"God bless you, sister. Â And, you will want to know that we have a beauty salon next door, here take this brochure, you have beautiful eyebrows, please come next door!"
Are you kidding me?
The man (owner??) at Pita Queen lost my respect when he unabashedly heckled me as I left the restaurant. Â He made me uncomfortable and it also pissed me off when he swooped in to take the tip money I'd left on the table when the entire time we had been waited on by another server.
The food was mediocre. Â The shawarma pita was dry - forget juicy, tender chicken or fluffy, fresh bread. Â Babaganoush was OK.
Will I try them again? Â Maybe. Â Probably not anytime soon. Â Would I ever dine in again? Â No.
Usually I tend to disregard the reviews that complain about services. Â However, having been overcharged too many times, I now fall into that camp as I am totally fed up with billing discrepancies. Â I ordered online which claimed that they had a 10% discount, which I thought might help balance their outrageous $5 delivery charge. My online receipt and confirming email reflected the discount. Â The receipt from the driver did not, however. Â On speaking with the manager she said that they no longer had the discount. Â I tried to tell her that it was on their website, on my receipt and on my confirmation email, but no no no. Â It's not a large amount, but they lied, made no effort towards anything like servicing their customer. Â This has happened too many times and I am sick of being nickle and dimed by restaurants. Â Zero stars for them.
Review Source:*Notice how their ratings are trending down over the past few months
I can vouch for this mainly because their food has started to taste stale and more dry over the past year that I've gone there. They try to offer both middle eastern and classic American burgers (or burgers in pita bread), which is all interesting and whatnot, but if it doesn't taste good, people are still not gonna get it.
It's also a little bit of a nuisance that the owner tries to cross-sell you into going into the 'beauty shop' next door, I'm guessing it's a family business or something. I guess he's also personable since he says hi and thanks you for your business during every visit. They also have a sign up charging $0.75 for refills on fountain drinks; if you charge for refills, you automatically lose a star, and are the reason why fast food conglomerates like McDonalds or Burger King get ahead - they don't charge for refills!
Lastly, I rarely go here anymore, but I went in to order something for lunch yesterday, and the employees were just standing around for the first 3-4 minutes chitchatting (cool, whatever, I waited). Then they take the order, and I watch the same man that was mopping the kitchen area, prepare my food, while continuing to use the same bare hands to mop. I might be a bit of a germophobe, but I ended up just throwing that meal out.
If I had to pick one thing that would be a safe bet, I would highly recommend the falafal (get the large order, and make sure to get the hot sauce, can't go wrong). The go-to for this place is the Chicken Shawarma sandwich, but lately it's been tasting kinda dry.
*They also have middle eastern music videos on their TV's, which is always amusing to watch while you're waiting for your order to be made.
Wow, this place has some really great food (from what I tried) and the owner was very nice and personable. I had the lentil soup, which was very yummy, some of the best I have tried. I also got the falafel sandwich, very tasty, just the perfect size too, I hate when falafel sandwiches have so much toppings that they are impossible to eat. The prices are super reasonable and the menu is huge. I'm giving 4 instead of 5 because I have only tried one thing on the menu, but this could change!
Review Source:I found this place by accident after seeing their menu in the window and being noticed by the owner. I was caught and felt guilty so I went inside. It was definitely the nicest staff and one of the cleanest kitchens I've ever seen, not a speck. I ordered the burger special, which might seem strange for an Indian place but it was one of their main menu. It was one of the best burgers I've had in Chicago. It was not a soggy mess pretzel roll gourmet burger, it was a regular bun, amazing slab of meat and cheese burger.
Review Source:Yay! I'm a fan.
I ordered a delivery order and I don't know how often you all order delivery in this city but to place an online order and to have it show up at your door 25 minutes later is like a dream come true! I was floored! I even sang a little victory song as I pranced back up the stairs to my apartment with my huge bag of food.
