Pita & Rye

I trie Pita & Rye recently with my family. I ordered the shawarma on a pita. The sandwich was very tasty. The meat was tender and flavorful. The sides that I tried, cole slaw and grilled vegetables were both well made and seemed fresh. We also tried the potato knish and turkey pastrami sandwich and were happy with both. We also had our choice of half-​sour or sour pickles. Both were excellent. The restaurant is small but clean and attractive. The staff was friendly, and the owner, Jay, went out of his way to make our visit enjoyable. The prices are somewhat higher than what you would pay for the same items in a non-​kosher restaurant, but that is just the reality of kosher restaurants. There is no way around it, kosher meats and other food products simply cost more. I would definitely recommend Pita and Rye if you want deli food or shawarma.

Very disappointing. Growing up in NY, I have high expectations for what a Kosher deli should be. This is not even close except for the high prices. The turkey sandwich was beyond small. It should be piled high for the price. The falafel was soggy and could not be eaten as a sandwich. The price of the kinish was outrageous. I recommend the owners visit a NY kosher deli and emulate it. This place will not last unless they change. People don’t mind paying, but they do expect quality. My wife did not enjoy the matzoh ball soup. They raised the price and it just wasn’t good. I have read the other reviews and the reviews are generally the same. The owners should read them and fix the issues. Right now, I don’t think they will last very long.
Update: they are closed.

Pita & Rye is where I go when I want good deli. The turkey breast was outstanding and the portion was very satisfying (you get a whole pickle too). If you’re craving matzoh ball soup this is the place to go. Delicious with nice chunks of chicken and carrots in the broth. The place is very clean and the staff is very accommodating and personable.

As an ex-​New Yorker who’s lived in Maryland for over 20 years, I’m constantly searching for some good deli around here. I’ve tried many, some still in business, others not. Nothing down here comes close to real NY deli. That said, Pita and Rye is perhaps the absolutely worst deli I’ve eaten… EVER!
As others have commented, the portions are amazingly small but you know what, that’s actually a blessing as the meat is so horrendous. I had a corned beef on rye. My favorite deli dish. It may not be my favorite any more after what I ate here. The corned beef was flavorless, worse than any grocery store corned beef and that stuff is pretty terrible. How can a Jewish deli NOT have good corned beef? The fries were a joke. A real deli serves nice crispy steak cut fries. The fries here were thinner than those at McDonalds without the taste. They appeared to be from a frozen bag purchased at the supermarket. I will say that the pickle was good, but for 8 or 9 bucks the whole meal should be good!
Why oh why can’t the Washington area get Jewish deli right? As of now, only Parkway Deli in Silver Spring comes remotely close. But alas, Parkway can’t compare to a REAL NY deli like Katz’s. Poor Pita and Rye; it can’t even compare to Parkway.
The people running Pita and Rye treated us very well and seem genuinely nice. I feel bad that they will be out of business very soon unless they turn around the quality of their food QUICKLY. I personally will never go back.

I have eaten at this establishment 3 times, in the hopes that the 3^rd time would be a charm. Needless to say it was not. The sides that you can get with your sandwich, never seem fresh, and the sandwiches are nothing special at all. They are overpriced and Pot Belly, would do wonders in that location at this point.

Pita & Rye catered a luncheon for me. The sandwiches were delicious. The perfect amount of excellent quality meat sliced just right. The condiments were on the side so that the bread was not soggy. Tuna and egg salad were also good. The lettuce and tomato was packaged perfectly for putting right on your sandwich. The side salads, slaw and couscous were delicious. They delivered the meal right on time and with a smile. I would definitely use them again.

I was very excited to hear of this deli coming to the area. However my few experiences here have been unpleasant. Service is slow, food is average, presentation of food and serving size is poor, and establishment itself has zero atmosphere. Had fallafel was ok (not great) and veggie burger was ice cold and came plain on a bun (no fixings at all). Sad to say disappointed.

