Spitz

371 E 2nd St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 613-0101

www.eatatspitz.com

Spitz was opened by an Occidental graduate inspired while traveling abroad. When he returned home, he decided to bring this cousin of the Arabic shawarma and Greek gyro to the streets of Eagle Rock and later downtown.

Maybe the downtown outpost isn’t as good as the original Eagle Rock location. Maybe LA Mag wanted to include Middle Eastern restaurants for fear of retaliation. I don’t know, but I do know this joint does not belong on the 101 Cheap Eats list. I probably wouldn’t grace it on a 501 list either.

The meal actually started out on a good note. I stopped by the condiments section and stocked up on some complimentary pickles while I waited for my order. The pickles were more subtle that I’ve had recently and it allows one to enjoy the taste of the cucumber rather than just be overwhelmed with sour.

$9.24 The Classic Döner (2)

Half beef, half lamb, lettuce, tomato, bell pepper, onion, cucumber, and yogurt wrapped in a pita. I have no issues with all the extras; the vegetables and bread were fresh. The döner meat, however, was horrible. I tried it in the sandwich and alone. Both samples of the meat were just as bad. It wasn’t as tough as shoe leather, but they had definitely sampled the flavor. Very bland and I wasn’t convinced it was real meat, almost the flavor of a Boca or Morningstar product. It’s unfortunate that some poor animal gave its life to end up on that vertical spit.

Lightly Fried Pita Strips with Humus (7)

The pita strips were very good. They took a quick bath in vegetable oil and arrived to the table freshly fried sprinkled with parsley and a side of humus and cucumber-yogurt dip. The humus was average. I think what completes good humus is a very generous splash of olive oil and that one was missing that. The yogurt dip was that familiar refreshing Mediterranean flavor that everybody has grown to love.

$1 Falafel Ball (4)

The falafel was freshly fried, which is a good thing. But it had chunks of chickpeas in the center. I guess that’s their creative spin on the dish. Stick with the traditional method; it would be like if some genius decided to put chucks of real meat in a hot dog.