Indian Express Clsd-Renamed: Mashawy Mediterranean

Walking to work this morning, I see a place called Indian Express is set to open soon in the vacant Elliots Deli spot on Wells just south of Randolph.

Tried looking them up to see if it was a franchise (because they seem to have a logo of plates of food riding on a train) but no luck.

Edit:
See post 1/18/06 6:44pm

Place has changed names, focus?

any mention of a date when its opening? I think there are no other Indian places in the loop and so this could be a niche market for them.

polster wrote:any mention of a date when its opening? I think there are no other Indian places in the loop and so this could be a niche market for them.

I'll check today. They were installing soda machines and such. Most of the furnishings were already there, so it should be soon.

Koozy's - Chicago, on the other hand (162 N. Franklin) has a work stop order for almost a month now because of permit problems.

Edit:
Walked by after work, nothing posted except the Chi. Work Permit

If someone posts when this place opens up, I'll be a guinea pig. I work down Wells a bit, but never have to walk by that location.

It's just across the street from me, so I'll be eager to check it out as well.

anyone remember an Indian takeout place in this alleyway/secret hidden street, kind of by lasalle/vanburen? It was about 8 years ago, really hard to find, but pretty good. I tried to find it later, couldn't remember where it was, it probably closed soon after I went there.

Anyhow, glad to hear of an Indian take-out, I am kind of close to India House but they get crowded and are pricey for take-out.

I walked by this place today and its still not open and there is no sign when it will open. although I looked inside and it seems like its about done. From my estimation it should be open early November. -Maybe next week if were luck or unlucky depending on how you look at it!

polster wrote:I walked by this place today and its still not open and there is no sign when it will open. although I looked inside and it seems like its about done. From my estimation it should be open early November. -Maybe next week if were luck or unlucky depending on how you look at it!

I know

looks can be deceiving.

most of the fixtures are left over from Elliot's.

One good thing, I saw both the cook area and the "back" lit up today. At 7:30am this morning, there were two gentlemen in there getting stuff ready

I'm thinking early November too

Any news as to an open date? Dying for something new in this area...
Jamie

The coolers are now fully stocked, and some sort of cooking pots are on the counter.

Same "Opening Soon" sign in the window.

I saw a small cadre of folks with clipboards walking around and checking around back and inside the place. Appeared to be an inspection of some sort. That was late last week.

I was there on Wednesday of last week, and peeked my head inside the kitchen door which was propped open. I asked when they would open, and got the answer that it would be 3 to 4 days. On Friday I stopped by again, hopeful... no dice. Anyone work in the area who sees the place on their way in? Its a bit of a hike for me. BTW: We also asked if they would have any vegetarian fare, and they said yes.

I talked to one of the building staff today (conveniently out in front having a smoke) who says they hope to open sometime this week.

Second cooler in there now for bottled drinks, and a little more stuff on the counter.

I saw what could be an owner, and got a "soon, soon" out of him

I pass it everyday, and will post if I see something before those (was it Ann?) that works across the street

Any news on this place yet?

dbit wrote:Any news on this place yet?

I'm thinking next week.

This morning, 8am, guy cleaning and prepping the self serve soda fountain, if you don't opt for bottles.

Second cooler mentioned above stocked.

At 3:30pm, I saw one guy looking to be programming possibly the register. In the kitchen, I could clearly see two people of possible indian decent, with 2 girls in some sort of matching shirts, listening and asking questions.

I believe I probably witessed what might have been some sort of training day.

First time I visibly saw "action" in there.

kool, thanks for the update, and keep us posted!

emdub wrote:anyone remember an Indian takeout place in this alleyway/secret hidden street, kind of by lasalle/vanburen? It was about 8 years ago, really hard to find, but pretty good. I tried to find it later, couldn't remember where it was, it probably closed soon after I went there.

It was a deli the name of which escapes me, and they only offered a handful of Indian dishes on two or three days of the week, but it was cheap and pretty good and a nice change of pace from the other lunch offerings in the Loop. The location (19 S LaSalle - in a cul de sac between Monroe and Madison) has been a Burrito Beach for the past five or six years.

I work in the area and love Indian food but rarely get to Devon, so I am excited about the possibility of this Indian Express opening. Even if it's mediocre, the food has to be better than what's available in the vicinity.

I cant wait. Especially if it's reasonably priced food at a reasonable quality. I've been to India twice. If I want great indian food, I'm heading to Devon. Recommendations appreciated regarldess of location!

... hope it lives up to all the hype!

Just saw that the subject line gets sorta lost in the shuffle.... so I'll repost the important part of the message:

INDIA EXPRESS OPENS TODAY FOR LUNCH

Anyone want to meet me there today (Monday)? I've got a lunch with but would be happy to leave it in the fridge I'll also cross post on the events board.

