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Italian Express
3.5
57 reviews
67% will return

Italian Express

2041 Bloomingdale Road, Glendale Heights, IL

Italian$$

Halal summary

The owners of this restaurant are Muslim and have confirmed its halal status. All food at this restaurant is certified halal.

Fully halal
No alcohol allowed

About Italian Express

Italian Express opened up in 1987 with a simple goal, we wanted to provided the finest quality Zabiha (Halal) foods. We have enjoyed living and working in the Chicagoland area, serving family and friends - old and new. We have served you when you played soccer and football as a child, and we continue to serve your children's teams even today. We take pride in our continued involvement in the community and look forward to the future of great food, good friends and lasting memories at Italian Express.

Photos

Photo of Italian Express
Photo of Italian Express
Photo of Italian Express
Photo of Italian Express
Photo of Italian Express

Hours

Monday11:00 AM - 02:00 AM
Tuesday11:00 AM - 02:00 AM
Wednesday11:00 AM - 02:00 AM
Thursday11:00 AM - 02:00 AM
Friday11:00 AM - 02:00 AM
Saturday11:00 AM - 02:00 AM
Sunday11:00 AM - 02:00 AM

Amenities

Prayer space
Parking space

Location

2041 Bloomingdale Road, Glendale Heights, IL

57 reviews

3.5
57 reviews·14% would return
5
4
3
2
1
S

Shireen M

Feb 20, 2018•11 reviews
3

I\'ve ordered many times from this location and have encountered this frequent problem. The staff is rude and the taste is not the same as Devon location. But if you need your gyro fix and you\'re in the suburbs then you should go. My fav is spicy gyro pizza or spicy gyro pita. My parents love the whole tandoori chicken which takes 1 hour to make so order ahead.

S

Syed Immad Ul Haque

Oct 11, 2016•42 reviews
3

This is a small place, food was good and restaurant was clean. We ordered gyros. Gyros were good and serving size was great.

Would return
K

Kash Money

Apr 11, 2015•44 reviews
2

it sucks!. i went there today..even after reading all these bad reviews i went to this place in Glendale Heights. i drove 21 miles to go there since it seemed closer from my work. as usual i get the gyros with rice. there weren't very many gyros, and under cooked and wasnt even spicy. yes i did tell them to make it spicy. i been going to IE since it was on devon and western..the good old days, then when they moved to devon, i use to go there after work and late night, always seemed good. even the one they had in bolingbrook...now closed.... but i been to this few times, and its been a miss so far.... i wount be going back to this location.... sorry.. stay away from it.... a name gets you only so far for so many years.

Would not return
A

Asad Khan

Nov 22, 2014•2 reviews
2

Italian Express has been around for over a decade in Glendale Hts. Over the years the quality of their food has had its ups and downs. They're known for their gyros. However, a few years ago they got caught using non-zabiha meat for their gyros. They were probably doing this for God knows how many years. The tried making it up by giving away free gyros for a day using a new vendor. I also asked the zabiha meat store next to them if they buy meat from them and they said the did but only occasionally. Long story short, they're probably lying that it's 100% zabiha halal. With regards to their good: below average taste and inconsistent quality based on the time and day you go there. I would not recommend this place.

N

Nashuha Niran

May 19, 2014•1 review
5

Great and fresh food. Friendly owner. Clean and spacious place. Highly recommended

H

Halal Review

Feb 26, 2013•23 reviews
1

Standard food. Gyros still best in town. Restaurant is dirty. Needs to totally change or would lose customers.

S

Syed Hussain

Jan 2, 2013•9 reviews
3

Quality has dropped significantly over the years but its still a decent place to get a good Gyros. Hamburgers/Cheeseburgers are nowhere near what they used to be. Nonetheless, decent zabihah food at a decent price.

S

Saad Hussain

Dec 28, 2012•1 review
3

They've decreased their portions by a lot over the years. Food taste is consistent however quality is not. Waiters are not friendly or inviting. Place wasn't very welcoming until the recent paint job, still needs better seating. Booths are worn out and saggy. Random sink in the corner, yes it may be handy but come on now it's a restaurant.

I

Ismail Ibrahim

Dec 10, 2012•4 reviews
2

Eaten here a few times, the food is okay, the prices have been going up over the years, not really worth the price. They need to have a major over haul in customer service.

