Pita Kabab -- good new place in NW Indiana

On a drizzly day, just missing closing time at the Duke of Oil on Indianapolis Blvd -- we needed to find a place to eat.

And arising from the mist at a strip mall was "Pita Kabab" -- listed as Mediterranean. Only one other table was occupied, but we were warmly greeted at the door, so decided to try it.

I wish I was skilled with the cell phone, and with descriptions -- so you will need to know it passed the picky grandmother test -- "better than American" she proclaimed.

The menu is typical of these places -- all the favorites are there -- but we also found Koubideh. We shared a meat sampler called the business man lunch. The various meats were all nicely (and differently) spiced. The grandmother said that the rice was almost as good as hers. The daughter liked the vegetable lentil soup so much, she also finished her father's serving. The soup was prepared in a different way (pureed?) with a lemon slice accent) The husband (who is really the med fan) told me that the food is Persian influenced. Very good food and nicely priced.

We do a lot of shopping in NW Indiana, so are thrilled to find a good spot.

When we were leaving, the owner-chef asked how we liked it. He told us they had been open three months. I informed him about this forum, and asked if I could post about his restaurant. It turns out their cash register is also a pc attached to the internet, and they invited me behind the counter to call up LTH. There were several posts about middle east restaurants in the first few topics. The owner then asked me to open up one -- because that is his brother's place in Chicago!

So in thanks for Katy's, Sol de Mexico, and Healthy Lithuanian, may the Chinois family present

Pita Kabab
837 Main St
Schereville, IN 46375
219-322-7006

(South of Meijer's, across from the Duke of Oil on Indianapolis Blvd.)

Hi,

I know exactly where that Meijer's is located, because I usually stock up on White Lily flour there. I will add this to the list of places to check out sometime.

Thank you!

Regards,

Just tried Pita Kabab the food was very good and the prices are not bad. They have a special that feeds 4 for 32.99 which has alot of food. The sevice is excellent. I would recommend this place to anyone

lillyssa1203 wrote:Just tried Pita Kabab the food was very good and the prices are not bad. They have a special that feeds 4 for 32.99 which has alot of food. The sevice is excellent. I would recommend this place to anyone

Where is this place? Also, what exactly is included in the $32.99 special? Feeding 4 people isn't exactly the same as feeding 4 LTHers.

=R=

Its located behind the walgreens in the shopping center. Its on main st. The special has 1 skewer of rib eye
1 of ground beef
1 of chicken breast
1 of ground chicken
2 of veggies
lg hummus
lg baba ghannouj
rice
pita bread

lillyssa1203 wrote:Its located behind the walgreens in the shopping center. Its on main st. The special has 1 skewer of rib eye
1 of ground beef
1 of chicken breast
1 of ground chicken
2 of veggies
lg hummus
lg baba ghannouj
rice
pita bread

Sounds good, but as far as feeding 4, I think it sounds like it just might feed 2 yoga instructors (no offense to yoga instructors)...

Geez. I live a mile or so from there, and I haven't seen it yet. But that strip mall *is* pretty hidden from view.

I'll have to stop in tomorrow.

Jay K wrote:Sounds good, but as far as feeding 4, I think it sounds like it just might feed 2 yoga instructors (no offense to yoga instructors)...

Perhaps their skewers are far larger than usual? I will have to say, that it sounds like about enough food for me and my 6-year old. (or 2 yoga instructors) Again no offense to yoga professionals, although the ones I know seem way underfed, but I seem to be seriously overfed.

Based on my having many of the items in question, this special would only feed two people if the two were training for eating competitions.

The skewers are about a foot long and contain roughly a half-pound of meat (or their equivalent in peppers/onions).

The large (homemade) hummus and baba ghanouj are indeed LARGE. I'd need a measuring cup to verify, but I'd guess each would easily fill a pint container.

The side of rice comes on a large (approx 9x13) oval plate and is heaping.

