Mediteranean food is one of favorite foods & both my sister & I had Larsa's Mediteranean bookmarked for awhile so when my sister suggested lunch. I said Larsa's? And wala here we are. Now I have eaten at a lot of Mediteranean restaurants over the years & just like every other food type there are some great place, good places & mediocre places. Larsa's definitely rates in the great range. Their food is delicious. In the past people, myself included used Pita Inn as a benchmark, but that's mainly because in the beginning there wasn't much to compare to. I have been trying different Mediteranean restaurants and Larsa's left PI in the rear view mirror. You can't even begin to compare the food at Larsa's to the former as the ingredients and flavors are far superior. Sure the cost is a little more, but there is absolutely no comparison as Larsa's food is far superior everything is made individually and not an assembly line production We started with a cup of lentil soup. I was like a starving animal savoring every bit of that soup. I should have gotten a bowl as it was delicious. Our server Nadia also brought out a regular serving of the jalapeño & cilantro hummus served w/warm thin pita bread. OMG this was like heaven. My sister mentioned that she could make a meal out just the hummus and the pita and I agree. Next we had the Fatoush Salad this has crispy pita crust, lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes, green peppers w/a dressing with olive oil, lemon & sumac. This was just ok, but I liked the crispy pita bread it added a nice crunch. We split a combo platter as the portion size is very generous. This dish comes w/chicken kabobs, beef kifta, beef shawarma, red onions, tomatoes slices & basmati long grain rice. The kifta & chicken kabobs were both very tasty, it they were a little dry. The beef shawarma was cooked & seasoned perfectly as the pieces just melted in my mouth. Every once in awhile our server Nadia came by and was very helpful in telling us about dishes we had questions about. She was super cool and friendly. There was another server that was also very helpful, but we didn't catch her name. Sometimes you go to a restaurant that everyone raves about and you think ehhh what the big deal, but this isn't the case w/Larsa's. I will definitely be back again. Thanks for the heads up Yelpies you picked a winner. read more

What a great find this place is. Unassuming, yet much better food and nicer ambience than the Middle Eastern fast food places across Dempster to the east. Affordable prices. And they do a brisk takeout business if you're in a hurry. The service is cordial-to-friendly if you dine in. Their tabbouleh is a cut above everyone else's (even Pita Inn's), and while their regular hummus is very good, the cilantro jalapeño hummus is out of this world. Their falafel is also very tasty. Have heard good things about their sandwiches, as well. Was glad to see Larsa's staying open through the pandemic. Definitely worth a try! read more

They are OPEN again as of January 2025. Some newer additions to the lunch menu. New ownership.

My wife and I have been frequenting Larsa's for years. Their lentil soup is outstanding. Also, you have to try their potato pizza. Mana ish is SO good! The owner and staff are wonderful and so accommodating. If you like Middle Eastern food, you must stop by. read more

Larsa's is a charming restaurant in Skokie -- cozy ambiance, very friendly service, generous portions (one dish could easily serve as two meals for one adult!). I got the Kifta Kabob (mixed ground beef served with rice and spiced onions) and it was tasty. Dined: December 9, 2022 read more

Larsa's Mediterranean - Pizza Near Me - Skokie, Illinois

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Still the same before they closed last year. Same great food, decor is the same, and still great service. Wish I could eat here everyday!

This was my first time eating the food in takeout during Covid. My mom had eaten here for years at the resto so I finally tried it out. This place is super authentic and the food is delicious and consistent. You can normally see the owner around as well and the staff is also very familiar with the food and menu. Portions are generous considering the price service is quick food is always made fresh and hot. This place is very close to our home therefore it is very convenient. I prefer this small business over some of the other competitors in town that are larger and making the food in mass production. We have come back here several times because it is delicious good food and dare I say healthy for you. read more

