A Quick Bite to Eat: Pita O Pie Deli
Shuangjing can be a pretty pushy place at lunch time, as Viva Mall and Landgent Square become crowded with ravenous bellies looking for some deliverance. Baiziwan Nanerlu now hosts some relief – in the form of a quaint deli by the name of Pita O Pie.
Sandwiched between a pharmacy and a music shop, the tiny eatery offers a variety of Western-style foods for hungry patrons. The menu features an assortment of sandwiches (RMB 19), single-serve pizzas (RMB 19), salads (RMB 15), pasties (RMB 13), pita and dips like hummus and tzatziki (RMB 12-16), and a cookie selection that includes some Greek specialties (RMB 17-23).
The range of foods and attentiveness of the servers suggests the deli is a labor of love, yet some of the recipes still require a little tweaking. The bacon pizza was not particularly memorable, and the steak pastie rather dry. But the apple turnover was far better than I'd expected; crammed with juicy apple chunks, it stood up well to an hour-long journey on the subway before I had the chance to devour it.
The deli fridges are well stocked with a wide selection of drinks, alcoholic and otherwise, and prices are very pocket-friendly. Various flavors of Snapple (RMB 16) and Hansen's sodas (RMB 7) sit alongside all the regular soda favorites (from RMB 3).
More Pita O Pie outlets have been spotted popping up around the city, notably on Guanghua Lu, but if you're in the Shuangjing area with only enough time for a fleeting lunch break, POP is an option without the rancor of a free-for-all convenience store clamor.
Pita O Pie. Shop 2, Bldg 7, Landgent Apartments, Baiziwan Nanerlu, Chaoyang District (138 1054 8702) 朝阳区百子湾南二路7-2号 （乐成国际7号楼底商2号）
Photos: Mandy Melton
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Jerry
Submitted by Guest on Tue, 07/03/2012 - 16:46 Permalink
Re: A Quick Bite to Eat: Pita O Pie Deli
I'm rooting for this place and really want to like it (especially since it's practically at my doorstep), but their recipes need far more than just a mere tweaking - I'd say a major overhaul is in order.
They have an ambitious selection - everything from baklava to apple pie - I even tried a now-discontinued(?) gyro there once. Each of these items looked appetizing until I actually bit into them and discovered that the ingredients were simply not right.
I call it the "Wikipedia" (as in the local bread, not the website) effect - you might have been duped into buying their "bagels" or "french bread" at local shops thinking they were just that, only to discover that the dough and flour they are made from are completely off - their "bagels" are the worst.
I presume the owner of this chain spent some time overseas and is hoping to emulate the delicious delis and sandwich shops they tried there - it's a great concept but they desperately need to straighten out their menu.
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