Pita Inn

Stopping for a bite to eat at Skokie's Pita Inn is like traveling to another country. This easy-on-the-pocket favorite for Middle Eastern fare draws people from every culture, making a meal there more than a great food experience.

Busy from the moment it opens until the lights dim, Pita Inn provides quick service and remarkably fresh items. From a simple falafel sandwich—seasoned ground chick peas and vegetables quick-fried to lamb kabob, everything on the Pita Inn menu is a hit.

There's a reason this restaurant has won dining awards and accolades from far and wide. Service is swift despite the crowd and the portions are generous. The atmosphere is electric—the mix of people from so many different cultures and the many languages being spoken by patrons is part of the draw.

Among the most popular items on the menu are vegetable lentil soup, falafel sandwiches ($3.25), the vegetarian combination plate—falafel, stuffed grape leaves, hummus, baba gannough, Jerusalem salad and tabouleh ($6.95)—and the combination feast—shish kabab, kifta kabob, shawarma and falafel ($7.95).

A large order of baba gannough ($3.45) or hummus ($3.25) can be a light order easily serving two people.

If you're new to Middle Eastern food, this would be the perfect place to become familiar with the varied dishes. The combination plates will give you the best variety of items for the price.

There's no liquor served at Pita Inn, but they offer quenching freshly squeezed lemonade, tamarind juice, mango and homemade mint iced tea.

What's more, Pita Inn has great hours, a treasure to those of you who may enjoy a late night meal. Given that many of the menu items are light fare, this is a place where you can eat at 10 p.m. and not feel stuffed. The best time to visit to avoid the rush is before 5 p.m. and after 8 p.m.

Next door is the Pita Inn Grocery & Bakery. It, too, stays open late. The store sells many Middle Eastern delights including homemade pita and hummus.
 

- by Lori Rotenberk , Chicago Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Lori Rotenberk

Lori Rotenberk graduated from Drake University and is a Chicago-based journalist whose work has appeared in The Boston Globe, Newsweek and various magazines. She worked as a staff reporter on The Chicago Sun-Times, the suburban section of The Chicago Tribune and The Des Moines Register. In addition, she has studied fiction writing in adult education at the University of Chicago.