Stopped in and ordered a kefta kebab lunch special. The plate costs $9.95, food tasted good but unfortunately the portion size was very very very small. Staff is friendly but probably would not return. read more

Hidden gem. Food was very authentic and Chef/Owner was very friendly and personable. The veggie platter Cozy atmosphere and BYOB is a plus. Highly recommend the side salad and vegetarian delight dinner plate. read more

Excellent food! Came for lunch and decided to get the shish tawook, and was not disappointed. The chicken breast is perfectly juicy and the flavor is excellent. All the homemade sauces are to die for! To top it off, the owner/chef came out to introduce herself and check in to see how everything is. The prices are so reasonable, the food is great, and the service is top-notch. Will definitely be back to take advantage of the BYOB service and try out their dinner! read more

Had a great time here. The waiter was super friendly and gave us some great recommendations. The portions are large and delicious! Tried bulgar wheat instead of rice for the first time on recommendation from the waiter and it was delicious. Great experience. read more

Placed order on grubhub. Delivery time got pushed back 3 times. Time from order submission to delivery was 1 hour 35 min. Food arrived cold. Delicious, but cold. read more

Great service and delicious food! It was so cheap too. Can't beat it. I'd like to say this is a neighborhood gem. We came in starving and ordered a few appetizers and couldn't even order a meal we were so full. The appetizers came with sooo much food. It's also BYOB so we got to enjoy our own wine. I highly recommend this place if you like a good bang for your buck! read more

Cedar Palace has become a staple in my weekly eating over the past 6 months. I'd estimate that I've dined in / or done take out over 20 times. I've never consistently eaten food from the same restaurant for such a long time, but I just can't get enough of their food! It's all amazing homemade food at a very affordable price. The staff is very nice and the chef / owner Silvana is the best and personally introduces herself to guests who dine in. Frequent favorites are the vegetarian appetizer combo, dinner combo (three different meats!), hummus chicken, dolma, veggie kabob, lentil soup, and the baklava when they have it! Even the sauces are homemade and amazing - I recommend trying the garlic one. I've never had something there that I didn't enjoy. You're missing out if you haven't tried it yet! read more

The business is family owned and run which in my opinion is always more intriguing than a chain. It often makes the dining experience feel and taste like a home cooked meal(definitely the case here). We did the hummus, falafel, and labneh for appetizers. The falafel was prepared fresh and you could tell it had just came out of the fryer. While the outside had a great crunch, the falafel was still moist in the middle. While the hummus and labneh were served with pita bread, I really enjoyed dipping the falafel in them as well. For the main course I got the Lamb shish kabob, with the bulgar wheat. The lamb was cooked to a perfect medium, and the flavor was exploding out of it. There is an option between rice and Bulgar Wheat, which if you haven't tried before you have too! The main course also came with a charred onion, pepper, and tomato. If you're into spicy, I would suggest asking for a side of their hot sauce, it adds yet another layer of flavor. In addition to the great food, the server was very kind, helpful, and attentive. I will 100% be back! read more

Very good food, staff was very friendly, and the owner was very nice and attentive to her customers. If you're coming here, better come on an empty stomach because you will leave feeling stuffed. Coming back again with family and friends. read more

Great neighborhood restaurant. The owner/chef introduced herself and explained all dishes are made from scratch from her grandfather's recipes. She was so welcoming. It is a darling intimate space. It is BYOB. The food is delicious we had many of the items on the menu. Can't wait to go back. read more

So thankful we spent our Valentine's dinner here. The food was absolutely delicious and they even surprised with 2 chocolate covered strawberries before leaving. I can tell they really put their heart and soul into this place, it's something special. read more

Such a lovely place. Family was visiting from the middle East who are very picky with what they eat. Decided to bring them here and it truly did not dissapoint. Everything was very tasty by Arab standards :), the service was great, and we had a lovely time. The kabob and shish tawok were very well seasoned and cooked, the baba ghabouj, humus, pita and taboule were fresh, and the owner came out at the end of the meal to greet us. Can't wait to come back! read more

