Great place, I like it so much better than the restaurant it replaced. Same great bar. The food is Israeli-inspired. Have not sampled the cuisine - but we will, this review is for drinks at the bar only. This place is noteworthy, as it's one of the only places in Chicago I've found that serves Arak based cocktails! Arak is an alcoholic beverage popular in the Levant and surrounding areas. It tastes somewhat like Sambuca, but without the syrupy-sweet heaviness. I find it delicious, a clean licorice taste. It's typically served very cold, over ice and with added water - which changes the clear liquid into a milky white. The cocktails are fantastic, I think I've sampled most of them by now, and they are all *beautifully* prepared and delicious. The bartender is adorable, and super friendly. Coming back for some food soon, and I have high hopes. This place is a real gem. read more

We went for brunch during Restaurant Week. It was very enjoyable. The Jerusalem Platter would have been a great breakfast for two on its own. However we also had the Turkish Eggs and the Shakshuka, both of which were very tasty. In addition to the delicious food, our server Stephen G., was wonderfully helpful and friendly. Plus, the place has an atmosphere in which we could carry on a conversation. read more

Went in for brunch at around 11:30, the place was empty. We had one really bad server, food was just alright. I had the steak "sandwich" with the toughest steak i've had but the shakshuka my boyfriend had was pretty good. Do not recommend. read more

Tasty meal - enjoyed the Chicken Schwarma. The side salad I ordered had a burst of flavor in every mouthful. Attentive, friendly service.

I'm a sucker for Israeli food and have been wanting to try Fiya for a while since they have a Michelin bib. Went here for brunch, sat outside on the patio - it was great. The classics done well - wouldn't say it's different or unique. 1. khachpuri: loved the crisp bread with the leopard spots. Runny egg, tomato sauce, and cheese with a crispy bread boat - is there any way this would be bad? Kinda thought it would be bigger though and wished it came with more sauce and cheese + more spice 2. Hummus with green falafel: this was huge - huge plate of hummus with falafel and two pitas. Hummus was pretty standard. The falafel though - whew, it was almost underdone and very soft and juicy on the inside. This was probably one of the good falafels I've had. Lots of garlic, lots of herbs, lots of flavor. Also lovvveee their pita here - it was very fluffy just how I like it read more

FIYA - Hummus, Falafel - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I have been Fiya faithful from the beginning. The food has always been very good and the portions on point. It's been a few months plus since I been, but the half chicken turned into a quarter chicken and I'm VERY sad. The half chicken was always so plentiful but no longer. The price remains the same. I used to consider the Fiya half chicken as a show stopper so I hope they reconsider. The main attraction is the orange wine selection. It's the best around. Today we had a bottle of the Garalis "Terra Ambera" 2020 from Lemnos, Greece- 100% Muscat. The orange wine is a must. Chef kiss. The pita and hummus is also consistently good. Everything is always flavorful. *If you read this Fiya - Go back to the half chicken now. I understand inflation but removing what you were the best at is a disservice to all guests. Stay golden pony boy. read more

FIYA - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The cutest little Mediterranean spot! We didn't make a reservation but were able to be sat right away on a Sunday. We both like to share so we split the lamb hummus and the steak & eggs. The hummus was incredible, to the point where we wanted to order another with double lamb. The steak was cooked perfectly and the potatoes were tossed in a delicious sauce. Our waiter was super sweet and attentive! The drink menu looked great but didn't feel like drinking so will definitely be back! read more

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I would never visit this restaurant again ! My daughter , granddaughter , and I went to this establishment this past Mothers day. We ordered the lamb and chicken Shawarma. We had to send it back because there were huge chunks of fat in both dishes. When we informed our Rude Unprofessional Server BRIAN , his response was , what do you want me to do about it. Holding our composure, we asked for the same dish without chunks of fat. My daughter told Brian it's not his fault he's been great. Then he replied , stop telling me I'm Great ! We got up and left the restaurant , but not before my daughter spoke to the manager about our horrible disrespectful experience. Yes , on Mothers Day. I've never been treated so horrible from a server , as well as my daughter. Brian should not be working in an industry with the public. I've worked in the restaurant industry for many years. This is completely unacceptable behavior on Brian's behalf. I highly recommend to not dine in this establishment. read more

