I have been walking past this restaurant for years so the other day; I decided to check it out. Â Glad I did. Â It is actually a neighborhood gem.
Upon walking in, the ordering counter is right there - you can't miss it. Â The extensive menu is listed on the chalk board this hanging on the wall. Â Actually, there is something for everyone. Â Since I was in the mood for some french fries, I decided on the Chicken Tender platter with included a drink. Â You really can't go wrong with that. Â
You can sit at the small counter or at one of the five or six available tables. Â As I'm waiting for my order, I had how clean the restaurant was. Â There is a television to watch to kill time. Â I also noticed, this restaurant does a lot of carryouts. Â I believe that is always a good sign if the restaurant is good or not. My food was delivered to me within a reasonable amount of time. Â All of the tables had condiments which is a plus. Â I just had to ask for some silverware. Â No biggie.
I had received about three large pieces of chicken. Â Bigger than I had anticipated. Â Unfortunately, the fries were luke warm. Â Here is where this restaurant saved itself. Â Inside of refrying these fries, I was given fresh and hot fries. Â I was also given an additional piece of chicken. Â Great customer service. Â
Overall, the meal was okay. Â I even had to ask for a to-go container. Â For the record, the chicken tenders were good the next day - cold.
I would go back when I'm in the area. Â Go enjoy if you want a quick bite to eat.
Had a Google Offer. Â Got the lentil soup, spinach pie and chicken gyros.
Pros:
- Nice people. Â
- Tasty and fresh food. Â
Cons:
- EVERYTHING I ordered was luke warm. Â Nothing was as hot as it should have been.
- Lentil soup was good but was a bit thick for my taste and kind of bland.
- Spinach pie was good but I definitely have had better. Let's face it though, this place is a casual place so you aren't going to get the cooks whipping up homemade spinach pies here, but they are pretty good for a place as casual as this place.
- Chicken gyros was not great. I have only had chicken gyros a couple of times before and I didn't like them too much but there were so many great reviews of them I had to give them a try. Â Their chicken gyros was the best I've had ever, but... it wasn't hot enough and there wasn't enough meat in the sandwich. I'm not even a big meat person. I eat very little meat in general. Anytime I order a gyros, I always order an extra pita because there's no way I can finish all the meat given, so I make another sandwich and eat it the next day for lunch (maybe.. if it holds up ok overnight). Â Anyways, this was not the case here. Â There was definitely not enough meat. Â Very thinly sliced meat and not much given at all, so I wasn't too happy with that. They did not give enough tomatoes with the sandwich either, so I probably will have to try the chicken kabob sandwich instead next time.
I will definitely go back again though. Maybe it was just an off night, and since the food that I got was definitely really fresh and reasonably priced, I would return. Â I bet their salads are really good!
I would re-name this place. Â Fast and Fresh isn't right. . Â
You'll usually get served within 5 minutes (somewhat fast) and you're probably ordering a burger (fresh of the grill?). Â There's no freshly squeezed orange juice or noticeably fast service. Â I believe a gyro or burger at most places takes about 5 minutes. Â Same as here.
The food is piping hot. Â The burgers are good. Â The prices are reasonable. They have some turkish/mediteranean stuff which is delicious, I feel. Â Overall the food is A+ compared to 5 guys burgers or crappy turkish sit down place or equivalent. Â Also, I live across the street which is convenient.
Recently they redid the interior to make it more hip. There's sunken purple lights casting shadows on beige walls now. Also, they're big fans of turkish futball. Â They have a TV up and subscribe to the games. So if you're a Fenerbace fan, Â this could be your go-to at game time.
If I was in charge here, I'd ditch the Fast and Fresh moniker and put up a huge sign that said "PIPING HOT FOOD (including delicious burgers)/SUNKEN PURPLE LIGHTING/TURKISH FOOTBALL". Â
Also, they have a huge cartooney stuffed monkey in the window. I'd leave that out of the sign and keep it as a surprise.
