I order food to go! Staff person say it will be ready in 15 minutes. So I get around 15 later the person tell me that it almost ready 18 minutes later he said it almost ready just 2 minutes! 10 minutes later then order is ready! I timed all the those minutes listed above!!
(1)
Mo A.
Miss the old location off western... that was for the "brothas" lol... but you can still grab the same damn good gyro pizza.... amazing...
(5)
Hina Q.
LOVE IT! LOVE IT! LOVE IT! If i were to write a review about this restaurant I could probably go on and on..... so ill be a bit concise: Dishes I've tried and loved every dish: Gyro Pizza Cesar salad with grilled chicken Chicken Biryani Mozzarella sticks Chicken wings Beef cheeseburger Chicken parmesan This restaurant gives you quality food, meat is halal so I LOVE that i have lots of options, at exceptionally reasonable prices. They have lots of options from desi food to italian, to something as simple as grilled chicken salad. My one and only complaint would be that the place is small and it gets so packed that I have seen ppl leave and probably try another restaurant. I am not sure if they take reservations. They have tons of ppl getting takeout all the time. Whenever we go, we just make sure its not dinner time. Other than that, absolutely love this place!!
(5)
Ahmed K.
Though a misnomer "Italian Express" is a twist of Pizza, Sub-continental cousine, Gyros, Salads, Burgers and finger foods in between. First off this is a certified Zabiha Halal place which mostly makes a difference to Muslims. Menu: very diverse....different Pizza toppings and flavorings, some which are very much unique to them. Gyros are pretty decent but have recently started to decline in quality. Their Burgers are very good though and so was the Chef's salad that I've tried (very fresh vegetables). Service: Though they could smile often and just a how do you do wouldn't hurt, seems to me that most of them might not be comfortable in their linguistic skills. But food is prompt and you can call in advance to place the order as well so when you get there you're chomping down on food asap. Price: Their price overall is pretty decent, especially for an extra large Pizza that can be split by 3-4 guys or 5-6 if you have half guys and some ladies. The burgers though have a gourmet price tag, but they're worth it every once in a while. Conclusion: K-swiss' Seal of Approval....Eat your heart out while experiencing flavors and taste buds that you never thought existed! Hope this helps!
(4)
Allen T.
Their spicy gyro pizza. Enough said. That's the main reason why my friends and I go here. It's also the same reason why I'm stuck in my bathroom all night too, but the spicy gyro pizza is just so good. The only downsides are it gets pretty packed at night and it might be difficult to find parking. But other than that, get that pizza.
(4)
Leyla A.
I usually order Gyros Pizza to go, but tonight decided to dine in for a change. The service was exceptional! Our small gyros pizza arrived hot and spicy in approximately 20 minutes. I was so hungry I was tempted to order a Large, but the waiter convinced us the small was enough for two people. He was right, we had to have 1/3 of the pizza packed up to go. This restaurant is very clean, they have an expansive menu, Halal friendly, and they even have daily specials. I did not give five stars, simply because they need to refill their salt and pepper shakers. Every single table had half-empty salt and pepper shakers, and even though I hate ketchup, I noticed the ketchups were kind of empty too. If you are on Devon, give this place a try.
(4)
Izzat A.
Had heard so much about this place and I finally got to try it. We ordered wings, a chicken shwarama, the spicy gyro pizza, and an italian beef sandwich. The pizza was HUGE. I'm talking 4 hungry guys couldn't finish it huge. There was a ton of gyro meat on it. The pizza MEATS the hype (see what I did there). The schwarma had a ton of chicken in it and was pretty good. Everything here is pretty cheap. All the food we ordered came out to be $40. Service took a lil bit longer than I would have liked but it was okay. There was so much food, that we took it back. Will definitely come back here.
(4)
Sumi P.
This place used to be pretty good back in the day when halal/zabiha places were few and far between. They became popular mostly from serving their zabiha gyros which was pretty good back then. Problem is the quality has severely declined over the past ten years or so. And now there are much better places where you can get FRESH meat like Pita Inn and they are also much more affordable than Italian Express. Also, they do have a burger that is at best, ok, but I think people are catching on to the other newer zabiha places like "faizaans" whose burgers are by far superior. This place is ok if you are looking for zabiha, but definitely not worth the price. One thing that is pretty decent on the menu are the cheese sticks. I think it's b/c of the chunky marinara sauce they serve them with. Oh ya, the coleslaw, albeit no the traditional coleslaw, is delicious!! Service is better now than it has been in the past, but generally it is quite a hassle to order from here and actually get the order correct. Also not the cleanest place to eat either. The pizza that everyone raves about is an awesome concept. Who wouldn't like spiced out gyros meat on top of a warm gooey pizza. Problem is the pizza is usually overloaded with mediocre mozzarella with a super bready crust, and definitely not enough sauce. If the pizza quality was better the gyros pizza would be a hit!! too bad it's not. Also the consistency of the gyros meat varies on each visit. Sometimes burned, sometimes sliced too thin, usually inconsistent in the amount of meat in each gyros sandwich. Remind them to include the yogurt sauce for the gyros. They tend to forget.
(2)
Shazia T.
Man, I wish this place was near me. I could go for a sandwich right now. I ordered a roast beef-like sandwich with au jus and it was soooooooooooo good!! I also had pizza with halal toppings and it was really good. I have to come back to Italian Express the next time I'm in Chicago.
(4)
Abe I.
Where to start ? I fucking love this place! I've been going here ever since I was a little kid and now I know why my parents have always dined here, the food is absolutely terrific ! Not only is it zabiha/halal, it's pretty affordable if you're a college student like me. I usually get the spicy gyro sandwich or the spicy gyro pizza (which also tastes amazing even after sitting in the fridge lol). I've been to many places where gyros are served, but I have NEVER seen SPICY gyros on the menu, let alone spicy gyro PIZZA, other than some other indo/pak restaurants. If your taste buds love spicy food, then this is the place to go, trick. The atmosphere is so-so, but when you eat the food you will definitely fall in love.