I work in Maple Lawn and have made a few visits to Pita & Rye. I read everyone else’s comments and couldn’t agree more. Portions are small, food is meh and I’ve written a list of more than 10 things served at NY kosher delicatessens that I wish they had on the menu. Even more disturbing to me is the owner who does not seem particularly keen on hearing customer’s feedback if it’s not positive and seems to be yelling at an employee everytime I walk in the door.
To the reviewer that suggested they open on Saturdays… not gonna happen nor should it… this is a KOSHER establishment. Although I’m not religious, I respect the beliefs of others and so should you.
I will continue to drop in every now and then when I’m absolutely dying for a kasha knish. With any luck, Pita & Rye will improve in the very near future!

2.5−3 stars.
It’s a little pricey for the quality and they give. The hummus and falalfel were okay. The babaganough & tabouli salad were good. The staff was very nice at least. If I lived around the area, I don’t think I would ever go again.

I read about this restaurant in the July 13, 2011 Washington Post, and decided to try it out. I am working on a project located south of BWI airport, so this restaurant is a short drive away. It is in the Maple Lawn area, a new shopping/​dining area off Routes 29 and 216 with a planned neighborhood look similar to the new downtown Silver Spring and the Reston Town Center. This is a kosher restaurant. I keep kosher, and so I root for any new kosher restaurant to succeed. Fulton MD does not seem like a hub of traditional Jewish activity, the closest synagogue is Reform and typically Reform Jews do not observe kashrut. I have my doubts that kosher-​observing people will make the trek from Baltimore or DC to dine here.
I came with two non-​Jewish colleagues. One ordered a smoked turkey pita sandwich, one ordered the chicken kebab platter, and I ordered schwarma in pita. They also ordered spinach knishes, and each of us had a bottled beverage. All three of us enjoyed our food. There is vegan, non-​dairy cheese available for sandwiches (to preserve kashrut), and this was ordered with the smoked turkey pita sandwich, but left out of the sandwich when brought to the table. We enjoyed our meal so much that we then ordered a side of potato pancakes (with sour cream and applesauce) and a large chicken vegetable soup with matzo balls to go.
The ordering process was pleasant but took awhile. Each order takes several minutes as the very nice worker asks specific questions about how you like your order, sides, etc. If you know what you want, it goes fast enough. While we were in line, several people ahead of us didn’t know exactly what they wanted, and it seemed like forever until we got our turn to order. When I returned to order our pancakes/​soup, same thing. A group of three people ordering in front of me had a lovely conversation with the worker about what to order, the options, recommendations, preferences, which is better, etc. all while I am waiting and listening/​watching, trying to be patient. Seemed inefficient, and no possibility of a second worker taking orders when there is a line. Bad marks for service (ordering).
The food came after a reasonable amount of time, and is brought to the table by a person who seemed like the owner: attentive, outgoing, friendly, responsive. If anything was amiss, he fixed it. So good marks for service (attentiveness.).
As previous Unilocalers commented, Pita & Rye offers a «tabbouleh» salad made of couscous. This is interesting, a lighter alternative to the bulgur-​parsley-​mint version that one normally sees. The owner explained that the chef is a Culinary Institute of America grad and selected this recipe, making it fresh daily. I however love the standard tabbouleh, and would have preferred the standard. My colleague had the same reaction and asked for a regular standard tabbouleh, there was none available, and the owner brought her the equivalent portion of the chopped Israeli salad, which she enjoyed. These side portions are teeny tiny, served in little plastic cups, reminiscent of the cups for salsa condiments at Baja Fresh. So bringing an additional «salad» must have cost the restaurant a dime.
Our order came to about $ 44 for three lunches and three drinks, plus two knishes. Our second order for a large soup and a side of three potato pancakes was $ 10.58. So at almost $ 15 per person for lunch, this is not a great value, but not too expensive (Moderate on the Unilocal cost scale). For kosher food, this is the norm unfortunately. The quality is yummy and good, again, not outstanding, and worth buying in my opinion.
The space is clean, small and comfortable. The workers bustle around in the kitchen, ordering area and dining area to keep things moving and clean, so good marks for service (cleanliness and effort). There were two televisions playing, very softly, one tuned to CNN and one to a sports station (ESPN), these did not interfere and offered a nice source of information while eating. Parking is no problem, quite convenient.
Summary: good food, OK value, pretty good service, questionable location. I would definitely return here if convenient. Because I live in the Maryland suburbs of DC, there are other, better alternatives that I would definitely choose over this one. So if I am returning from an airport run and want a good sandwich, this place is now on the list.
One day I’d love to give a review to a kosher restaurant praising its fabulous food, great value, beautiful clean space, and great service. I think that only NYC restaurants could get that, except for they never offer great value. The kosher restaurants there are even more expensive. For example, at Second Avenue Deli, soup is $ 7 and an overstuffed hot pastrami sandwich is $ 15. If you want it all, buy your meat at a kosher butcher/​deli and make your meal at home.
For the rest of us desiring a delicious kosher dining experience, Pita & Rye is as good as one can hope for. I’ll return for more.