Would not return
A

Amjad Ali

Aug 5, 2012•5 reviews
2

Over rated gyro. It was too thick, nothing so special about it. Compare to their other items it was still better. wouldnt recommend it. Falooda is not bad tho

Would not return
R

Rabia Malik

Jul 20, 2012•3 reviews
3

Very bad costumer service, and the food is just okay, little pricy..! I only eat spicy gyros from there.

D

Danial Baig

Jul 3, 2012•22 reviews
5

I love Italian Express and so do all my friends. I'm not a big fan of pizza in general, so while my friends order gyros pizza, I'm usually ordering the spicy gyros sandwich with mozzerella cheese. Snapppppppps. If u go on a weekend, please be prepared for loud desi uncles lol jp. Great environment and very nice service. Definitely recommended

Would return
R

Roshan Ashraf

Jun 28, 2012•1 review
5

Worst service. The guy said 15 mins And now he is fooling me by telling 20 mins. It's 35 mins I m waiting here. If you can't deliver on time, kindly tell when a customer makes a order through a call . Don't fool, people are driving 15 miles to eat food here. Frustrated ...

A

Amer Mirza

Jun 9, 2012•128 reviews
4

Everytime we visit Chicagoland, we make sure to eat at this Italian Express. The Spicy Gyros is pretty good. However, their price for it is a bit high. Good quality though. Their Gyro pizza is good. The owners do their best to keep everything hand slaughtered zabihah halal as the community around them is very conservative in terms of Zabiha.

Would return
V

veronica sosa

May 31, 2012•2 reviews
2

I dont know why are these people are talking about the spicy gyro like its something really great... I had it myself and nothing great about it.. Its well over rated and way to thick...A real gyro is suppose to be nice and very thin sliced! This so called gyro is way to thick, doesnt even taste good because its so thick... Just because they throw some chilly sauce on the gyro doesnt make it good!

Would not return
R

Ray Merchant

Oct 22, 2011•22 reviews
5

Best Gyro pizza in Chicago ? Will be back soon

A

Azam Hussain

Sep 28, 2011•154 reviews
5

This is still the best zabiha gyro in town and best zabiha thin crust pizza in town (lots of toppings, heavy on the cheese). Many people have never tried the deep dish here and it is fantastic - takes longer to make so order ahead but well worth it, the only halal deep dish in Chicago. My wife actually thinks that it is better than deep dish at non-Muslim Chicago deep dish restaurants, which would make it the best deep dish in the world.

Would return
R

Rani Geeta

Jul 2, 2011•4 reviews
4

Yummy! Great combination of food! Great value and very close to where I was staying. Its always fun to come here with my family.

Would return
H

Hassan Ghaznavi

Jun 11, 2011•16 reviews
3

Been here many a times and its always the same, Great food, Bad service. Since I live more than 45 minutes away I dont like to do carry out but instead opt for dine-in and everytime I regret it. But the food is good so keeps me coming back but in no way am I taking anybody else out there cause the service is just plain embarrassing. Going to rate this place average because of the service.

Would return
A

A j

Mar 7, 2011•12 reviews
5

Had to move out of state. When I come back home, my mom has Italian Express's steak and BBQ ribs ready for me. I love this place!

Would return
S

Salman Mohiuddin

Dec 28, 2010•12 reviews
4

Gyros/Chicken tikka pizza plus wings = Best zabihah combo in chicago. Decent service too. The rest of the food is average at best. Also their Sunday buffet is awesome too.

F

Fahim Bawany

Oct 27, 2010•6 reviews
5

Just want to say Sometimes Good Service and sometimes Horrible service. And food is just ok.

I

Imtiaz Ali A

Oct 13, 2010•13 reviews
4

The desi food is nothing special but the gyros pizza is amazinggg

A

Abu Taam

Oct 10, 2010•8 reviews
5

good food only if your taking it out. place is not great for a dine-in

Would return
W

Waseem Khan

Feb 23, 2010•10 reviews
4

Food is always Great. Price is reasonable. They added Fresh Naan to their menu which is AWESOME! Gyros are always great. Service is ok, but service is on par with any other Desi Rest.

F

Fahad Ahmed

Jan 29, 2010•23 reviews
4

Above average food. Average customer service. Poor Pricing. Italian Express used to be the place to go when there was no other zabiha american food place. But now their prices are relatively higher which doesn't make sense. However, the Glendale Heights location is much better and nicer than Devon one.

A

Azher Ali

Dec 4, 2009•32 reviews
4

Good food.