I love this place! Fantastic food; a vegetarian's paradise! Everything I've had is delicious. I love the lentil soup, fattoush salad, zaalouk, veggie kabob, and rice. And the falafel is superb, crispy in the outside and moist on the inside - not crumbly or dry at all. Yum! Silvana and her entire staff (including family members) are warm, lovely people and the atmosphere is welcoming and familial. The portions are large and the prices are low. A perfect casual night out. Remember to BYOB! read more

My Lebanese wife and I were visiting the kids in Chicago and found this gem. My wife is a foodie and very critical of both food and cleanliness. This place deserves all 5 stars! Food was outstanding and very authentic. We had five different dishes and all were excellent. We really appreciate that the owner came out and introduced herself and we had a very nice conversation. We will definitely go back here on future visits! read more

Friendly staff, generous portions and an overall great experience. The hummus and garlic sauce are incredible too - would definitely recommend! read more

We were in Chicago just for overnight and hoping to find a good Middle Eastern restaurant and were truly delighted by Cedar Palace. Warm, inviting and friendly, it was everything we could have hoped for and more. The food was fresh and delicious, attractively plated and cheerfully served by a very helpful wait staff. We were greeted by the chef owner, Silvana Saro, and her warm hospitality made this outstanding experience even more so. read more

We had lunch here and can't wait to go back. The quality of the meats was so delicious that we didn't want to stop eating even though we knew we should. The chef explained that she grinds the meat in house and uses pomegranate over the top of the fatoush salad to give it an addictive sweet sour taste. Do not miss it! read more

The staff and owner greeted us with friendliness uncommon in Chicago and the food is fantastic. Such a good price point too and love that it's BYOB. We went for the first time last night and can't wait to go back again. read more

Great made to order food. Staff was so friendly. We are visiting the city from out of state and this has been one of the best restaurants we have tried. read more

This is authentic & delicious!! The restaurant is clean and comfortable. We had a delicious appetizer & lentil soup followed by the vegetarian plate & combination platter with lamb, ground beef, and chicken. Saw several families dining here as well! Highly recommended! read more

Extremely fresh and delicious Mediterranean cuisine! Nicely decorated and an extremely clean restaurant. Another highlight is meeting Silvana, the proprietress and chef. She came out of the kitchen and welcomed us. We felt like we were part of the family! Everything is made fresh, so things take a slight bit longer to prepare than your typical grab and go Mediterranean restaurant, but it is definitely worth the wait! read more

Great authentic middle eastern food. Casual low key place. Hummus and kebobs are great

The shawarma is really good. The shish tawook is really delicious, but the lamb kabob cubes were not as tender as they should be. The environment is really welcoming, quiet and cozy. The Chef is so nice, she came by the tables to make sure the food was great. I love the fact that this is the chef's area of expertise, so you would taste an authentic Mediterranean food ! read more

So so so good every time. The chicken is great, the pita is thin and wonderful, and the rice is flavorful. All the employees are really nice. I get take out from here weekly. There's apparently a patio opening soon and the whole place is byob. read more

The food was fantastic and the bathroom spotless. If I did not live so far and wasn't so poor, I'd eat there every day.

I moved here in August of last year and I have not been able to find good chicken shawarma. Cedar palace is hands down the best Mediterranean food I've had in Chicago. Literally everyone we ate was delicious. The owner was so sweet and welcoming. I loved how she came to each table to ask how our meal was and chat with us. I will 100% be returning and telling all my friends to go read more

