This place is so close to my apartment it's ridiculous, and I do really like it - but having had muuuuuuch cheaper, equally good or better mediterranean food in other parts of the city, I'm a little less rah-rah-rah about cedars. The atmosphere is nice. The shwarma is great, as is the kefta kabob sandwich. When I get a bunch of people who want to go in on family style, it's fabulous. Good food in giant (as in, three meals' worth of leftovers) portions with dessert. Their hummus is to die for, their baba ghanouj and falafel less so. And it all is seriously too expensive. Falafel for $7.50? Highway robbery. But it's one of the few "nice" places in Hyde Park - a place I would, and do, take my parents for dinner out, which is really nice to have around. read more

Oh Cedars. I ignored you for years, but pardon my ignorance. The kefta kebab dinner is amazingly delicious (especially when you get it with the basmati rice), and so this is what I almost always order when I go (tho I will switch it up to the sandwich depending on my hunger level). And the price is oh so right. Some days I love the Jerusalem salad, others it's just okay. The accompanying side salad that comes with the dinners leaves a bit to be desired. But I enjoy the atmosphere, it's got an incredibly diverse middle eastern menu (that includes a ton of vegetarian items which makes it good for diverse groups of eaters), contrary to other reviews I've read, I think it's pretty decent for groups (I've had my birthday dinner here a couple times and it's gone pretty smoothly) and the BYOB makes it awesome, especially with its proximity to a liquor store! It's not the BEST food of its cuisine I've had in the city, but it's still pretty solid. And the price is generally pretty right (as I rarely can eat a whole dinner and end up taking a lot of it home for leftovers). It keeps me coming back. My biggest gripe is the person who takes the delivery orders gets them wrong, and you end up with a lot more food than you'd planned on. Other than that, It's a pretty decent place to grab a tasty bite. read more

Hit or miss. Haven't been here in 5 years and came back for some nostalgia the other day. I used to LOVE EVERYTHING on the menu... but this last visit was a bit disappointing. The prices have increased since and the lamb chops aren't spectacular like they once were. The lentil soup is still outstanding as well as the more affordable and very filling sandwiches that come with fries and salad. I had the falafel sandwich with my lamb chops as well as hummus and hareesa... I had a lot of leftovers... =D The hummus didn't have pine nuts on it like it used to, but the hareesa is still delish! read more

One of the better food destinations of Hyde Park. I LOVE their lentil soup and their schwarma sandwiches. Great basmati rice...fragrant. The lamb chops are pretty tasty too. Falafels have been unreliable and a bit disappointing. read more

Mediterranean food? No. I don't think so. What is this place? It's more like... just a grill. The steaks and meat are delicious. Some of the best I've had in hyde park. But, that's not saying a hole ton. Hyde Park isn't exactly known for it's high end steak. So, where's this so called Mediterranean food? It's in the form of pita sandwiches and kebabs that pale in comparison to a proper Mediterranean restaurant. And, oh heavens, is this place expensive? Entrees generally run in the $10+ range, drinks are about $5 a piece and it's definitely not worth the price. I'd suggest staying away from this place, honestly. It's not terrible. But the price and misleading moniker really leaves a bad taste the mouth of this yelper. read more

Recently ordered the chicken shawarma dinner platter with rice. It also came with a house salad and roasted veggies. Very delicious, and I didn't feel TOO bad about myself since there was a lot of vegetables. The raw red onions that the chicken was on was a bit too strong for me; I think they would have been better if they did a quick pickle on them to cut it a bit. read more

Whatever had kept you from trying this place, has kept tourism a Hyde Park gem. I'm a sucker for their Salmon kebobs, so much so that I rarely order anything else. Although, over the years I've had crushes on their different entrées, depending on my mood. The Kushary, Tagene, and Chicken Tika Tandoori are all excellent choices. With the depth of their menu, I can brings friends who have dietary restrictions, due to faith or personal choice. You have the option of double veggies or rice with most entrées. They have well seasoned soups and warm pita is served along side your meal. I just wish they had a better drink selection but I'm anti-Pepsi products. I love that I can work out or be famished and get full from a place with healthier options that are so delicious! Most of their meats are grilled and I have even purchased Moroccan seasoning trying to get my food at home to taste like some of theirs. The have a simple and clean set-up and get packed in the evenings. They also deliver, which I opt for on cold nights. I've always had friendly and attentive servers, a calm ambiance that perks with lively diners, and a free parking lot shared by nearby businesses. read more