(5)
Azhar M.
Halal+ Semi Fast food joint = Italian Express!! Move over pizza hut, dominos, and all other pizza joints out there.....if you are a true carnivore, then you must order the meat lover pizza!! Sausage and gyros pizza is my absolute favorite.
(5)
Irfan B.
Spicy Gyro sandwich is to die for! I am not sure how healthy it is, but can sure kick the taste-buds. Pizza is more on the expensive side, but Halal - so kind of nice.
(4)
Sifat A.
Best gyros (gyros sandwich, cheeseburger, pizza) in the city, hands down. Everything else is just average
(4)
I S.
eh, it's an okay place. honestly i've had much better halal american food, we ordered chicken wings once and they were huge, I think they were turkey wings not chicken. also the lasagna is very sub-par. however, i have to say their gyro pizza is really great, that's probably the only thing i've tried on the menu that's really worth it. it's a thin crust style and has the perfect balance of cheese, sauce, and gyro and is something I haven't quite had the equal of at other places. It's definitely a bit greasy but not horrendous.
(3)
Samim P.
They have the worst customer service. I don't understand why you can't greet your customer or share a smile? The gyros is always under cooked and the mozzarella sticks are never melted.
(1)
A. T.
There's only one thing that you will ever need to order when coming here: gyros pizza. And believe me, it is as amazing and delicious as it sounds. Whenever I eat it, I thank my Pakistani friend every time for introducing it to me. You can either get the gyros pizza in regular gyros or spicy gyros. I usually hate cold pizza, but this is one of the few that I can actually stand eating cold as well as when it's hot. All of the food here is halal, for those who follow it. Here's something you should know: Order your food for pick-up. It's a nightmare eating inside. Also, the parking sucks.
(5)
Ash M.
I've been going there ever since I was a child. Best gyros in the world! My family and I always get gyros sandwich or pizza! Their soup is also pretty amazing! They could spice up the interior a little and service could be better and it could be bigger, but that's is as good as it gets. Enjoy!
(5)
Jason C.
Two of my favorite junk foods: pizza and gyros. Put these together and you have awesomeness on a slice. It seems odd that an Italian and Greek dish are somehow fused together in an area with loads of Indian restaurants but I can't think of two better things that go together so well (maybe PB&J, Michael & Scottie, wine & cheese). Whoever thought of pairing these two foods is a genius in my opinion. I have only ordered take-away from Italian Express so I can't speak to the dining experience, but as far as the goodness of the gyro pizza, you should try it out yourself.
(4)
Nasir R.
the spicy gyro pizza is the best pizza hands down!!!!
(5)
Sarah Q.
Not really sure why this place is called Italian Express since it's more middle-eastern inspired, but whatever. Everything is halal/zabiha and the spicy gyro plate is so amazing! We've also tried the pizza (veggies with spicy chicken) and it was also really good. The cheeseburgers kinda taste like McDonalds and are also really tasty--very juicy and comes with the works. The best thing about this place is that it's open until 1AM weekdays and until 2AM weekends so chances are, it's open when you're craving it. If you're just ordering to-go, walk up to the counter to order--otherwise, just pick a table and the waiter will come right over with menus.
(4)
Danish I.
I've always been confused about the name of this place, but it's great nonetheless. Of the many, many times I've been here or ordered from here, I usually got a spicy gyro or pizza with spicy gyro meat on top. I've yet to find anything like it, anywhere.
(4)
Memon K.
We wanted to order Philli Steak pizza but was not available...thankfully....becasue the waiter suggested us to have spicy gyros pizza and it was awesome...i instantly remembered the pizza we used to have back in Pakistan...and it was a lot...we could not finish it, brought back home only to find that it tasted even better the next day...soft and yummy..it was pretty meaty and so very fulfilling....i tried their hamburger few days back which was also very nice....lets see how thier lasagna and pasta tastes...next time hopefully! great job guys...had they been not here in Chicago, I could only eat not so yummy cheese pizza! i only wish it was slightly more cheaper.
(4)
Halisa V.
Spicy gyros is really good here!! and it is really nice how it has an ethnic flare from pakistani and indian food!! The best is to call in and pick up the food!
(4)
Ali Z.
Their gyros is still #1 but most of the other items on the menu are so-so at best and overpriced. For halal American fast-food, you are better off going to Brown's Chicken in Skokie or KFC/A&W in Lombard.
(3)
a w.
Terrible food, unclean restraunt, bad service, overpriced food....if this is what you are looking for then this is the restraunt for you! Don't say I didn't warn you!
(1)
Muhammad A.
Italian Express has great Halal meat and they have great service all the time.One thing that bothers me is that they have hired their prices over the months. That is why many people have stopped going their first because of gas prices and then hire prices for food!!
(4)
MoMo K.
this food is not as good as it was wayyyy back in the day when it use to be on western. Now it looks like a fast food restaurant. Apparently, this location tastes wayyy better then the suburban Italian Express locations. I still think the food is descent with gyros (extra spicy) being my favorite. their pizza with gyros topping is amazing as well, but you have to get the 'tzatziki white sauce' and dip the pizza in it to make it taste even better! Their fries are above average and in pretty sure most of their other food is descent because my sisters/friends keep coming back. Order wayyy ahead if it's a busy night, otherwise you'll have to wait 30-40 minutes As far as dining in goes, they need to hire a new dishwasher of fix their dishwashing machine. Their glasses were dirty, so when I requested for new glasses, the new set were also dirty. So then I requested for paper cups, but they only had 2 left. If the workers were thinking straight, they would have taken the dirty glasses and washed them... I was going to tell them but my friends told me to just leave it. Food = 5/5, Service = 4/5, Dishwasher guy = 0/5
(4)
Saif S.