H

H Ahmed

Aug 21, 2009•7 reviews
1

This resturant absolutely took a nose dive in quality and service, prices on the other hand kept rising. They charge prices for a nice fresh sit down resturant and serves packet food, thrown in microware or oven and wrapped in tasteless pita. No way near what they used to be few years back.

S

Saad Sheikh

Aug 7, 2009•5 reviews
2

Great gyros. Everything else kinda sux. The place is very cold in winters, they don't keep their place cozy. I tried puri halwa, some other stuff too. Only gyros are good.

S

Sabz M

Jun 9, 2009•6 reviews
2

The food at Italian Experss is just about average. The décor (at Glendale Heights) is poor. Someone mentioned 'birdcage' to describe it and that's exactly what it feels like. Service is also average to poor. It really only makes sense to go there if you're crunched for time and need something to eat. Take-away is a better option than dining in. It makes me wonder how places like Iralian Experss continue to stay in business despite their poor service, food and rude wait staff.

M

Mohammed Khan

May 2, 2009•26 reviews
1

The guys running this place are extremely rude. These are the kind of people that know the Muslims who eat zabihah have very few choices and will always come crawling back no matter how bad they treat them. Food is expensive. Except for the gyros and maybe the pizza the food is really not that good. Service is terrible. Its understaffed and the poor waiter doesn't really seem to know anything about "serving" people. You have to ask for things like water, and steak knives, and the rest of your order, etc. (You know, things you would expect a waiter to know to bring out) They will stick you with a pretty heavy gratuity if you go with a group of people (as in 6 family members). Ordering out is no different. Here is what sealed my opinion about this restaurant: I walked in and ordered take-out, the white lady behind the counter gave me my total and charged my credit card. I came back 30 minutes later for my food and the Pakistani guy (I'm sure the owner) behind the counter gave me my total again and this time he rounded up and charged me ~21 cents more than what I had already paid. I showed him my paid receipt and he scratched away the "new total" he had come up with and told me to have a nice day.

G

Gulab Jamun

Apr 15, 2009•8 reviews
3

The first time i went here about 4-5 years ago, the gyros were amazing. The portions were good, the service friendly. Over the years, food quality has dropped. Last time I tried the italian beef sandwich and I could not finish it. Stick to burgers and gyros and its fine.

T

tazeen sheikh

Apr 12, 2009•1 review
2

I strongly suggest not to try ,as i have tried gyro which was not good moreover it might not be HALAL.so b careful,i have also tried beef & sausage combo which was even worst ,trust me it was hopeless.even halwa puri not good .

N

Nad A

Feb 2, 2009•23 reviews
3

Great location off the main road and close to the masjid. Careful with the gyros, since the gyro cone maker gets their meat from a company that machine slaughters.

A

A B

Dec 12, 2008•110 reviews
5

Family friendly place and ample room to sit down. I always get the Italian beef sandwich and recently talked my friend into getting the BBQ beef. Both were very good. The prices may seem higher compared to other Indo-Pak places, but is not unreasonable relative to non-halal establishments. Located not too far away from the local mosque, it can be busy on a sat and sunday afternoon. Also, the best chai around....

R

R R

Sep 14, 2008•10 reviews
2

service is AWFUL. after gaining popularity they have ridiculously overcharged everything on the menu. i've had their gyros, steak burger, chicken wings, pasta, but only the gyros are good but they are not worth the price. don't go there with large groups or they will kill you on the gratuity and they are really cranky about splitting bills.

S

Sultan Jetnbyu

May 21, 2008•21 reviews
5

Best gyros I've had. Make sure you tell them whether you want them spicy or not! When I go to Chicago, I go out of my way to make a stop here. I've had more traditional (Pakistani) food here a couple of times and it's quite good too. It's family-friendly and the service is good. Highly recommend.

S

Sarah Izhar

Feb 22, 2008•19 reviews
5

Good Gyros, Cheese Burgers, I personally do not like their fries so I have always substituted it with cloeslaw. Their chicken biryani is very yummy too.

O

Omar Basrawi

Dec 16, 2007•1 review
5

The shawarma is sooo delicous you would want more and more. The bread is good to same with the gyros. Thanks owners

A

Aamer Abdul-jaleel

Nov 7, 2007•7 reviews
5

We went to the newly opened Bolingbrook location off of Rt. 53 and Boughton next to AutoZone... it is the best decor and well kept banquet type facility, ofcourse with the same awesome quality of food following to this location as well !

