Pita Inn

I absolutely LOVE this place! I have been coming here for years with my parents/​family, and now my friends! They have recently remodeled the location and it looks wonderful! They always seem to be busy, especially during lunch and dinner hours! So come at an off time if you want a bit more room and less of the rush.
The customer service here isn’t the best — some of the cashiers have a bit of an attitude. We did have a problem with our order once, however the manager came by, apologized and offered us a gift card.
The food is why I keep coming back! It is probably the BEST middle eastern fast food place that I have tried yet. The sauces (tahini and hot sauce) also make this place unbeatable — they are so delicious and I douse it onto my dishes. We usually order the falafel platter — the pitas are nice and soft, the dishes are plentiful, and the price is affordable. I always leave this place stuffed, but somehow always still manage to get in a bite of their baklava. :) Definitely a must-​try if you are in the area!

Amazing food. I love their Falafal its so delicious. really fast services you cant go wrong when you come here.

Pita Inn is a Skokie staple, very popular for Middle Eastern food, and the newer location is bigger and better. It’s much more spacious with a nice dining room if you eat in. They give you a pager if you order carry out. Either way, I do agree with my friend Vikki that once you pick up your food at the counter, whether it’s for dine in or carry out, the connection is lost. You get your order and they move on.
As far as the food, what they do really well is their rice, chicken Shawarma, their salads, which are always fresh and delicious, and their hummus… Yum! (Baba ganoush, not so much). What has been disappointing is their meats. While they have a great variety with lamb and two kinds of beef, they’re hit or miss. Seasoned well, yet often dry. Especially the beef kabobs… but the lamb, too. I always have to use the sauces and for dipping. And I’d skip the sandwiches.
They are generous with their Tahini and hot sauces, and we love their garlic sauce for an extra 75 cents. (Their falafel are ok, but I’m telling you, the best falafel in Skokie is at Gus Gus, a smaller establishment on Oakton with honestly better food… yet they can’t compete with the likes of mega chain, Pita Inn.)
I will say that the smells in the area when you’re driving down Dempster are very, very appealing, and service is prompt. And the business lunch during the week is an excellent value. It’s a very popular place, and overall pretty good… for mass produced, fast food.

Food is always excellent. Their hot sauce and Tahini sauce are the best I’ve ever had.
The staff/​family are very warm and welcoming.
The space is very clean, and open… and always seems to be busy with loyal and new patrons. Solid spot for a healthy, delicious, and quick Middle Eastern meal!

Pita Inn is a great fast healthy choice for Mediterranean Food. I ordered the chicken Fattoush salad and it was great!
Their hummus is also really good. I also have come here for lunch on many occasions and the business men’s lunch is a great value.
Service and price here are also very reasonable and I will definitely be back.

I heard about Pita Inn through word of mouth. I came around dinner time and there was a long line inside but plenty of seating. I ordered the chicken shawarma sandwich and it lacked flavor – I regret not adding hummus because it seemed very dry. The falafels were okay but were a tad bit hard. Overall, I wasn’t impressed and I probably would not come back.

I am sorry but I don’t remember the Pita Inn originally in the Skokie area prior to moving was this bad in service.
I’ve witnesses two different occasions of unacceptable service.
1. I was waiting in line, a couple just decides to cut straight into me, the guy at the cash register did not say a thing and just proceeded to take their order. Someone in my party actually had to say, hey, I am sorry but you cut right in front of us.
2. We placed a pick up. On the phone they did not tell us we need to know our ordering number, and since we placed our order on the phone, it’s not like they have us a ticket. I showed up, I told them my name the order was under, they kept saying they needed the order number. After a big mess, they finally found my order. Then I just wanted to verify and make sure they gave us hot sauce. The guy ignored me at first and looked away, then I asked again, he got frustrated and pulled open our take out and shoved the condiments bag in our face and said, «is this enough»?
I don’t care how nice your renovation is at this location and how popular you are, nor how good of a deal your food is. But I am sure this type of attitude and service is not consistent with the mediterranean culture nor does the founder of the restaurant support of this. As a customer, I will not give my business to a restaurant who miss such details.

Great Mediterranean food! The chicken schwarma and the lamb kebabs are delicious. The meat is quiet tender, and comes with very big portion sizes. The place is clean and well-​kept and service is fast.
The lunch special for $ 5.99 is a FANTASTIC deal. This place is good value for good food!

I am a huge fan of the Pita Inn. Our typical order includes the chicken shawarma entrée, the chicken shawarma sandwiche and chicken shawarma and hummus. The entrée feeds two-​three people unless you are ravenous. The hummus is some of the best I’ve tasted in my travels. I highly recommend ordering the garlic sauce.
The counter service is always very fast and reasonably friendly given how busy they are. If you plan to take-​away, I recommend calling in your order in advance.