The food takes a long time to be served (30 min for just four wings). This location doesn't have the items that are on their menu. It's a hot or miss. I'd suggest to go since dine in service is nonexistent
(1)
Birimo D.
Don't go to this restaurant, its shirty place they will give you nothing like what you ordered from the menu. The food is cold and tasteless their french fry is disgusting, It looks like left over and it has no salt..
(1)
Alyaa B.
If you want microwaved food and shitty service this is the place for you! Oh also if you have a lot of time since it takes forever to get your food! Enjoy!
(1)
Anooj S.
For appetizers we got the fries and onion rings. Both were good, fries were above average. The onion rings were definitely better. Also got the spicy gyro and veggie delight pizza. This was my first time having a pizza with gyro and it was phenomenal. the hot sauce and tsziki white sauce on the pizza made it even better. Not too much crust either. Some pizza places tend to over do it with either sauce or cheese but this place had a perfect balance. The price is also reasonable for the the amount of food you get.
(5)
Nanye E.
Dont go here for the ambience and dont expirement with the new iteams on the menu. Its simple: order the gyro pizza, douce it in white sauce/red sauce, and then walk out.
(3)
Riya A.
I hate this place. It's grimy the one in the suburbs is way better. It used to be good years back but now it just sucks. It's a pool of oil with cheese and I hear way to much stuff about them not really being zabhia. I'm literally just so annoyed. Change your silver wear will you everything bends, change the flooring please it looks like it's growing mold, don't charge for extra sauces please. So many flaws in a 600 square foot dining area.
(1)
Damir D.
I go to this place at least two times a week. I go there to get gyros and pizza. They really have a good pizza. The staff is really rude. There are some guys that are nice and I wish they would go and work somewhere else because they are good. I told my self I will not go here again just because I go here all the time and spend lots of money in one place. Plus when I go there people don't even smile and they don't make me feel welcomed. Friend of mine told me to try chicken shawarma from here. I said I'll give it try and that's was the last thing that ordered from here. Unless the owner changes they lost me as a customer. My chicken was all burned and way over cooked. I didn't even eat it.
(1)
Sameer R.
Food here is good. The service for dining in is pretty bad. I always order to go because the staff has never done a good job.
(3)
Muhammad Z.
I was used to come a lot but since last couple of times I felt their food quality is keep going down. Ordered Chicken tikka pizza but dough was so hard.
(3)
Imran F.
Food is great. The spicy gyro is extremely good. I always end up buying just the meat portion as a carry out whenever I am on Devon street. The place is kinda small and gets very loud if busy at times.
(4)
Mohammed H.
This review is for take-out only. I decided to get some food from here based on a colleague's recommendation. I ordered the bbq chicken wings and they were ready when they told me they would be ready. That's great. But I didn't really enjoy them. They were okay wings, nothing special. The coleslaw that came with it was way better. Maybe next time I'll get the gyros pizza - which gets better reviews.
(2)
Afreen B.
I had hair in my food and the ketchup was expired. Service was ok. We are regulars but will never be going back again..
(2)
Brutus H.
Omg what a great secret pizza place in the middle of little India. The food us so delicious and the pizza is amazing. Must try!!!!!!!!
(5)
Saifuddin M.
Had the Italian Express Extra Large pizza with Gyro and chicken as topping extre spicy , truly mouth watering delight ...along with some hot wings and fries on the side ... A must visit place for pizza lovers.
(5)
iddells E.
CHICKEN TIKKA PIZZA.....is all you need to whisk you away into eternal bliss. Who knew Indian and Italian flavors would mesh so well? The odd combination of chicken tikka and pizza is just so right...the grilled smoky flavor of the chicken combined with marinara sauce and cheese will make you say "Damn, this is SO good" with every bite. Ask for it to be spicy, and more jalapenos will be added to achieve a pie of perfection. I've had the gyros pizza before and it is good, but doesn't come close to the excitement of the chicken tikka pizza.
(5)
A. K.
Ok this is solely for the Italian beef sandwich...someone said get it au jus. Wtf dude?! It was pieces of dry rubbery meat-like stuff in stale bread. It was gross. The meat is supposed to be juicy right? I understand the stale bread (helps soak up the juices without getting soggy) but for God's sake use your brains and dunk the meat back in it's juice a bit before serving. The freakin container filled with the jus to dunk in was so tiny it was pointless having it there. Dunking was pointless. The meat also had ZERO flavor. Zero. Nada. Zilch. It was such a...ugh. I have no words. Do not try their Italian beef sandwich. Update: Don't try their Philly cheesesteak (beef) either. They use the same boiled, dry meat stuff...just sautees with veggies and add mozarella cheese. Not good at all. I tried their gyros in store...absolutely delicious. Def try it out.
(3)
Rabs W.
I remember Italian Express from when I used to live in Chicago many years ago...but now I'm back and apparently there are more locations and some of them have moved (again and again.) Anyway, all my experiences so far at Italian express have been just fine and I think its a great place to get a variety of Zabiha dishes. Before I forget, I have to mention that we made a reservation at another Italian express for their iftar buffet. It was a good experience and they had great options for dinner/iftar. Ok back to this place. So the best thing ever that I love so much here is the gyros (both spicy and regular.) I love the bread it comes on, the sauce and the fries with it too. Can I say it again? LOVE IT!!!! It's really the only thing I eat here. In fairness though, I must say that I really like the chicken tandoori pizza as well. Initially when we ordered it I was like "ughhh gosh....really? A tandoori pizza?" But honestly, I ended up liking it a lot. NOT as much as the gyros...but it's definitely up there. The service is not the greatest of all and it's not horrible either..but this place is pretty much like any other desi/self serve/joint on Devon. My family and I enjoy when we go there. It's a nice and casual place to dine and eat good food (especially they gyros!)
(4)
Arun A.
I been going to Italian express for years, They have always been really expensive for the garbage food they serve. I was ok with paying extra if the food was good but since they moved to the new location the food has been awful. I gave up eating the food last time i went because it was just awful. The gyros were like rubber and the pita looked like it was a month old.
