Olive oil from family’s orchard fuels Lebanese feast at Craft Pita’s new spot
When Craft Pita opened its second location in West University Place off Buffalo Speedway this month, Rafael Nasr debuted an expanded menu beyond Mediterranean classics, like golden orbs of falafel and silky bowls of hummus. There are skewers of expertly charred chicken, patties of minced beef marinated with fragrant spices and salads laced with pomegranate vinaigrette.
The kitchen uses a generous amount of lemon juice and garlic in many of these Lebanese dishes, but as Nasr tells it, the secret behind the restaurant’s popularity comes down to one essential ingredient: olive oil.
It’s not just any allpurpose bottle diners would find on the shelves of a Trader Joe’s or even Whole Foods. Nasr’s family owns an olive orchard in northern Lebanon in the Koura District known for its bounty of shrub-like trees. Quality olive oil is so essential to Lebanese cuisine that Nasr said he once snuck it back in Johnny Walker bottles sealed with duct tape.
The use of premium ingredients is just one reason Craft Pita landed on the Houston Chronicle’s recent best restaurants list. For Nasr, it’s also his mission to give Lebanese cuisine a bigger spotlight in Houston.
As Nasr says, “Food is how I share my culture. I take that very seriously.”
Nasr and his mother, Claudia, handle all the research and development for Craft Pita’s menu. Among the new dishes, there is now a $60 mezze dinner for two featuring a spread of appetizers, entrées and a dessert.
While the restaurant’s tagline is “True Mediterranean,” said Nasr, it is at its core a Lebanese restaurant that draws on time-tested, family recipes and countless visits to a country nestled on the Mediterranean Sea.
Houstonians could find Lebanese fare at various spots throughout town, said Nasr, but it was often presented as part of a deli or buffet — mostly likely because diners were less familiar with Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes.
“They crawled, so I could walk,” said Nasr. “These restaurants often showed our food in a deli format because people didn’t always know what hummus was or tabouli. That’s why I’m very adamant of showing pictures of our food. Now people know what shawarma is.”
Before opening Craft Pita in 2019, Nasr worked as a kitchen manager at Pappas Restaurants for a few years. He also worked at spots like VertsKebap and Island Grill Mediterranean Restaurant, both known for pita.
The new 2,500-squarefeet location provides Nasr with a larger kitchen, more wine storage and an expansive patio overlooking a green space dotted with stadium seating.
But Nasr says the pandemic taught him that the location of a restaurant is perhaps even more important than a shiny, new space. He opened Craft Pita near the Galleria area about six months before COVID-related precautions shut down indoor dining in March 2020.
The office crowds disappeared, but locals supported the restaurant when Nasr set up a tent outdoors to sell the takeout-friendly menu items, which also became popular for catering orders.
His new Craft Pita is located at Plaza in the Park, in the former Kenny & Ziggy’s space, near the intersection of Buffalo Speedway and Westpark Drive.
While the space has a fast-casual feel to it, Nasr sets Craft Pita apart from larger chain restaurants. He helps fundraise for Refugee Services of Texas and takes a page from his Pappas experience when it comes to customer service.
“We’re going to kill you with kindness before and after we put food on the table,” Nasr said.
Craft Pita also sources parts of its menu from local businesses: ice cream from Booza, baklava from Suzie’s Pastry Shoppe and pita from Phoenicia Specialty Foods.
“Houstonians are looking to try new things,” said Nasr. “You drive down Westheimer and you can hit every cuisine on planet Earth.”