Pita Cafe

I’ve tried so many shawarma places in the city and Pita Café is definitely my favorite. Their chicken shawarma entrée is really just amazing. It’s not that the chicken itself is spectacular, or the rice, or pita. It’s the whole package together that makes this place great. With the chicken shawarma entrée you get a salad, pita, a pound of rice, a generous amount of chicken, and some roasted vegetables. They also give you 2 – 3 different sauces to pour on your shawarma.
The salad is basic. They actually used to have a tasty vinaigrette that they put on it when I first started eating there. It made me love the salad. Unfortunately, they’ve been putting a lighter dressing on the salad as of late. It’s not that it tastes bad now, just that it doesn’t have as much flavor. Now it’s just a basic salad. The pita is nothing special, but it still goes well with the shawarma and if you get the hummus then the pita is huge welcome.
Speaking of the hummus (which doesn’t come with the entrée), it’s hands down the best in the city. There is so much flavor to it. I run into a lot of shawarma places that just use the same generic hummus which is always a let down. I think what makes Pita Café’s hummus different is that they put extra virgin olive oil in it. It gives it that strong olive flavor, that some may not like, but to me is a drool inducing. I also tried their kibbeh which is a fried bulgur pocket stuffed with meat. They are fried perfectly, very crispy while still moist inside. I could seriously just eat those instead of the shawarma, but I’d feel some extra shame.
The shawarma itself is so-​so. It’s a little on the dry side, but they just give you so much of it. Queue the sauces. They give you three. One is a tahini sauce of sorts, another is a hot sauce, and the other (which I inconsistently receive) is maybe like a garlic aioli. When you combine all of these, they blend together perfectly. The aioli overpowers the meat, but it’s aioli so if you like it, then it tastes really good. If you just use the first 2 sauces, then they are subtle enough to keep the natural shawarma flavor while also adding the needed moisture to the meat and some added flavor. The rice is cooked well. It’s a huge problem I run into where the rice is overcooked at other shawarma places, so that it’s dry and sticks to the back of my throat. (It’s a conspiracy to kill me, I swear!) The vegetables are surprisingly really good. They have a unique smoky flavor to them, but sadly they don’t give all that much and they are inconsistent with what they give. Sometimes it a big roasted onion, other times it’s a tomato, and even other times it’s zucchini (my favorite).
If you have a big appetite then I really recommend eating at Pita Café.

I bought a groupon for this place a while back and it was about to expire in about a week. I bought the groupon because my lady is more into healthy eating than I am and I figured she might like this place. When we arrived we walked to counter and greeted by a young lady which then I told her I had a groupon and she said ok and asked if we are dining in or carry out and we said carry out, so we asked her for some menus because this was our first time here. The cashier had walked away and when she came back she said her manager told her they’re no longer excepting groupons they stopped last week. I proceeded to tell her my groupon doesn’t expire for another week then she said she just started working there yesterday so she doesn’t know what’s going on but she’ll call her manager again. After talking to her manager he finally said they’ll honor it but for dine in only which the groupon was for dine in or carry out. We had just ate about 30 or 45 minutes ago and was getting this for dinner later. I said ok we’ll dine in. I ordered the meat shawarma which is chicken and lamb meat over two seasoned rice and a spinach pie appetizer. The young lady came back and said they were out of the spinach pie which I found odd since we were the only people in there on a Saturday at 6 o’clock in a crowded community, so we ordered the stuffed grape leaf appetizer. We got our order and tasted some of our food which was pretty good and asked for carry outs. I left the young lady a tip because it wasn’t her fault for our bad experience.

Went in on a Friday night… Place wasn’t busy but we have no idea why. Food is FANTASTIC. The grape leaves were some of the best I have ever had. Tonight it was lentil soup and the beef with mushrooms over saffron rice. It totally hit the spot. This isn’t our first time here and it certainly won’t be our last. The staff is courteous and genuine. The food is hot and fresh. OK– their sign makes them look like a just another chain restaurant– but don’t let that deter you. This place has it going on.