Didn't give 5 stars...yet. I want to try it out a few more times, but my first experience was great.
Was looking for a later dinner (9:30pm), this place was open and stays open til 12 on week days. I got the chicken philly and a friend got the chicken gyro + fries. Food was fantastic. I would say it's definitely a freshER alternative for the food that they serve. The philly wasn't greasy AT ALL, Â and I didn't leave feeling too full. That being said, they didn't skimp out on flavor.
Fries were delicious, prices were good. So excited to get delivery, not that I don't live 2 blocks away... :)
Service super friendly, clean place and it was fast for us!
I live right around the corner and Fast and Fresh is great for a quick carry-out. The gyros are pretty good and I actually really like the chicken fingers. This place isn't likely to blow you away but it is consistently good food. Definitely more of a carry-out place but it is clean and the guys that work there are nice.
Review Source:These guys are actually not bad. Â Fast and Fresh, as you may realize from reading prior reviews, is the wrong name for the place, but the food is delicious. Â I wouldn't suggest eating in, because the ambiance is just non-existant in this greasy spoon, but take-out and delivery-wise, it's a go! Â They have hands down the best Philly Cheese Steak sandwich I have ever had, and my roommate got a veggie burger that was kind of to die for! Â Taste was reminiscent of an egg roll, but was delicious! There were entire pieces of peas and carrots through it! Â The chili cheese fries were awesome, and their fries in general are pretty boss.
Review Source:This place is pretty solid. My boyfriend has been here many times and he loves it. We ordered for pick up a few days ago. We both got the chicken gyros and an order of fries. Together our food came out to $13, not bad at all. The gyros was great. A generous portion of meat, onions, tomatoes and sauce on the side (which is smart, otherwise it would be super soggy). The pita was thick and fresh. The fries were wonderful. Super crispy. This place is open late and has a pretty decent menu with lots of items. I would definitely come back to this place to try some more items on the menu.
Review Source:Hate to give 2 stars. Â If I could send you pictures of the chicken, you'd agree with me.
I've never had anything great there. Â Pretty bland. Â Service is good.
I guess my main issue was getting some messed up looking chicken in my kebob. Â It was like dark and gross. Â I've had the chicken kabob there before and enjoyed it. Â This time it was not so good.
It's not great, but it'll do in a pinch. Â Steer clear of the chicken unless your a gambler.
Fast & Fresh is my "go to" neighborhood for take out or casual, no fuss eat-in.
The food is made to order and for a quick serve restaurant it's way above average. Â Chicken gyro is good. AKA the chicken doner. It's the same thing, on the menu twice for your convenience. Personally I always get the pita sandwich (~$5.75w/tax), even with the sides the dinner plate comes with it's cheaper to order them individually, but the plate does give you a tad more meat if you want leftovers or eat a lot.
They also have a few other kebabs... worth trying too. Â I haven't really tried much else, I wouldn't go here and order a hamburger or hot dog personally I like their kebab plates/pita sandwiches so much.
Instead of fries, try the yellow rice. I don't think it's really healthier, but it sure feels like it! And it's good.
They seem to do a pretty raging salad business, I've never had one but there are always (often female) people ordering them for carry-out when I'm there it seems.
It's BYOB and casual enough that I don't feel bad buying a 6 pack at Treasure Island and plopping down at the table and drinking a beer while I eat. There's almost always some sporting event on the television, which I normally don't get too involved with but  it's occasionally euro soccer or other things more interesting than ESPN.
The manager or owner or whomever is almost always there is very friendly.
In the summer they open up sidewalk cafe seating. They also deliver.
My only two cons: You won't find meat ingredients with adjectives attached it seems to be fairly run of the mill ingredients as far as that goes. That's actually a biggie for me, enough alone that it would keep me away from some places if their food wasn't as good, but there really aren't any other alternatives near that do either. Tomatoes are run-o-the-mill-Florida-water. And sometimes I want to eat in, but it's unbearably hot.
