Pasha Mediterranean Grill

On my first stop of my cuisine adventure, I visited Pasha Mediterranean Grill off of Wurzbach Rd. and I-10. 

Pasha was opened around 2008 and has become a local favorite for many San Antonians with a love for Mediterranean cuisine. They were recently named "Readers' and Critics' Choice: The Best Middle Eastern Restaurant 2014" by the San Antonio Current. It was a well deserved win! Along with all the wonderful dishes, another great benefit is its all reasonably priced with entrees ranging from around $10-$18.

The restaurant was booming at lunch hour!  Parking at this location is not the best so I recommend trying to either beat the rush or wait until its over.  Luckily, my husband and I got there at the tail end of it so we didn't have to wait at all. At this location, the dining area is a little on the small side. I believe that the building was converted from an old Taco Cabana but they made it work well for them. Also our waiter was very friendly and provided great service.

Now onto the food! Their drink selection is small. They offer no cocktails but have a selection of sodas, iced & hot teas, Turkish coffee, and some specialty bottled beverages.  One thing to note for the iced tea fans out there: the tea is infused with a mild rose flavor. In other words, it tastes how a rose smells. It was a little off putting for my husband at first since it wasn't the standard sweet tea we are used to. However, he said that as our meal went on, he didn't notice it as much since he was enjoying all the other flavors in his food.

After your drink orders are put in, they will give you complimentary nan along with a mix of oil and spices to dip it in. For those of you that have never had nan before, it tastes like a tortilla just thicker. The oil and spice mix is very flavorful; much better than just the plain olive oil you get at many Italian restaurants. 

I ordered the gyro plate, which is a roasted sliced beef and lamb mix that is served with a Greek salad, tzatziki sauce, and roasted garlic hummus. The meat has a dry appearance to it but it is actually quite soft and delicious. The Greek salad has feta cheese and a tangy dressing that compliments the meat well. I personally like to add a little of the tzatziki sauce to the salad. The hummus was great to dip both the meat and the nan in. The little crispy bits of roasted garlic added a nice crunchy texture to my meal.

My husband ordered the chicken shawarma plate. This normally comes with the Greek salad and hummus as well. He decided to substitute those with the basmati rice and a roasted tomato instead. Since my husband is awesome, he lets me taste everything he gets and this was delicious! The chicken was tender, well seasoned, and juicy. The rice was lightly seasoned with a little butter mixed in to keep it from being too dry. He ended up wrapping the chicken, zesty pickles, and aioli in a piece of nan. He said it was like having the best chicken salad sandwich ever.

For dessert, we split the Greek yogurt cheesecake. This was one of the best cheesecakes I've ever had in a restaurant. It was wonderfully thick and creamy with just the right amount of sweetness after our meal. The only downside to this cheesecake was that I was too full to eat my own. Do not fill up on nan and save room for dessert! It's worth it!

This ends our wonderful trip to Pasha Mediterranean Grill.  I recommend making a trip yourself and enjoying this tasty gem. For more information on Pasha's other locations and hours, visit their website at www.gopasha.com. Get directions here!

See you all next week!