I placed an order through their website which granted me 10% off for an online delivery and an addition 15% off to being a first time customer (which pretty much just stuck a permanent smile on my face.) I ordered hummus, lamb kabobs, and falafel, all the large orders with my fingers crossed that I would like the food enough to have leftovers for tomorrow. First of all, I will probably have left overs through the next three days at least! Servings are generous especially the rice pilaf that came with the lamb and the toasted pita that came with the hummus. The food is also pretty delicious. The falafel got a little soggy sitting in it's to-go container (but that's to be expected) but still has great spices and flavoring. The hummus is really pretty beautiful and you can tell it's freshly made. I personally would like a little more garlic to it but it's smooth and comes with olive oil and spices on top that make it almost melt in your mouth. The lamb kabobs were delicious as well, placed on a bed of yummy rice, nicely spiced and accompanied by two kinds of sauces that i dabbled in. Â
Ah! just so good! The man who brought my food called to confirm my address cause it's a little tricky to find, and was so kind and friendly when he arrived after just 25 minutes. 25 MINUTES. BONKERS. I realize this may be because it's 5pm on a Sunday but still! SO pleased. SO happy. Will definitely order from them again next time i have a falafel fix that needs to be satisfied.
A very pleasant surprise! I was walking by and the owner was waving people in and the staff was equally as friendly. It felt like I had been there a hundred times even though it was my first.
I had the GYRO which was by far the best gyro I have had in my life. The lamb was perfectly seasoned, cooked, and sliced perfectly (not too thick, not too thin).
I would highly recommend this place to anyone who likes a nice neighborhood restaurant and food made with love!! Can't wait to go back!
My wife and I love the place and it became our favorite Mediterranean restaurant in the LP/LV neighborhood on our very first visit, which was a stop in after a swim at Bally next door.
The food is delicious, always (!) freshly made, and they have an impressive menu of favorites. We love their Baba Ghanouj, Hummus, Chicken Shawarma and the Veggie Combo Platter, which is heaped with a generous sampling of all their vegetarian fare, including their falafel, salads, hummus and baba, dolmas (grape leaves stuffed with rice) and pita.
I have tried the Chicken with Hummus dinner and the Chicken Feast dinner and they were both exceptional in taste, fresh as can be and very fairly priced for the portions.
We have not tried the salad bar yet, and every time we've noticed, the produce and food in it looks very fresh, never wilted or stale. We should try it once, but with all the incredible grilled and hot food they're so good at, we always think that eating salad there would be wasting an opportunity, especially since we don't visit as often as we'd like to and don't live anywhere near it.
The restaurant itself is kept spotlessly clean. The counter tops, the refrigerator, the coffee machines, wall art, everything in there is scrupulously clean. The tables themselves are sometimes in need of a wipe down, but it's understandable since the restaurant does not have table service and is instead self-serve.
Last evening, we even met the owner, the most friendly restaurant owner I think I've ever met. I give this place a 5 for the combination of freshness, taste, price, variety and cleanliness. Can't wait to go back.
Another tragic case of "I used to love her."
Today, 2:42 pm: Combo lunch/dinner order is placed via their online ordering system after discovering a fridge filled only with condiments and a cupboard full of Yelp Eats butter mints. Mints + Trader Joe's pear champagne vinaigrette dressing? No way. Expected delivery time is quoted at one hour.
4:11 pm: Where's my food, yo? I call them and get a busy signal. I'm officially hangry. Butter mint tally is up to three.
4:20 pm: They answer and incoherently explain that something happened and should they still make my order? The man says he can have it to me in 20. Of course I still want my food - I didn't know there was an issue and I've been expecting the call from my doorman for 40 minutes now. Butter mint tally: five.
4:58 pm: My late lunch (now early dinner) finally arrives 2 hours and 16 minutes after my initial order is placed, and without a discount. The food was fine (outstanding chicken, but the hummus flopped)... but, does it really matter if you screw up the customer service this badly?
Like Freddie Mercury said: The show must go on. But sadly, without this queen at my side.
While on the way to the Landmark Cinema at Clark/Diversey, I spied this eatery from the 22 bus. It looked like a great place to stop and get a pita sandy before the film. As time was tight, I opted instead to grab a falafel wrap to take with me and sneak into the theater.
They have an extensive menu of affordably priced Mediterranean fare - most of which looked really healthy and delicious. They also offer fruit smoothies, a juice bar and lunch box specials for $4.99 M-F, 11-3. They even have a little salad bar that looked good, too! It was good to see that they had some classic stuff like a turkey burger pita, chicken salad and veggie burger for those finicky folks who might say "I don't like Mediterranean food." There's really something for everyone on their menu.
The falafel wrap I got was really delish. It was stuffed full of delicious ingredients and very satisfying.
I'll be back, for sure!
I don't do four-star reviews too often. But this place is that good. Wholesome, delicious, fresh are some words I'd use. Unexpected, location, reasonable are the others. I was that happy.