Best place to try authentic middle eastern cuisine. Very nice interior. Beautiful design. Amazing quality dishes. Huge selection and high class professional service. Best price in the entire city!
Their business lunch blow your mind only for 5.99 $
Highly recommended !!!

Went here for lunch today and was pretty impressed. Only downside was lack of customer service. Workers seemed miserable, but could have just been the lunch rush making them crazy.
Now for the positives…
Got the lunch special and was mesmerized by the amount of food given to me!!! For $ 8.39 (tax included) you received a drink (unlimited refills), lamb, beef, chicken (all of which were very good and tender), rice, falafel, lettuce and tomato, and na’an.
I was blown away at the amount of food and was quite happy with what I got. Great flavors too. It was busy, so it took about 10 minutes before they called my number, so not to bad.

Love this place. Fantastic that they got a new building and location much bigger than the old one and now they actually have decent parking for a change. Used to be a real challenge to park. The food comes out fast, hot and very tasty. Lots to choose from and they put out little cups of sauces to pour over your grub. This time I had the beef shawarma over rice which was really good. I will stop here any time I’m in the Skokie area.

Wow, this place has TOTALLY been upgraded. Well, if you consider their old location (also on Dempster, but about a mile or so more east), this place is looks fancy from the outside. It’s like you need reservations and a tie… and definitely pants to get in here. But thankfully, not so much.
Although the building and decór looks super fancy, the format is the same and as expected from your friendly neighborhood Pita Inn that you have gotten use to over the many tasty years. You go order, they give you an order number, and then you just wait and hear for your number over the speaker system. They have fancy flatscreen monitors that showcase their menu… these ballers — they even reserved an entire flatscreen monitor just so it can say «Web orders Ballers!
Overall, food is the same. I got the chicken tender entrée and it was as tasty as always. I do sometimes wish it was more flavorful, but overall, not dry or too bland.
BATHROOM REVIEW: Bling bling! All up to date and super clean. Sit or squat? Sit!

One of my favorite spots in Skokie for Mediterranean… And if you’re gonna eat shawarma Skokie is definitely the place to do it. Skokie, and the surrounding burbs of Lincolnwood and Des Plaines, as well as Rogers Park in the 606 — have high concentrations of Assyrian and other Middle Eastern refugees, expats, and citizens, whom call Iraq and other parts of the Middle East, home. Of the many amazing things Assyrian culture has contributed to Chicagoland, the greatest (for me) has been the influence on food found in Skokie.
The owner, Falah, first opened Pita Inn in 1982. Since then he has branched out to other surrounding suburbs but Skokie remains the busiest. They’ve recently moved to a larger building, and it is a great spot to hang out, people watch, and work or study. There is also a market selling wonderful Middle Eastern grocery items, prepared foods, and fresh pita. They used to be next door to Pita Inn but since the restaurant moved the market has stayed in the original location.
The mix of ethnicities of people who eat at Pita Inn shows just how diverse and vibrant Skokie is. This is a great fast casual Middle Eastern/​Mediterranean restaurant. I love their homemade hot sauce and garlic sauce!

I’ve heard raving reviews about this place, but my experience with the food may have been affected for doing pick up rather than dining inside the place.
We called ahead to place an order of the Combo plate and a falafel sandwich. When we drove there, we were able to go up to the person handling the phone order pickups. When we got back home, we noticed that we only got 2 half pita breads, and found out later that we could have asked for more if we had stayed to dine in there. The pita was still warm and soft.
The combo plate came with lamb, kifta kabob (beef), beef shawarma, and grilled chicken meat. We liked the lamb meat the most as it had a nice grilled taste to it and not gamey at all. The kifta kabob was our least favorite because it was kinda dry. The meats went well with the spicy tomato and tahini sauce.
The falafel sandwich came with 3 – 4 falafels. They had the crispy exterior and flavorful interior.
But the interior flavor is not as good as what I’ve had elsewhere, but maybe it’s just me as every Mediterranean place has their own way of making it.
Next time, I will dine in instead if the taste experience is any better. But I would first try other great Mediterranean places found across Chicago.

Great middle eastern food, so delicious and the service is awesome. I tried the business lunch special that offer lunch time week days, and it was great

The best Mediterranean food I’ve had in Chicago! The food is just downright amazing… heck I can eat the rice alone! I love how much bigger this location is compared to the one on Milwaukee. It is so much more appealing and they did an AMAZING job remodeling everything.
The line gets long but it moves fast. Even though they are super busy all the time, you’ll probably get your food within 7 – 8 minutes. There were 10 total people working in the kitchen on a Saturday night. They work very fluently and they are quick! It looks like they are racing to get the food out ASAP which is great. I love how I can witness them cooking or preparing my food right in front of me. I was also amazed at how fast they are at cleaning the tables even though it’s so busy.
I’m a huge fan! Amazing food!