I had no expectations of this place, just looking for something quick to eat so thought I'd give it a try.
I've tried hummus all over this town, the myriad of places that have it all up/down this stretch of Broadway, Andie's, Reza's --- no go (don't get me started on ANY store bought stuff - always smelled like burning rubber to me). Â This place has hummus with the PROPER consistency and texture that I know from my exposure to the Lebanese culture anyway. Â It's not supposed to be smooth as baby-poo nor runny, nor lumpy. Â It's like a paste - the way it should be! I can tell they take their time with it. Thanks. Finally! Â It just needs a tad bit more flavor in my opinion (garlic?).
Pita bread was better than that generic stretchy stuff that's obviously manufactured at one place and distributed all over this city too. I'm used to the fresh baked but , hey, good enough.
Friendly service and they suggested the yellow rice along with my meal while couldn't figure out with what else I wanted to compliment it (I think I was just out of it that day). Â Great advice.
This place is just what the name stands for, fast & fresh. Fresh ingredients every time I've been and never a wilt lettuce. Not pricey at all and the staff are very friendly :) tzaziki sauce is yum and not too garlicky like most places make it.
I would recommend the gyro special with yellow rice, YUM :) that costs about $8 which is not bad at all.
Both the gyro and chicken gyro are very good. Although the name is fast and fresh, its not really fast service-- in fact its quite slow. However, the menu has a ton of items that I look forward to trying in the future, so I will be going back.
Prices are also pretty reasonable. Gyro, fries, and drink run you about $8.
I have no idea why this place is not atleast a 4 star on average. I love this place...dinner and lunch that is quick and so cheap and honestly its good food.
1. The gyro is good
2. Try the chicken kabob plate - its pretty good
3. The beef kabob plate
4. The lamb! omg it doesnt have that icky smell..!! its really good...i love the salad on the side as well.
I stopped into Fast and Fresh after my routine orange juice run to Treasure Island. I got the hummus/falafel combo..,
Hm.
I don't claim to be the expert on all things falafel, but these were a little harder than I was am used to. Had I taken one and thrown it at a person, I'd probably be in jail for assault with a deadly weapon, that's how hard they were. The pita wasn't that soft either, sort of stiff and crispy along the edges, as if someone had tried to prepare it the way you'd prepare a taco shell. I still ate and the taste wasn't bad, but it was definitely different. No problem with the hummus, but I'm normally easy to please when it comes to hummus.
I had a gyro there and would recommend trying it. There's various reasons to give this place a try, an extensive menu, low prices, decent grub, and really hot stuffed monkey sitting in the corner. How can one resist a hot stuffed monkey?
First of all, Fast and Fresh should just be called "Fresh". Â Every time I've been there I watch as they cook my food in front of me on the griddle, but it usually takes a while. Â Their strength is definitely their sandwiches, as the fries are mediocre at best. Â
The chicken shish wrap is excellent, and their tzatziki is some of the best that I've had. Â I highly recommend ordering it with feta, as they load the wrap with large chunks of feta. Â The atmosphere reminds me of the hole-in-the-wall places in New York City. Â So, stop by for your fresh, great meal.
I LOVE THIS PLACE! I come here to get my grease on. The food is far from healthy and, by keeping that in mind, its a delicious place for some fried food staples. When I went, I had the fried mushroom caps, french fries, and Philly cheese steak. All amazing.
The staff is friendly. The food took a little longer than I thought but was WELL worth the wait to satisfy my craving for some AMAZING food.
I call this place Slow and Greasy. Â It always seems to take an unusually long time to get my order and the food is usually soaked in grease. Â I do continue to return to this place because of their falafel dish and because I live so close. I should say I am a vegetarian so I can't speak for the meat. Â The staff is nice.
******Update, the staff is sooo nice, and the food has gotten better and faster, plus I am there so much it must be good, Â I am going to upgrade.:)
How can you not LOVE a place that has permanent Christmas Light decor, brightly painted interior & a GIANT MONKEY sitting on a high-chair?!?
