Desert Pita & Grill

Amazing food! If I could give 5 stars just for food I would. Staff sometimes a little unpleasant, can be a little short at times. Overall a great place for lunch. Always clean.

The food is great but the service absolutely baffles me every time I’m here. The staff are rude and impatient, and I just saw a lady ask for sauce to which the staff snapped back“no one told me about sauce.” I suggest the NE location– theyre much friendlier!

Vegan options: bust.
BUT best chocolate backlava in the city for sure! and the cashew square. So good.
Pretty well priced ($ 1.25 per)
Only every bought from bakery side — very friendly and they always give my daughter a cookie when we go :)
This place is great in the summer as it has a little patio area so you can enjoy your treats outside.

I haven’t been disappointed yet on each visit I make to Desert Pita. I give this place a solid 4 star. Establishment is always clean, service always fast and portions are fair for the price. If there isn’t a long line, they will grill your onions on request. They also press your donair to give your pita a nice crispy texture. They currently have 3 locations. All 3 have been consistent in quality and service.

BEST DONAIRS IN THE CITY!!!
honestly, i don’t if there is crack in the meat or what! but i am addicted to this place. I’ve tried donairs all over the city but these guys are the best.
The service is always great! I’ve had to wait in line for about 10 minutes (tops) from time to time. but it’s so worth it!
The portions are huge so make sure you are VERY hungry if you are going to order the king size. I normally just get a regular.
We won’t go anywhere else in the city for donairs. we will always drive across the city to get here if we have too.
I usually get a regular beef donair with extra sweet sauce on it. Messy but delicious!
Why are you reading this still? get to desert pita!

Amazing donairs and eggplant pitas. Yummy desserts and great service. Need i say more?

I’ve bee here a few times for donairs. And they were pretty good. But I went there today and was disappointed. They have really dropped the ball! The service was rude. The portions have shrank to about 2 pieces of meat for a regular donairs! Unfortunately that’s what happens when places get popular. Looks like I’m gonna have to start making the drive to Jimmy on 20^th. Will not repet!

The food is good but it is expenise there.

Stopped in because a friend and I were starving from skipping meals for the day and we happen to be in the area. We walked in with no expectations except some hopefully good food.
Here is our findings:
Super clean indoor patio with great windows to sit and chill. A huge menu of lebanese food with all the usual selections of donairs and etc. A monster selection of baklava and other ethnic desserts. double fridge coolers of different beverage selections. I like the way this place rolls.
We sat down with our donairs to find they were de-​fricken-​lishous. That sweet sauce doe…

Great place for yummy donairs/​shwarmas. I am not usually a fan of Baklava but this place has some seriously great tasting baklava! If you haven’t yet or are still hesitant to try it, read the rest of these reviews and go try this place!

I’ve been here several times for lunch and I must say this place is the best ever. I’d eat here every day if I could! Couldn’t agree more with the other reviews that their donair and desserts are the best ever.
They would have received five stars except that they have half of a menu. They have other items listed that are not available for some reason. they should just take those items down off the menu. other than that the service is fast but I find the place too small during a lunch rush. Larger establishment would be nice.
it’s so good though I seriously don’t care if I have to eat my food in my car!

This is listed on Unilocal as a Greek restaurant, but it is actually NE African/​Middle Eastern food.
My co-​workers and I went here for lunch this past week. It was a good thing we were early as the line was out the door! Despite this large number of customers, the staff were very efficient and friendly, and kept the line moving.
The restaurant itself was clean and tidy, and had we not already agreed to get our orders to go, I would have liked to have eaten there.
I ordered the Shish Tawouk. It was a pita (which were very soft and fresh) with garlic sauce, pickles, coleslaw, chicken, and fried potato slices, and then rolled up and served like a donair. At first I thought it sounded weird, but my coworker assured me she enjoyed hers. This was probably the most delicious, flavourful pita wrap I’ve had! The combination of everything with a touch of hot sauce was wonderful! And I could tell that everything was prepared fresh in house (with the exception of the pickles of course).
I also bought a bottle of mango nectar with my lunch, which I was unable to finish it was so large. My total was about $ 10 for lunch. I would have bought some baklava, but I knew there would be no way I would be able to eat it after the Shish Tawouk.
They have a large selection on their menu, so there is bound to be something for everyone. They even have Foul (pronounced «fool»), which is a side dish made with fava beans and tomato sauce, but unless you have a very large appetite, you’re better off with just the wrap.
The Desert Pita was fabulous! I highly recommend trying them.

