Love, love, love this cramped, somewhat dark location with the best shawarma and falafel. I haven't had dry falafel, always warm and moist. Fast service but accommodating. One day I came in with 10 minutes to close and they made fresh falafel read more

First time ordering here via Ritual. Portions are excellent with plenty of sides included in the box. See my picture for beef amd lamb combo box with white rice, hummus, baba ganoush and corn. I could've added the Jerusalem salad and should've. The shop smelled fantastic when I picked my order up. Happy with my order, everything was tasty and will eat here again. read more

BenjYehuda - Beef and Lamb box with white rice, hummus, baba ganoush and corn - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I've been wanting to check this place for a long time and finally put in my lunch order through ritual. The place is good, clean and maintained. service seems to nice too. The main thing that really wowed me is the porti size, they have plenty of options to add in as sides/toppings and the best part is you don't have to pay extra. There's no limit on that. Also, one other thing that's interesting is you get to choose one pound or half a pound of fries as side. Yes, a pound of fries. I bet you'd love them. The food tasted good but to me it was bit dry altogether, I didn't get enough sauce on mine so maybe that's what made it feel so. I've only heard good reviews from all my friends who tried this place. Definitely worth trying and maybe I'll give this another shot read more

BenjYehuda - Lunch box with chicken shawarma - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The service was quick and fast, although it was about 2PM and they close at 3. I ordered the falafel bowl. Inside, they were green and vibrant. Everything that I ordered tasted fresh. I wish I had ordered more rice (hey, I'm Asian) instead of lettuce because I ended up ordering two portions of lettuce. Hah. I wish they had given me more hot sauce, but everything with the hummus on top made it all very tasty and not too dry. I look forward to coming back here again for lunch! read more

BenjYehuda - Falafel box. - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

$14 for a Shawarma bowl that was so flavorless I was scared I had covid. corn salad didn't taste like corn, carrot salad tasted nothing of carrot, pickles some how limp and flavorless. Chicken dry and under seasoned. hummus and tahini topping also just bland. Best part was the baba ganoosh and that's cause it was kind of lemony, which is odd for baba. Anyway. Save your money this place is devoid of flavor. Oh man and that pita was just like rubber. How the hell did you mess up pita?!?! read more

I heard such great things about this place. I normally go to a couple other middle eastern places (not naming them here; I'm not shilling for someone else), mostly because they are closer to my office. I had an errand that took me to the loop location today around lunchtime, walked by, and it really smelled good. I don't eat that much, so I got just a side of hummus with pita (this is a typical lunch for me). The line moved quickly, and people there were very nice and they told me that next time I want just a side I could skip the line. I walked the 2 blocks back to my office and opened the most disappointing hummus and pita I could imagine. The hummus was thick and gritty, like it was a few days old. The pitas were weirdly rubbery, like they'd been microwaved. Even though they have many great reviews and smelled good, I won't go back. Any middle eastern or Israeli restaurant should have fresh hummus and pitas. read more

Solid spot for personal, or office-wide, lunch! Everything was hot and fresh with a ton of flavors. They have a hot sauce that is VERY HOT. This is not a bad thing (I love heat) but more of a warning. Toppings are fresh and nicely arranged. Give this place a try! read more

BenjYehuda - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Walked by randomly and saw this gem. It's like chipotle for middle eastern food. So fresh and delish. Had a steak shawarma burrito thing. The garlic sauce was pin point and I could bottle the pickles to go! read more

First time here. Grabbed a quick lunch w my fianceé who had not been here for ages. He loved to go here prior to Covid and he thought that it went out of business. Anywho, the food was not bad. I ordered the steak bowl. Can't wait to go back to taste more of their food. read more

BenjYehuda is a Mediterranean fast casual spot and it's one of my go-to lunch spots in the loop. The portion sizes are massive at a cheap price and the bowls provide quite a punch of flavors. Their rivals would be Naf Naf Grill, Roti Mediterranean, and The Halal Guys. Their pita bread is not as good as Naf Naf Grill, but I think their sharwarma and flavors beat them. Their falafel is very good as well! The hot sauce has a kick, but isn't overly spicy like The Halal Guys. I love their tahini sauce as well! Roti and The Halal Guys are not anywhere close to the same level as BenjYehuda and Naf Naf Grill. The place is clean and expect long lines during normal times, but the lines tend to move fast as they are very efficient. Overall, I am a big fan of BenjYehuda! read more

BenjYehuda - Shawarma bowl with falafel and pita. - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This restaurant serves the most badly made hummus and falafel. It insulting to be served since unauthentic food. Shame because this food is normally great read more