This is your typical hole-in-the-wall-are-you-sure-its-THAT-GOOD kinda place. Trust me, the same questions ran through my head when I saw Fast & Fresh the first day I moved into Boystown. Â But with its tempting BYOB sign, friendly monkey at the window and 5-min walking distance, I was lured through the door before I knew it! Â The moment I am in though, the bell in my heart rang and I realized something grand - I've found the perfect, late-night fast food place!
First of all, have you SEEN the extent of their menu!?! Not too bad for a place with 6 tables, you can get anything from humus & falafel to 20+ choices of sandwiches, to 6+ burgers/hotdogs, a full dinner menu and Oh, don't forget about the MOUTHWATERING GYROS!!
I've had a lot of fast-food Gyros in Greektown, and most of the time they are overly greasy, lacks flavor / spices wrapped around in a stale, stiff gyro. Â Fast & Fresh really hits the spot though - their gyros are perfectly chewy, just the right thickness and rolls up perfectly around its juicy contents. I've tried both the chicken & beef gyro so far, and both have been juicy, tender meat infused with delicious spices, and additional caramelized onions in between. Â Each bite is so juicy and delicious that the void in your heart is filled, and the everything around you begin to sing!
Seriously, this is not an exaggeration.
They do have a pretty big flatscreen TV + powerful sound system in-store though ;)
You will never leave Fast & Fresh unsatisfied, and they deliver within 30min to surround areas! Remember to grab a menu the next time you are in, the menus have special delivery / dine-in coupons for FREE sides or fries!
Everything about this place makes me happy. Okay, okay, its not the healthiest of food choices but its fantastic, non the less.
the chicken gyro is amazing and really good if your not into the whole eating lamb thing. The salads are also really great if your trying to do the healthy stuff.
Everything is cheap and tasty and they are open really late every night of the week. Â What's not to like? Its also a family owned and run business so it gives you the whole comfortable-at home thing.
Highly reccomended for late night eats!
good spinach pie and an extensive menu, but they tend to mess up even the most rudimentary foods. Â My mozzerrella sticks were half cooked and I swear I could still taste the freezer burn. Â It sucks because this place is in a decent location and could be an excellent alterntive to fast food, but alas it fails to live up to its name. Â I have been there three times because it is close to my apartment but I dont think I will be going back.
I think I would rather just go to McDonalds, its cheaper and I know what I am getting.
This review is based on one meal: the chicken gyro with fries. Â
Fast and Fresh is open late and they always fry the french fries right after I order them. Â I'm addicted to their fries - they are absolutely perfect and I can eat a whole, huge bag by myself. Â The chicken gyro is so stuffed with meat I can barely finish it. Â I love the tzatziki sauce they make, too. Â YUM.
Fast & Fresh is simply a good fast food, neighborhood joint. It is not a destination restaurant that you venture to from another neighborhood, it just belongs to those who live in the surrounding area.
Although this type of restaurant is popular in the city, there aren't a lot in the surrounding, East Lakeview area. The next closest is Windy City Gyros up North though going South on Broadway, you'd have to walk 20 minutes before you find a similar restaurant.
Like a lot of places similar to it, you have to know what to order. Because I AM in the neighborhood and have been for 5+ years, I have found my usual, "go to" items after trial and error. (I do want to mention that the items I liked the least have already been eliminated or changed within the last few years). My "go to" favorites include the Chicken Gyro, the Falafel Sandwich, the Hamburger (surprisingly tasty), or the Philly Steak.
I know the name has been panned in previous reviews by reviewers going for the easy, obvious insult after having an experience they didn't like. That being said there are a lot of similar restaurants w/ names that most would consider far to generous though it's in the nature of these neighborhood fast food restaurants to pick a name that is catchy. All you need to know is that everything is made to order, so as a result it can't be THAT fast but it is therefore freshly made. You DO get your food in a REASONABLE amount of time.
Hope this gives you an idea of what to expect.