Innovative Mediterranean food. We ate in the outdoor garden area and was a nice night in Chicago so it had a nice ambiance. Tried a couple of their wines, one was from Lebanon. It was surprisingly good. Our group shared many of dishes. We had a variety of beef, lamb, roasted chicken and brisket. Sauces were very good. The cherry dessert special was delicious! Our server was very nice and patient as we were pretty much ordering a lot of items at the same time. Nice gem in Andersonville. read more

Walked in around 6:30 PM on Friday and sat at the bar. The chef is Turkish so lol at everyone coming here for Israeli food. I felt like I was at my mom's house for dinner and she made a salad with mint and parsley and we had epic meat. Just for the sake of trying it, we started with Salatim. It was marvelous and I highly recommend it for tourists to the Levant. For the real people, Efsaneydi. Ozellikle de sumağı kullanılması gerektiği şekilde kullanıp herşeyi ekşi yapmayı bilen birinden yemek yemek duygulandırdı. Hele bir enginar ezmesi yapmışlar, inanamadım! We also had the Wagyu kebap, this made me feel like I was actually in my mom's house, like physically. I am ready to play backgammon with her on a summer night until 4 AM with endless çay. Elinize sağlık Onur Usta. read more

Sunday Funday brunch in Andersonville! That Jerusalem breakfast, salad, and French toast combo was amazing. Ethan is the best server, super nice and good service. Fun and chill atmosphere. read more

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Fiya describes their Mediterranean-inspired restaurant as a "collage of neighborhood spots in Israel" featuring "soul food of the Levant" (Levant is the name of the geographic area now occupied by Syria, Lebanon and Israel). Levantine cuisine has been ascending the trendy ladder lately and Fiya is a great place to discover what it's all about. Our party of 4 reserved a table on the patio. We began by sharing Salatim - an assortment of traditional Israeli small dishes - as an appetizer. The pillowy pita and the assertive fresh flavors of the various condiments blew me away. Then each of us ordered a main dish. I had the Lamb Khachapuri. Sort of like a breadbowl, the crusty Georgian roll was split and filled with spiced lamb sausage, pickled pearl onions and cherry tomatoes, and then baked in a woodburning oven. A flavorful winner. The pita sandwiches are enormous and come with a small mountain of za'atar-dusted fries. My Missus wasn't particularly fond of the sauce in her Chicken Schnitzel Pita, which she described as bitter; and her fries were so salty, would you believe she wiped each one with a napkin? The Oven Chicken Pita received a thumbs-up, and the Cauliflower Schnitzel Pita was a bit dry but otherwise very good. Desserts here are inventive; our server recommended the White Chocolate & Halva Shortcake, a redefinition of traditional strawberry shortcake. Another winner! Service is leisurely because the servers take the time to answer questions and describe the various dishes and ingredients to newbies. Menu prices here are understandably higher than average for Mediterranean food. But our companion was charged $1.00 for the tzatziki she requested to put on her dry cauliflower, and refilling the Corn Salatim (one itty-bitty bowl) cost $4.00. That's nickel-and-diming. Another annoyance was being charged for liquor we did not order. The restaurant apologetically took the booze off our bill. Otherwise, our experience was positive. Foodies seeking new gastronomic territory will surely find it here. read more

FIYA - Lamb Khachapuri - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The breakfast on the patio out back is a sweet gardened getaway from the mean streets of Clark. 14 items, all fresh and delicious for the Jerusalem Brunch. The breads stood out, as there were atypical for me, and crispy with soft insides that made nice little shovels for the smears and whatnot. A nice squishy egg and a spate of olives round up the proteins with a small tongue of lox to boot. The brunch is billed for two but a hungry eater could demolish it fairly easily. The Gazoz are precious spritzers made of seltzer and a premium syrup with an herb accent and are refreshing as heck. A must for the cocktail junior crowd! The service was terrific, and our dog was welcome as well. Highly recommended. read more

