Middle Eastern Restaurants in Chicago, IL

“I love this place, they have the best pitas in the city. Hands down. They’ve gone through I think 3 chefs in recent years as our waiter was explaining. But we both had the steak Laffa sand which and fries. 10/10 from both of us. It’s a sandwich I could eat daily. Tbh I feel like they gave too many fries, but they’re still really good, and the mango curry sauce mayo thing they give is unique, punchy and bright. We thought it was a curry mustard but it’s actually a mayo (I think).

We also learned you can buy the pita in bulk which is a game changer.“

“Excellent place and service“

“Great experience, good food, awesome service. There staff was very knowledgeable and took the time to make suggestions, and made sure our group had a great time. There twist on the Old Fashion was really good! The scallops, brussel sprouts, and Lamb kabobs were really good, same for the desserts. This wouldn't have been my first choice, but glad I went.

Vegetarian options: They had some really good options for vegetarians and pescatarians“

“Excellent food, superb wait staff, excellent atmosphere! We had an absolutely fabulous dining experience!!“

“This was one of two Michelin-starred restaurants we visited over the weekend, and while it was very good, there were a few disappointments (very few).

The first two courses were absolutely amazing. We went with Bubbe's Brisket, which was tender and very flavorful. The Salatim course was our favorite part of the meal; we could eat it every day. They bring out several plates simultaneously, including Labneh, Tabouli, Baba Ganoush, and pickles with hot flatbread. YUM!!

For the third course, we had Falafel, which was good, but the Heirloom Tomato Börek was exceptional. It's one of my all-time favorite dishes!

Our entree course was a bit disappointing. I had the Pastrami, which is basically a deconstructed Reuben. It was good but not great.

My wife had Turkey Shawarma, which was not good at all. Very tough. We sent it back, and they swapped it out with the Striped Bass, which was quite good. My wife was quite pleased that they swapped it out for us.

For the dessert course, we had the White Chocolate Crémeux, which was delicious.

My only recommendation is that when you go to Galit, keep in mind that a 24% service charge is added to the tab, and you are expected to tip the server on top of that. I would have been much happier if the menu price reflected the percentage. Given my poor vision, I am not one to read the fine print at the bottom of the menu, so it was a bit of a shock.“

“My favorite lunch spot in the city. No comparison! I dream about the lentil soup, IYKYK. Falafel is perfect, shawarma with the toum is outstanding. Bring cash, don’t expect a seat because it gets busy and enjoy! It doesn’t get better than this.“

“On the evening of July 5 my wife and I tried Avaspi on Belmont Avenue in Lakeview for the first time. It will not be the last! I love lamb and am quite particular as to how is it prepared. The “lamb delight” menu item was the best lamb I have ever had in a restaurant: tender, succulent, and prepared to perfection. The side salad accompanying it was not your ordinary side salad! My wife and I both enjoyed the Mixed Meze appetizer plate. Each of the five items was quite good but the muhammara was to die for. We ended our meal with tea, baklava and kubralice. The décor and ambience were refreshing and relaxing, and the service was outstanding. The pricing was very reasonable. Please give it a try. We do not think you will be disappointed.“

“The food is amazing: tasty and healthy. I love it. Thank you for also baking the Masala biscuit for our dinner.“

“Went to this spot recently for lunch and we’re super pleased with our decision. We got the beef (which has beef and lamb) and chicken shawarma wraps, lentil soup and salad. Everything was excellent, and the wraps were thin and crispy. Absolutely comforting meal, and spent $50ish for 3 people.“

“I had a great experience at Alhambra Palace. The food was fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented. The service was just as impressive: friendly, attentive, and helpful without being overbearing. A perfect spot for a tasty meal and a warm atmosphere. I'll definitely be back!“

“The tasting menu gave us dishes that were delicious and beautiful in an intimate environment. I feel bad about shouting the f-bomb several times while I was there, but I was telling a story and it was an important detail. This place is upscale, so wear something nice get ready for a hefty bill.