O

o a

Aug 23, 2007•3 reviews
4

Gryo quality and quantity has improved in the past few months. If you are in the mood for something more substantial- try the chicken and rib combo or the chicken shawerma with rice- with an extra white sauce. Atmosphere is somewhat lacking, but they do a good job with groups (up to 8) people.

K

Khaja Khan

Aug 6, 2007•11 reviews
4

Best medium spicy gyros in the western suburbs!

M

mohamad soe

Jun 19, 2007•6 reviews
1

Customer service is horrible,we ordered by phone,whoever answered the phone was very rude and need to get trained and should learn how to talk with the customers.The woman at the cash register looks like owner and seems to be nice but one of the staffs was so rude to us.We came from far place to eat their food,made us mad and don't want to go back.

U

Umar binAzam

Dec 16, 2006•5 reviews
5

Best Halal Gyros in Chicagoland, Excellent!

K

kk kk

Oct 30, 2006•4 reviews
3

One of my favorite places to go until they began lacking on the quality of food. The price was increasing and the portions was decreasing.. You ask for more sauce and they charge you..well give enough to begin with. They decide the customers don't like the sauce on their own and make the decision of providing less than half the portion of their spicy sauce. They are definately not providing the service they used to and prices are ridiculously increasing!

H

Hannah H

Oct 28, 2005•9 reviews
2

I've been to both the Devon and Glendale Heights Italian Express restaurant. They are complete opposites of one another. The Devon restaurant has a nice interior, fantastic food and excellent service. The Glendale Heights restaurant is not good at all. The food used to be good (especially the spicy gyros) but it's now real poor quality, like the meat tastes really old. The interior makes you feel like your in a glass cage, there is no privacy from the other patrons and the service is without a smile. I would not recommend going to this location, but definitely try the Devon Italian Express. (They have pizza there too!)

A

ali abdul

Dec 8, 2004•17 reviews
2

The food is OK, but if they want to increase buiness they MUST change the interior decor. It looks more like a place where you just want to order food and leave rather than dining in. And also dining in feels like your in a birdcage where anyone passing by can see you and your family. I guess this defeats the purpose of having a zabiha restaurant in that you go there to eat zabiha, and if you have a family, you would not want them to be on display, especially your wife. And if Italian Express does decide to change the interior, they must hire a consultant, for I fear if they attempt to change it themselves, they will no doubt use some type of typical indian colors with bright hues, that rather than comforting the eyes, stands to be a thing that is repulsive at its very sight.

F

Faisal Khan

Nov 26, 2004•17 reviews
4

Their desi style Gyros are great. If you are looking for Halal Sandwiches, this is the place to go. Need to open a branch in Dallas, TX.

Z

zarmeena khan

Aug 1, 2004•28 reviews
4

I personally feel that the food is absolutely deeeee-licious... However, a choice of white lights and sticky tables is a bad idea. I can guarantee a boost in business if they get rid of those two things...

R

Rizwan Hasnie

May 17, 2004•73 reviews
4

Though not a great place to sit, the food is good.

M

Mirza Beg

May 4, 2004•56 reviews
5

This place is sooo good, you must try it, especially the gyros! Nice friendly people, good, fast service. Easy on your pocket book also.

N

Nazia Zsmir

Nov 11, 2003•64 reviews
5

Get the Gyro, "etra-ordniarily spicy" as I request. Alhumdulillah great food, and great people.

T

Tanveer Waghu

May 13, 2003•15 reviews
3

Italian Express has decent food - gyros are good but spicey, the steak sandwich on french bread was quite good too. Ambiance is pretty poor though and its a little pricey.

H

Haroon Rehman

Apr 9, 2003•72 reviews
5

THE BEST SPICEY GYROS OF ALL TIME! My favorite restaurant in CHicagoland. (the suburb restaruant doenst have the Pizza though--thats only on Devon)

H

Haroon Rehman

Feb 25, 2003•72 reviews
5

Frequented the Devon ave branch for many years. This branch has the same good food and offers a cleaner environment with the same excellent service.

H

Haroon Rehman

Sep 30, 2002•72 reviews
3

Good food same as the one in Chicago (Devon) the spice gyros and burgers are great, desi food is not their specialty *hint* great kulfi shakes.

H

Haroon Rehman

Aug 8, 2002•72 reviews
5

Open 7 days, 11 am - 10 pm. Good Gyros, burgers, and other Italian stuff like Lasagna, etc.

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