I LOVED my meal here! Ēma (Ay-mah) brings some glamour and glitz to the Mediterranean dining scene,…read morewith an airy, elevated hotel-lobby feel that still doesn't demand a dress code. Dresscode: Smart Casual / Casual Noise Level: Medium (it gets buzzy after 5:30pm) Thursday night Happy Hour was lively, so it took about 10-15 minutes for someone to come around, but service was attentive once we got going. The food is where Ēma really shines. From the Happy Hour menu, the Charred Eggplant Hummus and Crispy Potatoes were generously portioned and great for sharing. On the main menu, the Indian-Mediterranean fusion Bhel Hummus was a party for my taste buds, while the Hot Honey Halloumi and Chicken Kefta rounded out the table nicely. The halloumi is more of a side than a main, but that sweet-and-salty hot honey combo was chef's kiss. For our finisher, the Chocolate Torte knocked us out. Decadent, delicious and chocolate with lots of depth. Overall, Ēma is an excellent spot to order a bunch of dishes for the table and get an elevated meal without feeling stuffy, and delicious without taking itself too seriously. DO's: - Make a reservation ahead, especially for happy hour 4-6pm - Treat apps like small plates, order 2-3 to sample - Entertain their wine list, they have a lot! - Bring vegetarians here, there are plenty of options DON'Ts: - Dismiss the desert menu. It's fantastic and shareable! - Forget to ask for extra pita with the hummus! - Miss out on the LettuceEats loyalty points (check-in with your server before paying your check)

Amazing food. I'm literally still thinking about the crispy mushrooms…read more I just wish the menu had marking for which dishes are vegetarian. It's great that our (lovely and attentive) waiter knew that the chocolate cake wasn't suitable for vegetarians, but I shouldn't have had to ask.

I got delivery from here, interesting take on middle eastern food. I go the falafel wrap, with…read morehummus, it did not come with many veggies on it, the falafel itself was quite dry and the hummus was not very flavorful. My partner got a falafel plate. He liked the meal. He also got a salad, which he reports was good. I also got some French fries with tahini and extra garlic sauce. Overall average.

Let's start with the good stuff - tasty bowls that offer a large serving size. The rice was also…read morereally good. It came with hummus (more on that later) and sauces. The not so good - the hummus to me was tasteless and you don't get to customize your bowl. I prefer spicy and there were not jalapeños offered. The red chili sauce I used entirely and it offered so- so spice. I would certainly eat here again, but I would probably be more vocal about what I want extra of for my salad!

Good food, eclectic environment but too small to be comfortable. A lot of patrons jammed in to a…read morerelatively small dining area. Usually long lines and some wait time.

My new favorite restaurant! the food is DELICIOUS and the staff was incredible. I don't give…read morereviews much but just loved it here so I had to :)

pros: -fast and friendly service…read more-such a yummy meal!! i ordered the harissa chicken bowl -clean tabled and restaurant cons: -none

Tried Roti for the first time this past week after walking by it a million times and wanting to…read morecheck off another fast-casual Mediterranean spot in the city. Overall, it was just okay for me. Chicago has a ton of strong options in this category, and I don't think this one stands out as the best. I ordered the Mezze protein bowl with steak, chicken. The lettuce wasn't great so I mostly picked around it, and the steak was a bit more well done than I'd prefer. Everything else was solid and what you'd expect from a classic Mediterranean fast-casual setup, but nothing that really wowed me. Not a bad spot by any means, just one where I'd probably choose a few other places in the city first before coming back.

Delicious, flavorful food!…read more Got the family platter for 3 and it was great and a lot of food. (It was more than enough for a table of 4)

This was amazing food Maybe the best Persian and middle…read moreeastern I have ever eaten This can compete with noon o kabob Great kabobs good rice great service and cool inside 4.7/5

best middle eastern food I have ate in in the USA chicken shawarma and the hummus was great 5 starsread more

Good "bang for buck" would be an understatement when describing this place. The quality of the food…read moreat Falafel & Grill is absolutely OUTSTANDING, and comes at a beyond reasonable price. As typical for a counter serve, this facility is no thrills but it's kept very clean and the service is straightforward and great. We've gone back here a few times and have never had an issues with wait time, which is impressive as it can get pretty busy with orders. We've tried both the Chicken Kabob Plate and the Kifta Kabob Plate and both were fantastic. They truly make the meat here the PERFECT tenderness - probably the softest and juiciest chicken I've had in the city!!! The hummus and falafel that the Plate meals come with are also delicious. 10000% recommend for a casual Mediterranean meal or takeout

The whole concept and aesthetic of this restaurant completely wowed me!! It feels so well thought…read moreout. The service was amazing too, super professional, friendly, always on top of everything without being overwhelming. And the hummus was especially good, and creamy, which I loved!! The food overall was great. Such a cool experience from start to finish.

I really liked this place. They have parking in front of the restaurant and back. I highly…read morerecommend a reservation on Friday-Sunday even if you are just one person. I called them because I wasn't sure if the online version would be too slow. We were a group of three that came in Saturday night at 7 pm. It was moderately busy. The staff were all welcoming with smiles on their faces and attentiveness. Prices were fair for the amount of food you receive. Food portions are colossal so I would recommend one appetizer and one entree if you are a couple. They give you a complimentary dish. We ordered arayes with meat, meat toshka, mixed grill with baba ghanouj, fillet of basa fried, and mint lemonade. They also offer you fresh Arabic coffee before you leave. This is about a 4.5-5. -arayes with meat 4 - this was not bad. It's like a tamer version of the meat toshka. -meat toshka 5 - I prefer this over the arayes because they add the Syrian cheese. This one was bursting with flavor the moment you took a bite out of it. The minced beef and lamb just melt in the mouth. -mixed grill 5 - this came with 3 big skewers (shish kabab, kufta kabab, and chicken tawook. It also has tomatoes and onions to help cut down the meat when digesting. There are two heaping portions of biryani and saffron rice and baba ghanouj. The baba ghanouj was creamy and flavorful. It goes well with the pita bread. The meats were cooked medium well unless you want something. I think next time I'll ask for the shish kababs to be cooked medium rare or medium for a more juicy taste. The chicken tawook and kufta were both succulent. -fillet of basa fried 5 - the two pieces of basa fillet were astronomical. It also comes with two different kinds of rice. The fish was flaky, moist, and seasoned. Make sure you add the lemon and eat it with the sauce. -mint lemonade 5 - this was very refreshing after eating a heavy meal.

We came here on Saturday for their brunch and I wanted to say our server was amazing!! The food was…read moregreat especially the Meijoo dates. We got a lot of dishes to share between four people and it was more than enough. A lot of the dishes had eggs which is great and everything was so flavorful. We choose to sit outside and it's so lovely and nice. Will be back to try more on their menu.

My best friend and I had just finished some cocktails on their lovely rooftop (Bar Avec) and were…read morelooking for some dinner. She had eaten here with another friend and really loved their chorizo-stuffed medjool dates. If you're going to order anything here, you have to get those dates, it's the best dish. We were seated immediately. It's a big space and they have mens and womens restrooms with multiple stalls. We ordered the coal roasted cauliflower and their asparagus dish too. We found ourselves wishing these dishes had a bit more flavor to them. They were good, but something was missing. The price tag was a bit high for what we got, but the dates were so worth it.