Pita’z entrepreneur opens new venture in NewBo City Market with Capo Italian Beef

CEDAR RAPIDS — A trek one local restaurant owner makes to Chicago every few weeks has produced a new journey with his latest venture: Capo Italian Beef.

Eli Harika, owner of Pita’z in Hiawatha and NewBo City Market, started making the trips to Chicago for his own restaurants when he opened his first location in 2009. Most of his supplies for Mediterranean food with a Lebanese specialization are sourced there.

But the thing he eats every time he stops in Illinois is an Italian beef sandwich or Chicago Dog from local restaurants like Luke’s or Portillo’s.

So when a new spot opened up in NewBo City Market, the most obvious choice was an easy one for the entrepreneur.

With a menu of fewer than 10 items at Capo Italian Beef, you can try his favorites in hot dog, sandwich, and rice bowl iterations with Italian beef or sausage.

Sandwiches are offered soaked in a seasoning-packed au jus, or with au jus on the side — a blend of flavors he says makes his sandwiches stand out from the local competition.

The proprietary seasoning blend includes oregano, basil, seasoned salt, garlic powder and five other ingredients that offer a little kick. Sandwiches are loaded with a variety of giardiniera peppers, sliced onion, sweet peppers or jalapeno with a choice of cheddar, provolone or cheese sauce.

Oven-roasted beef is shaved by hand after being cooked in small batches — an adaptation Harika started making in June that has improved his offerings.

“The au jus is the key for it,” Harika said. “That’s where we add most of the seasoning.”

The shop’s main Italian Beef sandwich and the Chicago Dog are, so far, the most popular sellers since Capo opened in June.

Although the Lebanese man has never run an Italian beef restaurant before, he’s learned a lot about authentic preparation through observation.

“When I go down and eat it, I see how they slice it,” he said. “I just ask questions.”

Background

Harika, who has lived in Iowa since 2002, moved to Cedar Rapids to attend school after visiting his aunt, whose family owns Olive Tree Family Restaurant in Cedar Rapids.

Growing up in a family that has run food businesses before, it was a natural progression for him to eventually open up Pita’z in Hiawatha

“It was kind of the thing to do,” he said of opening the restaurant. “It was a new opportunity.”

There, he had to overcome a lack of local familiarity with his food by handing out a lot of samples for his Lebanese and Greek-adjacent food.

Two restaurants later, he runs his latest franchise with an eye for an eventual food truck and stand-alone location for Capo. He also hopes to focus on strengthening the wholesale side of his business, which sells pita chips, hummus and baba ganoush to area Hy-Vees.

Comments: (319) 398-8340; elijah.decious@thegazette.com