Pita Inn

Pita Inn started on Dempster Street in Skokie in 1982, ten years after founder Falah Tabahi arrived in the United States at age 20 with a few dollars, according to the restaurant’s own story page. Tabahi and his wife Asma built the original into a Chicago-area chain of five, in Skokie, Wheeling, Glenview, Mundelein and Naperville, and the family still owns and operates all of them. The Skokie restaurant at 4710 Dempster St is counter service, with falafel, chicken and beef shawarma, hummus, kefta and baklava at low prices and a room that fills at lunch. The business marked the original location’s 40th anniversary in 2022.

What to know

• The first Pita Inn opened in Skokie in 1982; the location marked 40 years in 2022.
• Founded by Falah and Asma Tabahi and still owned by the Tabahi family.
• Five locations: Skokie, Wheeling, Glenview, Mundelein and Naperville.
• Counter-service Mediterranean menu built on falafel, shawarma, hummus and baklava.
• The Skokie restaurant is at 4710 Dempster St, east of the Edens.