I have never ordered this meal for four, only the individual items, so perhaps the sizes are different. Maybe those wondering about the portion sizes should visit Pita Kabab, order the meal for four, and then report their findings in this thread. FWIW.

(I would also add that IMO the hummus and baba ghanouj are excellent, as are the skewers and the lamb shank. The schwarma is a little dry, and the rice could use a bit more seasoning. Their best entrees are IMO the specials written on a board.)

We returned this weekend, and the restaurant had more traffic (yeah!) The crowd was made up more of hearty eaters than yoga types -- if that helps on the serving size.

We changed out a couple of items (hummus instead of salad) and added (walnut, triangular) baklava. Both were great. I'd estimate that the small hummus was a pint.

The daughter caged extra soup again, and we polished off the falafel by making mini pita sandwiches. We jokingly call these mid-east sliders.

I'll have to agree that the kifka was a bit dry; I should follow the spouse's lead of dripping fresh lemon juice over the meats. The other two meats (a lamb and beef dish) on the sampler were very good, but I missed not having a chicken choice.

The daughter took pictures, and if I can figure out how, I'll upload them.

BTW, there is an Indian grocery in the same plaza, and we picked up some samosas for later.

I just thought i would chime in on Pita Kabab.I had read the posts and was in the area. I thought I would just grab a menu but then decided to stay.Believe me it didn't take much persuasion.I had a beef shawarma.That was it.It was very good though I have nothing to compare to.I am a big gyros fan and I really liked this as an alternative.Also I am thinking the beef in a beef shawarma might be of better quality than the ground and formed pieces of lamb and beef in a gyro.
It is a very bright and clean place with few customers on a Saturday early evening but it was lousy out.Here is to hoping they can make it.

We went to Pita Kabab again last night, shortly before closing. The owner, Khalil Ouyuon, was there and told us about the new website they are putting up, which will feature online-ordering. They have a very large delivery area, in contrast to most place in NW Indiana who can rarely be convinced to deliver outside of a mile or so. http://pitakabab.com

The pita, hummus, and baba ghanoush they give you as you sit down were all fantastic - the pita especially was fresh off the grill and delicious. MincyBits had the Beef Shawerma sandwich and I had the Barg Kabob entree, both were good. The side of falafel (a dozen for $5) is some of the best I've ever had.

MincyBits had the baklava for dessert (and I had a nibble) It was really buttery and had an almost brandy-ish undertone to it. Really delicious. They had another dessert that involves a beet in some manner, but were sadly out of it. (called Kinafa, I think)

It was empty, as it always is when we went in, but it was near closing so I don't think that's a good indicator.

The decor is adorable and the service is always much better than I expect in a smallish place like that.

I'm starting to salivate thinking about the food again, so I'll end my review here.

I stopped by this place a few weeks ago, and was also pleased by how good the food was. My order consisted of chicken schwarma and falafel, and both held up well in their take out containers for the ride back to my parents home a few miles away. The chicken was flavorful and moist, and was enough for an army. The falafel were pretty good, not the best I've ever had, but they were made to order, and were hot and crunchy when I snuck one out of it's container.

The staff was incredibly friendly and accomodating, and I could tell the guy who took my order was tickled by my excitement over their food offerings. Apparently they also offer delivery in the Highland, Schererville, Dyer and St. John area, I got the impression that one need only call and ask and they would try to accomodate most delivery requests for lunch and dinner time.

Too bad they weren't already around when I still lived in the area, I probably would have eaten there several times a week.

Oh, I'm so glad that people are enjoying this place. We went back tonight, and there were so many tables occupied that they had a little trouble keeping up with all the orders. We also noticed a lot of take-out orders.

Again the food was good and service friendly. The husband, grandmother and daughter all liked the falafel and a new beef dish -- some kind of ground beef kebab. The lentil soup was good enough that the daughter asked me to just pass mine over ... to her.

Oh, last time we went, we got a creamy chick-pea dish (from the appetizer list) that was really good. I wish I was better at taking pictures or at descriptions. I'm counting on others helping out here! I don't have my copy of the menu handy to look up the names. When I find it, I'll add them in.