I edited the title

120 N. Wells is the building, couldn't find a phone # yet

Well we had lunch there today. It was not very good, but it shows promise. The owner spoke to us during our meal and assured us that everything is temporary. They are rushing to open the place.

We asked for a menu on arrival, and were told that everyone gets a "$4.99 special". We all upgraded to add one Samosa ($.75) This very large plate of food included:

- A fountain drink. Pepsi products. Tasted a bit flat.

- 3 small kebabs: Chicken, Sheik (lamb), and Boka (unidentifiable). These were relatively mild in flavor. The first bite of the chicken was OK, the rest was mushy and disappointing. The lamb was dry and flavorless. The Boka kebab was coated in red goo, and had a flavor, just not a very good one.

- About 1.5 cups of "Veggie rice". The rice was OK, but had no indian spices in it. It was just yellow colored rice with bits of veggie.

- A fried veggie pakora. This was the best thing on the plate. Ask for the hot green chutney to dip it in. Very nice.

- A dried up flour tortilla that was masquerading as a chapati. These will be replaced with real chapati when they get it together.

- An iceburg/onion/tomato/cucumber/jalapeno/cilantro salad with spicy or mild yogurt dressing. This was OK, but nothing to shout about. Probably one of the most authentic parts of the meal.

- The samosa was the only thing (besides the pakora) worth eating, and it was sold separately. If I go back again soon, I'm just getting 2 or 3 samosas. They were tasty, and a bargain at only $.75 each. Nice potato/pepper/masala stuffing. Just smaller than a tennis ball in size. Very nice. Again, dip in the spicy green chutney.

I think they have a soup, but maybe not today. The menu we found elsewhere in the restaurant promises biryani, aloo chana, naan, and a few other tasty treats. They really need to make the bread fresh, offer one or two specials (if the menu is going to remain kebab centric), and increase the authentic flavor. When we spoke to the owner he explained the lack of flavor in some of the dishes by saying that they don't make the food too spicy, this way everyone can eat it. I told him that if he doesn't make the food more authentic, *nobody* will eat it. He promised that there are many changes coming.

We'll see...

Willkat98 wrote:I edited the title

120 N. Wells is the building, couldn't find a phone # yet

I have a copy of the printed out menu its actually:

122 N. Wells
phone: 312-251-1770
fax: 312-251-1772

I also went there today for lunch and had there combo special. All the meats were flavorless or not cooked well. The chicken I thought was mushy and undercooked. The rice as mentioned above had no indian spices in it.

I had the meat samosa which was about half the size of the vegtable one but was very tasty nontheless. The Green chutney was good, but the sweet red sauce tasted a bit like barbecue.

I hope they improve by adding some curry dishes.

/polster

ah well... Hopefully they do pull it together. I definitely wasn't expecting it to be fantastic. I'm vegetarian so I need not worry about the meat quality/prep, but I understand for everyone else this will be a huge factor in determining whether or not to put them on the map.

Cheers for telling them to make it more authentic! I've had more then my fare share of bland indian around town lately.

At least the samosa's and pakora's are good. Sometimes I get the craving and just need a taste of india. Three samosa's for 2.25 is a hard deal to beat.

Thanks for the advice, and keep us posted if they ever get any better. I might hit em up today myself.

oh yeah, is there service, or do you order and pick up?

You order from a hotline, pay for your food, and find a seat.

Makes you long for the “good old days” when Larosh, one of the taxi driver places, was almost around the corner on Lake. It certainly wasn’t the best of type but I guess it wasn’t so bad for the Loop.

That’s interesting about the old place at 19 S LaSalle, unknown to me. If anyone can think of its name I’d like to know.

I went here around 4:30 and they were closed. Should've figured with that location they'd be lunch only. But damn was I in the mood for samosas. It killed me when the second door was locked as well and the owner motioned "closed".

I'm still a little bitter! I'll have to go back at proper lunchtime and scoop some up.

Well, I just came back from Indian Express. Walked all the way from the southern end of the Loop for a bite. Polster's experience more or less sums up mine as well. Minus the samosas, the food seems more Middle Eastern than subcontinental, and not a terribly good version of either. In fact, I would simply say the meats are very poorly prepared.

The vegetarian samosas, however, were pretty good, but a little mushy for my tastes. Not anything like you'd get on Devon Street, but at 75 cents a pop, maybe worth a walk. I talked to the guy behind the counter, and he said they'd eventually have some curries and more traditional dishes.

So, for the moment, I'd recommend Indian Express only for those jonesing for a samosa in the Loop. I want to see it succeed, so I'll revisit in about a month, but as it stands, the food is not worth the walk for me.