Pinkys

Ordered a meatball sandwich and took it back to the office. Bread was stale so it was difficult to chew through. The meatballs were pretty bad, I think I crunched down once on one of them. The whole sandwich smelled old, like freezer burn.

If you want a sandwich that taste couple days old and smell like wet rags, then go to Pinkys!!! stay way from this place!

Used a groupon for a gyros plate. Bonus: it’s a LOT of food. Tons of gyro meat with two whole pitas and a bag o’ fries. The taste, however, is lacking. It’s just really greasy and not that exciting. I love tzatziki sauce and that should provide all the flavor, but all I tasted was yogurt and onions and not that wonderful cucumber and dill cooling sensation I wanted on my meat.

Very good fast food spot we ordered chorizo eggs and potatoes it came with 3 tortillas and was so fresh and hot we had to wait for it to cool off. We also ordered a pizza puff it was bigger then usual and very good. We would definitely eat here again. Location was great as well able to jump right on the train upstairs!!!

I wasn’t sure what to expect when the restaurant is located in the food court, but this was a quality spot. I got the gyro sandwich and the grilled chicken on a pita and both were quite good. I truly appreciated the portions. There was seriously a chicken breast on my pita. This spot is very reasonably priced given that it’s downtown. The staff was pretty quick and efficient. I think it’s a great value, and would certainly come back again.

Fast food spot in the Thompson Center. I ordered a gyro cheeseburger that was pretty good. They were a little skimpy with the gyro meat though. And the fries weren’t that good but I was given alot. End of the day its not a place you go out your way to get something to eat at. Its basically a food spot you go to if you don’t want the typical fast food chains (taco bell, KFC, etc).
Like everything else downtown its basically a dollar more than usual prices. But its still affordable. My combo meal was about 8 dollars.

Review by B
Food Poisoning.
Incompetent Employees.

I ordered a gyros salad and it was horrible! I basically paid 10bucks for this garbage. I would never order from them again.

I’ve got a little secret, shhhhh, don’t tell anyone. But Pinkys has, quite possibly, one of the best salads in the Loop.
Salad, you ask skeptically? Yes, that was not a typo. For a little over $ 7, you can get a giant chicken caesar salad that is piled high with freshly grilled chicken, enough to make 2 lunches out of, which I usually do.
That’s much better than the overpriced, tiny bowl of rabbit food that costs more than $ 8 and leaves you hungry, and a little angry — I’m looking at you, Cosi.

Staff is nice but this food was gross! I got the catfish strips and the were fried too hard and the fish not seasoned. They were bland and the tarter sauce was runny. The fries were ok but nothing to write home about.

There must be a dozen restaurants in this food court. Some equally as bad, some better. When you compare prices of the different venues in the basement of the Thompson Center, just get the food you want– although there are not a whole lot of healthy and fresh options.
The employees were nice and helpful, the food is about what you would expect from a gyro-​joint if you have lived a few years in Chicago.

There are times when a 3 is an «A-​OK» 3, and times when a 3 is an enthusiastic, bomb-​ass 3.
Pinky’s gets an enthusiastic bomb-​ass 3!
Let me say on the outset: You really don’t want to be eating in the Thompson Center Food Court in the first place. It is a smörgåsbord of heart attack/​ischemic stroke/​diabetic coma food. But there are times when you’re going to find yourself there at 2PM, having a low-​serotonin, hunger shake, nutrition-​deficient headache moment and you’re going want food and want it now.
In those moments you’ll want to skip BK, KFC, Arbys, Taco Hell and that awful Sbarro pizza that’s been sitting there since 10 a.m., and head straight for Pinkys.
Pinkys has delicious turkey burgers (albeit served on a white bun), gyros and fresh, hand-​cut fries. I don’t eat hotdogs but I’m told the hotdogs and polishes rival what you’d get on Maxwell Street. For the value, you can’t beat it either. On the occasions I’ve had to eat there, the turkey burger special is my consistent choice — $ 6.29 for the burger, fries and a drink.
To stave off the shakes and not feel like I’m totally clogging my arteries, that ain’t bad.
Decent food, decent prices, decent location, fast service. This is why Pinkys gets enthusiastic bomb-​ass 3 stars — it ain’t the best, but it’s the best of a bad lot.