It is with great regret that I must update my review to 1 star after getting food poisoning on two separate occasions from the chicken shawarma here. I didn't want to believe it- not Cedars! Not the chicken shawarma! But alas. It is truly delicious and delightful going down, but it's a different story coming out. read more

Cedar's used to be one of my favorite neighborhood restaurants, and I wish I could take it with me to the South Loop. I guess I'll just have to continue to stop there on my way home from work . . . First of all, the atmosphere is very simple, and the service is always friendly. I'm often greeted by the owner, an adorable man in a big white apron with messy hair, glasses, and a welcoming smile on his face. While they did recently raise their prices so that my husband and I can no longer have dinner there for $10 (it's a little over), the price is kept low with it's BYOB status. I crave the Veggie-Hummus Pita Sandwich. It's made with sauteed and spiced cauliflower and eggplant, and with the fresh side salad and fries, it's a lot of food. Their entrees are also great, with a lot of vegetarian options. While I rarely have room for dessert with the size of these portions, their rice pudding is fantastic. The restaurant can easily accommodate larger groups, and in the many times I've eaten there, I've only had to wait five minutes once. Quality for the Cost: 8 Service: 6 read more

Cedars is awesome! The food is awesome, the service is awesome, the atmosphere and decor is awesome, and the prices are awesome. I have been to Cedars many times and I always leave feeling satisfied and with a very full stomach :) They have very delicious Mediterranean food. For the quality and the portion, the prices are very reasonable. My favorite dessert is the Cheese Pineapple Hareesa. I know cheese and pineapple sound weird together but it's actually delicious! They also have Baklava, of course. It can get pretty crowded and noisy around meal times. If you go with a group of four or more, I highly recommend the Family Style meals!!! You get to try a wide variety of food for a great price. Highly recommend :) read more

This is the place I go to if I feel like reading, or if I'm entertaining out-of-town guests. You can go to Sultan's up north and have something cheaper and tasty, but for the south side, if you don't mind spending $10-12 an entree, you're in for a treat. The portions also justify the price. I eat it all because it's so tasty, and then I say to myself "Why did you eat all that?" and then I answer "because it's so darn good." And then I notice that I've been talking to myself. I love their tagine. I love their appetizer sampler. Their hummus and baba ganoush are just phenomenal. The flatbread is tasty. A good, quiet place to relax and talk and eat good food. Recommend it, a bunch. Bonus, it's BYO. read more

Stubbled in to it on our walk through the neighborhood. Pleasantly greeted, were seated immediately. Our server was friendly and efficient. The serving are more than adaquate.. and when the bill came, I couldn't believe, it was less than $20!!! We had chicken swarmas, with salad and fries. read more

Great fresh food and great service. I had the wings and the chicken shawarma. I will be returning!

I know others like this restaurant, but I had the worst experience there with the service! A friend and I went last night and waited for over an hour for food that when it finally arrived looked so unappealing I wouldn't have fed it to my dog. Our waitress was very inattentive and did not help the situation. Despite our inexplicably extensive wait, I had to raise my hand as if I were in the third grade just to get her to come over and refill my water. She brought me a refill, but did not bring my friend one even though she clearly needed one also. There were very few people in the restaurant at the time, so the long wait was incomprehensible and unjustifiable. We were told the wait was because the potatoes were not done, but she didn't inform us of this until after we had already been waiting 45 minutes. When she finally brought out my food after ANOTHER ten minutes she brought me the wrong order, however there were potatoes on the plate. When she brought me the correct order,I still had rice as a substitute, which complimented two very small, dry, and shriveled lamb shish kebobs. My friend's meal looked equally disgusting and thrown together. Long story short, we paid for the soup and smoothie we had as appetizers and left ravenous, as we wasted over an hour of our lives for food that appeared unfit for human consumption. Save yourself the trouble and head up north for real Mediterranean food and service!!! read more