Everybody loves Pita Inn, their combo fest is $ 9.95 after lunch hours, but we ordered it anyways we get a lot of food for the price. We also love their falafel. The food is always good and consistent no surprises here. The food has always been tasty and it’s self service so you take care of your own seating and you grab your own food when you’re order numbered is called out.
I love their rice it’s saffron rice, with Shawarnam, Kefta and beef kabobs and grilled chicken tenders. The neats are grilled or comes off a spit. Or you also have fried falafel and their is lentil soup. I like everything so I get a combo fest and some lentil soup. I also always get falafel they are nice and crispy. The meal all come with pita bread made I believe in house, or at least somewhere close by.
The dining room is huge you have plenty of room to find a seat for a large party or just for yourself. Their are buss boys who come around to clean up after you so that is always nice. The place is busy during lunch and dinner hours because well the food is fabulous.

Not a fan of the new location. Unbearably loud! Is this a Chicago area thing?!? Why is every indoor place designed to echo and magnify crowd noise?
So I order out as I mentioned previously how I don’t like it loud, and the food is OK. Dried out chicken but the worst part made me almost hit the floor. No default yogurt and hot sauce. Had I not asked for extra hot sauce I would have gotten no sauce at all.
In all the years I’ve gone here this has never happened. It’s a big deal to me, so get over it. What shocks me is the reviewers’ gushing opinions. By NO MEANS has this Mediterranean fast food joint ever been a 5 star restaurant. That is ludicrous. Please try Noon o Kabob or Riza’s and develop some taste buds.

Topnotch Mediterranean food, fast and reasonability priced.
I love their lamb kabob’s, cucumber sauce and baklava

Awesome place for quick, cheap, and delicious fast food!
Loves:
Prices– business lunch special is 5.99 and you can upgrade to a yummier salad– the tabouleh salad which is better than the lettuce/​tomato standard.
Healthy Options– you can opt for whole wheat pita which is healthier than the standard pita and it’s gratis!
MEAT: it’s protein city– there are so many different types of meats to choose from– or get all in a combination! so yummy and well-​priced!
Sauces– the tahini and garlic sauce is amazing! I like to combine all three sauces to make a blend that’s garlic-​y but also spicy. (breath mints needed after, def!)
Atmosphere– the remodeled Pita Inn is gorgeous with high ceilings and an abundance of tables. It’s kept constantly clean and there is a waiting area for food and clear lines for whether you are picking up food or eating in.
Dislike/​Hate:
I know it’s fast food but it always feel so rushed when I get food. Like here– you are a cow– stand in this line– here’s your tray– good-​bye. There’s not a lot of interaction.
Parking– it can be difficult to find because this place is so popular and packed!

My first impression was, «Man this place is huge!» I have been going to the Glenview location for many years, but I knew the original was just a mile down the road from me. The space is separated into several rooms and feels quite spacious. We went the day after Thanksgiving so it was relatively quiet, but I can see it getting quite loud quickly when busy.
Their weekday lunch special is one of the best bargains at $ 5.99. You get a sampling of the menu — shwarma, falafel, and kabobs plus rice, salad, and bread. Pita Inn has the best pita bread. I know it is made fresh daily. You get a ton of food. So much, that I almost always need a box. The staff is no-​nonsense but will help you with what you need.
One minor complaint — the parking lot is very small for the size of the space. I can see parking becoming an issue here.

I’ve put off going to this new location for months now only because I was never craving it, but one whiff of that lunch special I remembered why I love this place so much. The fried meaty goodness, mmmm…
This new location is HUGE compared to the old space and it has much more parking. Don’t think that means you’ll be able to find a spot though, I came during the lunch hour and it was PACKED, every single parking spot taken. Thankfully though, there is parking on the side streets right next to the parking lot.
The food is just as delicious, they’ve added a new lunch special (chicken-​only), and the menu appears to be about the same (with a little bump in prices), but I can’t complain, the lunch special was ridiculously cheap to begin with.
I like that they have a little refrigerator with drinks and containers of their hummus, baba ghanouj, and Jerusalem salad to take to go as the bakery is no longer right next door.
Service is super quick, my lunch special came out in minutes (note: if you order to go, it will come out at the phone order area). The place is still hectic, but at least it’s a lot more spacious and bright. Will be back again soon!

