Pasha's

In the mid-90s, while studying at Harvard Business School, Pasha's CEO Antonio Ellek came up with the concept of a healthful Mediterranean fast-food restaurant. And in 2003, with the help of classmate Nicolas Cortes, the first location for this homegrown chain sprouted on Lincoln Road. Since then, seven other Pash's have blossomed and flourished throughout South Florida. Each offers customers inexpensive, fresh, daily-prepared meals free of preservatives, additives, trans fats, and MSG. The menu offers a wide array of street foods from the Levant, or the eastern Mediterranean countries of Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Greece, Israel, and Egypt. Try the gyros, both chicken and the more traditional beef ($6.95), or the vegetarian favorite, falafel ($3.95). The best items here are the pides ($6.95 to $9.95): soft, thin-crusted, individual-size pizzas baked to order and topped with ingredients varying from grilled mushrooms to chicken. It's difficult to find a cheaper, more healthful meal option anywhere else in town.