At the table we started with grape leaves and lentil soup. Then I had the chicken shwarma pita. We also got a bottled beverage. For a pre-movie meal in this neighborhood, two people has a substantial meal for $16. That's good value in my book. We didn't even hit up their buffet which I also imagine will spoil you for options.
The salad bar is great and so is the baklava! I have been here a few times near the time they were closing, so I was not able to see them during peak business hours, but from what I read, most people enjoy the falafel. My bf knew the people who worked during the night shift, so we went a few times and he had lamb, which was really good. They are a little pricey, but most ethnic foods are. I want to return soon to try the gyros and falafel for myself. Parking on Clark is slim to none, so be warned.
Review Source:(set to the song by Lady Gaga)
"Don't be a drag, just be a Queen.
"Whether you're broke or evergreen"
"You're on the right track baby if you eat at Pita Queen."
Okay, I'm not a fan of Lady Gaga, but that rhymes. (I know. Take away my gay card!)
My friend Sage and I were in Boys Town yesterday and had a quick snack here. I certainly enjoyed my mint tea.
It was inexpensive, family run and actually pretty good.
No wifi and no public lavatory though. (I didn't see one)
For $17 after tax and tip, I treated myself to a veritable feast that lasted two meals: hummus, baba ghanouj, falafel, spanakopita, chicken shawarma, and a small serving of baklava. Their offerings are far superior to the other hole-in-the-wall joints in this neighborhood, particularly the juicy chicken shawarma and paprika-topped hummus.
Service for pick-up was a little spotty: there were no customers when I arrived twenty minutes after placing my order, and it took an additional twenty for the food to be ready and for the woman at the register (one of the owners?) to run the credit card. I was a touch frustrated at having to wait such a long time when it seemed they had nothing else going on, but it wasn't enough to detract from the overall experience, especially as I could buy their hummus and pita every damn day.
Extremely friendly husband/wife combo. Food is relatively inexpensive. I usually stick to meaty items such as gyros and shawarma and I can definitely say they are delicious. They use a combination of spices that I've never tasted before but now that I have, I'm hooked.
For the vegetarians out there they have a full salad bar, again inexpensive. It has all sorts of green goodies, and I will be trying the salads on my next visit.
I usually wait to write reviews until after I've made a second visit to a place--you know, just to be fair.
Tonight I stopped into Pita Queen simply out of the desire to try something new. It was on the later side, so the restaurant was quiet and it appeared that the staff was pretty well into the process of cleaning up. They were really nice though, and ready with menu recommendation to suit what I was looking for.
I ended up ordering the Veggie Burger Pita (to-go). When I got it home and unwrapped it, it took probably about 3 bites before I was completely obsessed. The veggie patty was incredible with a smoky, black bean flavor. The pita was soft and the tahini sauce that was on the sandwich was so good that I found myself wishing I had thought to ask for a side of it.
I will definitely be back soon with the hope that I'll enjoy it just as much as I did this time.
Give it a try!
(set to Abba's "Dancing Queen")
You can eat, you can jive, having the time of your life
See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the Pita Queen!
Tuesday night and the lights are low
Looking out for the place to go
Where they play the right lentils, getting in the falafel swing
You come in to look for a schwarma king
Anybody could be that guy
Night is young and the Diet Coke is high
With a bit of homemade soup, everything is fine
You're in the mood for a dance
And when you get the chance...
You are the Pita Queen, young and sweet, only seventeen (ha!)
Pita Queen, feel the beat from the tambourine
You can eat, you can jive, having the time of your life
See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the Pita Queen
Homemade lentil soup (large) + falafel plate + Diet Coke (very good Diet Coke, at that) right next to Landmark Century Theater. Falafel was excellent, lentil soup a bit mushy for my tastes, but homemade and hot. All for around $11, and served on real plateware. Quickly made, friendly service, ample tables, and quite clean and fresh.
Pita Queen! I'm the Pita Queen. Who wants to be my Falafel King?
My most favorite find this year! I randomly walked over here to grab a bite before a movie at the Century Cinema. And I could not have been happier. :) The Kifta Kabob was tender, juicy and well marinated. It comes with house salad, rice pilaf and soft, freshly baked pitas (as compared to the dried hard pitas I usually get from grocery stores). I've been trying different pita places for a while. This one certainly does not disappoint. They also deliver without minimum order. They cater as well with quite a few items vegetarian/vegan friendly. I'm sure to put them on my list when I need to put a party together.