(1)
Haris S.
One of the worst dining experiences by far. This place is half the shadow of what it used to be when Italian Express was located on Western ave. I have never left a restaurant with such a bad taste in my mouth. We called in 10 minutes before getting their as I was in a rush so wanted to quickly dine in and leave. We walk in and seat our selfs, waiter comes within the first 3-5 minutes. We informed him that we ordered over the phone. After 5-8 minutes our food came out. I orderd a gyro sandwich along with Buffalo wings. On of the best things after Pizza on their menu mainly because they are Halal. Gyro meat is suppose to be soft and tender as it once used to be at Italian express. Instead I literally had pieces that were not only hard as a rock but also cold. I could tell that the meat had been cut previously and slapped on the grill for quick cooking to save time but the result of that is extremely dry meat. The buffalo wings were extremely dry with barely any sauce and it almost felt that it had been precooked earlier and reheated. Service: This place gets a big fat "F". 5-6 years ago, the owner of the place was always present along with his daughter so the service was always good. Now you have people on the counter with a frown on their face (quite frankly I don't blame them because they are being over worked without and sense of supervision or leadership to maintain the front of the restaurant and perhaps even the kitchen). What made everything far worse is that one server was running between 4 tables and non of the tables were getting served properly while you could see 3 people behind the counter working the register and warmer. To give you a glimpse of how bad things were, the waiter brought in a pitcher of Pepsi and we had to call him again after 5 minutes since no one bothered to bring glasses to our table. After all of this, you would expect that the worst is behind me but as I was washing my hands in the test room, I noticed a black spot of a corner of the wall. As I looked closer, it was a ROACH. Need I say more. Sadly this terrible experience was the last straw for me as my previous two dine in experiences were bad if not equally as bad. It hurts me to write such a bad review for a place u have so dearly loved over the years but my hope is that the owner of this place would read this and pay some attention to a once Go-To dine in spot for the young Muslim crowds of Chicago. It almost seems that because Italian Express know a that they serve what ever they want and how over they want too simply because they know most of their customers can not go somewhere else due to Zabiha halal factor. However, after this terrible experience, I am not sure if I will ever be back again to done in.
(1)
Asad S.
My family and I got Penne Alla Romano, Biryani, Gyro Platter and Classic Spaghetti with roasted Chicken. We all loved our dishes. The service was great too!
(5)
Samia K.
We come here when we are craving burgers and pizza. We have also tried the nachos and philly sandwiches. Down side is that they didn't have the steak when I went there to eat halal steak. Mediocre service but great food!
(4)
Gspot H.
Was petty empty. relatively ok on time, I guess. Food was OK. Good for the price. Lots of people seemed to be doing takeout, like they done it b4; noticed whislt I waited for to-go.
(2)
Anna S.
Another place I gave a go due to its zabiha halal status. I ordered the italian express large pizza with spicy gyro for pickup. it was normal good-- not bad, not great. Definitely a little too on the salty side. i probably would order here again on a lazy cooking day, but would try one of their other pizzas first (maybe chicken tikka?) before ordering this one again since it didn't blow me away.
(3)
Sam N.
The Gyro Pizza is heaven!! Seasoned and spicy beef gyro chunks in tangy marinara sauce and piping hot chicago cheese! Good Lord..this is one of the best pizza's I have ever tried in Chi Town! I actually came here twice, because the first time they were sold out... Also if you order an XL version of it, they give you a free bottle of Pepsi! Worth checking out in Chicago's Devon ave !
(4)
Mohd I.
Their spicy Gyros are the best. They even come with fries. And all that for a fairly reasonable price too. The pizza was good. Not a huge fan of the halal pepperoni myself. The chicken wings were pretty good. All in all an above average place to eat. The gyros could use a little less oil but meh, whatever.
(4)
Aamir K.
I have had all kind of pizzas from around the world but i love the SPICY GYRO PIZZA from Italian express. When i was doing my rotations in Chicago i use to go to devon just so i can have that. Last time i went to Chicago i actually had'em freeze the pizza which i picked up on my way to the airport and i flew back to newport beach with it and it was still good when i put it in the oven. Other then that their gyros and chicken wings are also good. The only reason this place is getting a 4 star is because the bathroom wasn't clean since i am reviewing this as a whole restaurant i have to take that into consideration as well.
(4)
Yav A.
Good Zabiha fast food joint Italian Beef with hot giardiniera and au jus Hot Dogs - the put mayo for some reason so let them know if you don't want it. Cheeseburgers Regular and Spicy Gyros People always talk about the gyros pizza. I must try that next time.
(4)
Betsy J.
It's difficult for me to put into words just how much I love the spicy chicken pan pizza here so I'll just say this: mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. The spicy gyro pizza is also very, very delicious.
(5)
Shaan J.
GYRO PIZZA I MISS YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I want to fly to Chicago, so I can have this gyro pizza experience again.
(5)
Farida A.
Gyro pizza. That's all you need to know. Just get the gyro pizza. Recently, I tried an italian beef sub as well, which was good if you ask for the au jus. Otherwise it's kinda dry and sad. In the past I've tried other menu items and haven't been disappointed, but now that I've experienced the gyro pizza, I won't be exploring the other menu items.
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch, Dinner, Late Night Parking : Street Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Quiet Alcohol : No Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
The immense popularity of Italian cuisine globally isn't unknown. You can find an Italian Pizzeria around every corner of almost every city in the United States. Not to forget that in every house, people enjoy mac and cheese as comfort food. But it would be wrong to believe that Italian food starts with pizza and ends with good pasta as this Mediterranean country has much more to offer other than these two dishes. In Italian Cuisine, there is a high use of fresh tomatoes, all kinds of herbs, great quality of cheese, all types of meat, seafood and fresh handmade pasta. Many find it hard to believe that Italians have been making noodles long back.