I’m alarmed at how this joint has 4.5 stars! Especially considering you have a much better joint serving the same style of food down the block (and others very close by)! I had ordered a chicken schawarma here via takeout a few months back and it was ok. Nothing to brag about, but certainly edible an okay quick bite before hitting the town.
This time, I dined. I’d certainly recommend take-​out if you choose to eat here at all. As we didn’t know what we wanted when the server came by the first time, she gave us more time. A lot more time. We did not need another 15 MINUTES to decide, especially since there were only two other tables in the whole place… None of our food was good. Some of it might even be considered inedible. The pies weren’t what we expected. They are more like flatbreads. Burned flatbreads. The beef/​lamb shawarma had obviously been on the spit for quite awhile as it was dry and stale. The tahini was bland and vegetables were negligently shoved into a tiny corner of the pita, not distributed uniformly throughout. Again, the pita was BURNED on one side. Whoever runs the kitchen isn’t doing a good job; all our food was burned!
And what’s with the insanely bright LED bulbs everywhere? They’re almost blinding. For acceptable ambience, especially with a Middle Eastern theme, go elsewhere. Come here if you like old, burned food… If schawarma is your jam, go across the street to Schawarma Garden for better prices, friendlier, more attentive service, and exponentially better grub!

Holy Shawarma Batman! This place is awesome! I was looking on Google for a middle eastern restaurant in my area and stumbled across this place. I had the Chicken Kabob and spinach pies, My husband had the Pita Mix and falafel. Fast, friendly, and amazingly authentic food! I think I found my regular spot!

4.5÷5 Great food and great service. Chicken shawarma sandwich was pretty delish and very filling although only had about 4 «fried potatoes» stuffed in but on the bright side it made it healthier. They were very polite.

1 ½hr delivery time, driver wouldn’t ring buzzer, vegetarian dish was mostly onion. Pretty bad first experience, wouldn’t recommend.

Terrible food… I repeat… terrible food! The hummus is gross (how is that even possible?!), the falafel is dry with a weird flavor and the chicken is dry and flavorless. Do not eat here.

The hummus is 5 star, some of the best around and presented beutastically.
Fried Kibbeh seasoned very well and fried to perfection… read, as light as deep fried bulgur can be.
Baba Ganoush was smokey and smooth, i’d rate it maybe a notch below their Hummus, still delicious.
Chicken Schwarma was good if not a little on the dry side. Huge portion.
The Fatoush Salad had a lot of potential but was absolutely drenched in dressing. Scale back by miles and you may have something to work with.
Tabouleh Salad is great but not sure it justifies the 12 $ price tag.
That said, most portion sizes are very generous so you get a lot, esp their entrees.
Good Med fare to have in the area.

There are a lot of Mediterranean restaurants in this area, but Pita Café stands out for a few reasons. First, their delicious, fresh vegetables. Second, their HUGE portions. And third, their outstanding hummus! Go here and you will get enough fresh, tasty food for two meals without spending much.

Such a great find! A friend and I ordered the chicken kebob, schwarma and a side of baba ganoush. There was so much food it could have easily fed 2 – 3. The chicken and vegetables had so much flavor and were cooked perfectly. The chicken kebob comes with a salad, chicken, pita, and your choice if either green wheat or rice. The green wheat was delicious! Highly recommend!
The baba ganoush was presented so beautifully and tasted amazing. It was so smooth and creamy!
I was so full I had to take most of it home but it tasted so good that I didn’t mind the leftovers!
Since then I have tried the falafel also great and they have a tahini and garlic sauce that they serve on the side that I always ask for extra.

I visited Pita Café based on the positive Unilocal reviews. Not my favorite Chicken Shawarma considering that there are a few other restaurants in the area that have delicious and fresh shawarma (I.e. Shawarma garden and falafel & grill). The chicken shawarma sandwich tastes like it had a hint of curry. I’m not a fan of curry but if you are this may be a welcoming surprise. The meat did not seem to be served very warm and was on the dry side. The good is that it is a very good size for what you pay $ 7.

