Fab Fajitas & Pita has far-flung flavors, diverse menu

Looking fora place to locate a business in Batavia, Victor Canastraro stumbled onto a storefront and an inspiration he couldn’t pass up.
Canastraro stood behind the counter Monday as Fab Fajita & Pita welcomed soft opening customers, eager to share a myriad of diverse tastes but a clear goal in mind.
“We’re providing a healthy and tasty alternative to fast food,” Canastraro said of a selection that includes namesake pitas and fajitas, wraps, salads and entree-sized plates of french fries of every stripe.
Although he’s outfitted the restaurant with all new coolers, prep tables and chairs, it was the existing restaurant space and a desire to share family recipes that triggered this project. Canastraro believes a West Main Street Road plaza could be the launching point for expansions and franchises down the road.
“I’m a dreamer, but I really believe this is the beginning of a chain, it’s unique in a sense that it’s fast, and it’s quality,” he said.
But it starts with a menu of 11 wraps, fajitas and pitas, a half-dozen loaded fries, slads and home-made baklava and other deserts. The backbone of the restaurant come from three sources — Canastraro, his wife Dawn, and nephew Bob Manley — who all have specialties on the menu.
Dawn has credit for the original fab fajita, which has a succulent chicken breast with peppers, onions and sour cream; while Vic’s five-generation sauce recipe goes into “The Silician” — which boasts calamari, lettuce, tomato and lemon juice in addition to the home-made sauce. Other sandwiches include BLTs, traditional gyros, Philly-style steak, Buffalo-style chicken and a California-style light chicken.
“The one I’ve had the most questions about is “The Hangover”, which is grilled sirloin steak, two eggs over-easy with just enough yolk to saturate the pita and fries,” Canastraro said.
The fries range from greek-dressing and feta coated, mozzarella and brown gravy to Red Eyes – topped with two sunny-side up eggs and a spicy Sriracha hot sauce. Mixing healthy and greasy options is intentional.
“I’m not a healthy guy,” he jokes, “and my wife works out every day. I like greasy foods, she likes healthy foods, this a place where you can get both.
Among Canastraro’s other businesses are another field where diverse flavors are important — e-liquids for vaping. The restaurant has the layout of a Chipotle or other fast casual restaurants, but with home-made ingredients and fresh vegetables and spices on both the line and framed on the bright green walls.
Most of the restaurant’s foods range from $4 to $6, prices intended to encourage a different kind of fast food choices.
Fab Fajitas & Pitas, 4152 West Main Street Road, Batavia is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, and from 11 a.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays. For more information, call 585-815-1508 or visit facebook.com/FabFajita.

By JIM KRENCIK, Batavia Daily News