Italian and Greek cuisines are always mistaken to be same, but they are poles apart. The primary difference between the two cuisines is the use of cheese in most of the Italian dishes. Italians love to cultivate their own cheese and process them as per their food requirement. It is believed that some cheese is so expensive that cheese producers secure them in lockers.
If you are bored eating the same old pasta or pizza, you can try some of the authentic Italian dishes like Risotto, Polenta, Ribollita, Lasagna, Fiorentina Steak, Bottarga, Ossobuco, Carbonara, Focaccia, Arancini and Supplì. Another item which Italians love to relish every morning is a good cup of Italian Coffee. Once you taste a freshly brewed cup of Italian Coffee, you might not visit Starbucks ever again. Authentic Italian food is made with heart and soul, so go find a restaurant where you can relish Italian cuisine in your city.
Riken P.
I order food to go! Staff person say it will be ready in 15 minutes. So I get around 15 later the person tell me that it almost ready 18 minutes later he said it almost ready just 2 minutes! 10 minutes later then order is ready! I timed all the those minutes listed above!!
(1)Mo A.
Miss the old location off western... that was for the "brothas" lol... but you can still grab the same damn good gyro pizza.... amazing...
(5)Hina Q.
LOVE IT! LOVE IT! LOVE IT! If i were to write a review about this restaurant I could probably go on and on..... so ill be a bit concise: Dishes I've tried and loved every dish: Gyro Pizza Cesar salad with grilled chicken Chicken Biryani Mozzarella sticks Chicken wings Beef cheeseburger Chicken parmesan This restaurant gives you quality food, meat is halal so I LOVE that i have lots of options, at exceptionally reasonable prices. They have lots of options from desi food to italian, to something as simple as grilled chicken salad. My one and only complaint would be that the place is small and it gets so packed that I have seen ppl leave and probably try another restaurant. I am not sure if they take reservations. They have tons of ppl getting takeout all the time. Whenever we go, we just make sure its not dinner time. Other than that, absolutely love this place!!
(5)Ahmed K.
Though a misnomer "Italian Express" is a twist of Pizza, Sub-continental cousine, Gyros, Salads, Burgers and finger foods in between. First off this is a certified Zabiha Halal place which mostly makes a difference to Muslims. Menu: very diverse....different Pizza toppings and flavorings, some which are very much unique to them. Gyros are pretty decent but have recently started to decline in quality. Their Burgers are very good though and so was the Chef's salad that I've tried (very fresh vegetables). Service: Though they could smile often and just a how do you do wouldn't hurt, seems to me that most of them might not be comfortable in their linguistic skills. But food is prompt and you can call in advance to place the order as well so when you get there you're chomping down on food asap. Price: Their price overall is pretty decent, especially for an extra large Pizza that can be split by 3-4 guys or 5-6 if you have half guys and some ladies. The burgers though have a gourmet price tag, but they're worth it every once in a while. Conclusion: K-swiss' Seal of Approval....Eat your heart out while experiencing flavors and taste buds that you never thought existed! Hope this helps!
(4)Allen T.
Their spicy gyro pizza. Enough said. That's the main reason why my friends and I go here. It's also the same reason why I'm stuck in my bathroom all night too, but the spicy gyro pizza is just so good. The only downsides are it gets pretty packed at night and it might be difficult to find parking. But other than that, get that pizza.
(4)Leyla A.
I usually order Gyros Pizza to go, but tonight decided to dine in for a change. The service was exceptional! Our small gyros pizza arrived hot and spicy in approximately 20 minutes. I was so hungry I was tempted to order a Large, but the waiter convinced us the small was enough for two people. He was right, we had to have 1/3 of the pizza packed up to go. This restaurant is very clean, they have an expansive menu, Halal friendly, and they even have daily specials. I did not give five stars, simply because they need to refill their salt and pepper shakers. Every single table had half-empty salt and pepper shakers, and even though I hate ketchup, I noticed the ketchups were kind of empty too. If you are on Devon, give this place a try.
(4)Izzat A.
Had heard so much about this place and I finally got to try it. We ordered wings, a chicken shwarama, the spicy gyro pizza, and an italian beef sandwich. The pizza was HUGE. I'm talking 4 hungry guys couldn't finish it huge. There was a ton of gyro meat on it. The pizza MEATS the hype (see what I did there). The schwarma had a ton of chicken in it and was pretty good. Everything here is pretty cheap. All the food we ordered came out to be $40. Service took a lil bit longer than I would have liked but it was okay. There was so much food, that we took it back. Will definitely come back here.
(4)Sumi P.
This place used to be pretty good back in the day when halal/zabiha places were few and far between. They became popular mostly from serving their zabiha gyros which was pretty good back then. Problem is the quality has severely declined over the past ten years or so. And now there are much better places where you can get FRESH meat like Pita Inn and they are also much more affordable than Italian Express. Also, they do have a burger that is at best, ok, but I think people are catching on to the other newer zabiha places like "faizaans" whose burgers are by far superior. This place is ok if you are looking for zabiha, but definitely not worth the price. One thing that is pretty decent on the menu are the cheese sticks. I think it's b/c of the chunky marinara sauce they serve them with. Oh ya, the coleslaw, albeit no the traditional coleslaw, is delicious!! Service is better now than it has been in the past, but generally it is quite a hassle to order from here and actually get the order correct. Also not the cleanest place to eat either. The pizza that everyone raves about is an awesome concept. Who wouldn't like spiced out gyros meat on top of a warm gooey pizza. Problem is the pizza is usually overloaded with mediocre mozzarella with a super bready crust, and definitely not enough sauce. If the pizza quality was better the gyros pizza would be a hit!! too bad it's not. Also the consistency of the gyros meat varies on each visit. Sometimes burned, sometimes sliced too thin, usually inconsistent in the amount of meat in each gyros sandwich. Remind them to include the yogurt sauce for the gyros. They tend to forget.
(2)Shazia T.