Loved their chicken shawarma bowl! The chicken was flavorful, the toppings were plentiful, and, in all, the bowl was filling. For me, it's absolutely necessary to have some kind of bread with my meals, so I like that pita bread comes with your order at no extra charge. read more

BenjYehuda - Chicken shawarma bowl - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This is one of my favorite Mediterranean/Mid Eastern food places that follow the "Chipotle" model of walking down an assembly line for your bowl or wrap. I usually get a salad or rice bowl with chicken or beef shawarma. The options for hummus, corn, cabbage and other fresh vegetables cover your greens with hot and tahini sauce. You won't leave hungry with the large portions and beware of almost every person on the assembly line asking you to add fries regardless of how many times you say no. read more

BenjYehuda - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Very quick service and easy concept: You want a pita, a wrap or a box of food? I chose the chicken rice box and was impressed with how much meat they give. It's nice knowing I'm not paying 10 bucks for some strands of red cabbage and shredded cucumber. I need substance!! The chicken was very tender and seasoned well and extremely addicting with the hot sauce. There seems to be quite a lot of different Mediterranean restaurants around the Loop but this place and Roti are standouts for me. I wasn't sure how I felt about eating out of a to-go container just because I was thinking it would be the size of a Chinese take-out box, but the serving size was more than decent and of course, everything was fresh. read more

BenjYehuda - Chicken rice box with everything. So good. $9 something - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Mmm..I don't even know how to pronounce this name and I still love it. Things to note: - it's on the LEFT SIDE of 10 South LaSalle (facing the building). I've met many a friends here and they've all gotten lost because they see the Chipotle and the Papyrus and give up. - do NOT go with a big group. There is very little seating and you'll be frustrated. A group of 2 should be fine because there's bar top seating along the wall. - this is bound to fill you up without leaving you feeling shitty for overstuffing yourself - there will likely be a line - worry not, it moves fast read more

BenjYehuda - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

It's here! Ever since I saw the little menu in the window, I've been eagerly awaiting the opening of the second Benjyehuda location and have been salivating for their falafel; perfectly fried little balls of chickpea goodness. I've been a big fan of their food and hospitality since they opened their first store over on Van Buren. One of the only things I missed about my old gig was its proximity to Benjyehuda; ever since I moved, my visits have been few and far between. I try to bring my lunch as often as possible, but when I dine out, I'm loyal to a few spots in the area. I'm glad that the new location is so close that it now has a permanent spot in that rotation. I could wax poetic about how great this place is, but I'll get down to brass tacks. The new spot is a lot like the other one; same green walls and industrial decor, same great food and same great service. It's looks like the secret is out; for a place that has only been open a week, it's already drawing quite the crowd and working like a well oiled machine. read more

Holy brick in the belly! Do not attempt to eat the entire box of food you get from them. It will knock you out at your desk. Good lord, the pita flight (1 falafel, 1 Chicken Schwarma, 1 Beef Schwarma and a 1 lb of fries) nearly put me in a coma. And for $7.99 its a damn good deal. Even comes with Cheese for your fries. Death in a box. Damn good and damn tatsy, but I almost didn't walk away. Line moves fast. Don't fret if its corwded. People are nice too. Plan on taking it to go however as there aren't many seats. "Loz im geyn!!!!" read more

My friend and I went here during lunch today and I wasn't overly impressed. The line wasn't too bad and the servers were super friendly. It can be a little overwhelming when seeing everything out in front of you, but they help me put my meal together. I just went with the Yehuda flight. I was able to sample the steak, chicken, and falefal mini pitas. The chicken was probably my favorite followed by the steak. The Falefal on the other hand was too hard and tasteless. I would also have to say the salad did nothing for the pita's either. Everything tasted a little bland. The fries were okay. I decided to add the cheese sauce and it tasted very weird (maybe I got a bad batch of cheese though)? All in all I may give it another try if I'm over that way, but wasn't to thrilled with the food. read more

BenjYehuda - Yehudu flight - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My intern group came in for lunch and as expected the line was to the door but fret not: it moves extremely fast! There are paper menus right when you walk in and you can skim through it if you don't already know what you're having. Speaking of not knowing what to get... order the Yehuda Flight ($7.99) if you want a sampling of everything. It comes with three mini pitas (chicken/steak/falafel) with a healthy serving of fries (ask for the mertz cheese for an extra dollar!). If you that you want a specific pita/laffa/box (bed of rice or romaine) you can top it with an insane amount of offerings (hummus, babaganoush, carrot/cabbage/corn salad, tehini sauce, their signature hot sauce, and more). The service is quick, the assembly-line process is clean and efficient, and the food is filling, flavorful, and priced reasonably. Benji, the owner, was there when we visited and helped out on our order. Highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a quick lunch in the Loop/Financial District area. read more

