Baba Pita

Pros:
+Spacious
+Free Beverage Can with Order
Cons:
–Food Quality
–Interior Atmosphere
–Misleading Photos on ordering wall
–Pricing
This place somehow passes for Middle Eastern food, but nothing here resembles what I’ve gotten anywhere else. The interior looks like it’s being remodeled and the prices can be reduced by 2 dollars to match the portions and quality. Do not be fooled by the photos of the food on the wall.
The meat combo came with beef and chicken“kabob” which were a super thin, oily, and fatty single piece of skirt steak about a millimeter thin and the chicken kabob was a piece of chicken tender with the ligament not removed. The chicken shawarma was dark-​meat, unusual but not bad. The rice was good, that shouldn’t be the highlight of the plate. It also came with a handful of salad with vinegar and a piece of pita.
The beef and chicken shawarma sandwiches were almost flavorless, and not very filling or large for the price. They do not put garlic sauce on the shawaramas but hummus only, and for good reason, the side of garlic sauce I got was the consistency of water.
The hummus and fatouche I got where very small for the price paid and flavorless.

The quality is gone here. The entrees used to come with a delicious dill rice and now come
with a bland disgusting plate filler. The meat included in the combo is paper thin and poorly seasoned. The Kibbeh and Kafta are good but not worth a special trip or the $ 35 minimum for delivery. My grape leaves were undercooked (hard rice inside) and the very watery tahini sauce ruined the meal. I have ordered from here dozens of times and won’t do it anymore. There are much better options such as: Reza’s, Noon-​a-​Kabob, Sultans market or Pita Heaven. I truly miss the old Baba Pita but it’s gone for good.

Very friendly and professional service, food is good and healthy and ample seating for eat in dinning and it’s a family owned business. Still getting know the menu but always satisfied, and I’m sure you will be too.

The vegetarian food here is quite good (can’t speak for the meat b/​c I’ve never tried it). The $ 11 veggie platter comes with falafel, hummus, baba ganoush, salad, tabouleh, dolma, pita, and its all good quality and flavor. Better than your average Mediterranean restaurant in my opinion. The $ 7 pita sandwich is a little dry and lacking in flavor and heft, so I definitely recommend springing for the platter if you do come here. Servers are pleasant, ambience okay, and have never had to wait too long.
The big problem, though, is the price. Everything is significantly overpriced compared to every other option in the neighborhood, and most in the city really. Lunch in this neighborhood runs $ 5-​$ 10, but you’ll be spending $ 10-​$ 15 to eat lunch at Baba Pita. On top of the overall high price, they do these really annoying things like including a drink in the price of the meal (meaning of course, you’re really paying for the drink even if you don’t want it), and charging extra for sauces. It’s order-​at-​the-​counter, but you sit down for service meaning that you need to add tip to the already high prices. At the end of the day, I just don’t see how anyone can justify eating here with any regularity. There are much more affordable and delicious options on Taylor Street now (Ryhana’s, Jarabe).

On the pricey side, but this is a good closeby halal option for me. They do have a lot of coupons they offer which do make up for the more expensive prices.

We ordered take-​out from here this week and it was very average. I wanted so badly to love it because it’s so convenient for us, but I wasn’t blown away.
When I picked it up, the dining room was really cute and they prepared my food in a quick 15 minutes! It’s also really affordable (most meals around $ 10) and meals come with a free soda.
We ordered the Veggie Combo Plate (hummus, baba ghanoush, falafel, salad, pita, tzatziki sauce and tabbouleh) and the Shawarma Platter (beef shawarma, chicken shawarma, served atop rice, hummus, tzatziki sauce and pita). I would definitely get the hummus, falafel and baba ghanoush again. I would probably skip out on the beef or chicken though, as both were overly dry. They were still tasty when mixed with the rice, pita and topped with the scrumptious tzatziki sauce.

I am going to be a bit harsh, but I am used to authentic Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine, specifically in Bridgeview, IL… what I consider to be the mecca of this kind of cuisine.
To the point, I went with the meat combo. Food arrived in 10 – 15 minutes and the person apologized that it «took so long» — I do not expect Middle Eastern cuisine to be fast, nor should it be. It should be fresh always. I immediately noticed the food was close to room temperature, it was not hot. On to the details of the meat combo:
Chicken shawarma: Seemed like dark meat chicken? The flavor was odd and not in a good way. Someone in a prior review here on Unilocal said the chicken tasted «old» — I agree with that statement.
Beef kabob: It wasn’t a kabob at all (as stated in someone’s previous review here on Unilocal), just a very thin pounded piece of beef with some seasoning on it. It was slightly fatty.
Chicken kabob: Just like the beef kabob, it wasn’t a kabob. It was a very thin slice of chicken breast with seasoning on it. This was the most «okay» thing on my dish.
Hummus: It didn’t taste like it was made fresh. I don’t know if it came out of a container, but I will not assume since I wasn’t in the kitchen.
Pita: Cold. But not stale.
Salad: Was expecting a Jerusalem salad or something from the same region. Instead, just a salad with regular shreds of lettuce and a slice of tomato, spashed with some vinegar dressing.
Rice: The rice was actually good, nice seasoning. But I was very hungry and it’s RICE, so maybe I’m being a bit jaded after having ate the things as listed above.
Strawberry Mint Lemonade: VERY strong taste of plastic, kept sucking up lemon seeds through the straw but caught them in time before accidentally sucking one down. Could not finish it. As I sit here and write this review, I can still taste the plastic in my mouth one hour later. Not good.
Sorry Baba Pita, I usually give second chances but this was a rough one. I do understand that kabobs have a variety of presentations in the Middle East and not necessarily meat on a skewer, however a flat piece of beef, similar to an unbreaded schnitzel, I don’t think qualifies, and what was really misleading was the photographs of the Kabobs on the wall.
Thank you and good luck with your business.