Man, I wish this place was near me. I could go for a sandwich right now. I ordered a roast beef-like sandwich with au jus and it was soooooooooooo good!! I also had pizza with halal toppings and it was really good. I have to come back to Italian Express the next time I'm in Chicago.
(4)Abe I.
Where to start ? I fucking love this place! I've been going here ever since I was a little kid and now I know why my parents have always dined here, the food is absolutely terrific ! Not only is it zabiha/halal, it's pretty affordable if you're a college student like me. I usually get the spicy gyro sandwich or the spicy gyro pizza (which also tastes amazing even after sitting in the fridge lol). I've been to many places where gyros are served, but I have NEVER seen SPICY gyros on the menu, let alone spicy gyro PIZZA, other than some other indo/pak restaurants. If your taste buds love spicy food, then this is the place to go, trick. The atmosphere is so-so, but when you eat the food you will definitely fall in love.
(5)Azhar M.
Halal+ Semi Fast food joint = Italian Express!! Move over pizza hut, dominos, and all other pizza joints out there.....if you are a true carnivore, then you must order the meat lover pizza!! Sausage and gyros pizza is my absolute favorite.
(5)Irfan B.
Spicy Gyro sandwich is to die for! I am not sure how healthy it is, but can sure kick the taste-buds. Pizza is more on the expensive side, but Halal - so kind of nice.
(4)Sifat A.
Best gyros (gyros sandwich, cheeseburger, pizza) in the city, hands down. Everything else is just average
(4)I S.
eh, it's an okay place. honestly i've had much better halal american food, we ordered chicken wings once and they were huge, I think they were turkey wings not chicken. also the lasagna is very sub-par. however, i have to say their gyro pizza is really great, that's probably the only thing i've tried on the menu that's really worth it. it's a thin crust style and has the perfect balance of cheese, sauce, and gyro and is something I haven't quite had the equal of at other places. It's definitely a bit greasy but not horrendous.
(3)Samim P.
They have the worst customer service. I don't understand why you can't greet your customer or share a smile? The gyros is always under cooked and the mozzarella sticks are never melted.
(1)A. T.
There's only one thing that you will ever need to order when coming here: gyros pizza. And believe me, it is as amazing and delicious as it sounds. Whenever I eat it, I thank my Pakistani friend every time for introducing it to me. You can either get the gyros pizza in regular gyros or spicy gyros. I usually hate cold pizza, but this is one of the few that I can actually stand eating cold as well as when it's hot. All of the food here is halal, for those who follow it. Here's something you should know: Order your food for pick-up. It's a nightmare eating inside. Also, the parking sucks.
(5)Ash M.
I've been going there ever since I was a child. Best gyros in the world! My family and I always get gyros sandwich or pizza! Their soup is also pretty amazing! They could spice up the interior a little and service could be better and it could be bigger, but that's is as good as it gets. Enjoy!
(5)Jason C.
Two of my favorite junk foods: pizza and gyros. Put these together and you have awesomeness on a slice. It seems odd that an Italian and Greek dish are somehow fused together in an area with loads of Indian restaurants but I can't think of two better things that go together so well (maybe PB&J, Michael & Scottie, wine & cheese). Whoever thought of pairing these two foods is a genius in my opinion. I have only ordered take-away from Italian Express so I can't speak to the dining experience, but as far as the goodness of the gyro pizza, you should try it out yourself.
(4)Nasir R.
the spicy gyro pizza is the best pizza hands down!!!!
(5)Sarah Q.
Not really sure why this place is called Italian Express since it's more middle-eastern inspired, but whatever. Everything is halal/zabiha and the spicy gyro plate is so amazing! We've also tried the pizza (veggies with spicy chicken) and it was also really good. The cheeseburgers kinda taste like McDonalds and are also really tasty--very juicy and comes with the works. The best thing about this place is that it's open until 1AM weekdays and until 2AM weekends so chances are, it's open when you're craving it. If you're just ordering to-go, walk up to the counter to order--otherwise, just pick a table and the waiter will come right over with menus.
(4)Danish I.
I've always been confused about the name of this place, but it's great nonetheless. Of the many, many times I've been here or ordered from here, I usually got a spicy gyro or pizza with spicy gyro meat on top. I've yet to find anything like it, anywhere.
(4)Memon K.
We wanted to order Philli Steak pizza but was not available...thankfully....becasue the waiter suggested us to have spicy gyros pizza and it was awesome...i instantly remembered the pizza we used to have back in Pakistan...and it was a lot...we could not finish it, brought back home only to find that it tasted even better the next day...soft and yummy..it was pretty meaty and so very fulfilling....i tried their hamburger few days back which was also very nice....lets see how thier lasagna and pasta tastes...next time hopefully! great job guys...had they been not here in Chicago, I could only eat not so yummy cheese pizza! i only wish it was slightly more cheaper.
(4)Halisa V.
Spicy gyros is really good here!! and it is really nice how it has an ethnic flare from pakistani and indian food!! The best is to call in and pick up the food!
(4)Ali Z.
Their gyros is still #1 but most of the other items on the menu are so-so at best and overpriced. For halal American fast-food, you are better off going to Brown's Chicken in Skokie or KFC/A&W in Lombard.
(3)a w.
Terrible food, unclean restraunt, bad service, overpriced food....if this is what you are looking for then this is the restraunt for you! Don't say I didn't warn you!
(1)Muhammad A.
Italian Express has great Halal meat and they have great service all the time.One thing that bothers me is that they have hired their prices over the months. That is why many people have stopped going their first because of gas prices and then hire prices for food!!
