Big Twist

Friday, April 18 @ 6:30pm — CLOSED! Wound up across the street at Gulliver’s. Not a bad second choice.

Dropped by after seeing the climbing Unilocal reviews on Big Twist (as opposed to not having seen reviews for establishments that used to be at this address). Was still a little wary since most positive reviewers only had a few posts to their name.
Location is close to the Evanston Target/​Jewel plaza on Howard so we figured give it a chance. (Give it a try even if you are first to the lot/​into the restaurant and decide for yourself).
So they have gourmet burgers, Middle Eastern chicken and beef/​lamb shawarma, and their kati wraps which are the fusion twist with «Your protein of choice wrapped in a flour tortilla, with cracked egg, fresh spring mix, mint, cilantro, homemade garlic mayo and chili sauce.»
We gave the sunny side burger a spin (egg and hashbrowns are notable adds here) — could have had the burger done more close to medium than medium well. Ask your preference when you order.
The boat fries were drizzled with what we believe was mayo, bbq sauce (not ketchup right?) and shredded cheddar cheese. Shoestrings were a little too crisp for my taste but not burnt — could be I’ve just gotten used to thicker cut fries too.
We got our kati wrap with fried paneer/​cheese for something different and it was great. Plenty of other protein/​meat options to give you flexibility.
Rounded out the order with a vanilla cashew shake — had a little cardamom I think in it… gave it a little Middle Eastern/​South Asian accent.
It’s a big place so hopefully business ramps up accordingly. It was a little cool in the restaurant today, but I can understand the need to keep utilities down while business is slow and weather is starting to get moderate.
Big parking lot, new colorful décor, booths, counters, televisions (muted) with pop music.
Might be hard to track their menu down… you can find it on Grubhub.

The menu is full of tasty, healthy options. I got the Kati roll ($ 5.99) with falafel, which was very crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. It’s covered with a fried egg (brilliant), wrapped in a tortilla, with lettuce, cilantro, mint and spicy mayo. Really nice flavor blend. The tortilla was grilled and crispy on the outside.
We also got a vanilla almond shake, so basically a vanilla shake with finely ground almonds that add just a bit of crunch and go right up the straw.
Everything was very fresh and flavorful. This will definitely be my new go-​to place. Love the choice of having healthy fast food!

We were hungry for burgers and this came up. It was close and we always like to try new places. Not a place for burgers and fries. Even though the flavor profile of the blue burger was good the burger was charred way beyond well. The meat was actually crispy also there was a huge piece of connective tissue right in the center of the patty. Fries must be air fried because they were dry and crisp to the point of being hollow and they are not fresh cut as claimed. Onion rings were good same cooking process but it worked much better than with the potatoes. Also there is only one menu on the counter in front of the cash register. If the place has more than 2 customers you will be in for a wait. Nice people but maybe Physicians should stick to medicine and not burgers! I will go back and try a rice bowl. That is why I gave it 2 stars rather than 1.

Big Twist is excellent food at a good price. I have been there a few times and the food has been impressive each time. The fries and onion rings are better than any place I can think of. The Pitas are well above Pita Inn (and I like Pita Inn). Great selection and unique choices. Skip Gullivers and go across the street to Big Twist.
They need to market better and deliver. They need a functional website. The word needs to get out about Big Twist. They deserve to be successful. Good luck!

Firstly: super nice people right off the bat! And that so makes a difference in any type of dining experience.
Secondly: it’s bright and sunny inside-​which puts me in a good mood.
Thirdly: they clearly take pride in what they’re doing. They were talking about their food and telling us what to try, etc. an you could just see how excited try were to share it.
Finally: the food is flipping good! And they make a lot of things in house! But I had a rice bowl withe the lamb and beef kabob-​so tasty! It was juicy and flavorful-​and more complex in flavor than I would have expected. Love it. Satisfied but not feeling horrible for cleaning my plate.

We came here at 3PM, kind of an off time, so that may have been the reason behind my problems with this place. We were the only customers here, so it was a little uncomfortable. The husband and wife who own the restaurant were the only ones working. They were very nice, but they kept checking in on us, and the whole experience was just kind of odd– they are first time restaurateurs, and that is very obvious; as I said, they were super nice, but our interactions with them were too frequent throughout our dining experience and just a little off. The restaurant offers both American and Mediterranean food. We tried the spiced cheese rice bowl and a cheeseburger with fries. The burger was just o-​k. The fries were very good. The rice bowl was good, but not great– I’m not sure if it was worth going back for, probably not given the overall experience. Also, business was obviously slow when we walked in, yet all the tables were dirty; they had some down time, so it would have been nice if they had cleaned off the tables.

Love this place. All there burgers are super good! Yet to try their other stuff but heard they are great as well. Great owners, Great service…

Amazing chicken wrap, very good fries. The mango shake wasn’t my favorite but it wasn’t awful either. Much less greasy than other fast food.

