The glacial pace of the city’s permitting office forced chef Zuhair Azaar to delay the opening of his new Mediterranean restaurant Pita Paradise. But Azaar says that while he may have felt discouraged, he never felt derailed.
“I worked on my recipes,” said the 25-year-old chef-owner. “What else could I do? Friends in other cities told me they waited a month. I applied the first day I signed the lease in October (2024). But things take so long in New Orleans.”
Thanks to the support of his parents, Azaar was able to pay his bills until he opened in March. All the while, he was perfecting his chicken shawarma recipe, one of the standouts at the restaurant located at 4701 Freret St.
Pita Paradise
Where
4701 Freret St., (504) 354-9395; Instagram: @pita_paradise_
When
Lunch and dinner daily
How
Dine-in
Check it out
Middle Eastern favorites on Freret Street
“I must have cooked 15 cases of chicken,” he said. “Every time I was missing something. So, I did it again and again.”
The resulting 36-hour process delivers the tenderest pressed bird, fragrant with a house spice blend sourced from Azaar’s native Jerusalem. Both the chicken and the beef shawarma marinate for 24 hours, then spend another 12 hours compressing into a glossy, round of skewered flavor, carved to order for platters, bowls and sandwiches on homemade pita bread. Plates all come with hummus, rice spiced with turmeric and Greek salad.
His menu touches on most Middle Eastern greatest hits, including hummus made daily from dried chickpeas after a 12-hour soak, spiced with a swirl of chopped jalapenos with lemon juice. There’s a garlicky labneh and smoky roasted eggplant, just one of the menu’s vegan options. Another, his fried falafel balls, are crunchy outside, with a moist flavorful interior of spiced chickpeas, which are also prepared fresh daily.
Meanwhile, Azaar grinds his own blend of beef and lamb for the gyro, a juicy choice for sandwiches or in a bowl with roasted veggies. A layered spinach pie, crispy with baked phyllo, is served with a tzatziki dipping sauce.
Portions are generous, and prices are reasonable. Platters are all $19.99 except for the grilled lamb chops, which are $25.99. Sandwiches are $13.99. Azaar takes pride in using all fresh, never frozen ingredients. Everything is made in-house, from scratch. “That’s what makes us special,” he said.
There’s also the name, which he says he chose because it sounded like a fun, relaxing destination.
Azaar and his family moved from Jerusalem to be close to friends in New Orleans 10 years ago, when he was 16. The insecurity of his birth city, where his grandmother still lives, is a constant stress that you become accustomed to, he said.
“Even though you don’t want to, you get used to it,” he said.
When he finished high school, Azaar, who lives on the West Bank, knew college wasn’t for him. For five years, he worked in kitchens, including three years at Anatolia, a Turkish restaurant on Magazine Street. That’s where he learned to make the spicy adana kebabs, his own mince of lamb and spices.
The restaurant has been spruced up considerably from its days as Kolache Kitchen. Stripes of different shades of wood are set in a herringbone pattern on the wall behind the counter. A large silver platter and tea set on the counter would be at home in a Turkish rug store in the Grand Bazaar.
Andrew Lu’s menu takes an expansive approach to dumplings.
There’s a case that holds a variety of desserts, including honey-oozing baklava and knafeh, a sweet cheese pastry made with a bird’s nest of kataifi, or shredded phyllo.
The corner restaurant includes a scattering of tables that seat 20 inside, with room for 10 outside along the sidewalk. Although he doesn’t have a liquor license, guests can BYO, with Rouse’s conveniently right next door. There’s also a lemony Lebanese tea, served floating with pine nuts.
Like every other restaurant owner, Azaar is looking forward to a busy fall. The many students who swarm the neighborhood are a big source of business.
“The location is great,” he said. “It’s very hard to be the owner, to be responsible for everything. But I keep learning something new every day.”
Dining and Cooking