(4)MoMo K.
this food is not as good as it was wayyyy back in the day when it use to be on western. Now it looks like a fast food restaurant. Apparently, this location tastes wayyy better then the suburban Italian Express locations. I still think the food is descent with gyros (extra spicy) being my favorite. their pizza with gyros topping is amazing as well, but you have to get the 'tzatziki white sauce' and dip the pizza in it to make it taste even better! Their fries are above average and in pretty sure most of their other food is descent because my sisters/friends keep coming back. Order wayyy ahead if it's a busy night, otherwise you'll have to wait 30-40 minutes As far as dining in goes, they need to hire a new dishwasher of fix their dishwashing machine. Their glasses were dirty, so when I requested for new glasses, the new set were also dirty. So then I requested for paper cups, but they only had 2 left. If the workers were thinking straight, they would have taken the dirty glasses and washed them... I was going to tell them but my friends told me to just leave it. Food = 5/5, Service = 4/5, Dishwasher guy = 0/5
(4)Saif S.
The food takes a long time to be served (30 min for just four wings). This location doesn't have the items that are on their menu. It's a hot or miss. I'd suggest to go since dine in service is nonexistent
(1)Birimo D.
Don't go to this restaurant, its shirty place they will give you nothing like what you ordered from the menu. The food is cold and tasteless their french fry is disgusting, It looks like left over and it has no salt..
(1)Alyaa B.
If you want microwaved food and shitty service this is the place for you! Oh also if you have a lot of time since it takes forever to get your food! Enjoy!
(1)Anooj S.
For appetizers we got the fries and onion rings. Both were good, fries were above average. The onion rings were definitely better. Also got the spicy gyro and veggie delight pizza. This was my first time having a pizza with gyro and it was phenomenal. the hot sauce and tsziki white sauce on the pizza made it even better. Not too much crust either. Some pizza places tend to over do it with either sauce or cheese but this place had a perfect balance. The price is also reasonable for the the amount of food you get.
(5)Nanye E.
Dont go here for the ambience and dont expirement with the new iteams on the menu. Its simple: order the gyro pizza, douce it in white sauce/red sauce, and then walk out.
(3)Riya A.
I hate this place. It's grimy the one in the suburbs is way better. It used to be good years back but now it just sucks. It's a pool of oil with cheese and I hear way to much stuff about them not really being zabhia. I'm literally just so annoyed. Change your silver wear will you everything bends, change the flooring please it looks like it's growing mold, don't charge for extra sauces please. So many flaws in a 600 square foot dining area.
(1)Damir D.
I go to this place at least two times a week. I go there to get gyros and pizza. They really have a good pizza. The staff is really rude. There are some guys that are nice and I wish they would go and work somewhere else because they are good. I told my self I will not go here again just because I go here all the time and spend lots of money in one place. Plus when I go there people don't even smile and they don't make me feel welcomed. Friend of mine told me to try chicken shawarma from here. I said I'll give it try and that's was the last thing that ordered from here. Unless the owner changes they lost me as a customer. My chicken was all burned and way over cooked. I didn't even eat it.
(1)Sameer R.
Food here is good. The service for dining in is pretty bad. I always order to go because the staff has never done a good job.
(3)Muhammad Z.
I was used to come a lot but since last couple of times I felt their food quality is keep going down. Ordered Chicken tikka pizza but dough was so hard.
(3)Imran F.
Food is great. The spicy gyro is extremely good. I always end up buying just the meat portion as a carry out whenever I am on Devon street. The place is kinda small and gets very loud if busy at times.
(4)Mohammed H.
This review is for take-out only. I decided to get some food from here based on a colleague's recommendation. I ordered the bbq chicken wings and they were ready when they told me they would be ready. That's great. But I didn't really enjoy them. They were okay wings, nothing special. The coleslaw that came with it was way better. Maybe next time I'll get the gyros pizza - which gets better reviews.
(2)Afreen B.
I had hair in my food and the ketchup was expired. Service was ok. We are regulars but will never be going back again..
(2)Brutus H.
Omg what a great secret pizza place in the middle of little India. The food us so delicious and the pizza is amazing. Must try!!!!!!!!
(5)Saifuddin M.
Had the Italian Express Extra Large pizza with Gyro and chicken as topping extre spicy , truly mouth watering delight ...along with some hot wings and fries on the side ... A must visit place for pizza lovers.
(5)iddells E.
CHICKEN TIKKA PIZZA.....is all you need to whisk you away into eternal bliss. Who knew Indian and Italian flavors would mesh so well? The odd combination of chicken tikka and pizza is just so right...the grilled smoky flavor of the chicken combined with marinara sauce and cheese will make you say "Damn, this is SO good" with every bite. Ask for it to be spicy, and more jalapenos will be added to achieve a pie of perfection. I've had the gyros pizza before and it is good, but doesn't come close to the excitement of the chicken tikka pizza.
(5)A. K.
Ok this is solely for the Italian beef sandwich...someone said get it au jus. Wtf dude?! It was pieces of dry rubbery meat-like stuff in stale bread. It was gross. The meat is supposed to be juicy right? I understand the stale bread (helps soak up the juices without getting soggy) but for God's sake use your brains and dunk the meat back in it's juice a bit before serving. The freakin container filled with the jus to dunk in was so tiny it was pointless having it there. Dunking was pointless. The meat also had ZERO flavor. Zero. Nada. Zilch. It was such a...ugh. I have no words. Do not try their Italian beef sandwich. Update: Don't try their Philly cheesesteak (beef) either. They use the same boiled, dry meat stuff...just sautees with veggies and add mozarella cheese. Not good at all. I tried their gyros in store...absolutely delicious. Def try it out.
(3)Rabs W.
I remember Italian Express from when I used to live in Chicago many years ago...but now I'm back and apparently there are more locations and some of them have moved (again and again.) Anyway, all my experiences so far at Italian express have been just fine and I think its a great place to get a variety of Zabiha dishes. Before I forget, I have to mention that we made a reservation at another Italian express for their iftar buffet. It was a good experience and they had great options for dinner/iftar. Ok back to this place. So the best thing ever that I love so much here is the gyros (both spicy and regular.) I love the bread it comes on, the sauce and the fries with it too. Can I say it again? LOVE IT!!!! It's really the only thing I eat here. In fairness though, I must say that I really like the chicken tandoori pizza as well. Initially when we ordered it I was like "ughhh gosh....really? A tandoori pizza?" But honestly, I ended up liking it a lot. NOT as much as the gyros...but it's definitely up there. The service is not the greatest of all and it's not horrible either..but this place is pretty much like any other desi/self serve/joint on Devon. My family and I enjoy when we go there. It's a nice and casual place to dine and eat good food (especially they gyros!)
