Bella Pita: Falafel in Westwood, California

Filed under: Eat, Westside — StyleGuide @ 8:23 pm

I’m a big believer in focus.  Tiger Woods on the green focus.  Skinny dog next to the barbecue focus.   Drill-bit/pinpoint/eye-on-the-prize type focus.

Hence I have a great appreciation for Bella Pita.

This unassuming Westwood shop has pared its entire operation down to the bare minimum.  It’s like they’ve taken everything you’d expect from a dining establishment, examined it, then figured out how to eliminate it or delegate it so they can focus on what they do best: delicious, super-cheap falafel pita. 

Boy does it work.  Take the three quick steps from the front door to the counter to place your order.  Bella Pita doesn’t cook it until you order it, so wait until your three falafel patties — light, moist and flavorful — are delivered from the deep fryer and nestled into a soft, warm, fresh-baked pita. 

That’s it.  That’s all they do. 

They don’t load your pita for you — that’s delegated.  A sharp salad bar offers roasted cauliflower, tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage and pickled turnips, hot sauce, white sauce, and hummus pumped from a ball-park-style ketchup dispenser. 

Next they eliminated variety.  The spare menu sports about six choice, tops.  Ambiance?  Gone.  While they have a clean, spacious kitchen, the entryway is shunted off to a space the size of a VW bus (only with less seating than a VW bus).  Decor?  Forget it.

At Bella Pita, get your pita, pimp it out as fat as you want, then get on your way.  Now that’s focus.

Price: $

Where: 960 Gayley Avenue, Los Angeles, Ca 90024

Call: 310.209.1050

More cheap eats that come wrapped in bread:

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