We've been meaning to check out this place for dinner but happened to stop in when looking for brunch. We happened to get there early enough to have open seating. We got the khachapuri an omelet with steak, a side of bacon and sausage and more potatoes. The bacon and sausage is made of lamb and had a very unique flavor. I preferred the sausage over the bacon. The meat in the omelet was cooked perfectly and full of flavor. The potatoes were crispy and delicious. Our food came out quickly and the staff was very nice. Can't wait to try their dinner too! read more

FIYA - Khachapuri - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Fiya is one of my new favorite places in the Chicago area!! We got the salatim to start, eggplant, kofta, potatoes, and watermelon salad. Everything was delicious, but I think the eggplant was my favorite. read more

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Love the ambiance and the food! The service was fine as well. I would probably go back. My friend told that they have a better ambiance at the pation than inside. You should try sitting at the patio when you get a chance! read more

FIYA - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The lamb hummus is an absolute must! Love that everything is shareable. We were so excited about so many things and everything we got was delicious and we just promised ourselves we'd come back soon to try the rest. Menu is fantastic. Service was attentive and knowledgeable about the menu, a great help. We sat in the open window on a warm night, it was so lovely. Next time we'd like to sit at the oven high counter. read more

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What I absolutely will advocate for is the food. Go for the pita, hummus and any combination of their menu-judging on that alone is an easy four stores. But if I'm honest the service isn't quite there. Our server was-majorly fun vibes, he was lovely and we saw him hustle. What felt off, though, was the service from the kitchen/bar. Every order-from drinks to apps to entrees-took a beat too long and it didn't feel deliberate. What comes out of the kitchen when it does come out is excellent. And the patio is absolutely wonderful and everything to love about Chicago dining. read more

FIYA - Outdoor patio - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Went for restaurant week and really enjoyed ourselves! The kachapuri was really good, and also really enjoyed the appetizer of spreads and little dishes. Hummus in particular was really good and I don't normally get hummus at Mediterraneans restaurants, lol. Ambiance was nice as well for a date night read more

We found this place in a move in trip for our daughter who attends Loyola, and we try to get back here whenever we visit. This trip 4 of us went to brunch on Saturday which we hadn't done before. The food was hot, fresh, and delicious. We ordered a Jerusalem Breakfast that says it feeds two, a wood smoked chicken pita and the cauliflower pita. We had more than enough food! The Jerusalem Breakfast is a variety of tasty bites and the pastries were a great finish with superb texture and flavor. The drinks were fun and fresh. I ordered the lemonana drop and would definitely get it again. The service was fabulous and while I don't remember our servers name, he was efficient, had a great sense of humor and willing to answer questions. We will keep this on our rotation of amazing places to eat when in Chicago. read more

FIYA - Drinks at the Fiya bar while waiting for our table in the patio. - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Keeping this one short and sweet as I was too distracted by my lovely brunch company to take useful photos. Super cute little patio in the back, hidden from the street. Fun foliage. A bit of a fly issue but it's the city so not too unexpected. Staff was all lovely and our waiter was extremely knowledgeable about the details of the menu. Falafel perfection. Perfect scrambled eggs. Classic challah. Great details, sauces, portion sizes. Mint tea was a treat. As with anyplace in Andersonville, parking is a bit of a challenge. But the restaurant was lovely about holding our reservation when we called to beg late arrival and nobody ever rushed us out. It may be intentional but the confirmation system - deposit, multiple reminders about length of reservation- made me feel like we were going to be in a strict late-covid-era "arrive/leave within our windows or pay the penalty" but it was actually a much more enjoyable, and less rigorous eat-than-leave vibe than I'd anticipated. A bit of a hike for me but would try again! read more

