Greek Eats: A review of a new Mediterranean restaurant, Hummus and Pita, in Overland Park

If the only Mediterranean food you’ve tasted is a classic gyro, lucky for you, Hummus and Pita just opened just off Santa Fe Dr. in Old Overland Park, KS. The Greek restaurant offers dozens of unique Greek dishes to widen your cultural palate, from Baba-Ganoush Motabel to Baklava.

Hummus and Mediterranean cuisine go hand in hand, so the hummus and pita was the first item on the menu I wanted to try. Beautifully presented hummus in a flower-shape bowl/dish, speckled with brown and purple spices, paprika and yellow olive oil, I knew this was no ordinary pita dish. The sharp cumin and paprika notes cut through the creamy chickpea flavor easily. The store-bought hummus my mom brings home with every vegetable tray now tastes bland in comparison.

My server’s highest appetizer recommendation was the classic Lebanese dip, Baba-Ganoush Motabel. Made of smoked eggplant, tahini, olive oil and garlic, the salsa-like textured dip still melted in my mouth. It tastes best paired with their homemade crispy pita chips to offset the gooey texture of the dip.

The pleasant warm and home-y atmosphere of the restaurant made the food taste even more authentic — plus my entrees came out timely in under 15 minutes on a steady Wednesday night.

First — a chicken shawarma wrap, topped with cilantro and basil which made it smell fresh out of a garden. The warm, but not too hot, wrap also came with classic sour cream for a dip. My first bite consisted mostly of the chicken with touches of turmeric and the olive oil bits seeping through. The wrap’s rich flavors and warmth made this wrap reminded me of a home-cooked chicken dinner.

Dipping the shawarma wrap into sour cream added a cooling flavor to calm the initial spice. This was my favorite dish because of the balance of comforting flavors.

Chicken kabobs came out last, but the charred chicken bits combined with Tzatziki sauce made it worth the wait. Flavor oozed from the light and airy sauce, contrasting the smoky chicken. The grill-mark-covered chicken tasted fresh out of a summer bonfire.

The first dessert up was the date shake —  grainy liquid, thickened with dissolved pieces of date for added texture.

Since the main dishes had featured elevated spices like paprika, cumin and cilantro, I expected the dessert course to be similar — maybe full of buttery, caramelized dates or fresh vanilla bean. However, the date shake’s mushy texture overpowered the otherwise bland flavor, and simply was not for me.

Naturally, I had to try the baklava for the final dish. The layered pastry with a butter-honey syrup drizzled on top with chopped walnuts and pistachios was just the right sweet and nutty balance — it met all my expectations. It tasted like baklava I’ve had in the past but still had a strong flavor and was a great way to end the night. I will definitely be back to this new-but-home-y restaurant. Between all the food I tried it came to a grand total of 43.19 dollars.