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

The food here is tremendous. I have yet to find a place that has a better falafel sandwich. I love the lentil soup too. The lunch special with the falafel sandwich, fries, salad and lentil soup is amazing for the money. 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

Ribs. I had ribs for lunch. Not at all what this All-American male thought I'd get when we entered this sparsely, yet smartly decorated foreign land. Within the past month, thanks to foodie ladyfriend I've had so much Mediterranean/ Middle Eastern cuisine that I expected John McCain to start running negative campaign ads against me - and especially for heading to a Hyde Park haunt in Obama country. So let me be the first to give some "Straight Talk" on Cedars. I could've stayed eating here for a half hour, 30 days or heck, maybe a 100 years. (Well, maybe just 2013.) I surged through the pomegranated-braised short ribs and chicken, toward a delicious victory for me. When the plate arrived I was a bit surprised that my rib bones had been liberated from the dish. What I saw looked more like a variation on the American pot roast, complete with classic veggie fixings. But the taste brought both shock & some "Awe-hell yeah!" This marinade is so good that I bathed my chicken in it. If they bottled it (and Cedars should) I'd buy it by the case. In fact, my only regret is not getting the full braised entree. Yet, then I never would've sunk my teeth into that cluck-cluck which was worthy of being in the vicinity of a Harold's Fried Chicken Shack. Yeah, Cedars has your baba ghanooj, kibbeh and dolmas. But you could get that (but not quite as good) at any Med/ME joint. What also sets this place apart is the friendly environment, warm & welcoming. So if I ever get asked if we could stop by Cedars for lunch, the answer is easy: "Si se puede! Si se puede!" read more

The food is great, the decor is bright, new, and upscale-for-Hyde Park, but the service is ACHINGLY slow and poorly-trained. The service has been so bad on so many occasions that I've stopped going there. read more

The lentel soup is amazing. Sometimes I daydream about it.

Happy to have Middle Eastern food on the south side. the food was pretty good, atmosphere was great, service was great just wish the food was a 10. It's a great date night or quick lunch pick up. Lots of different options to try on the menu. read more

Food was decent, service was good. I was in here in September (I'm a little behind) and I have to say what was most disturbing was watching the clean up process after the table beside me departed. The man sat alone and subsequently used only one half of the table. After he left, the waitress only wiped down half of the table and did not move and/or change the "unused" place setting. Disgusting! read more

Great food and excellent customer service! I eat here often. The owner will come over to the table and ask if everything is alright. I love the Mediterranean spicy chicken dish. The prices are good too! read more

I personally like The Nile better for local Mediterranean food but Cedars is also good. I enjoy their falafel.

From the moment we sat down, we suspected this would not be a great dining experience. Despite the place being virtually empty, they refused to accommodate our seating request. We waited 15 minutes before a waitress took our order. When the food came, one waitress spilled half of the sauce on the floor for one dish. She didn't even offer to replace the dish. The other dish had lots of hair in it. Grosses out, I returned the dish. The dish came back with the same salmon on it, with replaced vegetables. Sadly, I will never eat here again. Worst dining experience so far this year, 2016. Sadly, management didn't come over once. read more

In Hyde park, Cedars gets 5 stars. They prepare probably the best Mediterranean meals in the area, and the family style menu works great for groups of any size. read more

So I took away a couple of stars because of the customer service. I visited yesterday and when you walk in, you basically have to wait for someone to notice that you are standing there before you get seated. I was sitting there for a good 20 minutes before I had to get my waitresses attention (she didn't even introduce herself but she had short hair) to order an appetizer. I had to call her because every time she made sure the table next to me was ok she didn't even bother to look my way. When I told her I wanted to order an appetizer as I was waiting on two other people she asked me if I was in a rush, HOW RUDE! I think sitting for twenty minutes with out any food is not a rush at all. Another rude thing happened when my friend ordered her entree and she wanted to taste the rice that the waitress had mentioned and she hesitated as if it were a problem to bring a sample and it turned out that the rice was just white rice (why didn't she just say that? O_o). One more incident happened when another friend wanted to order another side dish and the waitress wanted to know if that was part of what she had ordered. Is there an order limit? I feel like the waitress was arrogant and rude and I don't even think she knows it. I was embarrassed that I was the one who set up this dinner. And my food was thrown in the to- go tray in the end and I didn't get a bag. I ended up separating the food myself. The good thing about this place is the food is good! Thank heaven it wasn't a completely bad experience but customer service is very important to me. Oh and btw, I had the salmon but the rest of my party had steaks and they were HUMONGO!! Great for the price and were tasty! I probably would visit again but only if I get a different waitress. read more