Wow, I have to say the reviews are kind of off on this one.
I've been here many times and they tend to be friendly most of the time, though not all the time. Â The falafel sandwiches are always great, even if the size of the pita is not always consistent. Â I always thought it tasted pretty fresh. Â The feta wraps are good. Â They're like egg rolls filled with feta cheese. Â Yum. Â The cheese fries and veggie burgers are serviceable. Â I've taken to getting lunch at Whole Foods because I'm pretending to watch my diet but I get falafel sandwiches from here once in a while and I've never had a bad experience doing so.
Neither fast nor fresh. Â So why do people go?
Maybe it's the foggy windows and doors - perhaps a nostalgia for a bacteria-ridden YMCA pool? Â Or the need to eat at a sticky table covered with pages from the Reader? Â Honestly, it's because it's convenient, open late, and gives unconscious drunks their greasy fix before they pass out.
We ordered the fish sandwich. Â We weren't expecting the spectacular quality that Maxwell's offers, with grilled onions and mushrooms. Â But I did expect something better than Arbys or the Filet-O-Fish from McDonalds. Â (BTW, if I hear that Filet-O-Fish commercial jingle one more time, I'm gonna cut someone.) Â Now, don't get me wrong, Arbys and McD's fulfills a need at a good price. Â Sometimes, you just gotta get it.
Not here. Â The fish sandwich was dry and I think mine had skin/scales in it, it was that bad. Â And we had to wait a good 15 minutes for our food, even though we were the only ones there. Â Prices weren't even that great.
Walk to Halsted and get the drunken food you actually want, Taco & Burrito Palace. Â Otherwise, if it's not late, there are plenty of other options on Broadway and Halsted. Â I live right around the corner and would rather go home and cook something myself than spend any money here. Â And I'm one lazy bum.
Two stars, only because the lady at the counter was nice.
Whoa.
A one-star smackdown from Colleen C!?
Believe it, friends. I was lookin' for a quick lunch spot, but nothing super fast foodie, or greasy. Ah, ok..."fast & fresh" sounds promising! NOT. This is why I check Yelp reviews before patronizing. Holla.
It takes quite much to peeve me. I shall start with a few short points...
1. The place reeked of ammonia. They were cleaning the windows, but my entire lunch all I could recollect is "cat pee." It's not a good thing.
2. My falafel was SO DRY, I literally had to drink a swig of Diet Coke to wash it down (EVERY BITE). It was so terrible.
3. The pita/wrap thingamajig was...STALE. Yes. Like hard and crispy around the edges like when I decide to leave burrito packages half open in my fridge. But, that doesn't bother so much because that's MY fridge, and I didn't pay $5 for it. So, yes. Stale.
So, to recap:
Dry, stale, cat pee.
About sums up my feelings towards this place. ::::shakes head::::
Like everyone else who has reviewed this place, I live right next to it (around the corner, actually).  If I am exhausted, sick, hungover, or otherwise incapacitated, then I'll come here.  The quality of the food has really gone down over the last year and a half or so.  Also, I ordered a hot dog here once, and they put ketchup on it - blech!  Come on!  That  being said, I'll probably still come here when I need warm food but don't want to order in.
I threw in an extra star for the nice blonde girl who is always working the counter and for the inexpensive food. Â You've been warned!
The food is decent at best, I have only been there twice and I really have no complaints with taste or quality of food but it is nothing special.
Anyways, the name is what drops the rating... They claim its Fast and Fresh, while I have no idea how fresh the food is, it is by no means fast. Â I am talking like 10-15 mins for a cheeseburger. Â So they should just change it to Fresh as long as they can live up to that claim.
Naming this place "Fast and Fresh" is like naming me "A Mustachioed Asian Man who lives in California." Both names would be completely false.