Every Pita Inn location I’ve been too consistently delivers on well cooked dishes with giant portion sizes and tasty dipping sauces. This Pita Inn provides all the great favorites like the seasoned rice, falafel, shawarma, kebabs, and hummus like the other locations. The special feature of this location is really the dining room which is spacious, not too noisy, and decorated very well. There is also more parking, which is better arranged than other locations. A definite must-​visit if you’re craving Mediterranean in the Skokie area.

Love, love, love Pita Inn. The lunch special is huge, delicious, and a great value. Comes with assorted meats including my favorite kifta kabob and my husband’s favorite chicken breast. Also comes with a simple iceberg lettuce and tomato salad, one falafel, a generous helping of rice, and a pita. Don’t forget the tahini and hot sauce! Their hummus is wonderful and the pita bread is freshly baked. Excellent falafel as well.
The new location has plenty of seating and more parking spots (but still not enough during the busy lunch rush). The kitchen seems well staffed and the employees who clear and clean the tables are attentive without rushing diners.
Call ahead for carry out orders so you can bypass the lines. Just go right up to the counter to the cashier nearest the «Carry Out» sign.

Oh my. What a dinner, what a night, and for so many great and interesting reasons!
First of all, I came here on a Saturday night date… with my hubby! My kids were at a birthday party, so we were lucky to have one of the handful of dates we get in a year. My hubby had been talking about the new Pita Inn for over a month, so I decided that is exactly where we needed to go for our date. But, there was something else at hand with this special meal. After five years, my hubby decided he was going back to eating chicken after being a hungry vegetarian for too long. Still no red meat, but he woke up Saturday morning and decided he was eating chicken for dinner. Well, okaaay!
Our experience at Pita Inn was lovely. It was a busy family night for many, and I enjoyed seeing families from all backgrounds and cultures enjoying a meal under the same roof. We waited in a long line that moved very quickly (a bit cold by the doors as we waited), and we placed an order at the counter for chicken with rice and a side salad. We upgraded the regular lettuce salad to their special salad with spices and onions and a nice mix of veggies. We then received a number, grabbed a table, and waited to be called. It honestly took maybe 10 minutes or less. Considering how busy they were, I was impressed.
Prior to diving into our chicken eating celebration meal, we took our time to smell the amazing aroma wafting off our plates. Grilled chicken, seasoned with what I think was lemon and pepper. Cheers! Bön Appetit! We dove into our salads first, and the dressing alone was so light and flavorful, we agreed that we could have ordered a huge salad of this and eaten it on its own. I think I tasted oregano, and lots of it, which I personally love. The rice was light and fluffy, and not overcooked. The chicken? It was as amazing as it smelled. Nice and tangy, mixed with a grilled and peppery flavor. My hubby ate so much chicken I thought he was also going to finish mine. Our dinner was under $ 10 a piece, and we could have easily shared our meal. I brought home the leftovers and fed them to my hungry boys later that night… and they loved it too.
Pita Inn, we can’t wait to come back and bring our kiddos with us for a Saturday family night alongside everyone else. Oh, and we will certainly be ordering an extra side of your soft, fresh, floury, pitas.

Today I went to the new Pita Inn on Dempster, one of the great places to go for lunch. This is the new flagship store for Pita Inn. It replaced the original store just east of here on Dempster Avenue. For as long as I can remember they have been charging $ 5.99 for the business mans lunch special. Their lunch special is huge and can be split with 2 people (or lunch & dinner later)
With your lunch special for $ 5.99 you get a salad, yellow rice, falafel, gyro meat, ground beef in a mini patty, beef grilled (a little chewy) & chicken grilled. It’s all good
I have been coming to Pita Inn probably close to 30 years. They have been one of the first Mediterranean restaurants I can remember and always a standard to judge others. I have eaten at the original Pita Inn further east on Dempster, the Milwaukee Road restaurant just north of Golf Mill, their store in Wheeling on Elmhurst & the one in Vernon Hills. Their food is is always consistent, good quality & value no matter which store you go to.

The layout of the new place has been fixed! YAY! It is finally correct. You order on the right. You pick up on the left, you sit on the left. Done. (Unless you cross over to the somewhat more private room, which is okay because that’s your choice.)
Also — huge parking lot on both sides of the building, hurray!
And… — tons of seats. My oh my! It’s great.
The Hummus here is still better than the 60+ others I’ve tried. (Yes, I eat hummus all over the US whenever I can. It’s an addiction folks.)
The pita is best when warm. The falafel salad and sandwich and gourmet sandwiches are all excellent. The vegetarian feast is also an excellent way to get an appetizer plate to share. The fountain drinks flow from the tap on demand. Be sure to pick up extra sauces when your food is ready.
I’m sure Pita Inn is happy with their new space. I know I sure am!
VIVA FALAFEL!