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I am definitely coming back to Larsa's My family and I are big fans of Mediterranean food and I am thrilled with Larsa's for it's authenticity and value. The outside is not much to look at as the strip plaza it's located at in Skokie is pretty sleepy on a Sunday afternoon. Lucky for me since parking directly in front was easy . There's some places where you leave just satisfied and I think Larsa's does that and forces you to bring home leftovers too. Great portion sizes and the flavors are fab. We were there for an early dinner at 5 pm on a Sunday. We had out choice of seating upon walking. Usually I like to take a walk around the dining room to decide what to eat. I noticed a pizza looking dish but it didn't have any cheese. This turned out to be the Laham Ajeen (beef, tomato, onion cumin and cardamom $5). It was a sizebale appetizer so I was quite happy with that choice. The menu mostly had pizza, pita wraps and kabob plates. So I just went for a sampler platter which had chicken kabob, kifka kabob and shawarma served with a bed if rice $16 and a veggie plate which had baba-ganouj, dolmas,falafel and hummus. Both entrees were more than filling for sure. I am not a vegetarian, I usually shun vegetarian dishes but honestly I could eat this veggie plate on a daily basis! They honestly need to come up with a better name for that entree. It was quite fulfilling and definitely shareable. We just ate everything family style. The baba ganouj is charred eggplant which had such depth of smokiness and flavor topped with tart pomegranate seeds. Great for dipping with the light bread. The hummus was perfect - great consistency and flavor. The dolmas are grape leaves filled with grains and has almost a pickled quality to it (I have no idea how it's prepared I just know I liked it). It's not a common thing that I've had before but I think I'll need to have more. Falafel had a good crispness to it, and I'm not really a falafel veteran so I just ended up dipping into every sauce provided. I like sauce. The sampler platter was a really good portion and I really must remark about the rice. It was quite tasty. Not sure if it was cooked in stock and seasoned but it was awesome rice. Hard to be excited about rice...but hey folks...it was good. The chicken was a tad bit dry but it was seasoned nicely - when you have sauce it's all good. The server brought out some garlic sauce which I think my family literally drank. Kifka had all the nice flavorings like parsley and onion nicely cooked. Beef shawarma had nice charred bits. I really liked how the staff seemed to take care of us like part of their family. I'll definitely be back with a larger group of people as I really enjoyed the food and the experience. The value is awesome. I noticed another table had a huge table sized platter of meat - I'll try that next time. read more

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This is a gem of a restaurant. On a last minute hankering for Mediterranean food I came across this place on Yelp with some good reviews by fellow Yelpers. We went to check it out early at 5pm for dinner. Walking in the place was well kept and spacious with comfy seats around wooden tables. We were greeted by the friendly staff. We ordered the Laham Ajeen, sort of their version of a pizza/flat bread. Crispy bottom topped with a ground beef, tomato, onion and seasonings. We were trying to decide between the hummus and baba ganosh appetizers and we're suggested to order the veggie plate entree which we were told had both along with falafels and dolmas. That some people will order as a appetizer. And we also ordered the Larsa's combo plate which had beef sharwma, kifta kebob and chicken kabobs. There was plenty of food and each entree came with a bowl of Lentil soup. I've never had lentil soup before but it had a lot of flavor and wasn't overpowering in spices. We'll have to come back to try the pizza. read more

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I've been driving by Larsa's down Dempster for years without stopping in. Yesterday my wife and I decided to pick up dinner there for us and a couple of friends. And boy, were we glad we did! We both got the Vegetarian Plate -- the quality of the hummus, baba ganoush, falafel balls and dolmas blow away the other close-by Middle Eastern joints. I don't wanna put down any competitors -- they are all OK. But Larsa's is a cut above. You won't be disappointed. read more

A friend has been a longtime patron of Larsa's. While it took years for me to get a formal introduction to the place, I have fond memories of the friend reheating the rosemary potato pizza in the toaster oven at our office and being incredibly jealous of how good her lunch smelled. When we got together recently, she suggested we go here for a bite to eat. We were greeted warmly and seated right away. The owner remembered my friend, even though she moved from the area years ago. The space is warm and comfortable - lots of seating options and beautiful decorations. I opted for the baba ganouj and wasn't disappointed. The smoky, garlicky eggplant was flavorful. While it paired really well with the fresh pita, I could have eaten it with a spoon and not had regrets. I also had the famed rosemary potato pizza (she never shared it all those years ago in the office so I had to try it). I don't know who thought to put all of those ingredients together on a pizza, but they are an absolute genius. I'd love to come back and do a more typical dinner -- this was a late afternoon bite -- because the menu looks incredible, as did everything coming out of the kitchen. read more

I can't believe I've lived in Skokie for 12 years and just got around to trying Larsa's the other day! My family loves Middle Eastern food and a few friends gave this place good reviews, so I've had it bookmarked for a while and finally just went in. Hubby was interested in the pizza making that was going on as we walked in (which we didn't know they had) so he ordered a pizza, we ordered a calzone for our daughter, a combination plate for me, and a side of hummus to share. Everything was excellent! Hubby loved the fresh toppings and the thin crust of his pizza, but after trying the beef shawarma, kifta kabob, grilled chicken and basmati rice in my plate, he wasn't as happy with his choice. (We have many pizza options, while this made to order food was a wonderful treat!) We also got a skewer of their beef kabobs on the side and it was amazing. Choice cuts of beef, much like filet mignon, perfectly cooked! My meal came with vegetables which were ok (would have been great with garlic sauce!) and lentil soup which was delicious and much appreciated on this cold night. Our daughter's calzone was huge and she loved it! My only complaint was that they forgot my cup of garlic sauce which we ordered and paid for. The meats are well seasoned and tasty, yet having the garlic sauce for dipping would have been even better. Service was pleasant and prompt and they gave us a carry out menu with a coupon, which we will definitely be using soon!! read more