This place is so stupid. It's stupid because
1) it is not Fast, being that a hamburger takes like 15 minutes;
2) it is not Fresh, being that the aforementioned hamburger was frozen 30 minutes ago and is flat and gross and tastes like a hot lunch from the grade school cafeteria;
3) it is very close to me, which would make it convenient if it didn't blow, but it's just taking up space that could be occupied by something awesomer, and
4) the one main thing that would be redeeming is that it offers delivery, but I would be the laziest lazy in the history of laziness if I ordered delivery so someone could bring something across the street. But I contemplate it sometimes. Which just makes me feel bad about myself.
I resent Fast and Fresh for even daring to exist.
I love this place. Â The cheeseburgers are great, the turkey burgers are better, gyros, chicken gyros, falafel, and even their ham and cheese is all really good. Â
It's not the healthiest, but I think the food is great for what it is. Â
The service has always been quick and they're very, very friendly. Â They recognize and remember the names of regulars and are more than happy to ask you how things are and what's new! Â
Wonderful service, and wonderful fast food!
I won't go into all the boring and gruesome details, but at one point my roommate and I were both having supremely bad weeks. Â As in, job woes, car trouble, boy trouble, girl trouble, etc. and we ended up ordering from this place every night for a solid week because they deliver and because it was close enough to our apartment that the fried food was still hot when it arrived. Â
"Cheesy fries? Â Mozzarella Sticks? Â Yeah, we'll take a double order of those. Â And why don't you throw in some chicken strips and a gyro?" Â
Yes, it was like this every night for a week. Â And I'm not even exaggerating. Â
On what ended up being the last night on our run of ordering delivery from this place, the delivery guy (who recognized us by that point) made the comment, "y'know, you girls are lucky you can eat all this fried food and still be skinny." Â
We both just sort of stood there and were like, "uhhhh, yeah." Â And then we never ordered from them again out of sheer embarrassment.
I think we ended up stopping there once or twice more to "dine-in", if you can call it that, but it wasn't the same as having it delivered and being able to peel away the delivery bag from the yummy congealing grease. Â
I give it 3 stars for what it is: a mom and pop fast food joint.
Fast and Fresh is a great place to grab a quick bite when you don't feel like cooking. Â The people there are friendly and the food's not bad either. Â Their portions sizes are a plus. Â And the fact that I walk home in less than 5 minutes after getting my food is awesome.
If you're looking for fine dinning, this not the place. But if you're looking for something quick that's not Mc Donald's it's perfect.
My first review!!
It's a typical carry-out spot. Â Nothing fantastic, nothing tragically bad.
I live *very* close to Fast and Fresh. Â When we first moved in, it was sort of our go-to cheap 'n quick joint. Â Both of us could usually get full for $15 or so, total, and since it's so close it wasn't a bad deal. Â There isn't much to comment on as concerns the atmosphere or service (typical), soI'll just list some of the things we've had and how I'd rate them in case you stumble here via google.
Good: Â The gyros, the pizza puff, and the corn dog.
Mediocre: Â The fries, the mozz stix, and the kebabs.
Bad: Â The burgers.
Overall, it gets a three, smack dab in the middle of the ratings scale. Â You definitely shouldn't expect gourmet (and who would?), but it's not going to be terrible either. Â And the prices are okay, too.
The place up the road at Broadway and Addison near Angelina's and Jewel is better, but not so much better that it's worth the extra walk when I am steps away from F&F.
The place has been renovated, and is a lot nicer inside. I can't tell for sure, but they may have changed ownership. The girlfriend had a cheeseburger and fries, I had the two hot dog special. It was a good amount of food for just a shade over 11 bucks, but you might be able to do a little better quality-wise elsewhere. The fries (not the fresh cut style) tasted a tad bit funky... old cooking oil?
Decent option if you're nearby, being served on a glass plate is a nice touch.
After warming up to the owners and vice versa, I have really begun to enjoy this run of the mill carry out joint. Â The burgers and crispy steak fries solve that quick fix. Â On nice days, you can grab a seat outside. Â If the place weren't down the street from me, you would not see me there very often - but the convenience of this greasy spoon gets my (often late night) returns.
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