The falafel and lentil soup were outstanding! The pita bread for the table was dry and...bleh. I was disappointed with my beef-lamb shawarma sandwich; Very dry with tough fat chunks. My boyfriend's kefta sandwich was fantastic, though! Large portions for the price. 3.5 read more

This is my favorite restaurant in Hyde Park! Everything I've ever ordered here is extremely delicious and reasonably priced. All of the pita sandwiches are about $6, HUGE, and delicious; they are two meals in one! I also highly recommend the Egyptian lentil soup. Good for large groups, but not the best for dates because of the proximity of the tables. read more

Enjoyed our sunday lunch in Cedar's. The lamb dishes are amazing , and the falafel is heavenly. The dishes are very generous, and serving was good. read more

I was here for a UChicago event, which means two things: (1) I wasn't paying and (2) I didn't pick the menu. I'm also not a Mediterranean expert, so even though I looked up their menu; I can't guarantee anything without a picture provided is correctly identified, retrospectively Location: Kind of in a strip mall. Easy to find. Bit more upscale than the adjacent businesses. Pricing: Looking at their menu; it's a bit pricey, but portions are good, both for individual and family style. Probably better suited for family style. Food: Okay, let me attempt to list the various items. For appetizers, we had warm pita, falafel, Three Cheese Flatbread, Spicy Chicken Wings (not at all spicy) and I think the Chopped Salad. The entrees included Grilled Lamb Chops, Chicken Shawerma, Tagene, Ripe Tomato Cous Cous, and... I think that was it. Everything was well-seasoned, and the meat was juicy. There are not a ton of vegetarian options, but you can find some stuff to make it work. This is also a BYOB kind of place if you want to spice up your evening. Service: Well-attended, but when you have a party of 40, I would try to keep them happy so they come back the next year. TLDR: I wouldn't say this is anything fantastic; I'm told it's usually empty, but I also don't have a good standard to hold up against this place. read more

This place is excellent!!! The owner is friendly and attentive!!! Food is excellent!!! Love the falafel!!!!! The only thing I will say is that one of the waitresses kind of seems like she doesn't want to be here, but don't let that stop you from coming! The food is amazing and the owner is very nice!!! Definitely coming back for more!!!!!!! read more

I cannot begin to describe the bliss I feel when eating a bowl of lentil soup. The is the one place you MUST eat when anywhere near Hyde Park. Perfect casual and dining on a budget. Vegetarian options. Perfect for college students, faculty and anyone else who eats. Patronize this place. read more

Cedars Mediterranean Kitchen - Lentil soup can only be described in one word: AMBROSIA! Cedars: the perfect place to have a warm Lebanese meal before going to @courtheatre - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My husband is a little gun shy to try different types of food. He LOVED it. He said the potatoe fries were too greasy, would much prefer them to be crispier. The side sald was incredible. I did have the Kelfa sandwich that was fresh and tastey. I also agree that the portions were huge. read more

We had dinner here after my son's high school graduation, which was held on a weeknight. We hurried to the restaurant because we knew it would close at 10 pm, and we got there around 8:45. I dropped off the family with instructions for my order and went to pick up another member of our group. By the time I finally got to the restaurant, a waitress had STILL not had any contact with our table. And we waited another 15 minutes before someone finally asked us if we were ready to order. (Yes! If we don't starve to death first!) There were maybe three other parties in the restaurant at the time. And our group wasn't huge--just six people. Anyway, the food was pretty good. The Egyptian lentil soup (they also have just regular lentil soup) was very good. The pita bread was a bit dry, but they provide two varieties, whole-wheat and white. (It probably dried out while we were waiting to place our order, not wanting to fill up on bread before the main course. ) The portions are HUGE. I took half my dinner home with me. (And I have what everyone refers to as "a healthy appetite." ) I had the shawerma (lamb/beef) dinner and it was delicious. The rice was cooked just right, with roasted veggies on the side. You get a soup or salad with that; I had the house salad and it was okay. We also shared an appetizer dish, and all the selections were tasty. The place is clean and the decor is very minimalist. It's not your typical Arabian restaurant on Harlem, with camel statues and disturbing photos of little boys wearing keffiyahs and holding rifles. This place is much more eclectic, and the menu has choices from several cuisines. I will go back, but not if I'm in a hurry. I may, at that point, revise my review up or down a star. read more