What a difference a few weeks make. I raved about this place three weeks ago, but today I’m removing two stars. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s a Saturday afternoon rather than a Friday evening, or maybe it’s the fact that there’s a teenager in charge but everything is just so bad. From her lackadaisical attitude taking my order, to waiting 15 minutes for yogurt cucumber salad and lamb shank to be brought to us, and another 10 minutes for pita bread and falafel sandwich, which were ordered at the same time. The lamb shank platter seemed to have been microwaved because the rice was room temperature but the lamb was warm. So disappointed because last time I ordered it, it was one of the best meals I’d ever had. We’ve now been here 40 minutes, and the kibbeh STILL hasn’t been brought out…
I doubt I’ll come back.

I ordered their catering service and have to mention I got rave reviews from the staff members. The food was packaged nicely and everything was tasty.
I minused some points because they freaked me out earlier today. I called 12 times in a row to confirm my lunch order to no available. They either didn’t answer and when they did, they hung up on me. Finally someone answered to let me know the food was on their way.
They claimed their phone was being fixed so I’ll give them a benefit of a doubt. They were a hit so I can’t complain too much. And the person I dealt with, Hannan, kept her word. She promised my food would make it on time and it did.

Ordered two things the chicken shawarma pita and two falafel pieces. It came with two sauces. One of the sauces tasted bad. To add to the kill, the chicken tasted old definitely not fresh. So I told the owner and they made me a falafel sandwich instead.
But I am disappointed in the food.

Loved, loved, loved this place. Tastefully decorated, great ambient music, small but not cramped. Order at the counter and staff brings your food to your table.
I ordered the lamb shank platter ($ 13), and it was one of the best meals I’ve ever had. The shank was perfectly tender, served over rice and covered with a carrot, pepper, tomato, onion mixture. The vegetables are crisp-​tender so they retain their individual flavors but are brought together by traditional Arab seasonings. A generous serving of hummus plus romaine lettuce fill up the rest of the platter. You also get a side of pita, natch!
I’m a greedy guy so I asked for a side of falafel, which was made upon request and arrived hot and fresh with a serving of tahini.
I had room enough for dessert, so I ordered the baklava. It did not disappoint: they didn’t overdo it with the honey, unlike most baklava I’ve had, so this was crispy and flaky. Perfect end to a great meal.

A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. I ordered the chicken kabob dinner. I didn’t expect the kabob to be more of a tenderloin, I was very pleased that it was. The chicken was seasoned well, the rice, pita bread and hummus were great. I am so happy I ordered my lunch from here today! Staff was great and actually took time to explain some of the menu items.

Certainly I wanted to try the meat combo, as everyone has been raving about, but let’s go for a different view and taste. The beef kabob plate it is. With probably one of the freshest beef kabobs I’ve had in a while and the dill rice, ummmm yes ma’am! The beef Kabob was not the typical kabob as kabobs go. It wasn’t in a skewer or in a cylinder shaped morsel. Instead it was presented on top of the rice in a very typical fashion, but it didn’t bother me due the taste. I absolutely thought it was extremely tasty and so tender. I poured a little bit of the sauce that accompanied it and BAMM! I will definitely now be addicted, can you say uhhh ohhh! I think that the place is beautiful (as it use to be Grand Daddy’s sub sandwiches) but now, they have transformed the interior into a Mediterranean spot.
I certainly can appreciate the fact that an establishment could seriously begin an adventure like this in what was once Little Italy. I love the fact that they have given us variety, as well as a taste that usually is brought in to select neighborhoods. I see a good future for the Baba Pita, and I truly hope that more will come out and see what I have seen and tasted. I don’t think you will be disappointed but if you feel overwhelmed at the variety, by all means ask for a suggestion as I did. The young lady asked what I was in the mood for and of course I said beef, and we settled on the actual beef kabob dinner which was perfect, but one problem, too much food so leftovers it was.
I give them a good rating and I am sure you will also.

Baba Pita
Best Arabic food Ive ever had. Freshness served
Happy customer!
Check it out.

