50 Best Mediterranean Restaurants near River Forest

“Where do I even begin? The pita? Perfect texture and taste. The cherry tomatoes? Obviously fresh, juicy, and sourced from a great farm. The romain? Plentiful and CRISP. The Dill and Taziki sauce? Also VERY fresh, has a citrus kick somewhere, and seems to be made fresh as well. Because it doesn't taste like a store bought sauce filled with preservatives. The hummus? That might actually be where the citrus is from. However, the hummus is not overly salty! You can actually taste the Chickpeas and they use good ingredients as well as olive oil for the hummus too! The chicken? Is in NO way shape or form dry and it's actually seasoned! It's juicy and normal is it overcooked. The olives? Brothers and sisters I HATE olives by themselves, rarely on certain foods. But these olives are not overpowering and stealing the flavor profile, it just adds more depth to the flavor bomb of the Greek chicken Pita! The feta? What could be bettah? Seriously though if you can see this picture you should've seen that they don't skip on the feta either. Again the flavor is ALL the way there but not overpowering. While the texture is almost creamy. Probably with assistance from the sauce but still, it's not overly dry! 10/10 Would recommend & I will be back! Now the facility was spotless, the cleanest "fast food" I've ever seen. The staff? Phenomenonal, personable, kind, attentive to details, and downright superstars that make that place run like clockwork! Wooooo wo weeeee wo!!! If you haven't been here then you've got to go!! Moderate prices, exceptional ingredients, lovely staff, and clean facilities(where the staff actually care like the NW Expressway location in OKC). I'm out, ty for listening to my Ted talk! 🫡“

“It was my first time here and I absolutely loved it! The food and the ambiance were amazing. We had a wonderful dinner outside on the patio and I really appreciated that they offer dairy free options also.

A special thank you to our servers, Umayim, Ozge and Fatih. They were all incredibly friendly, attentive and made our experience even better!“

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

“Hands down one of the best restaurants in Chicago. It’s rare to find a restaurant where every dish is so flavorful and on point but Elia does it so gracefully! Amazing atmosphere and great service - Ebrar made our dinner experience so enjoyable. Can’t wait to go back!“

“Love CAVA! The build-your-own bowls are amazing, the pita dishes are delicious, and everything feels fresh and healthy. Cute spot on Milwaukee Ave, but be prepared if the line is long, because it's popular for a reason!! Would deffo come back :)“

“This is the place to go if you’re looking for a delightfully creative cocktail list and scrumptious food options. We hit this place for brunch and were not disappointed. We had the burger, sausage, jam and egg sando on a milk bun, the earl grey cinnamon (it comes warm by the way), fried potatoes and the matcha raspberry GF cake and Bloody Marys. All of it I would order again with the exception of the GF situation.
The vibe is amazing, loved the design and the service was spectacular.“

“Service and food all outstanding. I will be going back.“

“Wedding soup is spot on! had the lamb chops absolutely delicious! We Highly recommend you!!! Derek and Anna“

“My husband and I had an amazing dinner experience at Autre Monde! Exceptional service, excellent food, and delicious desert! Cannot wait to come back!“

“I don’t always write reviews but when I do it’s because I’m impressed or disappointed. I ordered for to go. I had the grilled platter. Rice two kind, beef I think or lamb, chicken and kafta. Everything was delicious. Chicken was the best it was soft inside and just fall apart in the mouth. Hummus was great not too strong not too salty. Fattoush salad was also great. Overall I would recommend as a place to go for a quick middle eastern bite.“

“Suffron Cafe is a great option for tasty Mediterranean food in Chicago. The place doesn’t have much seating inside, but they’ve added a couple of tables outside, which definitely helps when the weather allows it.

We sat outside and had the gyro plate, beef kabob plate, and dolmas (stuffed grape leaves). Both plates came with generous portions, and everything was very tasty. The meat was flavorful, and the rice, hummus and salad made for a very filling meal. The dolmas were also a nice addition to share.

Even though we ordered at the counter, the food was brought out to our table. Good food, generous portions and friendly service. Definitely a good spot if you’re looking for Mediterranean food in the area.“

“Went in bold without ever trying this place to celebrate my 30th birthday and this place was absolutely stunning and delicious. The staff including the chef were truly attentive(compliments to the chef), thank you for an amazing experience . They asked if anyone had allergies to start off too. Their food and drinks was delicious. I had their chicken Alfredo, my husband the gnocchi with braised beef & various of my family their seafood linguine and the flavors were bold and exquisite. Flavored shots were amazing and so was their dessert (my favorite was the banana pudding). I have a few family members who are picky eaters and even they really enjoyed it. I have worked in the restaurant business downtown and this place is better than some places ive had in downtown Chicago. Great for dinner & special occasions. 10/10 for everything this is one of our new favorite places in the area.“

“Attended a very lovely wedding + reception there today (not a usual function they perform) and it was absolutely amazing! The decor, the atmosphere, the food & service were all top notch! Tres Bien!!!“

“all food are very good ,the best!!“

“Love this place! Food is so good, well packaged, and quick delivery.“

“I have gone to Andros Taverna for many years now where I am never disappointed and always impressed with the service, the quality of food and ingredients, the atmosphere and the passion in general. Chef Doug Psaltis is a true expert and artist performing at the highest levels. The gyros are the best, best gyros in Chicago by far, the seafood world class, the homemade bread and pita are incredible. The foods and meats are cooked over wood fire, wood fire grilled. We had our daughters baptism catered from here which was excellent assortment of Greek food - this is a Greek restaurant you will go to for many years to come.“