Can't believe I've waited this long to try this place out. I ordered the Larsa's Combo which comes with chicken kabob, kifta kabob and beef shawarma, served on top of a bed of basmati rice. Each meat item was cooked perfectly and tasted delicious! Their spicy red sauce and their tahini really elevate the dish - I highly recommend getting both. We also ordered hummus which was super tasty and was a really big portion as well. Will definitely carry out from here more often! Side note - the picture of the combination plate only shows half of the food. I divided the portion into half before taking the picture. I was too hungry to wait. ;) read more

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I had to recover from falling into a post-dinner food coma first so that I can write my review. I'm glad that I've bookmarked this place via the recommendation of co-yelpers and my kids agreed to trying it with me. We got to the place on a Sunday at 6pm and there were a few tables occupied, mostly by families with small children. I do recommend getting there on "off" times since parking space could be a challenge. The decors give this place the authentic Mediterrenean feel with simple yet neat interiors. The hosts and servers were friendly and welcoming. Here are the reasons for my food-coma experience: HUMMUS- Outstanding...with the warm and hearty pita bread or like what my kids and I did...we also dipped our meat in it too because it was so good. LARSA'S COMBO PLATE- Chicken & Kifta Kabobs, Beef Shawarma with Basmati Rice. Every single item on the plate was seasoned well, very tender, and cooked perfectly. BEEF SHAWARMA PLATE- Super tender, juicy and lip-smacking pieces of meat. KIFTA KABOB PLATE- So flavorful! It was cooked so well inside & out. The Entree Plates come with a cup of Lentil Soup which was so filling and an excellent way to start any meal. I need to mention the BASMATI RICE that they serve with these plates. I could not remember the last time I ate that much rice and I still can't believe that I actually finished every single grain on my plate...it was definitely unforgettable. It kind of reminded me of the Filipino garlic fried rice but this did not have garlic... it was really tasty! It's hard to explain but trust me on this..it just looks like plain basmati rice on your plate but once you try it, you'll be hooked too. Overall, I will definitely be back. Friendly and efficient service; clean interiors; reasonable price for the portions, flavors and quality of food. Larsa's is for sure a little gem....a precious one at that. read more

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We were looking for a Greek restaurant in Skokie and luckily we found Larsa's Cuisine. This is probably as Greek as you can find it. We had greek salad, lamb sheesh kebob and a vegan platter with dolmades, shawarma, baba ganoush and humus. Everything was delicious. The waitress was also very friendly and we had a good conversation with her. I can only recommend this restaurant. read more

Larsa's Mediterranean - Vegan platter - Pizza Near Me - Skokie, Illinois

Outstanding food, even better service. Visited Larsa's with a large group of friends on a weeknight, and the staff was incredible. They allowed us to stay past closing time, didn't rush us, and was extremely helpful with any questions we had about items on the menu. They even made sure our Gluten Free friend ordered the right items. The baba ghanouj was a great starter. If you're a fan of spicy, check out the cilantro jalapeños hummus. Not overly spicy, and very enjoyable. I had the combo, and it defeated me. I simply couldn't finish it, and it made for some great leftovers. Oh, you must try the lentil soup here. The texture and blend of different spices come together to get the stomach ready for the main meal. Can't wait to come back and try the pizza!! read more

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Every time I come to Larsa's they always have quick, kind service, lots of options on the menu and above all the food is absolutely delicious! What a hidden gem in Skokie!! read more

I was first introduced to Larsa's Mediterranean through a work lunch. The food was so delicious and fresh I had to try the food with my friends and family. The food is still fresh and delicious. I like that if you don't want to have rice you can have a salad bowl with protein and two sauces and two salads in the bowl. The cauliflower is good and the lentil soup is just wonderful. Everyone I take here return with friends and family. It is me and my friends favorite spot for Mediterranean food. I think I'm going tomorrow for lunch or dinner. read more