Very good service. Hostesses was very nice. Food wasn't to my expectations. I should've believed the reviews. We ordered the lamb shawarma and chicken kebab sandwich meals. The meat was VERY DRY for both and there was kale and veggies inside of the sandwiches. I was craving some really good juicy Mediterranean comfort food but this wasn't it at all. The meals came with a side of salad and fries. The fries are sliced potatoes fried lightly -aka soggy! Overall okay with the meal but kind of disappointed. read more

Awful service and mediocre food. Slow and painful is how I would describe the service here. An hour wait for a sandwich??!!

I'm not a huge fan of Mediterranean food, but even so the food is below my expectation. The falafel was okay. Pita was mediocre. Salad was okay. I wish I had left after salad. The lamb was very poorly seasoned. Even the broccoli tasted better than the lamb. And there's a weird taste about chicken wings. They really had a lot of cooperation with UoC. Way more than other restaurants in Hyde Park. I wonder why. read more

One of the most excellent meals I have ever had. There were three of us ordered as follows; lemon garlic chicken, beef-lamb shawarma pita, and chicken shawarma pita. The main dishes were amazing and, from the salads to the vegetables, sides were perfect. Service is prompt and attentive. read more

Food was ok service sucks very slow !!! Tandoori chicken with rice and chicken wrap was what I had ordered with my bf . The food seemed dry to me I had to ask for sauce to make it more tasty and less dry . I have had better there not to bad but everyone's taste is different so others might find this place good . read more

Great looking place, decent service, delicious hummus, tasty soup, but you MUST TRY the Cheese Fel Foren. If it's your first visit, go for the Cedar's Platter - gives two a taste of what they have going on their Appetizers Menu. Follow it up by the Combination Kebob Platter and you're sure to become a loyal customer. read more

This place has been on my radar for over a year, but with all the lovelty Mediterranean options in the city, I had no need to venture out to Hyde for a shawerma. This was until last week and part of me wished I never tried Cedars and kept it as a bookmark. To set the baseline, I grew up on traditional and modern Mediterranean food and I fully understand 'fast food' vs. More traditional dishes that takes hours to prepare. With that in mind, I went ahead and ordered a Lamb shawerma and Shukriya (lamb in yogurt gravy). I waited about 25 mins (NBD) for my order and started with the shawerma. It was your run of the mill pita bread stuffed with veggies, tasteless hummus and lamb fat. I say lamb fat because every other piece was un-chewable. I understand the spindle has fat to allow for cooking, but standarda are so low that I am now eating a shawerma with lamb fat with a side of hummus and veggies. I tried to drench it with sauces (garlic and tahini) but tahini was so watered down that it was salty water with hint of tahini. Not to mention I paid 50cents for each sauce!!!! Disappointed I opened my Shukriya dish and had my first bite. Yuck - the worst part of lamb filled with fat and coarse meat is used for this dish which supports the $9.99 price tag. Chewy and gamy to the point where my jaw hurts. Lamb is known to be gamy but definitely tender If cooked properly. The yogurt gravy was half decent. Basmati Rice were dry and tasteless. All in all, I am never making the trek again given the places we have on the N side and loop. Penny wise...pound foolish! Decent prices but quality of food is no better then a food truck from dingiest part in Manhattan. Cheers and the hunt for a perfect shawerma continues read more