Probably there is a lot of appreciation and love of life here, for without them the food would have been mediocre. However this isn’t the case with this place. The food, in fact, is heavenly delicious, and the staff is super hospitable. Five stars and best of luck to this business!

Ordered online through the Unilocal app, which did have a high minimum delivery of $ 20. That said it was worth it even though I was just and order for myself, I now have a very tasty lunch lines up for tomorrow.
I ordered the 3 entrée platter and got the shawarma, chicken shawarma, and shish kabob as well as a falafel sandwich. The food arrived quickly, about 30 minutes, and came with a side salad and a side of 4 pita bread quarters in addition to my platter being saved on a bed of rice, a pleasant surprise.
The salad was vinegar and lemon based with lettuce, tomato and cucumber and was good, not great. I would not order as a standalone item but was glad it was included.
The falafel sandwich on the other hand was delicious, crispy, fluffy and moist falafel with crunchy veggies, cucumber/​lettuce/​tomato, and a sort of tahini mayo on the side. Top notch!
Next I tried the shawarmas which were tremendously flavorful. The lamb and chicken were equally good and were difficult to stop eating despite being full. The shish kabob was just okay, however. The beef cubes did not have much seasoning, though the onion and tomato from the kabob were very good. The rice which came with the platter was also delicious.
Lastly, the pita bread side… Oh, the pita bread. For a restaurant with pita in its name I was sorely disappointed in the pita (even if I got it as a bonus with my order). It was essentially compacted white bread in both flavor and texture (bland, light, and gummy in texture). Oddly enough, while not working as a standalone side for me, the pita worked very well with the falafel sandwich.
Overall, it was very good despite the disappointing pita bread and shish kabob. I enjoyed their shawarma and chicken shawarma more than the equivalent from 2 other long standing nearby establishments that I have often ordered from (and enjoyed) in the past and I will be ordering this again and often, though I’ll likely load up on shawarmas and leave off the kabob.

Dined in here for a weeknight dinner. Really pleased with the service, clean atmosphere, convenient location, and DELICIOUS food.
The hummus is incredible.
My husband is a huge fan of chicken shawarma sandwiches with falafel cut up inside; this is one of the best he has had. If you like hot sauce with real flavor (and not just «hot», you’ll be pleased with the sauce that comes with the sandwich!
I sure we will be back again soon.

This place is delicious!
It’s super new and clean. Convenient location right on Division on the edge of Wicker Park and Ukie.
Moving to this neighborhood a couple weeks ago, tonight was my first time at Pita. The menu doesn’t tell you everything that comes with an entrée, but it’s pretty typical. I got a HUGE portion (unknowingly but happily) of chicken schwarma with some rice and veggies thrown in, a small salad, and 4 big pieces of pita. They also threw in some garlic onion and hot sauce in my to go bag.
I only wished they added hummus too but I had some at home!
Good price at $ 13 including tax. This will feed me two more times. Totally worth it.
Staff was efficient and kind. I’ll be back!

Great food, great service!
Chicken swarmha was incredible! Had to get an extra garlic sauce as well. Will be back here for sure

Found near Chase bank on west division and through Groupon, this is the second time we eat there: Hummus, Falafel, Chicken kebab or shawarma and more (in or out) and this is great. Price is not to high (between $ 4 and $ 7 or $ 12 if you take the meal+salad) and portions are very nice.
Staff lets you take your time, minimum and no extra fancy service which we like.
Thanks!
Ben

Such a great find! I ordered the chicken kebob, side of hummus, and green juice. There was so much food it could have easily fed 2 – 3. The chicken and vegetables had so much flavor and were cooked perfectly. The chicken kebob comes with a salad, chicken, pita, and your choice if either green wheat or rice. The green wheat was delicious! Highly recommend!
The hummus was presented so beautifully and tasted amazing. It was so smooth and creamy!
I was so full I had to take most of it home. Very friendly staff. Will definitely be back!

This place was SO good. Brand new restaurant, they were still doing some work when we got there but the fresh avocado with lemon spread was the best.