We had no idea this place existed until I was craving a burger and Big Twist popped up on Unilocal.Thanks to the good reviews, we decided to give it a try and it was great!
The exterior of the restaurant kind of looks like an old convenience store (orange and white striped roof) but the inside is spacious, clean, and modern. We were very impressed by the decorating and the quality of their furniture. There were also 3 large flat screen TVs! This would be a nice place to hang out with friends.
They had recently just updated their menu so they only had one to look at on the counter. We decided on the On the Sunny Side Burger (6.49), the Zing Chicken Rice Bowl (6.99), and the Spicy Cheese Bites (2.99). The On the Sunny Side Burger came out on a cute wooden slab and it was good. It was giant! It came with bacon, a sunny side up egg, and a hash brown. After eating half, I was full. The cheese bites were interesting– giant cubes of cheese (not sure what kind). The Zing Chicken Rice Bowl was giant! The leftovers lasted me two more meals. The food was all very good. It tasted fresh, and healthy, even.
Service was excellent. We met the owners, and they are very professional, friendly, and made us feel very welcome. We will definitely be back, and you should give them a try too!

Great food, great staff. Cant go wrong with the rice dishes. I hear the milk shakes and burgers are really good.

Super fresh! Super healthy! Come here now for an awesome meal. You won’t regret it. I tried the rice bowl with chicken and its honestly like nothing I have ever had … Great seasonings, crisp lettuce, lemon, cheese, tomato, cucumber, and perfectly moist chicken. Yum!

We shared the Mediterranean plate and got boat fries. Both were fantastic… Pitas were grilled and a little crispy with some char flavor which I loved. The owner is really sweet, we will definitely go. back to try the burgers and shakes. Was great food for the money, fresh, spicy, not processed and we got a free hummus sample. Completely hooked!

I love this place. They have many options and they are expanding their menu some more. The shakes and drinks are delicious and the rice bowls are a good healthy option. It doesn’t seem like you are eating fast food. The burger is really good-​served with a hash brown patty on top. The fried cheese is really good as well. You can get it in the cottage cheeseburger or a wrap. The owners are extremely helpful and kind. I hope this place will do well.

Oh boy! I had such a positive experience here. I was sad I left so full because I kind of wanted to leave and come back right away.
They have fried paneer cheese bites and now that I’ve had them I’m not sure I’ll have anything else. Like. Ever. In the world.
What’s great about this place is that it fits the need for fried fast food, but they make everything fresh and use health conscious ingredients.
I had a zesty (I think?) chicken wrap and it was tops. My dining partner had a plate of some kind, with salads and meats. All of the salads were dynamite, but I thought the meat was a tiny bit dry.
The service was OUTRAGEOUSLY helpful and ASTOUNDINGLY kind. It was really like dining at a friend’s house. I loved it.

I had an awkward time here a month or two ago and I’m not sure if I’m willing to risk going back. Generally speaking, this cuisine is right up my alley, and I like the flavor influences they have going on here.
However, the place was being run by a couple of teenagers who were clearly too young and inexperienced to run a fast food place by themselves — you know the experience — awkward, halting, and a little unsettling. The chicken menu items are split across three nebulous adjectives — sazzy, sizzling, and zingy chicken or something like that — and I had to ask what each actually meant since there are no descriptions or pictures available.
I ordered the hottest of the chicken wraps that’s supposed to be cooked in some kind of sriracha sauce. When it came out, they explained that they didn’t have any prepared like that and gave me a little plastic cup with some sauce in it with my sandwich.
I don’t know — I think there’s great potential but I definitely didn’t have anything like the same experience the other reviewers had — and for $ 25 – 30 for two, it’s just not worth it.

We brought our young daughters to Big Twist for a celebration dinner and they loved it! There is a great BUZZ in this very fun space. The neighborhood is not terrific, but this is a great find if you are looking for the best burger in town (British style with hash browns). Big salads, fresh smoothies and terrific fries make this Twist worth the drive.
My husband loved the food too and we found very friendly service. This is not always fast food, but worth the wait.
Enjoy! Jennifer

My husband and I went to Big Twist right when they opened and the food is SO good. We have been a bunch of times since and it never disappoints. The staff is so eager/​friendly which is wonderful. When I find something I like on a menu, I tend to order it over and over again which for Big Twist is the hamburger. Yum! My husband is the opposite and has had the salmon burger, the chicken bowl, the shawarma etc. Everything has been delicious! A great place that I hope gains the following it deserves.

My sister asked me to pick up some dinner for her birthday here because of a great meal on her last visit. Good vibes at this place. The owners are pleasant to chat with.
I recommend the chicken rice bowl, or anything with chicken in it. The flavor is really good! It definitely feels healthier than my average meal. Even though the portions are large, I didnt feel like a sack of potatoes after eating it. I recommend big twist and plan to come here regularly.

i am a frequent customer of this place and I am amazed at how wonderful I was treated with the superb customer service. as well as the presentation of the food served. The best thing is that the owners are both doctors so they know what types of «healthy» food to serve. Everyday, I come to get a freshly made shakes and they are simply to die for. I recommend everybody to give this place a try. You will forget about even thinking of going back to your typical fast food places (e.g. Burger King, McDonalds).
Btw, this place serves BOTH non-​veg and veg.
I will be going back here on May 18^th as they have their inauguration taking place that day.