I understand what a bad review means during COVID, how it impacts a small business during a vulnerable time, but I honestly am not getting my voice heard elsewhere. I feel like I'm left with no other option. (This is my second time having bad service from this restaurant.) I ordered a pizza and salad yesterday for dinner from Larsa's Mediterranean through Uber Eats. When things started running behind I called the restaurant. I was assured that my food would be there "soon." It wasn't. I kept calling. Next the restaurant's delivery driver took way longer than s/he should have and upon arrival claimed "the door was locked" at my building. Apparently the driver has never delivered to an apartment building before and is unfamiliar with buzzers?! (For the driver's education: You buzz my apartment with the appropriate button, I hit a button on my end that lets you in, and you deliver my food.). My food was left outside of the building, next to the sidewalk where anyone could take it. I reached out to the restaurant to complain. They said the fault lies with Uber Eats. Uber Eats says the fault lies with the restaurant. All I know is that my food was an hour and a half late, and the restaurant ultimately is who received my money and who ended up delivering my food. The owner said "free dessert," but could not be bothered to apologize to me over the phone. I spent over $25 on a cold meal that took one hour and forty minutes from ordering it to delivery and nobody cares. Uber Eats has no customer service phone number, no email, and their chat Help service says the responsibility is the restaurant's and refuses to accept anymore attempts on my part to ask them for recompensation. The restaurant says they cannot help me, but ultimately they are the ones who took my money and sent the WORST DELIVERY DRIVER EVER. So I am placing the fault with the restaurant, and no a "free dessert" is not an acceptable response. It is bad customer service, period. read more

This place is so amazing. Authentic, good food and really great customer service. I ordered from here all the time while living north. I miss this place. read more

I dropped by here for a carryout and ordered their Larsa combo plate ($16, kifta and chicken kabob, beef shawarma, basmati rice, and pita bread), and a chicken pita wrap ($7). The items were fresh, flavorful, and delicious and also reasonably priced. The only knock here might be that the combo plate could have used some tahini sauce in my opinion, and maybe it was forgotten or I should have asked (that's for a next time!) about any sauce that might come with the combo plate. We plan to return for a dine in someday. The lady behind the counter and on the phone was friendly and welcoming, and though our interaction lasted no more than a minute, she gave me a good and noteworthy impression, and I can see why friendliness was cited in a few of their reviews. read more

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Good Food, Great Service. Always come here for best authentic middle eastern food. Always consistent, and fresh. read more

Friendly quick delivery service. The combo plate is certainly filling but I should have asked for sauces because it's a bit dry and flavorless. The dolmas are also plentiful but too salty for my taste. I would try them again. read more

I feel like this place is often compared to Pita Inn (as Pita Inn is about a mile or so west of this place). I've definitely had both (many times) and they are very different. Larsa's is more a "restaurant" while Pita Inn seems more to me as fast food. Larsa's is a little more expensive than Pita Inn but the food is better in my opinion in that it's more restaurant quality. (I will note that PI does have an amazing lunch special but this review is not for PI). Larsa's rice is actual basmati rice (instead of the yellow rice at PI), and the lamb kebab is AMAZING; they are actual chunks of lamb! The PI version of the Lamb is ground lamb and it's also good but I prefer the Larsa's version over PI. Larsa's also has a sit down service and delicious house-made hummus that my Middle Eastern friends highly recommend. Larsa's also has high quality service and really friendly waitresses and staff. One time I ordered take out and the Chef accidentally sent me the wrong plate. The restaurant was super helpful and diligent about correcting their mistake and making sure I received the one I ordered. I will definitely return for the delicious food and wonderful service. Minus one star- the parking is a little weird and you have to do a weird turn on Dempster street into the lot. read more

Larsa's (specifically Joey who makes the pizza) - please open again! We can't find any pizza in the area that is as good. Miss you!

I didn't realize they made fresh nan . It's so good. You can carry out one for a dollar. Baba ganoush was excellent. read more

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Came in for their lunch special. Their sandwich has a strong pickle taste from the vegetables. The ratio of the sandwich was a little strong on the pita bread making it dry. The french fries were like a good ex. Memorable but disheartening when it's gone. But seriously their fries were surprisingly one of the best I had in the area. The staff was friendly and nice. read more

