What's in the pita is a variety of fillings, though most people order either the flawlessly seasoned falafels (secret recipe for success: They're fried in clean oil; $4.50), or the shawarma -- not that compressed stuff that looks like an inverted cone of overcooked meat loaf, but real slices of lamb and turkey piled atop each other on a rotating spit ($5.50). Take my advice: Pay the extra dollar and substitute a large, fluffy laffa bread for the pita; it's chewier, tastier, contains more food, and is far less likely to sprout a leak of tahini on that hip new T-shirt you're wearing.
Top seeds among the numerous freshly prepared salads and spreads are a creamy and charflavored baba ghannouj, and hummus, which has a consummate consistency that's neither too wet from excessive oil nor dry and pasty like that the stuff sold in plastic containers at the supermarket. The Middle East Combo ($7.95) includes this duo that nobody in Miami makes better, along with tabbouleh, tahini, and a mildly spicy Turkish salad of diced tomatoes, onion, celery, peppers, and parsley. Pita comes on the side, though the amiable counter- and waitstaff will supply laffa upon request.
Two other specialties of note: imported Israeli pickles ($2.50) cured in salt, not vinegar, accompanied with olives and hot peppers; and the Lebanese ful medames, warm fava beans, tahini, a piquant red sauce, and chopped hard-boiled egg served over hummus ($5.75). If you're going to go the distance and have a full dinner, baklava is the only commendable dessert. Like this review, it's short and sweet.
