HUSSAIN CATERING & CARRY OUT — Attraction in Lombard

I ordered the Chicken Family Pack from Hussain Catering on Thursday, and I’m extremely disappointed, not just with the food, but with the dishonest advertising and rude customer service.

The pack is advertised to come with two butter naans, two biryanis, Chicken 65, Mutton Haleem, and Mirchi ka Salan. What I actually received was one naan from a grocery store Deep naan package, simply cut in half to make it look like two pieces — clearly not butter naan as promised. Even worse, the Mirchi ka Salan, which is pictured as a full dish, was given to me in a tiny plastic condiment container barely a spoonful.

When I called to politely raise the issue, instead of acknowledging the mistake, the lady I spoke with chose to argue with me. She insisted that the naan counted as "two" because it was cut in half, completely ignoring the fact that the menu clearly states two butter naans. No apology, no accountability, no effort to fix the problem just a defensive and dismissive attitude.

This is clear false advertising and poor customer service. I would not recommend Hussain Catering to anyone who expects honesty or professionalism. Very disappointing.

Update: Response to the owner

Your response only reinforces the problem, zero accountability, dismissiveness, and a complete refusal to acknowledge the misleading advertising or poor customer service.

Let’s be clear: cutting one frozen grocery store naan in half and calling it two butter naans is not honoring your advertisement. And serving a spoonful of Mirchi ka Salan in a condiment container when it’s clearly shown as a full dish is blatantly deceptive. The fact that you're listing out what was supposed to be included doesn't change the fact that you did not actually provide it as described or pictured.

Also, the idea that I shouldn’t complain because it was “only $55” is ridiculous. Price is irrelevant when you advertise one thing and deliver something completely different — that's textbook false advertising. And your attempt to shift blame by suggesting I “expect too much” is both unprofessional and insulting.

Judging by how you respond to other negative reviews, it’s clear this is a pattern. Instead of fixing your mistakes, you gaslight customers and offer weak discounts as a band-aid. No thanks. Own your errors or expect more honest...

It’s always heartwarming to see a small business start from nothing and grow into a success story—especially when the community rallies behind it. Hussain Catering in Lombard is one such example. I remember when the owner was struggling, driving an old, raggedy vehicle, and asking our Muslim community to help promote his business. We did. We supported him, spread the word, and became regular customers. After all, he specialized in Hyderabadi dishes, and the food tasted great.

But here’s where the irony kicks in. Like many desi businesses (Indian/Pakistani/Muslim-owned), the humble beginnings come with low prices, great taste, large portions, and fantastic service. The owners are eager to please. Fast forward a little, and suddenly, success changes everything.

Prices climb, portions shrink, and customer service? Well, let’s just say, instead of serving customers with gratitude, they now act like they’re doing us a favor. And God forbid if you give them feedback! If you say a dish tastes different, you’re immediately wrong. “No way, no one ever complained before!” If the rice isn’t cooked right, “It’s perfect!” And when portions shrink? “Oh no, it was always this size; we just changed the container.”

Let’s talk numbers. Biryani that was once $8 went to $10, then $16. A half-tray of chicken biryani used to cost $40, then $45, then $50. But when Ramadan came around—a sacred time when Muslims focus on prayer and devotion—the price quietly jumped to $60. That’s right. The very community that helped build this business was rewarded with price gouging during their holiest month.

A true Muslim businessman would honor his customers, especially during Ramadan. If anything, he would keep prices stable (or even lower them) because he knows he will make more on volume. But greed has a way of clouding judgment. Instead of gratitude, we get rising prices, shrinking portions, and counter service with a smirk.

I used to buy from here twice a week. Last week, when they charged me $64 for a half-tray—with that smug look that said, Take it or leave it—I made my decision. I will never step into this place again.

So, to all business owners out there: Success is a blessing, but how you handle it defines your legacy. Don’t forget the people who helped you rise. And during Ramadan, of all times, try to practice the...

Okay so we used to love this place and have spent hundreds here with carry out - the biryani, haleem, and chicken 65. But boy did Eid go wrong for us. We thought this was one of the best Desi places to get food from in all of Chicago.

We ended up making a huge order here for Eid Al Adha day - 100 bucks for a haleem tray - and we got a huge tray of chicken 65. For some reason the haleem was awful because it had a very strong potent cow/lamb smell coming from it I don't know if it was some weird ghee they used or what). It was difficult to eat because it smelled so awful. Family members who usually love their haleem were not able to eat it. The chicken 65 was ok but not the best when eating it - it tasted strange and off - but what was worse was that hours later before sleeping we got diarrhea multiple times and felt nausea. We didn't associate it with the chicken 65 until the next day when we ate the leftovers of the chicken 65. As soon as we had literally just one small piece of the chicken 65 - within minutes I had diarrhea and extreme nausea. Thank God I didn't vomit because I hadn't eaten too much of the chicken 65. If I would've had just a few more morsels I most probably would've. This was food poisoning.

Alhumdulilah, my children were lucky to have not eaten the chicken 65 but my husband, myself, and another family member weren't so lucky. This was terrible because other restaurants I give bad reviews to just had awful food but didn't necessarily make me sick. The chicken 65 here made me literally sick, and I'm really annoyed because if my children or elderly family members had eaten it they would've been very ill. I am extremely disgusted and disappointed about the lack of cleanliness and professionalism here. The health department should be called asap.

To top it all off, the establishment called us liars when we told them what happened and has barely offered just to give us credit for the food in the future. Honestly - I don't trust them anymore, and I don't want to ever get food from them again. They need to do the right thing, and refund us our entire bill. Absolutely disgusting - Don't go here if you don't want food poisoning! Ruined my eid! I will never recommend them to anyone...