(4)Arun A.
I been going to Italian express for years, They have always been really expensive for the garbage food they serve. I was ok with paying extra if the food was good but since they moved to the new location the food has been awful. I gave up eating the food last time i went because it was just awful. The gyros were like rubber and the pita looked like it was a month old.
(1)Haris S.
One of the worst dining experiences by far. This place is half the shadow of what it used to be when Italian Express was located on Western ave. I have never left a restaurant with such a bad taste in my mouth. We called in 10 minutes before getting their as I was in a rush so wanted to quickly dine in and leave. We walk in and seat our selfs, waiter comes within the first 3-5 minutes. We informed him that we ordered over the phone. After 5-8 minutes our food came out. I orderd a gyro sandwich along with Buffalo wings. On of the best things after Pizza on their menu mainly because they are Halal. Gyro meat is suppose to be soft and tender as it once used to be at Italian express. Instead I literally had pieces that were not only hard as a rock but also cold. I could tell that the meat had been cut previously and slapped on the grill for quick cooking to save time but the result of that is extremely dry meat. The buffalo wings were extremely dry with barely any sauce and it almost felt that it had been precooked earlier and reheated. Service: This place gets a big fat "F". 5-6 years ago, the owner of the place was always present along with his daughter so the service was always good. Now you have people on the counter with a frown on their face (quite frankly I don't blame them because they are being over worked without and sense of supervision or leadership to maintain the front of the restaurant and perhaps even the kitchen). What made everything far worse is that one server was running between 4 tables and non of the tables were getting served properly while you could see 3 people behind the counter working the register and warmer. To give you a glimpse of how bad things were, the waiter brought in a pitcher of Pepsi and we had to call him again after 5 minutes since no one bothered to bring glasses to our table. After all of this, you would expect that the worst is behind me but as I was washing my hands in the test room, I noticed a black spot of a corner of the wall. As I looked closer, it was a ROACH. Need I say more. Sadly this terrible experience was the last straw for me as my previous two dine in experiences were bad if not equally as bad. It hurts me to write such a bad review for a place u have so dearly loved over the years but my hope is that the owner of this place would read this and pay some attention to a once Go-To dine in spot for the young Muslim crowds of Chicago. It almost seems that because Italian Express know a that they serve what ever they want and how over they want too simply because they know most of their customers can not go somewhere else due to Zabiha halal factor. However, after this terrible experience, I am not sure if I will ever be back again to done in.
(1)Asad S.
My family and I got Penne Alla Romano, Biryani, Gyro Platter and Classic Spaghetti with roasted Chicken. We all loved our dishes. The service was great too!
(5)Samia K.
We come here when we are craving burgers and pizza. We have also tried the nachos and philly sandwiches. Down side is that they didn't have the steak when I went there to eat halal steak. Mediocre service but great food!
(4)Gspot H.
Was petty empty. relatively ok on time, I guess. Food was OK. Good for the price. Lots of people seemed to be doing takeout, like they done it b4; noticed whislt I waited for to-go.
(2)Anna S.
Another place I gave a go due to its zabiha halal status. I ordered the italian express large pizza with spicy gyro for pickup. it was normal good-- not bad, not great. Definitely a little too on the salty side. i probably would order here again on a lazy cooking day, but would try one of their other pizzas first (maybe chicken tikka?) before ordering this one again since it didn't blow me away.
(3)Sam N.
The Gyro Pizza is heaven!! Seasoned and spicy beef gyro chunks in tangy marinara sauce and piping hot chicago cheese! Good Lord..this is one of the best pizza's I have ever tried in Chi Town! I actually came here twice, because the first time they were sold out... Also if you order an XL version of it, they give you a free bottle of Pepsi! Worth checking out in Chicago's Devon ave !
(4)Mohd I.
Their spicy Gyros are the best. They even come with fries. And all that for a fairly reasonable price too. The pizza was good. Not a huge fan of the halal pepperoni myself. The chicken wings were pretty good. All in all an above average place to eat. The gyros could use a little less oil but meh, whatever.
(4)Aamir K.
I have had all kind of pizzas from around the world but i love the SPICY GYRO PIZZA from Italian express. When i was doing my rotations in Chicago i use to go to devon just so i can have that. Last time i went to Chicago i actually had'em freeze the pizza which i picked up on my way to the airport and i flew back to newport beach with it and it was still good when i put it in the oven. Other then that their gyros and chicken wings are also good. The only reason this place is getting a 4 star is because the bathroom wasn't clean since i am reviewing this as a whole restaurant i have to take that into consideration as well.
(4)Yav A.
Good Zabiha fast food joint Italian Beef with hot giardiniera and au jus Hot Dogs - the put mayo for some reason so let them know if you don't want it. Cheeseburgers Regular and Spicy Gyros People always talk about the gyros pizza. I must try that next time.
(4)Betsy J.
It's difficult for me to put into words just how much I love the spicy chicken pan pizza here so I'll just say this: mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. The spicy gyro pizza is also very, very delicious.
(5)Shaan J.
GYRO PIZZA I MISS YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I want to fly to Chicago, so I can have this gyro pizza experience again.
(5)Farida A.
Gyro pizza. That's all you need to know. Just get the gyro pizza. Recently, I tried an italian beef sub as well, which was good if you ask for the au jus. Otherwise it's kinda dry and sad. In the past I've tried other menu items and haven't been disappointed, but now that I've experienced the gyro pizza, I won't be exploring the other menu items.
(4)