The Pita Stop

Pita Stop Cafe in June 2009

The Pita Stop, now The Original Pita Stop, is a Lebanese-American restaurant located in the Pita Stop building at 1106 12th Street South in Southside. It was opened in 1977 by Lebanese-born Moneer Accawi. Nadim Shunnarah, the brother of Nabeel's Market founder Nabeel Shunnarah, purchased the restaurant in 1982. The general manager is Kal Alawi.

The Pita Stop is known for traditional dishes typical of the Middle-East. In addition to providing a comforting taste of "home cooking" and a welcoming workplace for immigrants and students attending UAB, it has always been popular with the general public. Long-time servers Mahmud “Mo” Salam and Mohammad “Matt” Islam have their own followings.

Shunnarah and Jamal Abu Sued opened a second Pita Stop Express location at 3908 Crosshaven Drive in Cahaba Heights during the first weekend of November 2010. The conversion from a former Hardee's restaurant was planned by Black Design Architecture to seat 120 with a bar and patio. Maxus Construction was general contractor.

Shunnarah sold his interest in the Cahaba Heights restaurant, and in four delis that he operated in office buildings. He added the world "Original" to the older restaurant's name to emphasize the distinction.

References

• Cooper, Lauren B. (February 5, 2010) "Long-time city eatery Pita Stop plans second location in Cahaba Heights." Birmingham Business Journal
• Carlton, Bob (November 5, 2010) "Pita Stop, a fixture on Birmingham's Southside for three decades, opens location in Cahaba Heights." The Birmingham News
• Turpen, Katie (September 23, 2014) "The Pita Stop." Vestavia Voice
• Harvey, Fletcher (July 22, 2015) "8 things to know about the original Pita Stop." The Birmingham News
• Carlton, Bob (September 1, 2021) "The Alabama restaurant that’s a window to another world." The Birmingham News

External links

• Pita Stop website