Best cheap shawarma chain around in the city. Toum is always on point. Pita is freshread more

I've been wanting to try this place for awhile. I went to the Oak Lawn location because the Palos…read moreHills location has awful parking. It's awful because it's in a shared parking lot and it's a nightmare to find a spot. For some strange reason, the whole town of Oak Lawn decided to go to that shopping area where Baba Saj is, on a Wednesday night close to 8 pm. Let that sink in. Just a warning, people here can't drive or walk, I wouldn't be surprised if accidents occur here weekly. Aside from that, they have plenty of parking spaces when available. Baba Saj wasn't busy at all. The restaurant is beautiful. I love the interior and I like that they have a patio area to eat in front of the fountain. We ordered a mixed shawarma meal, steak shawarma bowl, and a sfeha flatbread. The staff here is nice. I forgot the name of the older woman but she gave us an extra bowl for free. They gave us a chicken shawarma bowl instead of steak. They didn't want to take the chicken shawarma bowl back so they just put it in a bag and gave it to us. Prices aren't bad. -mixed shawarma meal 4.5 - the mixed meat (steak and chicken) were both very moist and tender. A lot better than Haifa in Orland Park. The fries weren't bad but I would have preferred them to be crispy. These leaned more on the soggy side like McDonald's. I gave it a 4.5 because I wished the shawarma portion was bigger. -steak shawarma bowl 3 - I told my gf this but stop getting bowls. If you want to really experience the shawarma, always get it in a flatbread or pita. Never in a bowl. The meat loses moisture in the open air thus making it taste dry. -sfeha flatbread 4.5 - this was pretty tasty. The meat is moist but the bread on the outside can get slightly dry.

Start with the friendly and helpful service, oooh the food! Nun bread with some sauce very tasty!…read moreThen We had chicken and beef Shawarma , it was delicious, amazing is understatement!!! Then we ordered lamb skewers plater that came with nice spiced medium chicken! Served with rice or a choice of French fries! Best food I have eaten lately! The freshly blended juice is bomb , I had mixed fruits and hubby had Mint lemonade ! It was 17mins from the airport but it's totally worth it! If I lived in Chicago this would be my to go weekend refresh Nice Music by the way

This restaurant was recommended to me recently and I finally had the chance to visit. The staff…read morewere super friendly and helpful in guiding me while placing my carry out order. The decor transports you, very intentionally decorated. I had the chicken shish tawook dinner, the eggplant, falafel, wings, and hummus. This was legitimately some of the best middle eastern food I've ever had. The wings were extremely flavorful, the chicken shish tawook was juicy and beautifully seasoned, and the eggplant was delightfully tangy. I was really looking forward to coming here again.

Amazing authentic food, customer service was great, hookah is a plus. Everything you need is in one…read moreplace at this restaurant. Highly recommend.

We dined on a Sunday night around 8 PM and were seated right away, which was a great start. We…read moreordered the mixed grill plate, a Nutella shake, and I asked for water. The salad and hummus came out within a few minutes and the food itself was actually very good. No water given at this time. Unfortunately, the service was disappointing. We waited almost an hour for our main entrée, had to ask for the water again, and the Nutella shake we ordered was never served at all. Our server was not attentive throughout the night. One more thing to watch out for -- a 15% tip was automatically added to the bill, so make sure to check before paying. The food was enjoyable, but the poor service really affected the overall experience.

So we have to go into Chicago twice a month (work thing), and I always make sure to stop for…read moreshwarma. I once lived in Ottawa, Ontario, the capital of Canada, which was more of a patchwork quilt than melting pot. Near the center of the city was an open market for goods from around the world surrounded by culinary restaurants from all the world's options. My favorite place to go was a Lebanonees place who had the upright skewers of beef, chicken, and something else. I was dubious at first but tried it with the garlic sauce and pickles to go with my steak shwarma. It was love at first taste. I had never tasted anything so delicious in my life. Since moving back from Canada decades ago, I've searched for that perfect shwarma that excites my pallet like the one in Ottawa. All I had found was cheap imitations or something that wasn't even a shwarma, until I found SemSem. They always wear gloves from what I've seen, the food is as authentic as that Lebanese restaurant 20 years ago, and the wonderful woman who's always behind the counter putting the food together. She remembered us I think by our 3rd visit, and you don't need to see her mouth to know she's truly happy to see you and smiling a genuine smile. She's always fast moving and every movement in the making of the shwarma wrap is practiced'm, fast, and perfect every time. If ever you want amazing Mediterranean food, go here, you won't find anything better closer than Canada, and the wonderful woman who works up front (who's name I've forgotten) will certainly brighten your day. But don't forget the baklava, one of the best I've ever had and definitely the best in over a decade. But seriously, check them out, amazing food, amazing people, amazing place, and all tucked into a tiny place next to the movie theater entrance.

I been here twice and the food here is amazing! They have…read morelisted what's inside the food online, but for sure the vegan options are hummus, falafel, and two the salads Arabic and toubli (however you call it) and the rice ofc. I don't believe the pita is vegan, but other vegans said it is, not sure (just skip it but I could be wrong I'm better safe than sorry) Hummus is too good! you can order pick up online or delivery, or call to place a order. I was skeptical at first cause Mediterranean food usually have limited vegan options, but this place is impressive. Also can bring your friends or family. Ambiance - lots of seating

Was good until I found a black hair in my food. Definitely not mine…read more It's a shame I used to say how clean this place was. If they are letting hair in food I can assume that everything else is lax. The one thing in food to not have happen and it did.

