Pita Nutso

The falafel was terrible: burned, hard, and cold. Toppings were tasteless. Service was chaotic behind the counter: the servers did not seem to know what to do next — and there were just a few customers waiting. The Pita Nusto «radio show» is completely self-​serving and really annoying. Give this place a miss. Even if it’s late and you’re really hungry, Pizzaiolo is a block east, and there’s Smokie’s poutine (or, at worst, Tim Hortons) at Queen & Bathurst.

When I first saw them turning the old vacant store front next to Queen West’s local 7 – 11, there were no obvious indications of what would be popping up.
Other than the omnipresent Pita Nutso van in the Sev’s parking lot.
Now, I assumed it was some sort of franchise, but what really caught my attention was the very obvious «O» placed over the original logo’s lettering plastered over every surface of the van.
Looking closer, I noticed Pita Nutso’s corporate mascot was a vaguely fascist looking cartoon character with the slogan «No Pita For You!».
That’s when it hit me:
The «O’s» at the end of Nutso must have been covering a «Y» or an «I” – Pita Nutso had been Pita Nutsy (or Nutsi)!
Some well meaning (but clueless) marketer thought they’d reference Seinfeld’s «Soup Nazi» to sling shwarma plates and kabobs. Even without 24 minutes of contextual sitcom-​ery, this is just a bad idea. The «O» sort of softens it, but it’s completely misguided and ridiculous.
Still, the owner is a pretty decent guy. He clearly just wants to sell some cheap eats to a crowd that wants something comforting and familiar without hipster-​gouging prices. I’ve seen him stay open an extra half an hour here and there to satisfy hungry end of the night stragglers.
The food is simple and tasty, is portioned fairly, and the hours are lazy-​summer evening friendly.
So, gaudy tasteless marketing aside, I’m going to throw Pita Nutso on Queen a casual recommendation for cheap eats and a good story to tell to guests in your ‘hood.