Vegetarian options: The vegetarian tasting menu is gorgeous and very very nice food“

“New to the neighborhood, I was excited to try this place, and MAN OH MAN. It was so good. Classic comfort with a delicious twist. We got the Tahini Ranch Fried Chicken Sandwich, the Kefta Burger, and the Stuffed Falafel; not a dud in the bunch. The toppings and condiments that some on the burger and sandwich made basic diner food such a delight without feeling over the top. The real stand out was the stuffed falafel. I never thought of having a filling in a falafel, and the sweetness of the caramelized onions was such a delicious complexity to a classic Middle Eastern dish. Now I want to eat through the whole menu to find my favorites.“

“Excellent food! I had the veggie platter and everything was very tasty.“

“The Nile of Hyde Park is my local comfort food. Even though I grew up in the Midwest of the United States whenever I’m in need of comfort food these days, I’m ordering Lebanese food from here. There are too many things to name as favorites from this menu, but I’m very partial to; the lentil soup, the hummus with chopped beef, the Jerusalem salad, and the combination 14 for the meat eaters. Amazingly well done food for as long as I can remember (and I’ve been in Hyde Park since 1989).“

“The ambience is elegant and comfortable. The food is delicious. The service was excellent. One of the best restaurants I ever been. Highly, highly recommended.“

“Went for the dinner on the recommendation of my daughter friend . We ordered Turkish kaboob, grilled shrimp , biryani ,Mint lemonade and some other dishes but taste was bland and try . I being from Louisiana was especially disappointed for grilled shrimp . Atmosphere and decor is attractive.“

“Went for the first time tonight and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food. Better than I’ve had from kabobi grill and noon o kebab which is saying a lot! The hummus was very creamy and flavorful and the chicken was perfectly spiced and very juicy! Kebabs can often be dry and this is not the case here! Very god portions for a reasonable price! Check this place out!“

“They always treat me well, they always been switching people for the longest but the guys who’ve been working there since last year have Been great. They’re very nice and accommodating and I feel like a lot of people come in with an attitude and of course respect is given when reciprocated anyways overall love the food and the place hope they stay this way.“

“The food is absolutely delicious—I particularly enjoy the Biryani and Zurbian. A friendly suggestion for the manager: please make sure the tables and utensils are thoroughly cleaned. And a tip for the cook: the rice can be a bit too dry at times.“

“I absolutely love this place. The food is always fresh. The team is always recommending great dishes to try. You also get a ton of food for a great price which is hard to find nowadays! I definitely recommend this place to everyone you will not be disappointed.

Vegetarian options: They have vegetarian options, including falafel!

Parking: There is a parking lot there with ample amount of parking

Kid-friendliness: This place is very kid friendly a lot of good seating and baby seats available.“

“Fool and falafel and the kushari“

“Don't let the location of this restaurant fool you because they make some pretty good Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food. It's located at the corner of Montrose and Clark in a strip mall. I started off my trying some of their drinks. I tried their mint lemonade and the mango drink. I really loved the mint lemonade. It's not a flavor that I think would go together, but it really worked. The mango drink was good, and for those who like it a bit on the sweeter side hits is the drink for you. I also enjoyed their food. Out of all of the dishes I tried, I loved the kabob combination plate the most. You get four types types of kabob, kafta, chicken, steak and chicken shawarma. The rice was fluffy and my favorite was the kafta kabob. The kafta kabob was juicy and delicious. Of the vegetarian dishes I tried, my favorite was the falafel. It was crispy and had a nice taste. Also, I liked there is plentiful free parking. Since it is located in strip mall, you have access to a large parking lot. This is always a plus in a city with many restrictions on street parking and expensive parking meters. Overall, if you want good Middle Eastern or Mediterranean food this is a must visit.“

“Excellent food and service. It wasn't a fancy table setup, but it was cozy for our family and the art on the wall helped us enjoy the atmosphere.

Got an appetizer combo and meat combo with lentil soup and a Turkish coffee. It reminded us of our favorite Mediterranean restaurant In Cleveland.“

“I ordered for first time the All in platter which gives u a little bit of everything.. n I tried the stuffed grape leaves and the chocolate cake.. 😋 the cake is more than enough reason for me to order from them again . the Rumi sauce is also very good.. not too spicy.. has a little kick..“

“Beautiful people. Family feeling. The food tastes like love. Absolutely amazing. Definitely will be back.“

“Fantastic authentic Israeli food. The falafel were amazing and the pita and hummus is some of the best I’ve tasted outside Israel. This place deserves 10 stars. Will definitely go back again.“

“Was my first time in a Mediterranean restaurant in Chicago, Lovely restaurant with delicious food, welcoming staff and a great menu. The dishes were full of flavor with a generous portion. We had falafel 🧆 hummus and two dishes of beef / lamb shawarma plates. It was a pleasant meal with lovely music playing for the great singer FAIRUZ. The restaurant is connected to a Mediterranean grocery store where you can find many different kinds of Middle East herbs and more.

