Glenview's Wild Pita Is 'Wildly' Delicious

I'm somewhat of a falafel-freak.  

I like to consider myself an expert on them since my mother has always loved making them from scratch. And I love eating them. So when I went to try Wild Pita for the first time, its not hard to guess what I reached for first. I've noticed people often try (and sometimes fail) to change or tweak falafel recipes in ways that make them unique to their establishment or home. 

The only way I can adequately describe Wild Pita’s falafel is to say it is the hush puppy of falafels. 

I broke one in half to examine the contents and found giant chunks of fresh chick pea, mixed together with parsley and just the right amount of citrus to perk them up. I doused them in some house made hot sauce and some tahini sauce and really enjoyed the texture – the right crunch on the outside, the right consistency on the inside.

I started mixing my falafels with some baba ghannoj, some hummus, some salad. I made a little sandwich out of the ingredients and was pleased with the versatility of the vegetarian plate.

In addition to the vegetarian plate, my friends and I sampled the chicken kabob entree as well as the beef shawarma. The shawarma is described on the menu as "slices of sirloin seasoned and grilled rotisserie style" and was served alongside rice and salad, juicy with a seasoning that had a slight kick to it.  

As for the kabobs, I’ve been to many family gatherings where we grilled chicken kabobs that came out juicy and lemony, with a bursting bright yellow color that came from a particular seasoning.  Memories of those family parties definitely surfaced with Wild Pita’s chicken kabobs, the portion sizes more than generous. The food ended up being around $10 a person, with ample leftovers for that midnight television show snack (not that I condone nighttime eating but you know, it happens.)

There was a nice steady flow of business which is a good sign considering Wild Pita, located at 1938 Waukegan Road, has only been opened for a few short weeks.  

Sergun Odishu and Redmon Yalda specifically chose Glenview for their business because they felt they could bring something new and delicious to the community – casual Middle-Eastern dining from two brother-in-laws with a passion for good food.

As for the hummus (I have to talk about the hummus), it had a much less watery consistency than many others I’ve tried, which I liked.  I also liked that I could detect the slightest hint of lemon, which kept me digging super thin pita slices back in for more. 

The chef stopped by to see how we were doing and started telling us about one of his specialties, the seafood entrée. Catfish topped with a tomato sauce and sautéed veggies along with citrus spices to complement the already marinated fish. Other employees overheard him and started chiming in genuinely on how amazing it was as well. 

Served alongside salad and rice, the entrée is around ten bucks.  Wild Pita is also considering having lunch specials as well as weekly specials, but for now is testing its current menu out with the public.

We had enough food left over to take a to-go plate home (which was eaten in front of Golden Girls at midnight as predicted) and were totally stuffed upon leaving.

A nice addition to the growing food scene in Glenview, Wild Pita is a must-try.