I go here a lot. I typically get the $4.50 falafel sandwich meal, which includes said sandwich, fries, and a small side salad. Often, it's enough for me to make two meals out of. Usually tastes great, but nothing that will blow you away. The ambiance is pretty chill, so dining in is typically a good experience, and you get free warm pita bread with olive oil for dipping. read more

Very good food, generous portions. Combination platters are fantastic if you are just starting to experiment with middle eastern food. Free parking! read more

Cedars is just a lovely little spitfire lying hidden in Hyde Park. You won't find better Mediterranean in the area, and if you can tolerate a few rambunctious college smarty-pants, you will have a delicious meal. Prices are reasonable and food is very good. Try the Egyptian Lentil for a spicy-ish kick and don't be afraid to hit the appetizers. Seating is moderate, and can get filled up on weekends. The staff is friendly and does not mind exchanging food for monetary increments. Also, that car will always find a home in the ample parking lot. read more

Come for the hummus and soup specials. Stay because it's BYOB, and there's a liquor store next door. Leave because the service--especially delivery--is downright awful. read more

What can I say...the soup here is a winner! I'm used to homemade Middle Eastern cooking from one of my best friends so I'm spoiled when it comes to lamb and rice dishes, so it's hard to compete but Cedars does a good job. Not crazy about the Tagene and Curry vegetable dishes-both are okay, but everything else is really good. Did I say the soup is good?? The Chicken Barley, Chicken Lemon (my favorite), and both versions of lentil...TDF (to die for). I buy a few cups as take out and take to work for lunch. Great service and casual but classy restaurant.. read more

Decent Mediterranean food, ok service, good location. Usually easy to find parking and it's in a pretty convenient area. Seemed a bit pricey to me and they did screw up a take out order once, but no one's perfect. read more

Went for Mother's Day/Graduation celebration this past weekend. Our party was 7, so the waitress suggested family style - $15.50/person got us 3 appetizers, a salad, basmati rice, three entrees and two desserts. We all ate well and took several boxes home. The baba ganouj and falafel were quite good - but the flatbread was delicious. We had the shephard's salad - dates, greens, tomatoes, goat cheese, fennel, olives. It was delicious. Entrees were beef and lamb shwarma (sp?) and garlic/lemon chicken. Desserts - are in a box in my fridge. We didn't have room. Maybe for breakfast tomorrow. :) Great value. Delicious food. read more

They have their good days and they have their bad days. On their good days the salmon is AMAZING, the seafood kebab melts in your mouth, the ripe tomato couscous is delish. On their off days the salmon is good, not great, the seafood kebab is a little undercooked and the couscous is better from the Co-Op (R.I.P.). On ANY day you can count on the eggplant and cauliflower sandwich (and for $5!!!) and the rice pudding. The service can be awesome and it can take FOREVER to get a glass of water. Either way, I will never stop eating there as long as I live in Woodlawn! read more

This is a great casual restaurant tucked away in a Hyde Park strip mall. I've enjoyed every experience at Cedar's thanks to the food and good, helpful service. The only slight issue is the lamb dishes have been a little dry when I've tried them. The family/group dining special is awesome if you have four or more people. It's a great way to try many different dishes and dessert...and you'll probably have enough left over to take home with you for another meal. Plus it's something like $10/person. It's definitely one of my favorite places in HP. read more

Great place in Hyde Park. It is cheap and good... The best deal is to come as a group of four and order the family package. It provides plenty of food and allows you to taste a large portion of the menu.... The other great thing is the BYOB. Especially since there is a licqour store next door. read more