We've been at Fiya several times and always have a great meal. Their menu offers a great selection of creative dishes, the atmosphere is always fun. Last night, we really loved the short rips, brussel sprout salad, mushrooms with polenta, and beignets with whitefish. We shared these with our table, and we could have ordered more, but were so full! We'll definitely be back! read more

I've come here many times. It's my go-to on Clark Street. I love the atmosphere. Great cocktails. We hosted a 20-person party here and had a back room for us. They made special Prix-fix menus for us. I always bring my friends here!! read more

This was an awful experience! The table was dirty, the salad greens were very wilted, and they added a 25% tip without our permission. We spoke to the waiter and he refused to give us a credit. Never going back!! read more

We are so fortunate to have discovered FIYA. The staff were all very nice and helpful. The restaurant is decorated is a beautiful and tasteful manner with a wood burning oven as it's focal point. I can't wait until more people are vaccinated and we feel more comfortable sitting inside. They do have the ability to open the front of the restaurant up to allow air flow and they had everyone spaced out. We dinned on the outdoor patio on the first day of spring - such a beautiful day. It did get a little cool as the sun set and our server turned the heat lamp on for us. They also have igloos. Their Mediterranean menu has a lovely selection of items to choose from. We had a sample tray that included small portions of their hummus, eggplant, and roasted cauliflower. This went perfectly with the whole roasted chicken. We will be back for an entire head of cauliflower, more hummus and to try other options on the menu, including the fish. If their were any glitches to our evenings it would be that the beer taps were not working and they were out of some of the bottled beers. I also thought their cocktail prices were a bit on the steep end, but I suppose that's part of dining in the city. Our server was also the only server taking care of the generous patio area - he was working so hard and was so polite even though we could tell he was a bit stressed. We truly had a wonderful evening and will return. read more

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Stopped in for lunch, ordered the Chicken Shawarma on pita with Fries. First off, the chicken was fabulous, marinated and smoked to perfection, accompanied with chilled pickled onion, parsley and red slaw on a wood fired pita. Flavors hit all the notes! Love Shawarma, tried many a joints throughout the city, this was tops. Our waiter Christian, was super attentive, friendly and very menu knowledgeable. Great service is always welcome, he deserved a raise! We dined in the delightful back garden on a lovely Friday afternoon. Clean, roomy and well kept, a great place to kick off the weekend. My new go to place for Chicken Shawarma! read more

Super cute middle eastern place! Excellent decor, vibe. Really great homemade pita bread. Hummus is different from the norm and was good, not excellent. The cauliflower is huge- a whole head- it was pretty good. The asparagus dish is small but really delicious. Potatoes solid- great with the sauce from the asparagus. My husband's steak looked great, although it wasn't a large portion. Drinks solid. Service was knowledgeable and friendly but the dirty dishes were left too long ( both courses) and the water not filled. Drinks took longer than they should have but that was fine we weren't in a hurry. Overall a solid experience. I'd go back for sure with vegetarian friends since there were plenty of options. read more

Was introduced to this place via the Andersonville Fika fest coffee & hot chocolate crawl. We were so intrigued by the atmosphere and beautiful oven feature front and center that we chose this spot for a post crawl lunch. The brunch for 2 was a fun eating adventure and a great way to sample many items. We got a side of hummus which was a wonderful addition. The Turkish cigars and fresh pita were highlights for me. There are adorable private igloos in the back that we were intrigued by! Wonderful experience all around! read more

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Love the food. The schnitzel is my favorite, I gotta try the swordfish next time. The service is always great.