No need to search for another place because this is the BEST in yyc. I used to love Cedar’s (who still has the best pickled turnips) but have had to renounce them as my fave.
Have your pita toasted extra crispy and you just can’t have it any other way after experiencing this.
Btw, the king size is the size of my thigh so order with heed.

Go now. Drive across town and eat there. Best pita I’ve ever had and maybe I haven’t had many pitas but I am sticking with their version.

I have been to this establishment a few times and the service varies every time from spectacular to meh…
Yesterday I popped in after a business meeting in the far south and decided on a Chicken Sharwama… I see the chickeny goodness spinning on the spit, every bit golden and deliciously moist and tender but was told that I would have to wait about 25 minutes because it was not quite done yet… so I sit and read a copy of the Calgary Sun left at a table and waited it out while the aroma tempted me; I was out this far, no sense in leaving without it!
It was quite busy and seemed everyone there was immensely enjoying the giant behemoth wraps.
I get called over by the sandwich master and proceeded to get my wrap done to my specifications. I was disappointed to not see any pickled turnips, they had the pickled cabbage but turnips are what give it that authentic taste, green pickles and canned black olives are not traditional sharwama toppings btw so I just steered clear of those and the inferno of peppers and hot sauce, my gut can’t handle those volatile substances!
As I check out I notice these delectable coconut cookies waiting for me, enticing me to take it home with me… I couldn’t resist, I have had my fill of baklava so this cookie was a welcome addition to my belly! So chewy, crunchy and darn right coconutty… I have had dreams about this cookie.
The wrap was really good, but like I said before, was terribly missing the turnips. Awesome food, hated the wait for the chicken, especially since it was right around lunch time, service was ok, nothing to write home about but for $ 7.50 for the wrap and $ 1.50 for the cookie, a decent value for a pretty darn good lunch option. I was just not too crazy about the area and the pub next door and would frequent the Desert more if there was a location in my neck of the woods.

⁶⁄₃₀ — Underdog Challenge
I’m surprised I’ve never done a review of Desert Pita despite the numerous times I’ve visited this place. It’s right underneath the Gracie Barra school and a post work out meal here is the best thing in the world.
The prices are fair and their wraps are jam packed. I’m talking about having to eat through gold bricks. But I also love their salads. Tabouli is always a refreshing thing for me to have and enjoy.
It’s a huge place for a donair/​shawarma joint, rightfully so, because every time it’s always full of people. Oddly enough they all come in strange herds. Herd of bicycle cops, herd priests, herd of carpenters, herd of smelly Jiu-​Jitsu grapplers. Unfortunately never a herd of hot babes whenever I’ve gone.

Falafel. You might just be the perfect food. I seek you everywhere I go, like followers of Vissarion seek Siberian Jesus. Further prompted by Van’s review, I decided to check out Desert Pita, despite the offerings of dim sum, lugaw and banh mi that surrounded it.
I wasn’t disappointed. Great bread, savory toppings and the star of the wrap, the falafel was so deliciously filling that I was fat and sassy until just now. And I had the wrap at noon! And it was the regular size! The sweet lady that made the wrap for me also gave me complimentary Baklava. Hello, I love you.
Come for the Falafel, stay for the pleasant service.