Review Source:So, my Meh is on so many different levels. Â Food and cleanliness need to be addressed here. Â My falafel sandwich was bland and the falafel was stone cold in the middle. As a side note, I haven't been charged for a refill, in I don't know how long! So onto the cleanliness, or the lack there of. Â Tables were dirty, and there seems to be a sense of disorganization throughout the dining area. Â I'm in the area often, but I'm one and done with Pita Queen.
Review Source:Service was pretty slow even with a completely empty store for it was worth the way. The Falafel Sandwich is probably one of the best I've had. They have an extensive salad bar that you can indulge on for 4.99/lb. The lady at the counter was very friendly.
This is a perfect place for a vegetarian with many options available.
Lets start with the good things:
+The place was clean, bright and pleasant enough
+The staff was friendly and patient while I tried to decide what I wanted
+The musaka was really good. Â I've never had it before but it was my favorite thing I had there.
~The Hummus, Baba Ghanouj, Spinach, Falafel, and Tabouleh salad were just average
The things that make me not want to go back:
-The chicken schwarma was precut and a little hard and dry. Â The pita was a little tough and chewy.
-The falafel hummus sandwich/roll had no spice to it and there wasn't any hot sauce in site to save it. Â The lettuce, tomato and dill pickle on a grilled pita made it taste like Burger King's version of falafel. Â I prefer jerusalem salad on my falafel sandwich.
-The spinach pie wasn't very good and that's one of my favorites usually.
-Grape leaves weren't very good. Â I ate one and that was plenty.
This was spot #2 I check out after moving to the city on Monday....I walked by it Tuesday night with my friend, and came back yesterday with my brother for lunch.
For around $12 we got a small order of grape leaves (it came with 4), a beef schwarma pita and a falafel pita. Very good. I used to hate grape leaves, but in the past few months I've begun to enjoy them...these were good. They were warm, which is odd because I've only had them cold, but I liked it. They also weren't too minty, which is a plus.
My falafel pita was great. The falafels were perfectly done and seasoned well. The sandwich itself is huge, which I love (I still have half of it in my fridge that I'm saving for tonight). I love that they are rolled pitas, meaning that it's a thinner, but larger, pita than I'm used to, and the sandwich is rolled up more like a burrito, instead of having the ingredients stuffed inside of a small pita like at other places.
My brother liked his beef sandwich, and the piece of meat I tried was really good.
Overall, I'll definitely be back. They have an impressive salad bar for $4.99/lb, which is a price that can't be beat. I also love that they deliver, which will make after dark studying in my apartment more bearable.
I was craving shwarma and headed to Aladin's fairly late one night. It was almost 10pm so when I walked into Alladin's, they informed me that they were closed. To my delight as I was walking home, I noticed the neon open sign illuminating Pita Queen's window.
The sign on the door said that they were open until 10:30, so I happily entered with a couple of friends in tow. When we walked in, the woman behind the counter just shouted "we're closed,' but the man in the kitchen came out saying something and apparently they would allow us to order. First off, if you're sign says your open and it's 30 minutes before the sign says you're closing - don't be so abrupt and make me feel like an idiot for invading your closed space.
I appreciated the prices, the selection, and the fact that the cook was willing to let us order still. However, the hummus was lacking flavor. I specifically ordered a beef shwarma and instead receieved a dry, bland chicken shwarma. My sister's falafel was decent but the pitas were very thin and kept falling apart. Overall, we were all pretty disappointed with the lack of spice and flavor in all of our dishes. The good thing is that this place is maybe open late and the prices are right.
Pita Queen is my trusty, never fail lunch spot when I'm just not in the mood to fix anything. My two favorites are the $4.95/lb salad bar and the chicken pita dinner special.
The salad bar always has really fresh Mediterranean ingredients like spiced feta, olives, plus crab salad, chicken salad, etc. Their dressings are also really flavorful.
The chicken pita dinner special comes with plump, grilled chicken bites marinated and juicy with taziki sauce and LTO. The side is my favorite though. Their hummus is the best I've ever had and the reason for the fourth star! It is so rich and creamy, and sprinkled with a little paprika. It's served with warm, soft pita bread. I could eat it all day long.
The woman behind the counter is also very nice and can recommend dishes if you're unfamiliar. They also have delivery, yay!