This is by no means a New York deli, which is the case of all «NY» deli’s that have opened in Howard County in the past decade. The corned beef tasted of mass produced «grocery store» corned beef, and the rye bread was definitely not homemade, and in fact was quite stale. The sandwich was served at room temperature, and was no better than my work’s cafeteria sandwiches costing about 30% less. The french fries tasted no better than the mediocre store bought frozen fries that are given the 5

I will not return here. The corned beef sandwich was the thinnest I have ever seen ina restaurant. If the chicken soup ever saw a chicken, I would be shocked, and the matzoh ball was tasteless.

Pita and Rye is tucked into a small space right next to Looney’s — if I had not heard about it and was already on the look out for it, I probably would have missed it! They do accept credit cards now. Just in case you miss the signs on the door, DO NOT go in with outside drinks or food. It seems to be related to dietary law, not because they care that you bought a drink down the street.
The staff is very friendly, engaging and polite — a rarity nowadays. The seating area is small, but not cramped and very clean and casual.
I had the falafel and «tabouli» (really, it’s a light cous cous salad — there is no bulgar wheat in it) My husband had a turkey pastrami and slaw
As previous reviewers mentioned — if you’re coming here expecting NY deli sized portions, adjust your expectations. We’re not talking about a rainbow-​shaped pile of meat in the middle of a sandwich you can barely get your mouth around. The turkey pastrami sandwich size was pretty average in both taste and size; the sides are very small (served in a condiment cup small) but they come with the sandwich, so eh. Whatev. It’s a little pricey for sizes that small ($ 24 for 2 sandwiches and bottled drinks)
The falafel was fresh, light and tasty and not too big. Ask them for a little condiment cup of harissa (hot stuff) if you like it spicy. They don’t keep it out front, but are more than happy to bring you some.
The sour pickles are awesome and they are kind enough to wrap it in a little pouch so it doesn’t get your bread all wet and gross.
It’s a good place that could be great if they are able to comb through their reviews and make a couple of adjustments to the things people seem to mention routinely — mainly the portion size of their sides and the cous cous tabouli thing.
I would go back again and try other items. The food was good, the service was good and it is close to the office. I didn’t find their service slow at all — I went on a Thursday around 12:30 and it was fine.

My daughter and I visited Pita and Rye one evening a week ago. The line to order had a few people in it, but it moved slowly. When we finally ordered, it took 30 minutes to receive our cold sandwiches. The sides were so tiny I wondered why they even offered them with the sandwiches. In the long run, it would be better to give better portion sizes to entice the customers to come back. And not being open on Saturday will be death to this business. Even if it’s a kosher deli, perhaps they can figure out a way to hire staff to keep it open on Saturday and later on Friday. I predict this business will be gone in less than 8 months.