BenjYehuda - an array of Yehuda Flights - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Love this place for a quick lunch! The portions are large, food is fresh, and service is great. Falafel box was delicious - highly recommended! read more

BenjYehuda - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I was a little intimidated by the line at lunch - I had exactly 30 min to grab food and get back to my office. I was in and out in 10 minutes. I found this place while wandering looking for food. It smelled so good outside I couldn't resist. The food is excellent. I had a chicken box with lots of veggies. I highly recommend the pickles - I wish I had gotten a double order. I loved what I had. The staff was nice and a well oiled machine, they had their game down. There is seating although it's a small location as it's in downtown Chicago near the Federal Reserve. I would recommend avoiding noon to 1pm as that seems to be the busiest time - not surprising. Completely worth it though. I will definitely be making this a regular lunch spot. read more

Came by for lunch and ordered the flight. The flight consists of three mini pita sandwiches (chicken, beef and falafel), jerusalem salad, pickles and fries. The mini pita sandwiches can be topped with a variety of sauces and crunchy vegetables. It is quite a bit of food for lunch and quite tasty. The fries are great, didn't really like the cheese sauce for the fries. Their cheese sauce is Merkt's cheddar which is quite strong and does not allow for easy dipping. My favorite sandwich was probably the chicken as it was seasoned well and not dried out. The steak was a little tough and the falafel was ok. There's usually a line but it passes fairly quickly. Decent lunch spot. read more

Great Mediterranean food. Everything is flavorful. Fast service. Amazing given lines outside door at lunchtime. You still get food within 5-10 mins. Lots of food options. Loud and lively environment. read more

This is a hip place for some good middle eastern food. I got the beef lunch box on a bed of 1/2 lettuce and 1/2 rice, but I'd recommend sticking with one or the other. If I were to order again I'd just do the box with rice because the half-half combo turned everything salad-like. A little scoop of everything... but if that's the way you roll, you'd love this place. That being said, their food was tasty: lots of options/sides to go with your order. The hummus and pickled veggies were great, but their baba ganoush was a strangely tangy and goopy (like guacamole a little too blended...). I'd skip that next time, but their tzatziki sauce was amazing, as was their hot sauce. Get an additional side of either (or both) with your meal. A friend ordered a "ball sac" (yes, literally stated on the menu) which was half a dozen freshly fried falafel. The staff chuckled when they called out the "order" and handed it to my buddy. Like... they were awaiting her reaction. Awkward, and hilarious too. I guess everyone had fun and their efficient, assembly-line of staff seemed quite cheerful, which makes for happy customers too. They make their fries to order and regardless of what you order, I'm sure they give you 1+ pounds of food. Their service is quick, the Mediterranean flavor authentic and if you want a good laugh, go ahead and skim the menu... order the 1/2 a dozen falafel in a bag as stated on the menu. read more

A friend and I came here for lunch, after I stumbled across it here on Yelp, and had a great meal! Décor: There is a distinct Chipotle feel to the interior but that is not a bad thing. It is strictly "business" without a lot of frills. I did find it a bit dark inside, as the walls and ceiling are a dark color, but other than that everything was very inviting. The line is what I couldn't believe. It was long, but they move people through very quickly. Also, there are a handful of seats as well, but given the crowd we took our food to go. Bathroom: unknown Staff: The food makers were very fast and efficient and the owner/manager (or who I assume was the owner/manager) was also the last stop in the line before handing it off to the cashier. I like that, he is there making sure everything is going smooth. He also sincerely thanked me for my business, which you don't get too much these days. Great staff! Food: We both had the Chicken Shawarma box, with double meat, all the fixings, and Tehini and hot sauce. Everything was DELICIOUS and the portion size was nice a big! In fact, I did get "double meat" but I honestly think I would be good with a single serving. I know, I can't believe I'm saying that either but it's true! Great portion size here! Value: Given the level of service, and the portion sizes, this place is EXCELLENT bang for your buck! I am so very glad to have found this place because it is such a wonderful lunch in all respects. BenjYehuda has definitely secured it's spot in my usual lunch rotation. read more

A tiny restaurant tucked into the busy corner of Madison and LaSalle, BenjYehuda provides a lot of laffa for the money. It offers high quality Mid-Eastern fare, including creamy hummus and baba, grilled meats, and flavorful salads. The owner, a really nice young entrepreneur, is usually there to greet customers and make sure that the place delivers a quality product. I have now been here five or six times and have every intention of returning. read more