Always a fresh, authentic bite. Nice, clean space. Friendly service. Wish I had the time to dine…read morein. I opted for the stuffed pita; hummus was my sauce base with chicken as a protein. Extra pickled red cabbage and veggies with a drizzle of lemon vinaigrette. So good. My husband requested a bowl; rice was the base with chicken as a protein. Pickled red cabbage, veggies, hummus and mild sauce. He talked about how fresh it tasted. But, I think his sauce was hot instead of mild because his mouth was on fire and his eyes watered. Next time, sauce on the side. Lol.

Had food delivered and it was good! We liked their falafel and their pitas seemed handmaderead more

RUDE FEMALE EMPLOYEE absolutely unbelievable i've been coming for YEARS and i have never dealt with…read moresomeone so incompetent i wish i got her name but i honestly could not bare to talk to her any longer. She refused to take my order over the phone but when my husband called she was more than willing to take the order, when i arrived to pick it up she was very rude and gave me so much attitude for no reason EVEN after i gave her a $20 tip to share with the kitchen workers. As i was asking her questions about the drinks because we had ordered meals she rolled her eyes and closed the window in my face. Management needs to make sure they hire better employees because you will lose customers as you lost me.

Kefta was grilled to perfection but I recommend you order extra meat on the wrap its a small…read moreportion. The shawarma is also very good. Great prices and open very late.

Great food and great service! I come at least once a week now. They bbq kebabs outside on the…read moreweekend too! Delicious!

Whenever in that area I go pick up some chickens wraps, Falafel and stuffed Pita Sandwitch. They…read moreare always very good. Service is pretty quick, overall the place is well appointed for a quick, fast food place. The newer set up is quite practical & vibrant.

I got the zinger meal from Baba Saj which is essentially a breaded spicy chicken sandwich with…read moretomatoes, lettuce, pickles, cheese, and their special house made sauce wrapped inside their house bread and served with fries and a drink. They do have a drive thru too which is nice and what I did. Don't expect them to be fast tho, it's not actually a fast food spot. I thought the meal was good! My only complaint was that it wasn't as crispy as I wanted, i think both the fried chicken and the wrap being meh in terms of that crispy bite you'd expect. As you can see it is toasted but it was still more chewy than crispy. Otherwise the flavors are decent and for like a $15 meal, it's ok. The portion is good and it does the job.

I have passed by this spot multiple times so I decided to give them a try today. Upon entering a…read morenice lady greeted me. I told her this was my first time here and she gave me a take out menu to review and let her know when I'm done. I ordered the large chicken shawarma bowl. She informed me the order preparer would let me know when I can select the items for my bowl, similar to Chipotle, Cava. A guy called me to select items for the bowl. I noticed the bowl was about to overflow. I stopped adding toppings. Talk about a bang for your money. I informed him it was my first time there. He told me he was glad I stopped by and to come back. I also was given a beverage from the fridge. I chose a Middle Eastern lemon lime drink. The inside was clean, bright, decorative. The parking lot could use some resurfacing, updating but overall I like the service, vibe. The food was tasty, flavorful. Will be back. Good job guys.

The experience at this restaurant has been very bittersweet…read more We visited for the first time on a Friday, and we were warmly welcomed by the hostess, and as soon as we arrived, she brought us water, gave us the menus, took our order super fast and the food was Amazing! Plus the experience (service) was really good, and, we couldn't wait to come back. Unfortunately, when we returned just 4 days later (on Wednesday) it was a disaster... There was no hostess this time, just 3 gentlemen, we waited about 10 minutes before anyone even came to our table with menus (we were the only clients, the restaurant was empty) they didn't greet us or say hello, and simply dropped the menus on the table and walked away, and about 10 minutes later, someone finally came back to take our order, but the biggest disappointment, though, was the food. We ordered the hummus, and it was clearly a SPOILED It had an extremely sour taste, similar to spoiled milk, It was SOOO BAD that I couldn't even eat it. We also ordered the mac and cheese bites, and they were absolutely drenched in oil The service was just as disappointing. No one ever brought us water or even asked if we'd like something to drink, not even the complimentary water that most restaurants provide. At the end of the meal, we had to walk up to the cashier ourselves to pay, and the staff was rude throughout the entire interaction. Our first visit was so wonderful, but our second experience completely changed our impression, we won't be returning.

I've driven by this restaurant many times and was glad I stopped by…read more You pick your meat protein, what you'd like it on Pita-flour wrap- fries, etc, then your topping & sauces. There so many different options for you to customize your choices. I Got the nachos. This is pita bread cut and fried with your choice of meat I got the butter chicken with cheese and sauce on top. I also tried the one of each Shwarma. The tikka & butter wrapped in flour tortilla. The food is made to order, hot off the grill and is very flavorful. You can sit in the dining room area or use the drive thru. Plus they are open late night for a late treat. In a nutshell Good people prices selection and service.

Really great Smokey chicks. Great customer service. We had the chicken&rice. Didn't think I…read morewould like the pickle added on side like garnish, but surprised it was actually a great combination.