“La Parra is an authentic restaurant. Each time I go, I try something different, because I know they won't disappoint me. Everything tastes great and the staff are extremely attentive.“

“I was just there with my husband we had dinner and our experience was great the food was fresh moist and tasty top Noch 👌we will definitely come back“

“absolutely delicious! the falafel was perfectly crispy on the outside and moist in the middle“

“First time having dinner here and it was so good. Fast service and nice atmosphere. Looking forward to coming back!“

“Food is delicious and personal so nice“

“Amazing food & service! Thank you Chicago♥️“

“Very nice restaurant and delicious food For the first time there i am very thankful to our server Dilnaz and specially the girl Sky who explained and recommended what should I try and make sure everything was OK Thank you Thank you“

“For the amount and quality of food you get for the price, this place is a steal. After traveling all day and parking at the Cumberland Blue Line, we came down the road to Bab Alsalam and I cannot rave enough how amazing this place is and will be coming back each and every single time we travel out of O'Hare. The food was not only delicious, but so much flavor punched into every bite. We ordered a Chicken Shawarma Entree and the Mixed Shawarma and both were exceptional in taste. Comes with salads, pita bread, and incredibly flavorful hummus. Attached is a photo of how much food they give you. It's massive. We had enough for leftovers the next day. HIGHLY recommend this place and I'm already trying to find a way to make my way back to Chicago just to eat at this place again lol. Thanks for the amazing service!“

“Absolutely delicious food perfect customer service Decent prices very clean place“

“I really liked this place. It's very clean, the service was very polite. I had the chicken shawarma wrap and dolmas. The dolmas were pretty standard but good. The chicken shawarma was seasoned very well and the wrap wasn't messy! I'll be back to try their hummus and baba ghanouj.“

“We loved our pistachio cold brew lattes-the best and best price! Especially Jose who was an amazing server! We will come back!!“

“THE FOOD IS BEYOND DELICIOUS! 🔥“

“Delightful food choices that are always tasty“

“Best Mediterranean fast food I have ever had! Very good quality meat, always tender and marinated to perfection! My kid’s favorite restaurant and always a hit for our family party’s!“

“Excellent food and ambiance, The brick chicken is my favorite. Our friends who have lived throughout the country said the pork chop is the best they ever had“

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

“عاشت ايدكم على هذا الكباب ، طعم عراقي اصلي“

“Food was very tasteful. Service a bit slow.“

“Had lunch there today and I have to say this is the first time I was disappointed with the service. The food was excellent but that's it. Asked for 2nd drink and never got it. Water was never refilled until we were through eating. When first ordering our wine we had problems. I will continue to eat here and hopefully this is a one time occurrence.“

“I just picked up falafel and baba ghanouj and it has to be the best falafel I’ve ever had. I was coming back from Skokie and I wanted to go to Pita Inn on Dempster and it was too busy but I did not miss anything - this is better!“

“I ordered lunch for my employees to have during a class. It was very, very delicious! Everything we ordered was great! Dill rice, hands down the best dill rice any of us have had. It's definitely worth a try... you will not be disappointed!“

“The best food & Staff very yummy 😋“

“Great place to grab lunch. Their pizza is perfect 😋 and wings were delicious. My daughter wanted something on the sweeter side so she had their delicious Nutella panini. I couldn't resist to ask for a bite 😅. I will definitely be back often. Highly recommended.“

“I just placed a catering order for an event with Theo and he was amazing! I had a lot of questions and dietary restriction requirements and he was extremely patient and thorough with me. He provided various solutions for our event and I appreciated the time he spent elaborating all my options and making sure all my needs were met. Would highly recommend for your next corporate event or large gathering! :) Thank you again Theo for treating me like an old friend!“

“Petra Falafel is my favorite Middle Eastern restaurant in the area. Their chicken shawarma platter is a masterpiece, and the garlic, jalapeno, and habanero sauces are very tasty, be sure to order extras! Their portions are generous, often leaving me with leftovers for at least another full meal. The staff is always friendly and attentive, making the whole experience even better. We always order for pick up, but they do have a dining area and I believe they are also BYOB. Next time you are craving falafel, baba ghanoush or shawarma give Petra Falafel a try - you will not be disappointed!“

“Always delicious! Always accommodating…over the past five years I’ve experienced feeding from 3-30, and never disappointed! The service is always great! They take huge pride in their food and work. We just had a party for 30, and I should have just put out a banner so people would stop asking me where the food was from 💖. All were very impressed!“

“Fresh food and desserts Great service, definitely recommend it“

“Got our order for pick up! Food is delicious and great size for the price. We didn’t stay to eat but the vibes were very chill, and the brown couch is honestly great. They do not do online orders though, so make sure to call ahead if you want to do a quick pick up“

“The best food & Staff very yummy 😋“

“Good food and good service I hope keep the good luck and good jobs“

“My friends and I ate in the informal side of the restaurant and the food was very good, reasonably priced and plentiful. The service was polite and accommodating. I'll be patronizing this fine establishment in the years to come and suggest others follow suit when interested in Persian cuisine.“

“Excellent food for dine in and creative, well presented catering service options. Karim worked with me to create a menu that our guests loved.“

“I got the combination plate, it was a lot of food and everything was 🔥 they also gave me a scoop of hummus to try which was also good“

“I found this place completely by accident while searching on Google for a place to smoke hookah. I was truly impressed by the hospitality, the excellent service, and the delicious hookah.

I ordered tea and a hookah, but the waiter told me the tea would be complimentary. That kind and thoughtful gesture really touched me, and it made me decide to order some food to go as well.

Thank you so much for reminding me that there are still such genuinely kind and welcoming people in this world. ❤ I will definitely come back and not just once!“