Feb 5, 2025 - Food and Drink

Budget Bites: Craft Pita serves up Middle Eastern comfort food

Bob Gee

Craft Pita's mujadara. Photo: Bob Gee/Axios

Winter is fleeting in Houston, but you can still grab some Middle Eastern cold weather comfort food at Craft Pita, a farm-to-table fast casual concept with two locations.

The intrigue: Founded by first-generation Lebanese American Rafael Nasr, the restaurant landed at No. 22 in the Yelp top 100 list in 2020, a year after it opened.

What to order: Mujadara ($7.95) — rice and lentils topped with caramelized onions.

It's the kind of simple home-cooked dish that seldom finds its way onto restaurant menus. In this version, offered as a seasonal item, the rice and lentils are subtly spiced, warm and moist, and the onions perfectly crispy.

Pro tip: Order a falafel plate ($6) and pour some of the tahini sauce on top of the mujadara for a tangy side note.

If you go: 1920 Fountain View Drive and 5172 Buffalo Speedway

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Budget Bites: Craft Pita serves up Middle Eastern comfort food

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