I do not typically write reviews, but felt compelled after my experience here the other night. I live right down the street and was so excited when this place opened. It is my favorite type of food and I was hoping this could be a new go to spot for me and my family. I went here with my young daughter for a girls dinner. We sat down and took about 5 min to receive a menu and water. We ordered the Mediterranean Spinach with rice and an order of Chicken Hummus. There was only one other table of people when we arrived. About 10 min later food arrived at our table, it was the other table's food. Seems silly that with two tables to serve they would mess up the food orders but nonetheless that occurred. My daughter went to go grab food off the plate, before I realized it was not occurs and said something to the waiter. They removed the dishes from our table and gave it directly to the other table. I don't know about other people, but I would not want a restaurant to give food that someone else has put their hands on to me to eat. Anyways our food finally came. It took awhile considering there were no other people at the restaurant. The Spinach dish was decent minus the consistency of the feta being a bit off. The hummus was subpar. Definitely have had better. The worst was the chicken in which half of it was inedible (all fat and chewy). I said something to the waiter who took the dish back and brought out more chicken (About 10 min later). After we were done, I requested the bill. I was charged $13.95 for the Chicken dish. I had recalled the price being $8.95. I asked the waiter about it and he said that was the lunch price, but he would adjust it. I looked at the menu again and realized it was the lunch price (which is not very clear on the menu), but also the dinner portion comes with rice/bulgar and soup/salad. When ordering the dish, I was NOT asked which options I preferred nor was I given any of those with my dish. Had I been asked, I obviously would have realized that I was looking at the wrong place in the menu. Also, seems shady that because I didn't explicitly say that I wanted those items that they just didn't bring them. Anyways, I also want to note that when I was wrapping up there was a women who was talking to a family that had come in, asking if it was their first time, offering them free hummus. I assumed she was the owner/ manager. With only three tables of people there found it odd she didn't bother to come by the other tables. Especially considering the extremely poor experience that I had there. To top it all off both me and my daughter have had stomach aches following that meal, I suspect that chicken. It is a shame as I wanted to like this place, but unfortunately will not be returning and do not recommend. I would be shocked if this restaurant remained open that long. read more

The food was great. The roasted chicken in the lunch combination was cooked perfectly- moist inside but charred on the outside. Everything is homemade. Would definitely recommend getting falafel and baba ganoush. Plates were more than enough to fill you up. Staff was so friendly and made sure we had a good experience. It's a cozy little restaurant. The bathrooms were SO clean. read more

Excellent service! Amazing staff that was attentive to our table. Very prompt, accommodating and ensured that we had a great experience! The owner took the time to tell us about bringing her families passion of cooking and sharing her heritage with us. We stayed well past closing time, but they treated us like we were the first customers of the day! BYOB was an added bonus :) Very happy this neighborhood gem has arrived in our neighborhood. We will be recommending to both locals and visitors! read more

My mom had a taste for hummus and Mediterranean food so we decided to try Cedar Palace. It was great. Delicious food and such friendly service. I highly recommend this little neighborhood place. And the homemade hummus was tasty! read more

Great neighborhood spot. I am really looking forward to their patio in the summer. Their lentil soup is a surprising favorite among the entire family. The chicken and kafta are always perfectly cooked. Extremely friendly staff. read more

This is a delicious BYOB spot. The staff is so friendly and kind. I would highly recommend. The baba ganooush & falafel was so good and so was the beef Schwarma. I was hoping that it would live up to all the 5 star reviews and it definitely did. We will be back for sure! read more

Fantastic every time. Everything I order reminds me of my grandmothers cooking. The owner and staff are always so welcoming and everything is fresh. read more

Family owned. Not fancy, but cozy, welcoming, comfortable, warm atmosphere. Could not have been more accommodating. And great food too.

Some of the best Mediterranean food in the city! All the dishes were so fresh, all made from scratch and you can taste the difference. Can't wait to try everything. Grape leaves and Kibbeh were a great starter. The chicken and beef tenderloin were seasoned perfectly. Definitely using this place for our next catered event too. read more

If you havent tried this place you should my son and i went here for a pre mothers day lunch it was by far amazing the atmosphere was great and i just cant say enough about the food i will definitely be going back to this place read more

Wonderful service! Delicious food! So welcoming and remembered us from our first visit!

I felt compelled to write about this place, the service was outstanding, nice people, and the food was authentic middle eastern cuisine, I tried the Falafel , Kafka and Shawarma sandwiches, they were all excellent. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED read more

Such a neighborhood gem! Fresh ingredients and homemade Mediterranean classics. The Shish Tawook had a great grilled flavor and the bulgar and grilled veggies complimented the dish. The lentil soup was really tasty too. read more

I love this restaurant--what a gem for the neighborhood! Middle Eastern food is one of my favorites and I have to say their family recipe for chicken shawarma and dolma is one of the best. All the dishes that we ate were amazing and the portions were generous and fulfilling. I was so hungry I had a hard time deciding what I wanted (I wanted it all) and the waitstaff went out of their way to actually show me some of the dishes. The owner is delightful and as we were gushing over the dolma she explained how her family makes it. I highly recommend that you try this restaurant -- it has become one of my favorites! read more