The line is usually long around noon but moves quickly, you'll be at the end to the front of the line in less than 5 minutes. I usually get the chicken and half and half which means half lettuce and half rice. It was confusing the first time when ordering because they have so many topping as well btw the spicy sauce is actually spicy. read more

BenjYehuda - Chicken half and half with everything - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This is as good as it gets when it comes to quick lunches in the city. Phenomenal flavors and a great portion of food for a very reasonable price - less than most lunch places actually. Yes the line will be long but it moves quickly, trust me, and it's well worth the wait. Plan on getting food to go though, very small location. I generally go with a rice box with half chicken half steak, babaganoush, carrots, and some other veggies and lots of hot sauce. And I mean damn good hot sauce, or as my friend likes to say "Not-white-people hot sauce". Also, I'm normally not a big babaganoush fan, but theirs is top notch. I keep intending to try their falafel, but I never get around to it because I'm so damn happy with what I get. Always looking forward to my next lunch there. read more

Wandered here for lunch based on reviews. I was not disappointed. Not being from the area it took a second to locate. If I had paid attention to the photos I would have seen the logo on the window when I walked by it the first time. My friend and I told the person taking our order we were new to the place and asked if she could explain the order process and choices. She did and it helped with our choices. I got chicken on flat bread with a little bit of all the veggies (no hummus). My friend got a box with steak, salad, and a variety of veggies. My sandwich was good. All the different flavors stood out. The downside was that it masked the flavor of the meat. It was still very good and very filling. My friend could not finish his box lunch. He said it was very good as well but too much. Seating is tight but most people take it to-go. Patience will get you a booth. Glad we stopped here and checked it out. read more

Probably great take out food but arrived too late still courteous service and let me eat inside! Good mediterranean read more

BenjYehuda - Yummy box! - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This is a great lunch option in the Loop... Everything is so fresh & even though the lines can get long, they move everyone along as fast as they can. I usually get a half chicken/half falafel box... I love that you can do halves like this, as I don't want a ton of falafel, so this is a great option. Carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, hummus, tzatziki... it's all delicious. If you're feeling greasy, you can get a pound (A POUND!) of fries, and they even have cheese sauce to go with 'em. Plan on taking it to-go, as there isn't normally a seat to be found. read more

BenjYehuda - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I eat here weekly for lunch, it is the real deal. The line can be intimidating but it moves fast. read more

BenjYehuda - Half chicken half gyro salad with almost all of the toppings! - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Good food but getting more expensive. Still good portion. Falafel is a little small and dry.

Was good... something changed. The ingredient are great and always fresh... the service is great.... the management is great.... the place is one of the cleanest restaurants in the loop. The beef shawarma not as good anymore, the chicken is lacking with occasional skin. Since the protein is not as good anymore, I have to take two stars.... the meat has to be the star of the show. May be those guys grew too fast for their own good. read more

Hi this place has really gone down in customer service. The cashier whom was a Caucasian lady was so rudely rude to me it was unreal. I asked for a bowl and wanted extra sauce and an extra pita. I asked for extra sauce as my bowl was coming to a completion and the Caucasian lady begin to intervene while the guy was making my bowl. Nevertheless, I was told I would have to pay for extra sauce because I wanted extra sauce an I stated that wasn't a problem. But since when did sauce become a fee. As I proceeded to check out I asked if my extra pitas were in the bag and the caucasian lady stated they were. I checked and it wasn't she snatched my bag and almost about 2inches from hitting me in my eye with the bowl. I begin to ask her what was her problem and she got more of an attitude as if I had done something to her. The disrespect was totally absurd and no cause for it. She wanted to argue about her being disrespectful and ignorant. She didn't apologize only told me to carry on and move alone. While cursing the man who was in charged of putting the pitas in the bag out. Stating I'm mad at him for not doing his job well. That's not how you talk to anyone regardless of a mistake. Her customer service was very insulting. read more

This place is delicious, high-quality and generous! Love the variety of toppings, and the chicken shawarma and lamb gyro are my favorites. I'm a fan of Naf Naf grill, but I have to say this is even better! read more

