Longtime State College restaurant gets ‘rebirth.’ See the expanded offerings

Things look a little bit different on East Calder Way in downtown State College at the moment. Fava Kitchen recently opened its doors in the previous, long-standing Pita Cabana location. The restaurant is still under the same management, and owner Hitham Hiyajneh says Fava Kitchen is an upgraded and expanded operation, with all the prior Pita Cabana menu options, but also much more.

The change, he said, was a long time coming.

“We needed something a little bit different,” he explained. “The problem with Pita, when people say ‘Pita Cabana,’ [they say], ‘I don’t like pita bread.’ … Pita Cabana was more than just pita. We’ve been in business technically for going on 16 years now, and a rebirth is easier sometimes.”

The new Fava Kitchen focuses on fresh, Mediterranean menu items, with a variety of bowls, salads and sandwiches, plus build-your-own options. The restaurant’s interior also received a facelift. Hiyajneh likens the new experience to what you might find at the healthy salad and grain bowl chain Sweetgreen.

So far, community feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, he said, noting increased sales: “ We’ve already seen the difference.”

Locals’ reviews confirm this response, with several customers taking to the popular Foodies of State College Facebook group to applaud the new menu and its expansion, while still retaining their Pita Cabana favorites.

“The feedback is really good. We added a lot of new stuff onto the menu like bulgur wheat and lentils. We have shrimp now. We have steak. We have pulled beef,” Hiyajneh said. “People want more options.”

Taking the menu’s build-your-own options into consideration — which start out with a base such as rice, lentils, greens, and/or bulgur wheat, before adding on a protein, up to 12 toppings, sauces and more — Hiyajneh said customers can create any number of different meals. However, if you’re having a bit of trouble deciding where exactly to start, he recommended the harissa chicken, which is one of the restaurant’s top sellers thus far.

Hiyajneh, though, operates more than just Fava Kitchen and its predecessor. Over the years, this serial restaurateur has also operated Yallah Taco, Shokupan, Underground Burger, Dulce Luca Café and more — and Fava Kitchen is not his only recent project.

Around the start of the year, Hiyajneh also launched 700 Degrees Pizza, at 1669 N. Atherton St. Similarly to Fava Kitchen, 700 Degrees Pizza likewise sits in what was once one of Hiyajneh’s prior concepts, Yallah Chicken and Tacos. Again, he’s still offering some of that restaurant’s menu items, like tacos, quesadillas and burritos, but alongside a broad variety of New York-style and Mediterranean pizzas.

When asked what makes the restaurant’s pizza stand out among the many other pizza options around Happy Valley, Hiyajneh mentioned the quality of the sauce, cheese blend and overall ingredients, but also the restaurant’s namesake process.

“It’s the way we cook [the pizza] at a higher temperature,” he said. “That’s why we call it 700 Degrees. We cook at a higher temperature and it cooks within between three to four minutes, with the pizza done and crispy. … Our prices are very competitive, too.”

View the Fava Kitchen menu at www.favakitchen.com, and learn more about 700 Degrees Pizza at www.700degreespizza.com.

Holly Riddle is a freelance food, travel and lifestyle writer. She can be reached at holly.ridd@gmail.com.