The owner is so happy that some people from here are visiting. He told me he thought that a journalist might have come today with her daughter. Should anyone 'fess up?

(To give others what we like, last week was SpringWorld and the week before was the Georgian Bread 'n Bowls.)

My in-laws live in Dyer so we are out there frequently, and my sister-in-law is a recently addicted falafel lover (down, Bill O'Reilly). I was running errands out there today while my wife was at a baby shower and stopped in at Pita Kabab. I was in a rush so I got a chicken shawerma to go and a dozen falafel (which was a bargain at 4.95, I think). The shawerma was very moist and not as heavily spiced as some places, but they do use sumac and include a small container of a very spicy reddish-brown sauce that I am not familiar with, though I would like to become so. The sandwhich pita was quite good -- very thin and tender, more like the wrapping pita (which I prefer) than the stuffing pita. The falafel was sort of flattened and very crispy, but had a nice balance of flavors. My sister-in-law was thrilled when I walked in the door with a container full of falafel.

They had a local newspaper notice posted in the window indicating the owner has worked at a Chicago restaurant owned by his brother. The article mentioned the family was from Syria, but the menu definitely highlights Persian elements, which again I don't know much about. I can't wait to go back and have the lentil soup -- if it is pureed with a lemon accent, that puts it in the style of the Nile in Hyde Park, and that is just about the best lentil soup I've ever had. When I arrived I was the only customer, but while I waited a woman in a (beautiful) head scarf stopped in to get lunch for herself and her son. I know there is a mid-eastern professional population in NW Indiana, which was probably part of the motivation to open there. One thing I REALLY liked: while I waited, the cashier brought me a cup of hot tea (completely unprompted). It was quite nice, black tea with a hint of orange and spice, but not Constant Comment-like at all. I LOVE places that are so thoughtful to do that. We'll definitely go back!

The last time I was there (last week, I think) the owner gave me a fresh falafel as I waited. I agree with rdb66, I love when people are that thoughtful.

I was watching them make the falafel for my order & noticed they spooned a bit of the falafel mixture onto what looked like an espresso tamper and then shaved some extra off & shaped it with the spoon. That's what gives it the one flat side, I think.

We stopped by here while doing a NW errand run. The place was packed! Wow! And there was a steady stream of take-outs. The owner was breaking in a new teenage waitress who was clearly overwhelmed. However, the food was still good. Husband finished his mixed chicken grill, after spritzing with lemon. The beef I had had a nice "char." (See, I'm teachable about food terms.)

Llama and I ate here last night, and it was the first time we have seen it packed. Unfortunately, it was also our server's second day. He was a sport about it, though, and his smile never faltered. We ordered falafel, which was truly excellent with a perfect crispy exterior and fluffy interior; a small hummus, which was very uncharacteristically small, thin, mayo-like, and flavorless; the awesomely flavorful and charred lamb kabab special for me, which included a decent pureed lentil vegetable soup that I would have eaten if the server hadn't forgotten to bring it to me until after I'd gotten full; tasty, moist, and well-seasoned beef shawerma for Llama; and a handfull of free cookies for our troubles, which were delicious - a Saudi brand of butter cookie filled with dates. In all, I'm glad to see them busy; the hummus incident was the first bad experience I've had there, so I'll give them a break and I'm sure we'll have the usual delicious stuff next time.

As mentioned up-thread, there is an Indian grocery just a few doors down called House of India (or some permutation thereof). We popped our heads in before dinner and discovered they have a small restaurant which the owner tells us is all vegetarian. The menu is in picture form and everything looks delicious; we're excited to try it out, and will post a review as soon as we have.

The meat is now Halal. He has reshaped the menu to have more appetizers.

He has a new server who is great. (and very pretty.)

Sad to announce that Pita Kabab has closed as of the last time I drove by. There looks to be a pizza shop going up in it's place.