I hate to do this, but this was my experience. ordered a beef shawarma. the beef had bones in it and about a 5 inch long hard piece of fat that was pretty much 50% of the beef in the pita. I found that to be completely careless and disrespectful to the costumer. either they treat and pay their staff really bad, or think that they can just get away with this and continue in bussines. when I called it sounded incredibly quiet and I assume because the business is pretty slow. would never go there avain, dont want my money back. just dont order from them…

Best hummus I’ve ever had (and I’ve had a lot of hummus both here in the USA and in the Middle East). The beef and onions were also excellent. My only small complaint is that the tahini was watered down.

Never had schwarma before, and thanks to that Avenger’s Movie last scene– i had to try it.
liked it and the atmosphere. my only only complaint was i thought the rice pudding had a touch too much cream/​milk and not enough egg

Picked up excellent lunches yesterday! Tastes authentic! Clean delicious place to eat! Will keep going back when I’m in town!

Willing to give it another try. but if I get one more bone in my chicken shwarma I will be done with this place forever. Bones don’t go in 9 dollar wraps. Also, if it says hummus is on a wrap. there shouldn’t be a need to ask for extra hummus. Thank you and here is hoping for the best.

Everything is good. The kufta is especially delicious. The atmosphere is a clean mix of modern and old world. The music is well-​chosen and never too loud. The staff is friendly, relaxed, and very accommodating. You’ll see some complaints about slow lunches, but this isn’t a fast-​food joint and they don’t pretend to be, so expecting it is sort of ridiculous. Easily one of the best restaurants of its kind anywhere south of Devon.

I was introduced to this place from a coworker and was not disappointed! SOOO good! I love middle eastern food and have never particularly had lebanese food but it was amazing! I went there 2x in one week in consecutive days. Their hummus is my favorite! If you want to try a little of everything like I did, I recommend the meat combo plate. I have also tried their dolma and falafel and it was also delicious! When I have the craving for middle eastern food I will definitely be going here again!

The mint tea is made for these winters. If you are dining in here, take the meat combos. More than enough for a single individual. One of the best falafels I have had.

Stopped here after work on a Wednesday, great ambiance such a nice place. I ordered the meat combination plate they had it out in about 7 – 10 minutes, food was great and the hummus was on point, will be coming here more often.

My wife and I stopped in here a few nights ago and shared a Chicken Kabob and the Chicken Shawarma in pita pockets and they were both excellent. The hummus inside the pita was fantastic and all the ingredients tasted very fresh. The service and ambiance inside were also great. Can’t wait to try more items on the menu!

Don’t bother trying to get lunch delivery! Order was placed 40 minutes before our lunchtime and 1 hour 40 minutes later it is still not here!

Avoid this place unless you want the customer service to leave a bitter taste in your mouth.
We ordered falafel, some tabbouleh, and beef kabob for delivery.
First they put me on hold for 12 minutes. When I called back and placed my order they said it would be about 45 minutes to an hour. No problem it’s a Friday night and I’m an understanding person
They called about 30 minutes later and said that the can’t make the falafel. If find it strange they they wouldn’t mention this at the time of order. I said that’s fine we will just cancel the order because that was one of our guests main dish and we will order from some place else.
«You CAN’T refuse» they said. They made the rest of the food already. We have to pay for the order.
If we didn’t get what we wanted why would we have to pay for it?
The woman explained that the gas for the falafel maker wasn’t working. I asked when it stopped working. She said «An hour ago.» BEFORE WE PLACE OUR ORDER.
Wouldn’t this be something you would tell the customer upfront. If you couldn’t make some of the order why make the rest of the food before informing the customer.
The part that set me off is and made me write the review is that she said «I can’t make you be a decent person.»
A decent honest person Would tell the customer upfront of an item they ordered isn’t available.
This place is alright if you don’t mind being treated like scum.

The food is great!
The falafel is crunchy on the outside and soft and tasty on the inside. The Kuftka is sooo good!, and the people who work there are also very nice and very helpful. Everything is made FRESH! YOU CAN’T BEAT THAT!

This place is awesome. I love the meat combo and the atmosphere is inviting. If you are looking for a authenic middle-​eastern restaurant this is the spot.

This is a wonderful place! I wish I lived I. Chicago; if I did, you would probably find me here once a week. My boyfriend and I really enjoy Mediterranean food and have tried many different places, but this is some of the best we have ever had.
We tried kibbeh for the first time here and we’re really pleased with it. I also had the falafel, which was perfectly seasoned. Can’t wait to come back to Chicago, so we can try some new things from the menu.
The family that runs the restaurant is extremely pleasant and helped us decide what to choose from the menu. We really enjoyed our experience!

I have been eating here everyday for like a month when I am at work. This place is seriously DE-​LISH. I really have only ever tried their beef kabob but it’s because its seriously always so good! Their hummus is by far my favorite hummus. I don’t know what they do to theirs that no one else seems to do, but I love it. I could eat just hummus for a life time I think.
If you’ve read my reviews you know I’m obsessed with Mediterranean food. Of course there are more expensive options that have a much bigger selection of Mediterranean food, but for the price you really can’t beat it. Please come here and please eat the hummus.