After eating falafel in London, I thought I could never eat falafel in Chicago again. Â Everywhere else I've tried in Chicago has had falafel so dry and bland that they need to be covered in yogurt or tahini to even be edible. Â Pita Queen, on the other hand, has moist, flavorful, freshly made falafel every time I go in. Even so, their hot sauce is so good that I end up smothering my falafel anyway.
I also adore their baklava. Â Both the walnut and pistachio are fantastic, with just enough rose water flavor to taste authentic but not enough to taste like potpourri.
The only negative, if you can even call this a negative, is that it's not particularly quick. Â It's a mom and pop shop, and you can watch all of your food be made to order. Â To me, this is a positive, but something to be aware of if you're really in a hurry.
This hole-in-the-wall pita place is one of my neighborhood favorites!
The store itself is outdated, and a bit off-putting if you're a clean freak like myself. However, the authenticity and deliciousness of the food is undeniable!
The hummus is delicious and creamy -- and comes with warm pita bread. I love love love the grilled chicken kabob wrap with yogurt sauce. My friend tried the falafel, which was delicious as well. The salad bar always looks fresh.
And they deliver!
The food is amazing, heart-warming, which you can have it there, or take-out to go. Â The employees are cordial, and this is a place(local business) worth mentioning,supporting over other chain restaurants for many reasons:
1) They charged less for the food I ordered the first time(snafu in menu prices on paper and on the wall), and even upon insisting to pay the difference they were okay with me pay it next time.
2) Their fruit smoothies are fresh and love it.
3) Falafel is amazing, next time I am ordering a falafels on the side to go. Less oily, rich flavor, has a crunch (but not too dry nor fried for too long).
4) Veggie sampler is amazing and had the left overs for next meal.
5) They have a very good collection desserts including Baklava, cookies, etc.
I'd love to try the Salad bar one day, which looks enticing and cheaper.
It is your turn to promote a local establishment in a challenging times like this. Enjoy an amazing experience in a simple place(with regards to decor and show).
Unfortunately, I wasn't overly thrilled with the place. Â The food was decent but not that flavorful. Â I ended up getting a chicken kabob on a pita. Â I substituted spinach for lettuce. Â The sauce, cucumber, was that flavorful either. Â However, Â I did get a mango and peach smoothie. Â Quite tasty. If I decided to go back, I would try the hummus or something else.
Review Source:I really like this place. Why give it only 3-stars then? I guess it's because that everything I've tried is good, but nothing really knocked my socks off. It is nice to have a place that you know won't let you down. That's better than most places can boast.
First off, let me say that their hummus is quite good. I also think their wraps are the best deal. For less than $5 after tax you can get a falafel hummus wrap or a falafel baba ghanouj wrap. Both are very good. I wouldn't say they are as good as the ones you can get in NYC (and for only $3 no less), but they are as good as any in Chicago. I've also had their lamb and chicken kabobs. Both are pretty good.
It is right next to Century in case you feel like stuffing yourself with good food for half the price you'd spend on candy and a drink in the theatre. So, definitely give it a go for good food at a great price.
We were late for a movie and this was the best food option besides popcorn. Â We stopped in and although it's not much to look at; tile floors, fast food style tables, a buffett in the center and soda refrigerators on the sides, the food was really good. Â We shared a falafel wrap and it was really good. Â I've had falafels all over the place because my girlfriend is vegan and in a lot of places in the world that's the best you can do... so I have some experience with this sort of food. Â This was very, very good. Â I think the reason that I liked it more than any other falafel I've ever had was because the pita was very thin. Â Like very thin, like it had been split in two and anyways it was perfect. Â The rest of it was also delicious and I loved it. Â The only reason that I knocked off a star was because the decor wasn't great even by independent start-up standards.
Review Source:Falafel in Lakeview. Â Go for the falafel queen, a wonderfully portable wrap for those on the go. Â I walked to Belmont munching on falafel without making too much of a mess. Â The actual falafel was nice and moist with a more homemade taste than Sultan's. Â It may have also come from a box, but tasted better.
Review Source:Stopped in here on a lark tonight.  I went for the shawerma (they've made it more recognizable by calling it a gyro).  The special came with  fries and a drink.  The meat was actually very tender. The sauce was nice and creamy. My only gripe was the pickles in my shawerma (or gyro if you insist).  I understand that as a person  of middle eastern descent I'm basically set up for disappointment in situations like this.  However, I just don't understand why so many places engage in this abomination!  Pickles?  Really?  Otherwise, good value, great music in the background (1950's Egypt) and a nice staff.
Review Source:
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