tabbouleh we weren't impressed. The atmosphere isn't much to speak of either. But you shouldn't really go expecting atmosphere, of course. I will echo the previous Yelpers in that the lady behind the counter is indeed awesome.
Cheap, fast, delicious. We can't stop going.
The laffa shwarma was delicious. And filling. I could only eat half. The laffa was warm and doughy and yummy. The meat was flavorful and juicy. We were given cups for free drinks. Cheap, filling, flavorful, not greasy. Next time I'm out in Northridge I'll be coming back.
I got some pretty bad vibes the first time i walked into this place, and felt skeptical of all my friends who said it was the "best place ever." There was an "A" posted in the window, but it looked pretty dingy to me. Listening to my hunger, i decided to order anyway.
I got the falafel in a pita, and practically had a mouth orgasm. It was gone in 5 minutes flat.
They don't have the greatest selection, but apparently what they offer is amazing enough to make up for it.
This is a great place to hang out and enjoy some great food with good company. Very low key and easy to get to, the owners a very nice and very welcoming. Great assortment of speedy middle eastern food (with an emphasis on Isreali food, as Vincent pointed out, they are from Haifa) and drink (the Turkish coffee is pretty good from what I'm told. I've never had Turkish coffee anywhere else so I can't judge). There is one item on the menu everyone must have once...
Laffa
This is some kind of bread (which is not pita) which is made fresh for every sandwich in an oven the size of my washing machine. It is warm and fluffy and taste great! Any of the meats or vegetables they have on the menu can come in laffa bread, whether it be swarma, lamb, or falaffle. They call the laffa sandwich a middle eastern burttio, I agree. Enjoy the good food and the good people!
I've never really had Middle eastern/Mediterranean food until my friend introduced me to this place. After that I found myself craving for this place every week. I started with a gyro and when I tried the Laffa...YUMMY!!! Everytime I order to go, I find myself taking bites while I'm driving because it's sooooooo GOOOOOOD, especially when you dip it in tahini sauce!!!
I can never find another gyro/pita place as EXCELLENT as this one. Shwarma Laffa is my favorite with rice!
People here are always friendly.
Shwarma Heaven.... Great food, good people,,, get there before 11:45 and you can get a good seat. They are a good family from Haifa , note pictures on wall. If you like your food on the spicier side ask them to make it so. This place is clean, quick and the restrooms are clean.
Long Live the Shwarma !
V
A great hole-in-the-wall place that I overlooked all those years at CSUN. Nothing fancy, just good cheap food in huge proportions. The Gyros Laffa (choice of Rice and Hummus) is delectably yummy and the only one I kept ordering . If there's room for more, try the crispy and crunchy Falaffel balls.
I took one star off for cleanliness (since there's no half star). The place isn't dirty but since there's no waiter service, the tables aren't cleaned as often as they should.
If I would give 3.5, I would. The food was good. Nothing to complain about, but nothing too amazing. Which is also why I'm demoting it back to a three. The lunch rush is cuhraezayyy. It takes forever to get your food, you can feel the pressure the cooks have from the huge lines of waiting people, Must be doing something right. No hot sauce for me because it nearly severed my tongue last time. Thanks!
The woman with the short hair who works there though is the sweetest woman, evah. So props for her.
Really good Middle Eastern/Mediterranean food near CSUN. The Chicken Gyro plate and Chicken Shwarma (sic) Laffa are both great.
The Chicken Shwarma Laffa is the burrito of the east more or less: a thick, warm pita stuffed with charbroiled and well-seasoned chicken, onions, a little tomato, french fries, and a sauce which I believe is made of Tahini and something else. This thing is massive and could even feed 2. If you order a lamb/beef Gyro, the meat revolves on a skewer and iis kept juicy all day with a heat lamp. I'm eager to try their Lemon Chicken and other dishes. I will be back soon.
They have the most amazing, delicious, and freshest food ever! I highly recommend the Sawrma laffa, which comes on freshly made Middle Eastern bread with chicken, their very own hummus, lettuce, tomatoes, and their special sauces. I guarantee that if you try this you will not be disappointed. It's one of those things that you take one bite out of, and think "Wow, this is amazing!" Everyone I know who has tried it loved it. Plus, the employees are all friendly and very welcoming.
Laffas RULE, and Pita Pockets makes the best in the valley. I prefer the Gyro Laffa, but Chicken Schwarma is tasty also. I pretty much have been getting the same thing for like the past 8 years. Gyro Laffa, hummus, tabouli, red onions, pickeled cabbage, extra tahini, and depending what mood I'm in, I'll live it up with a little rice also. So good I am always happy after pounding one of these bad boys. Everyone I bring there loves the place and the owner is very friendly too. Even if I haven't been there for a while, he always remembers that when they cut the gyro meat off the spit, that I like it tossed on the grilled and cooked more. Go there, I assure you won't be disappointed.
I agree w/ Jehan...this place kicks ass. The staff is super friendly and the food is delicious. You wouldn't think twice to stop in since it's in a shopping center...but you should really should stop in cause you'll be coming back for more. Yeah I always get starred at cause I'm usually the only girl in there, but it's really a great place and my family has been getting food to go here for years.
A coworker introduced me to this place and I have been going for years. It's a hole-in-the-wall gem that more people should know about! It's run by a loving family. If you go often they'll remember your name and greet you.
I love this place. It's the closest taste I get to Israel without getting on an El-Al flight. The schwarma laffa is heavenly, as is just about everything else I've gotten off the menu. It can be a little crowded sometimes during lunch, but the food is always worth the wait. I've also noticed that the service has gotten better in recent years, which I'm pretty sure is because they have new owners.
5 Tacos for $5
Neighborhood: Woodland Hills
November special
Neighborhood: Reseda
Neighborhood: Northridge
Category: Greek
Neighborhood: Northridge
Category: Afghan
Neighborhood: Northridge
Category: Restaurants
Neighborhood: Reseda
Category: Middle Eastern
Neighborhood: Northridge
Category: Fish & Chips
Here are some places in the valley that you'll…
I pride myself in being the mysterious, Middle…