Ordered halloumi and hummus. Both had a lot of flavor and were a perfect portion size for 2 people. The server checked in frequently (but not too much), and the price was really fair. It's also great that they can have the front open when it is nice out. read more

FIYA - Seating - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

A few friends of mine from business school and I decided to try FIYA for the first time on a Wednesday night. When we arrived we were seated immediately and with a smile. The decor is warm and inviting -- we loved the lanterns and fire-oven situated right in the middle of the restaurant where you can watch your homemade pita bread spring to life. A few things we appreciated: touch-free ordering via QR code, masks, social distancing, and attentive service. Our waiter was very accommodating when we asked to split the check and let us stay to keep chatting and catch up. However, the star of the show was the delicious food and strong, innovative cocktails. I ordered the falafel pita and grapefruit cocktail, and I did not regret it. For $35 each, we had a really fun night. We will definitely be back! read more

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Good local spot to grab authentic Middle Eastern/Mediterranean food (specifically Israeli, but heavily influenced by other cultures). The highlights are: overall atmosphere (very welcoming, you feel at home there), extensive natural wine list, the falafel, the pita bread, the khachapuri, and the kofta. The marinated olives were also delicious. I was a little surprised by the portion sizes - the menu is designed for sharing but the plates are definitely on the smaller side so be prepared. I thought the hummus and the moroccan fish were both ok - the sauce for the fish was delicious, the fish itself was kind of plain. I would stop by if I was in the area/lived closer to Andersonville, but wouldn't go out of my way to go back here. read more

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Really good Middle East food. Shashuka was awesome and husband liked how hearty the meat dishes were for breakfast. Will be back

I've previously reviewed Fiya on Google with 5 stars, having enjoyed its food and service on many visits. Yesterday, the food was still good (although the pita was a few days old). Now, however, lunch is self-service, which means there is no server to take an order. We hunted down help to answer a menu question, ordered on line, and got own napkins and water in paper cups from the other side of the restaurant Food was delivered by a staff member. I can live with all that self service, I guess. But what was annoying is that WE WERE AUTOMATICALLY CHARGED A 24% gratuity for serving ourselves. We won't be back until Fiya stops adding gratuities for no service. read more

Had dinner here last night with my family. The ambiance was really pretty with nice lighting. We loved all of the food we ordered The branzino was amazing. So moist and tender, served with a light tomato sauce and delicious crispy skin from the oven. We were torn between that and the Moroccan fish, and were really happy we got the branzino. We also loved the salad (such good flavor combinations), chicken, and eggplant dishes. Pretty much anything cooked in the main oven was delicious. We liked the sweet potatoes and the Salatim. We had a delicious bottle of orange wine from Greece. They have a great wine list by the glass and bottle, as well as some nice sounding cocktails. Our waitress was very kind and had some nice recommendations, but did disappear for long periods of time throughout the meal. Looking forward to coming back and trying more of the menu! read more

Excellent dining experience this restaurant has a very nice patio which in the hot weather is very welcome. The food is delicious innovative Mediterranean dishes like a spicy holiday and a wonderful shaved brussels sprout appetizer were fantastic. I love the smoked lamb entree - tender and smoky - delicious! Attentive and friendly wait staff made dining at Fiya a delight! Highly recommended! read more

We come here regularly and are always impressed by the quality of the food and service especially relative to the price. You pay neighborhood restaurant prices for a special occasion quality meal. The food is very flavorful and intricately done, with the hummus and khachapuri being standout dishes. The also have specials from time to time including the phenomenal brisket which you should definitely get if you have the opportunity. read more

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Lovely setting in the back patio. Fun cocktails and delicious food. I highly recommend the trout, steak and eggplant. Excellent service

Nice open layout restaurant in Andersonville! Some free parking spots nearby. I went for brunch and got promptly seated. The menu was solid, and food options were varied and interesting. Food and service were good. Would come back! read more

FIYA - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

What an amazing meal! We ordered carry out from Fiya and were blown away by the food. First of all the restaurant is stunning and I can't wait until I feel comfortable to eat on their patio (Covid related). We ordered the classic hummus, the khachapuri, the sabich pita and the zaatar schnitzel pita. Everything was outstanding and tasted so fresh! I could tell it was made with love and care. The khachapuri is so flavorful and it was my first time having it so I didn't know what to expect. The pita is so fluffy and flavorful that you will want to order extra! Next time I want to try some dessert and get extra zaatar fries (they come with a pita sandwich). Can't wait for Fiya to become one of our go to Chicago restaurants! read more

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