After having a hectic day doing what I do and having to evacuate the building due to a fire alarm I was exhausted and famished. Leaving work the only thing that kept replaying in my head like a bad one hit wonder song was the fact that I was going to take off my shoes, socks and jump into bed. just for a little bit.
Upon opening my eyes from my sweet two hour slumber I realized I was having a silent but futile fight with my stomach. I kept looking at what I could eat and really it was going nowhere. Then I had an epiphany, I really wanted a donair, I wanted to stay close to home and that was that.
I started doing my research about donair shops in my area and I vaguely recall one of my friends letting me know about a place called The Desert Pita. I did some extra research of course by typing in the name on Unilocal to see if anyone else has had a donair there before, things are looking great, better than great, I am about to jump in my car and head out.
I grew up in the hood, the hood is my bread and butter (okay it isn’t) but I did spend my entire life here so I can see why this area of the city might not be too comfortable with some people who are not familiar with it. I wouldn’t say it is down right scary but it is dark and there are establishments around it I wouldn’t be caught stepping foot in.
I saw the pub, I kept driving slowly, still not seeing a sign for The Desert Pita and getting worried I thought of the wrong place. I kept going a few meters further and there it was the front retail sign glowing like the welcome to fabulous las vegas sign, I was here and I was eager to see what I would be in store for.
The interior wasn’t like anything I had in mind from seeing other donair shops in the city that I have been to. This restaurant could pass off as a subway interior with its custom camel design divider rails, quite a few tables and chairs to stay in and eat.
The menu was huge so while you are standing in line you can check out what they have to offer and how much it is going to cost you. Big clear glass windows above the vegetable trays so you can see the person working as they build your feat of a donair and further down an array of sweet delightful desserts that looked equally as delicious as what I was about to eat.
Greeted by a friendly gentleman who answered my question about sizing of the donairs by showing me the regular and the large which definitely helped me make my decision. I’m pretty easy going when it comes to donairs, I let him know I’ll take the regular and you can put everything on it, no problem. He proceeds to let me know he has my order and can kindly go to the other end of the restaurant and check out. Excellent.
A few minutes later when my donair was done pressing in that grill/​toast/​something-​ma-​jigger machine I had my donair in hand and I headed out to my car. Driving, I could smell the donair like it was an irresistible perfume which made me want to eat it even more.
Finally, I’m home, my stomach is half happy at what I’m going to eat so I unwrap my donair and take the first bite… DELICIOUS…the donair meat was moist and plentiful with flavour, the vegetables as a whole were fresh and tasty meanwhile I could still taste it all individually and the sweet sauce they use. tres bien, just the right amount of sauce, not watery, not too thick just the perfect touch.
I think I found my new donair place. :D

This place is great! Upon entry it is very clean and modern, there is even a tv in the corner for your tv-​watching-​while-​eating-​Shish-​Tawouk pleasure. My husband frequents this place probably once a week (you’re welcome Desert stock holders), so finally I decided to join him for a second time. I ordered the Shish Tawouk. Pickles, potatoes, garlic sauce, chicken, how can you go wrong? Then they grill it on the panini machine until it’s all nice, hot and crispy! mmm mmm. But then. THEN you walk past this beautiful dessert case (dessert not desert, not like a case of sand) and there are a bunch of baklavas and little bunt cakes. oh man. The baklava is unreal here as well, so PLEASE don’t hesitate when you see it. Nice staff and good drink selection add to this awesome delicious experience. Don’t miss out, go to The Desert today!

Oh. My. God. You haven’t lived until you have eaten a beef donair with a baklava for dessert from here. It’s not too bad a price (about the same as subway) and the donair is HUUUUGE, seriously. I don’t know anyone who can eat their super size (about 200g of thick cut beef, as well as cabbage, tomato, garlic sauce, sweet sauce, olives, peppers, lettuce, cheese and pretty much anything else you would think to have on a donair).
I was initially scared to try eating here as it’s right in the heart of Forest Lawn… and there’s a scary little pub beside it… but now I’ll go out of my way to go here for a lunch out.
The service is friendly and sometimes they’ll throw in a free baklava or pop. They have both eat-​in and take-​out services.