Pakiza Restaurant

Great food, good service, and definitely authentic. Plenty of open table spaces and a good variety of food. The owners/​managers went out of their way to welcome us and I will definitely be returning.

This rocks! They are super nice. The food is delicious and super cheap! Definitely worth it! Clean inside and lots of tables. And there is a pool table!

I stumbled upon this place quite by accident the other day. I was actually parking under the EL tracks through spothero when I was greeted by the most wonderful of smells. Looking around to see where these aromas were originating from, I deduced that it could only be this restaurant, because it was right in front of me. There were many cabs in the parking lot, and men from other countries enjoying various dishes. I ordered the fish biryani to go. It was reasonably priced at $ 11. When I finally got home to enjoy this food I nearly fell over. It was DIVINE! I am definitely going back!!!

I am extremely impressed with Pakiza Restaurant. I’ve been coming here for quite some time and ever since there was new management, the atmosphere has completely changed for the better. If you’re looking for great service and great food, Pakiza is a must!

Very good food and service. The chicken is very tender. The pita bread is very fresh and the hummus is very good. It is recently under new management.

For Dhaba cooking fans, this is the perfect place. Hits the spot. If you expect anything other than dhaba food/​atmosphere, go to India House nearby or do carry out.
Went early on a Thursday evening to carry out food for a picnic. Ordered, then had a hand-​made paan while waiting … 15 mins later carried out an awesome picnic spread for two for $ 11. Yes, $ 11.
Plus points: 3 whole wheat fresh rotis (not the sickly pasty white ones like other places). Awesome Karahi Chicken. Nice daal to go with, and also provided onions/​raw green chilles and raita on the side.
Minus points: Raita could be better, and service could be a little faster, but really that’s it. Order ahead if in a hurry.
Bottom line: Great place to stop by when in downtown and want to grab some authentic dhaba food.
Also for Baba Palace fans, this place works juust as well at 3 AM :)

Let me start with the good. If you are a Muslim living in the area, there are Friday prayers held here at 115pm and the food is halal.
Now to the bad. The attitude of the people there was as if I owed them something. I went in before prayer time and by the time the food was ready, it was time to pray. I asked him to keep the food for a few while I went and prayed, it was as if I had hit his head with an iron rod, he was extremely rude. I come back, get my food and sit down to eat. I went with frontier chicken as it is most difficult dish to spoil, or easiest to cook. The only thing good about it was the chutney on the side. The chicken was spiced in red chillies only apparently and had no taste to it whatsoever. I just used the chutney and eater to flush the food down my throat.
And now to the ambience, this place is literally like a dump, I was actually pretty surprised that the government has not shut this place down, the hygiene was lacking and so were manners in not only the hosts but all the guests. My suggestion, NEVER GO TO THIS PLACE FOR FOOD, LIKE NEVER EVER!!!

Judging by the 40 or so cabs constantly parked behind this place, it’s a cabbie hangout.
Food was a little too greasy, menu was very unclear and written on a whiteboard. I ordered the ginger chicken, but chicken tikka masala (one of my favorites) suddenly appeared on the menu after I had gotten my food, which upset me. I would have gladly waited for it.
Tables were a little unclean. The samosas weren’t crisp and were very bland, seeming to lack the usual saltiness and flavor which I have come to expect from other restaurants.
I would suggest you try Ghareeb Nawaz on Devon instead.

I feel sorry for folks who take food served in most South Asian restaurants as true representation of the respective country’s cuisine !
Pakiza is one of the more egregious example of whats wrong with South Asian restaurants in USA; especially Pakistani restaurants ! The food served here is cooked by low waged Mexicans line cooks who have been thought so by the owner of the place; who by the way is not a trained chef !
not only the food does not taste good, the owner of this establishment uses the least quality goat meat !
Only reason the place has survived is, its proximity to downtown plus the Pakistani cab drivers don’t have many choices !
Not only is the food not cooked properly, the establishment is a dump; the bathrooms are the nastiest, dumpiest ones i have seen in a while !
The person who owns the place shows little interest in keeping his restaurant clean & it shows !

This is like a little hole in the wall indian restaurant where all the cab drivers go to. I had the chicken biryani when I went and was pretty impressed with it. They only have selected items on the menu. Kinda like the Specials of The Day that are being served. The food is alright there. The only turn off is the location and the appearance of this place. My friend and I felt kinda out of place while sitting in there eating since we were the only girls.

I went here again in March 2010.
$ 27 for two people.
Lots of little bones in everything.
Less impressed with the novelty this time.

An interesting experience into life as a cab driver. The very pleasant owner chatted with us at the counter and made some suggestions. We had the goat and rice dish and a couple of other seasoned meat dishes, a couple of orders of naan bread and a couple of cans of soda and the bill was exactly $ 27 for two people on a Friday afternoon at 2:00 pm.
They have some hygiene issues, so don’t go here if it will turn you off to see some dirt. But do go here if you enjoy Chicago’s diverse ethnic fabric and love good food that is served with a smile.
Open ²⁴⁄₇; 365 days.