Unlike jean pockets, which tend to leak when stuffed with hummus, pita pockets make an excellent airtight vessel for storing chickpea-laden edibles. Indulge in Middle Eastern delicacies without ruining your denim with today's Groupon: for $9, you get $18 worth of Mediterranean fare and drinks at Ali Baba Restaurant in El Cajon.

The seasoned chefs at Ali Baba Restaurant cook up a menu of authentic Mediterranean halal dishes in a dining room lavished with colorfully tented tables. Feast on the deliciously silent lambs with a charcoal-cooked lamb kebab ($12), heart ($13), or liver ($13) accompanied by a smattering of tomatoes, parsley, pickled turnips, onions, and freshly baked bread.

Meat-abstainers peruse well-ripened vegetarian noshes such as veggie-kebab patties molded from a carrot, onion, bread crumb, celery, bell pepper, and sunflower seed mixture ($12). Pita-worthy pairings include the eggplanty baba gannouj ($5–$8) and crushed-garbanzo-bean hummus ($5–$8). End edible excursions with a piece of baklava ($1.50) and a potent cup of arabica coffee sure to leave imbibers more alert than a parrot in a shark tank ($1.50).