BIG, yummy servings! I liked this place because the food was good, reasonably priced, and the servings were big, so my companion and I were able to try each other's entrees. The hummus and lentil soup are a must. I ended my meal with a Turkish coffee - also very good. read more

Went to this place several time, I had a terrible experience my last time and I am never going back there. I ordered salmon, and it was so spicy I couldn't taste the fish. I was eating spice with the texture of fish. When restaurants do that, I suspect whether they are trying to feed me fish that is going bad so I don't notice (which is a serious concern because it happened before - not with Cedars). So I left more than half of my food. On the other hand my girl-friend ordered a vegetable dish. It was just half cooked potatoes and carrots in red water. It was extremely bland and it was uncooked. She didn't eat her dish either. Overall the food was absolutely terrible... Never ever going back... read more

LOVED IT! Went here on a Wednesday night in June 2011, using a Groupon. We'll definitely go back without a Groupon. Our total, before discount, was only $30 + tip, so it's the type of place we might start going to regularly. Food: My fiance and I decided to share several appetizers for our meal. We got the chicken wings (mild heat, fried well - juicy inside, lightly crunchy exterior), the grilled shrimp, and the spinach-cheese flatbread. The flatbread was my favorite part of the meal - it's basically cut like pizza, has cheese, spinach, garlic, and lemon. The lemon was perfect - cut through the heavy cheese and enhanced the other flavors, but wasn't very tart. Also ordered the Cedar's Sampler which had hummus, dolmades, tabouli, and falafel. Hummus and tabouli were fine (average for freshly made, better than store-bought). Dolmades were quite tart, but I liked that. Didn't care for the falafel... seemed dry and tasteless compared to everything else we were having. My fiance thought they were okay. BYOB: There is a liquor store 2 doors down in the same shopping center. (Kimbark Liquors?) Stopped in for a bottle of wine then headed next door... saw couples doing the same thing. I don't even recall there being a corkage fee - might have been a small one, but I don't think so. Service: Our server was very friendly and laid-back (which doesn't mean she took forever, she just had a relaxing vibe). Didn't have to wait long for anything, and she was good at keeping an eye on empty dishes so that she could get them out of our way. Parking: parked in the lot for that shopping center. Free. Overall: Will definitely go back. It's like a 20 minute drive, but that's fine. We live in Beverly and you can't get that kind of food around here. It tasted really fresh and light, but we were both full when we left. read more

The food here is okay. We had delivery one snowy freezing cold night and were very hungry. Which is why we asked for extra pita bread. Turns out, they didn't give us any. Also, the portions they give out for delivery were tiny and not satisfying at all. The taste itself was meh. The chicken tandoori sandwich is actually pretty good. BUT no pita?!?!?? we called them afterward for the pita, and they were rude and said we should have requested it. BUT WE DID!!!!! Then they suggested that we go TO THE RESTAURANT to pick up some pita. Remember at the beginning of this review? when I mentioned that it was a snowy night??? YEAH. won't be doing that. anyway, if you want good mediterranean food, then you should still try Cedar's, but just be sure to dine in, so that you get pita for sure. read more

About a month ago I went into Cedar's to get a salad. It was very convenient and being new to the area I asked the waitress if they deliver to my residence she stated they did. More recently, ordered from Cedars and they delivered to my residence on 49th and Champlain Ave. I called tonight b/c I have out of town company and we wanted to stay in and watch a movie so we planned our order and I called Cedars and they told me that I was out of their delivery area. The manager told me it was clearly and error and who ever took my initial order that was delivered did so in error. He said they delivered to 47th perpendicular to Cottage Grove... I am definitely in that zone but the manager told me sorry the company we use will not do it. So, sorry Cedar's not only will I never order, I will never stop in nor pick up a crumb from your semi half rated restaurant in the future. read more

One of Chicago's finest hidden treasures! This place has a great feel to it. Cedars is such a fun place with awesome food. Service used to be iffy; it's recently been very good with fast & friendly servers. There is even usually enough food left over to take home. It's worth the wait when there's a line on weekends, especially given the value & BYO policy. read more