Besides being extremely slow, the food was terrible. It shouldn’t take 15 minutes for a basic corned beef on rye; after all, you just slice it and put it on bread and I was the only customer there at the time. Go to ‘Corned Beef Row’ in Baltimore and once you get your order placed, the sandwich is done in less than a minute and it is tender, moist and hot (unlike the cold corned beef served here). They will steam it upon request but that is not the way to make moist corned beef. The portion of meat was meager, dry and overwhelmed by the rye bread. I’m used to meat stacked high; not 4 – 5 cold slices totalling only 5 ounces. It’s $ 8.49 for a regular corned beef sandwich and $ 9.49 for «fresh roasted». When I asked the difference they stated that the fresh roasted was done on site and has more flavor so I ordered the fresh roasted. If it is supposed to be better, then don’t even think about ordering the regular.
The Tabbouleh side dish was dry and made with couscous. When I pointed out to the owner that Tabbouleh should be made with cracked wheat he disputed that. Search Google for «Tabbouleh» and both The Jewish News Daily and Wikipedia agree with me. The extremely small portion was served in one of those mini plastic cups and there were barely any signs of parsley, lemon, olive oil or tomatoes. Just as dry as their corned beef.
The sour pickle was their only salvation. Owner did offer to give me my money back but I declined — - he’s going to need the money to stay open. One last thing; just because your religion dictates that you can’t be open on the Sabbath, you’re missing out on some of the best times for retail — perhaps the restaurant business is not your calling. And when the customer is offering constructive criticism, don’t correct him (even if he is wrong) — keep your corrections to yourself — especially if they are wrong.

They are still on a limited menu and working out the kinks but now take MC and Visa credit cards. Definitely casual dining — strictly formica — but the food was excellent. Loved the warm pastrami and the falafel. The health salad, babaganush, chumus and griiled vegetables were great. The fries and potato salad were good but nothing special. And they carry Dr. Brown’s cream soda! We will be back often.

I was excited for a new deli to open in Maple Lawn… this area really needs a decent deli. However, I was a bit disappointed in my visit today. Granted, they just opened, but the service was majorly slow. It took about 25 minutes to just get our order taken, and I think we waited almost 30 mintues or more for our food to come out! I ordered turkey, my boyfriend ordered pastrami. The sandiwches were tasty, but not worth that wait. In my opinion this place is way understaffed and also overpriced. I was expecting a huge turkey sandwich, for 8 dollars it was small and the side of potato salad that came with it was miniscule and finished in two bites. This place has potential, but needs to work quicker, and either lower the prices or beef up the sandwich size for the price!

This newly openned establishment bills itself as a NY style deli and grill, but the fares are currently limited. Their grilled meats are not available yet. The deli meats and other fares like salads and fallafels are available and are decent. The kasha and knish are pretty good.
They don’t accept credit cards yet so bring your cash.

After much anticipation I visited Pita & Rye today during their soft opening. Overall, it was good experience. The place is nice and clean, as you would expect with a new establishment, and I really hope it stays that way. The space that they’re located in is more than likely cursed, having watched two previous places come and go. The staff was superb, very patience and courteous. They even took the time to visit our table to ask how everything was. As for the food, I wanted so much for it to be like an old school New York style deli, it’s not. I went for the classic pastrami on rye and my first ever potato knish. The sandwich was good, but I felt like I could have walked over to the Harris Teeter and made it at home. The knish was very good, tasting similar to a perogie, but it was missing something. It there something that goes with a knish, like sour cream or dare I say ketchup? My wife enjoyed the two types of pickles that were offered, along with her turkey pastrami with deli mustard, but found herself wishing for lettuce which may have been available if she would have ordered it. She found the menu to be a bit unclear in regards to what exactly you could request but was ecstatic to see that they are promoting recycling. For dessert, we shared a P&R Cannoli, which was amazingly delicious. I will, without a doubt go back if it’s only to have a quick meal that is not Chic-​fil-​a*, oy vey.
*We eat there 3 times a week, we love it.