Vegetarian options: Hummus, falafel, Mutabal and more“

“It's fantastic old school Chicago, and the food is so good, you just want to live there...“

“It's fantastic old school Chicago, and the food is so good, you just want to live there...“

“I like the food and taste good 😋😋 the beef gyro sandwich“

“This place is truly a hidden gem. Absolutely delicious food, great portion sizes and incredibly affordable. Owners and workers are super kind and hospitable. Can’t recommend enough.“

“This place is great! The service is excellent- the servers are always so pleasant. The food is fresh and tasty! The portions are huge! The bowl feeds 2 people and they always give you a pita! I frequent this place at least 3 times a month!“

“We ordered the Egyptian sandwich snd the shakshuka wrap. The wrap was an omelet wrapped in a tortilla, not a lot of flavor. But the sandwich was really good, very flavorful, just needed a little bit more of salt for my taste. I don’t have pictures because we ate it so fast. The coffe was ok. The place has a lot of potential snd I hope they continue to get better.“

“Nothing to take you girlfriend to on a date, it's super stark abs drab in atmosphere, but where it lacks in looks, it delivers in some delicious ass shawarma, ages you get a ton of food for the money. The last who works at night, she's a doll, crazy nice and so helpful and kind as well. You never leave here feeling like you've missed out on something, they do what they do well.“

“A must try spot! Great food, coffee and atmosphere! Definitely recommend!“

“Walking through the mall, decided to try it- the bowl was so delicious! Got the chicken with rice and cucumber sauce- came with a warm pita to dip into the hummus… so tasty. My friend got the garlic sauce, and that was also really good. Highly recommend!!“

“Food was outstanding as was the service! We definitely recommend it!“

“Delicious food - great ambiance - great Melvin Taylor!!“

“You can eat light and healthy here. But three of our 4 people found Tinfoil in their food. I had tabouli, hummus, cucumber salad, pickles, rice and double order of spicey chicken and a pita for only $11.99. They didn’t charge extra for the Tinfoil!!“

“Very friendly and the food delicious !“

“If I could give 20 million stars to Naf Naf Grill on Clinton, I would do it in a heartbeat! This team knocked it pit of the park with their service, organization, follow-through, and amazing food. I had a presentation with an important client of ours and needed to make a last-minute request for catering for 20 people. I put my order in online at 5:30pm the day before and they had my order, hot, ready, complete, and organized beautifully at 10:30am when I requested. No frills or bull. The team was the kindest and everyone said hello and served me well. And all the food, utensils, labels (yes, they include paper tent labels for all the food!) etc. came in two excellent reusable bags. I am so wowed. I was nervous at first, and Naf Naf on Clinton rocked it beautifully. I can’t wait to order from them again and again! Thank you, Naf Naf Grill! You’re a gift to the city!“

“A very well, clean, great customer service atmosphere with very reasonable prices and the food is very tasty. You will not be disappointed. Keep up the great works Crave Khebob team, thanks for your undying efforts. My favorite spot to eat at when I'm in Chicago about three times a week.“

“Food was delicious! The decor was very nice. Different from what we have seen“

“Decided to try this place since our usual place was closed. So glad we did! Excellent food, HUGE portions and good service. Love that the kabobs come with peppers and onions and not just the meat. It was a great surprise to find the chicken shawarma under the kabobs! (I just ordered two combination plates without really reading the menu.) Definitely trying more in the future.“

“This was my first time visiting Masada and they did not disappoint!! I went on Afro Beats night which they do every Friday and Saturday. The energy and vibe is top tier!! I like that it’s not too big but there is just enough space to dance and have a good time. The DJ was jamming the entire night and the drinks were really good. I could actually taste the alcohol and not just juice lol. I recommend this place to anyone looking to just have a good time and get lost in the music.“

“Good food I love this restaurant“

“Absolutely delicious, as always! We miss being closer to Hala In. #supportlocal“

“I've been coming to this restaurant for over 10 years absolutely the best humus I've have hands down love seeing the same people behind the counter“

“The service at Yaba's Middle Eastern Grill is top-notch!, the staff is friendly, attentive, and goes above and beyond to ensure a memorable dining experience.

Overall, the food is really outstanding,hands down, some of the most delicious food I've eaten lately!, and the staff were absolutely amazing.

- Omar Alqudah“