This place is fine for what it is, a food court hot dog stand, but that is about it. I have only ever eaten the hot dogs from here, but they do have a fairly large menu with all sorts of other goodies from beef to burgers (your typical Chicagoland hot dog stand fare). The hot dogs are alright, nothing special. The fries are a bit gross… not really a fan of those at all. I will keep coming back here, because it’s across the street from my office and I can get there through the Pedway, but that is the only reason. Not a place to go out of your way to go to, but in a pinch, I wouldn’t turn it down.
Oh, one last thing, the prices are a tad outrageous. three hot dogs and a bag of chips will set you back $ 9… that’s gotta be more expensive than eating at Portillo’s, which can gouge people because of its tourist-​destination status.

Delish.
I got a philly cheese steak and loved it. The Thompson Center is the mecca of fast food and Pinky’s is King.

I had the chicken breast sandwich on a pita, sans mayo. The chicken was not greasy, warm and plentiful. The pita bread was soft and the veggies were fresh. I was pleased!

Typical fast food joint, so you can’t really expect too much from here. HOWEVER, I do expect my chicken tenders to be cooked thoroughly. Took my first bite, and it was half cooked! It was raw in the center. Upset, I went to the counter, and the guy compensated me by providing 5 more chicken fingers opposed to the 3 I got with my original order. A few seconds later, he tossed me a cookie. Avoid this place.

So I am self-​proclaimed expert on the Italian Beef so I was excited to find Pinky’s had the word ‘Beef and Gyro’ attached to the them.
The beef was alright. I wouldn’t say it was terrible; but I also wouldn’t say it was great. It was simpley ‘Meh.‘
The beef was a bit too cut up. A well made beef should have velvety ribbons of razon thin beef. This beef took on the texture of ground beef that mated with some cauliflower… just too crumbly for a beef.
The peppers were okay, but none too fresh. Probabaly just bought and stored in a jumbo vat in the back.
The bread is where they really messed up. The bread should be crusty and chewy; so that it can withstand being dipped and doesn’t fall apart during eating. This beef was falling out faster than the muffintops on girls when the weather gets nicer.
The fries were interesting. They seemed of the «fresh-​cut» varietal, but the execution was poor. The fries imparted no crunch, but I enjoyed that they actually tasted somewhat like potatoes.
Stick to their gyro burgers, or just go to one of the other 10+ restaurants there.

My co-​workers and I rejoiced when we saw this new beef/​burger/​gyro joint open up in the building. They have great turkey burgers, fries and chilli. They also have good deals on breakfast. Breakfast sandwiches with real cheese, ham off the bone and eggs. And if you get one of the combos they give you a huge portion of hash browns :) No fake stuff like DD.
Sure, it might be greasy but at least you know it’s real meat.

Ick, yes, fast food = grease but this is basically food that has been soaking in grease for a while. I could have squeezed a cup of oil out of my fries alone. Their menu is pretty standard for a fast food joint: burgers, gyros, italian beef, hot dogs, etc. Prices are average for the area, roughly $ 6 – 7 with fries and soda. Service is fairly quick although it can get hectic when there are half a dozen ppl all huddled waiting for their food.

It’s your standard, delicious, greasy fast food. They have a pretty wide variety, though– from gyros and burgers to ribs and Italian beef to catfish strips and gumbo. They even have breakfast and milkshakes. For me, the one thing that sets this place apart from similar places is that their fries taste just like the ones Demon Dogs used to serve– and those fries have a very special place in my heart. I would have given this place 5 stars for that alone, but I decided to take away two stars because eating here for lunch will only make you feel gross and sleepy later on in the afternoon. I’m usually willing to take that risk, though. Since Pinkys is just at the Thompson Center, it shall become my I-​hate-​my-​life-​therefore-​I-​will-​stuff-​my-​face-​at-​lunch spot. Yay. ;)