Tonight was our first time here and we liked it. We had the sampler for an appetizer and it really was very good, I'd definitely recommend it. For an entree I had a combination of chicken tika and pomegranate braised short ribs. It was absolutely delicious! My boyfriend had the steak shawarma and he wasn't crazy about it. He said he doesn't like lamb and it's all he could taste. We waited longer than we should have for a waiter when we sat down considering there were only a few other tables occupied. When the waiter came up he didn't welcome us or even say hello. He just asked if we had any questions about the menu. I was a little put off by that but all in all a good experience. read more

This restaurant really needs an injection of energy. It is a wonderful little spot, but it has lost a lot of its shine lately. The food is not as tasty, the staff is very blah and don't really seem like they want to be there. Turnover in staff is huge and that is probably why the consistency is lacking. Cedar's deserves to succeed. I really hope they get it together. read more

I went there many years ago and didn't like it. The food was heavy and not very tasty. This time there was a big difference. They have a new chef, who I understand is Mexican and has trained with some of the greats in Chicago. He has added his touches to the food and made it lighter and tastier. What a difference! We had the roasted cauliflower salad and I was in heaven. The falafel was perfect! crispy in the outside and soft inside. And it came in a sauce a tiny spicy and delicious. The other dishes we ordered were equally good. And the staff! They were all very friendly, efficient and had good suggestions. The restaurant is BYOB, but there is a wine store right next to the restaurant. In addition, parking is so easy! That doesn't happen very often in Hyde Park these days. We are definitively coming back. read more

They were sooooo nice, and I'm talking about everyone!I ordered the chicken shawarma plate and it was soooo good, and the portions were great for the price. They even let me wait inside and offered me water, they made sure to address me correctly by my name: I'll definitely come back and make it a Friday tradition!! read more

All I can say is wow . I am currently in the house on bed restriction not only that a dietary restriction so I've been just trying different restaurants on door dash because of course I can not move to much. So anyway I ordered the curry salmon it came with rice in veggie mix and lentil soup and when I tell you my mouth is having a party !!!!I have never order mediterranean food that tastes this good and through an app. This restaurant is truly the Crim deal creme of Mediterranean restaurants the seasonings the portion the presentation all phenomenal! It is cold outside here Chicago and just looking at the color of these vegetables make me feel as if I am definitely somewhere in the mediterranean .I called the location to speak to the manager her name is nelle . she was very professional very warm very inviting. hello I am absolutely in love with this place it should be the only place you go to for mediterranean. My doctor has been trying to get me to complete a meal for weeks well I finished today thanks so much read more

This place is a great choice for family or dates! Love all the food! Try it, you won't go wrong. Lovely atmosphere and great service! BYOB is awesome!!!! read more

Cedars Mediterranean Kitchen - Lunch kabob with veggies. Delicious! Perfect size! Mmmm! - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The Seafood Kebob was ok, the chicken wings are YUMMY. Potatoes had skin on them and I do NOT like skin/peel on my potatoes! The Jerusalem Salad is well worth $1.00 extra. read more

Food was great but the wait time was ridiculous. This is a deal breaker. We were the only people in the place and we waited so long! This is probably why theRe was no one there! read more

Delicious Lebanese Arabic food, so happy for the restaurant to continue business during the pandemic. I live in Hyde Park and support Hyde Park businesses. Great option in walking distance. Delicious beef and lamb adana kebab. read more

I've always liked Cedars, and was happy to see that they have stayed open for delivery and take-out during the pandemic. Even though they are currently doing a limited menu, there's still a nice variety. Everything I've ordered has been excellent, and the portions are quite generous; I basically get two meals for the price of one! read more

My wife, daughter & I had dinner at Cedars last Saturday. We thoroughly enjoyed everything we ordered on the new menu, particularly the falafel, and lentil soup. We also liked the lamb dish, but the highlights were, surprisingly, the rice and flatbread, and not the lamb itself. The staff were friendly and accommodating, and the wait for our food was not too bad despite the fact that they were clearly very busy. We will be back soon to try more. read more