One of my must-go lunch spots if I am not packing lunch from home. The food quality and serving portions are worth the price. Tried falafel and chicken bowl and both tasted extremely good. The falafel was well cooked with right amount of spices and the chicken was juicy, flavorful with tiny chunks, much to my liking. The veggie portions that comes as toppings are fresh and goes well with the falafel/meat. Spoiler Alert : The hot sauce is really hot, so make sure you don't ask them to pour like a ketchup. On the downside, the fries are crispy and so good but comes with a lot of oil. It needs a lot of control to stop one from ordering the fries, especially after stepping into La Salle street as you can smell the fries in the air. Definitely recommended. read more

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Different from other Mediterranean places in Chicago, BenjYehuda, or how I was taught to pronounce it "Benny-Huda", is a staple in the Loop area for their quick service and great food. If you're a first comer, go for the Combo Box, which includes Steak, Chicken, and Falafels. Toppings are pretty standard, but I highly recommend the hot sauce and Tahini. Now, I had to start another paragraph to talk about the fries. The fries are crispier than chicken, but as tasteful as a potato can be. I don't even get the cheese on top (YES! They have Cheese Fries!) because the standard with ketchup is too much goodness for 1 sitting. Come check this place out, you won't regret it! read more

Disclaimer: Over the last decade the BBC Planet Earth 2 film crew took less time searching and finding the snow leopard at the Tibetan Plateau and the Himalayas than this restaurant has taken in search of an original flavor! ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------- What is it: Is it Israeli, is it middle eastern, is it Indian no it's none of these. Frankly nobody knows. But nobody needs to know because as I've said it before with all the respect that I can muster the American people haven't been given a chance to develop a good palate for flavor and this is why it isn't their fault, American cuisine -if we can call it as such- is a mix of the constituent of all the immigrant cuisines that make up America. Some of these cuisines did not transfer the food authentically from their lands but went with what sells the most, deep fried, spiced up, almost burnt food tastes good to this nation. So do me a favor next time you crave middle eastern food steer clear of this character-less crowd pleaser and at least go visit an authentic crowd pleaser. The food in this place certainly looks cuban, but it tastes Indian and is definitely not middle eastern or Israeli. For one thing Israeli food does not contain copious amounts of curry which the people who run this place felt good about adding into everything, fries, lentil soup and even the chicken shawarma. The shawarma is a another story. Every time a corporate business -visionary- decided to start a food business where they stack up some meet on a stick and rotate it in front of a heat source they contribute to the murder of shawarma. That is not shawarma! Shawarma does not look like dried up albino dog turds. Quite the contrary, shawarma is flat thinly sliced juicy stretches of meat made with chicken marinated overnight in oil, vinegar, salt, black and red pepper, sumac and cinnamon and a host of other non-curry speaking spices. Falafel is another dimension where in America you can categorize any fried spheres of indeterminate composition as falafel as long as the amount of coriander added is enough to cause projectile vomiting! Real falafel is made of fried chic peas with added ground onions and garlic with some spices and a small amount of coriander. The individual falafels are not rolled by hand into the perfect spherical shaped concrete-grade dense balls but rather thrown into a var of hot oil as flat disks that puff up when fried. Just like an atom, a falafel is nearly empty space, it is not dense and eating one shouldn't feel like the cinnamon challenge. . . . Finally where to go for middle eastern food: obviously NOT BenjYehuda and not NafNaf! These places are awful chains that call any bucked of regurgitated shit middle eastern as long as it has some garlic and vomit inducing amounts of coriander. I wish I could tell you and in a previous version of this post I did and it got deleted because it was against the rules to advertise another place. Perhaps sometime soon I'll write a review about a good middle eastern place although praise reviews are quite boring to compose. But let me describe how you can tell that you're in the right place: if you go to a middle eastern place and you find that the people behind the counter are not very friendly or gracious, almost dry then you're probably in the right place. They are tired because the food you'll serve you is not poured into their serving dishes from plastic bags with an expiration date, but was made from fresh ingredients the night before. Second, most importantly the food should not look or taste like what I've described above. Crispy falafe, tenter shin slices of shawarma and homogeneous smooth hummus (texture like non-chunky peanut butter),, look for these cues and hopefully you'll find a good place. read more

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For a tremendously portioned Middle-Eastern styled lunch, their combo boxes of chicken and steak are pretty awesome. The portions of veggie's, rice and flavorful Falafel are much greater than meat, but that's what I think makes these meals great. What's nice, is if you're not keen on a pile of rice, they're more than happy to fill your box with fresh lettuce. Lots of color, lots of crunch, lots of freshness. I love it, because there are so many additions and exceptions that can be created into your lunch "box" yet never is there an incidence of hidden spicy hot, unless you ask for it. For around $9.00, it's a tasty, more than filling lunch. That's including delicious, (one of the better) homemade hummus. read more