I've been coming back to this place for a while now, and haven't updated my review. Since the last time, the food has gotten a lot better. It has a lot of flavour and the portions are good, especially during take out. I've tried the soups, chicken wings, Mediterranean chicken sandwich pita, chicken and beef/lamb sharwama, skirt steak, pomegranate ribs, and vegetable tangine. The Egyptian lentil soup is amazing, it's so delicious and so high in nutritional value. The spicy garlic chicken wings are so good, especially with the garlic sauce they provide. The sandwich pitas are tasty, and they come with a side salad, house dressing, and homemade fries only for $8.24. Sharwama's really good, while the skirt steak is good but a bit dry sometimes. And if you ever have to between the steak or short ribs, get the short ribs! The short ribs are superb, the pomegranate sauce is truly wonderful. The vegetable tangine is a must for any vegetarian, and cooked in beautiful refreshing sauce; the smell is just heavenly! The environment is super clean, and customer service is amazing. The staff are so friendly, efficient, and fast. They are very nice to all their customers. This is my favourite Mediterranean/Middle Eastern restaurant in Chicago. I eat here at least once a week so if you're in the neighbourhood then enjoy the food, and fabulous customer service. Also they offer 10% off to students so don't forget to bring your student ID. read more

Cedars in Hyde park at one point was becoming a favorite for me. On average I spend about 30 dollars ordering a meal and sides maybe a beverage here and there. I guess I started going too often and realized there is no consistency that I can depend on when it comes to the attitudes of some of the employees down to the quality and or portions of food. I have ordered the tacos as well as the wraps and overall it's been fair. The tacos are either way too greasy or the shells are too hard to bite as if the meat was not drained just poured straight off the skillet into my container. I don't mind a little grease but not to the point that it's in excess. The portions of rice are never the same like EVER...I guess it depends on who is actually in the kitchen that day because there are different cooks every time I pop In there to grab my order. I was also treated very poorly by a tall guy named Alex at the counter who normally is pretty nice...instead of remaining calm under pressure when the restaurant was seemingly busy he took his frustrations out on me which I didn't appreciate. All I did was walk in to order and I witnessed his would be friendly demeanor shift and he almost barked at me in a nasty flustered tone.. just so you know you're looking at about a 35 min wait time...Whoa that's not how you greet someone... as if I were somehow to blame for the restaurant being swamped or overwhelmed with orders. In spite of his lack of customer service and or training for moments like this I said well would you like me to not order tonight he goes I'm just letting you know know and I replied well it's not what you say but HOW you say it and your delivery was off....he goes on to say I'm just letting you know so what can I get for you in an even snarkier tone.. At this point I'm not going to spend my money and have someone speak to me like this. I've frequented this place and I've never been rude or treated anyone in this establishment poorly yet I experienced this type of off energy but I wasnt going to deal with it whatsoever so I declined to order and politely left. Now at This point I dont think I will be returning. I have had the wrong order delivered to me through Grubhub which I was willing to overlook gotten sour lemonade on more than one occasion I have paid for extra items I didn't receive and had to complain I'm pretty easy going but when you consistently get my order wrong or treat me unfairly then I simply won't spend another dime supporting you read more

I didn't think this place was going to be good, but I'm so glad I went in for a quick bite to eat. Pomegranate braised ribs were actually very tasty. Service was great and the restaurant was clean. Considering I live a couple blocks away I will definitely come back. read more

Decent cuisine, nice atmosphere (although tables are too close to each other), prices ok. We like desserts more than the entrees. The rice pudding was yummy (slightly too sweet, but I like it this way) and the baklav was also pretty good. Entrees: huge portions, but quality was not excellent. Very weird cous-cous, sort of whole-wheat big grains, really not memorable. Meat was ok. Not bad dining, not the great experience people talk about. BYOB, as others remark, is always a plus! I'd almost give an extra-star for it, if there weren't plenty already! read more

Use to be one of my fav places. Not anymore. Placed an order for takeout everything was wrong. The manger was rude in the phone and refused to replace my food. Thought this establishment was different but they proved to be the typical BS you come to expect. Done with this place. Done with subpar establishments in Hyde Park. I'll drive to get decent food and decent service. read more

