Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review some of the key studies that are published in the last three decades on banking service quality with particular attention to the Middle Eastern countries, and provide some future research directions. Design/methodology/approach – Literature review. Findings – The review generated 11 research questions related to Islamic and conventional banking services in the Middle Eastern countries. Research limitations/implications – This paper reviews leading, current studies on conventional and Islamic banking in the Middle East, and provides future research directions for scholars and practitioners alike. Future research should address each of the research questions as identified in this paper with empirical data/evidence. Practical implications – This paper reviews leading, current studies on conventional and Islamic banking in the Middle East and provides future directions of research for scholars and practitioners alike. Future research should address each of the research questions the authors identify with empirical data and scientific evidence. Originality/value – This paper would be useful for guiding the development and resolution of researchers’ and practitioners’ research questions and could help to strengthen the banking industry in Middle Eastern countries.