I've heard a lot of U of C students hating on Cedars all the time, and I'm not sure why. It's always "oh, blah blah, the Nile is way better, blah blah." The low down is this: Cedars has seriously INCREDIBLE kofte (kafte? kefte? However they spell it in Lebanon haha); I've traveled in the Middle East/Mediterranean and the kofte at Cedars is outrageously good, especially for a restaurant in the USA. They also have great veggies and good lentil soup. The falafel is not the best (hence the 4 stars) but I would say just order kofte and you're good to go. Never been to the restaurant, just gotten takeout and eaten it at U of C functions/in Cobb basement cafe, so can't comment on the service or anything. read more

When I lived in Hyde Park, and even now that I don't, a trip to Cedars is necessary a few times a year. Their chicken shish-te-wook is fantastic - so moist and tender and lemony, mmm! The portions are huge and everything is so reasonably priced. It definitely looks more like a Randolph Street restaurant on the inside than a Hyde Park joint in a strip mall. I love the lentil soup as well. We used to drive down from the South Loop on a regular basis to get our Cedars fix! read more

Dear god, the portions here are HUGE, especially if you order a sandwich. I typically order the falafel sandwich, and they essentially give you two sandwiches with that dish. They cut the top off two slices (they don't cut one slice in half) of pita bread and stuff them full. You also get a side salad and potato wedges with it. All of that for only $6?! What a steal. My girlfriend and I came here once with a groupon for $10, and we felt bad ordering only the sandwich and an appetizer, but we couldn't even finish all of that! The food is good, but not the best Middle Eastern food out there if that's what you're looking for. The service is also attentive and fast. On top of all this the place is BYOB! Great place to start of an evening of shenanigans I'd imagine. read more

Yesterday was my second time in for lunch. On this most recent visit I ordered the lentil soup and Tagene with lamb from the Hearty Traditional Meals section. It was an excellent choice! Cedar's lentil soup holds a good consistency and has a subtle kick. The main dish was served hot right out of the kitchen and the portion was generous as to make a second lunch. The service was better this visit - maintaining this will push this to a five star establishment. Parking is easy and free; try Cedars for great Mediterranean food. read more

I really wanted to like Cedar's, and I did like it, I just didn't love it. We arrived at around 5:10 on Sunday and the servers were changing shifts. There were a few groups of people already there, not busy by any means. It took a while to get seated, and a server at the end of her shift, heading out the door, got us some menus and a table. We saw who turned out to be our server arrive about five minutes later. He checked in with us soon after for our beverage order, and delivered some pita for us. He forgot my iced tea, but he did remember the hummus appetizer we ordered. The hummus was delicious but there was a little too much olive oil pooled on top of it. My 7 year old who loves hummus wouldn't touch it with the pools of oil on top. The pita that arrived was indeed warm, but it was not fresh. Once it cooled off, the edges got hard, like it was stale. He took our order, was prompted into delivering the iced tea, and then we waited. I expected to wait, based on other reviews, but we waited nearly 45 minutes for our food to arrive. At the 30 minute mark, he came and told us there had been a mix up in the kitchen and our food would be right out. The apology was a nice touch, but the wait was still long, and the pita cooled off and showed its true colors in the mean time. The staple green lentil soup was delicious, with both my kids enjoying it (in fact they stole it from me and made it their own). It had a bit of cilantro in it and a slight chili taste to it. It was delicious, a bit like split pea soup. When our entrees finally arrived, the rice with my chicken kebob was a bit mushy (as another reviewer also noted) but had clumps of hard pieces too, like it had dried out. The kebabs were delicious though, done just enough and still moist. The Cedar burger was served in a pita and might have been vegetarian. My son did not eat it (he is more for traditional burgers) and the Cedar Homestyle Fries on the side were soggy. They we just sliced potatoes and undercooked. They shouldn't call them fries although I suppose they are fried. My wife had the falafel sandwich, which was the deal of the day at $4.50 for a huge sandwich, more of the undercooked fries and a bit of salad on the side. All in all, it was a good visit although it took far too long to get in and out (bad with kids) and the kid-sized drinks were charged at the same price as the adults' ($1.75 each.) For that reason, I say it's not good for kids. read more