Larsa's Mediterranean - Pizza Near Me - Skokie, Illinois

Last time I was here about a year ago, I got food poisoned pretty bad and have been afraid to go back. Since a few of my girlfriends wanted to try this place, I put on a brave face and decided to try it once more. We went around 6 pm on a Sunday evening, and it was pretty quiet inside with very few patrons. It did fill up eventually, but I think the rainy weather had some effect as well. I started with a cup of lentil soup and a small order of falafel. The lentil soup was good- Specks of dill, lentils, savory and delicious. As for my meal, I ordered the same dish as last time- chicken schwarma with fatoush salad. My girls got chicken schwarma plate and chicken kabob. I was appalled by what I saw on my plate. To clarify, I love middle eastern food, I've tried many authentic places, thanks to my family and friends. But the chicken... the horror.... was bits of chicken breast cut up in thin, bland pieces. How can they call that chicken schwarma ?? This definitely did not come from a spit, had none of the spices that is normally used in this dish, and was dry, bland and awful. The fatoush was no good either, it lacked the same quality and flavor that they had before. I'm not sure if there was a change of ownership, but this is not a good middle eastern restaurant. Thankfully, Skokie offers many other middle eastern restaurants for patrons, but oh boy, i was disappointed by lack luster dishes at Larsa's. I will not be back. read more

One of the worst experience I ever had in my life, the manager went into argument with my friend and started yelling at us and he even requested us to leave NOW , all that happened front of our kids because my friend went and told him her honest opinion about the waitresses and the service in general ( the resturant was pretty empty and we had to ask more than couple of times for another round of water and tea) the manager was rude and loud, we were with our kids and things was going to escalate into the wrong direction before I decided to leave. Never had to experience such a situation in my life. The guy was in denial and repeatedly had to mention that they have been in business for over than 20 years and never heard a complaint about their services! he even threatened us to call the authorities if we do not leave NOW .. that was outrageous!! The one star was for the pizza. read more

This is my go to middle eastern spot. The host was amazing and gave some great recommendations, thanks Isen the food was amazing!

My family and I eat in or pick up food at least once a week. To say it's one of our favorite restaurants is an understatement. The food is amazing! (Please try the shawarma pizza-trust me!!) the staff is friendly and treat you like family. Isen is our go to- He makes us feel at home and takes care of us each and every-time! He even entertains my toddlers :) read more

Larsa's Mediterranean - Shawarma pizza - Pizza Near Me - Skokie, Illinois

I've been going to Larsa's for several years now, and the food and service has always been great. The lunch menu has several tastey meat options as well as vegetarian. The rosemary potato pizza is a must-try, dont forget to ask Isen for the homemade garlic sauce. Great spot for family gathering they know how to make you feel like at home. I have celebrated several birthday parties there, great for groups ask for family style and its BYOB. read more

Larsa's Mediterranean - Shawarma Pizza and Rosemary potatoes Pizza - Pizza Near Me - Skokie, Illinois

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Tasty food! We placed an order for pickup, it was hot and ready on time. We ordered skewers (sides)- kefta, chicken shawarma, lamb, and grilled vegetables. It was all good but I especially enjoyed the kefta. I'm looking forward to trying more things from here! read more

Larsa's Mediterranean - Kefta, chicken shawarma, lamb, and grilled vegetables - Pizza Near Me - Skokie, Illinois

These guys have, hands-down, the best shawarma in Chicago. I ALWAYS get the combo plate, and it has yet to fail me. On top of that, the staff is friendly, the management is out and about making sure everyone's okay, and the decor really adds to the ambience...AND they deliver. Highly recommended. read more

My family loves this place. It's vegetarian friendly. The falafels were amazing. They have a few type of hummuses, which should be tried as well. The jalapeno hummus was awesome. Their fattoush salad was amazing as well. Their staff was friendly and we will come back again read more

I don't give five stars lightly, but in this case this restaurant definitely deserves it!! I was told to come here by on my office manager, and she told me to get the lentil soup. I'm not kidding when I say I've never had lentil soup like this before. It's lightly seasoned with dill and will excite your taste buds for more. Speaking of excited taste buds, they have the most unique hummus and baba ghanouj that you've ever tasted in your life. They have three flavors of hummus. My favorite was the cilantro and jalapeño hummus. It had just a slight kick. The baba ghanouj was out of this world good! They roast it over the fire and it has the most amazing smoky flavor. I had their veggie platter and I would highly recommend it. Also there baklava is just perfectly moist, sweet and out of this world. read more

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I heard a lot of good reviews from my co-workers, so we finally tried Larsa's. The food was very good, big portions, and the waitresses were all really great. They gave us good suggestions on the menu because we wanted to try different things. We'll definitely be going back often. read more

Very friendly staff. I'm in this area about once a week to go grocery shopping at the Valli Produce in Evanston. I like Middle Eastern food so often order from one of the many restaurants in the area that serve that style food, but this was my first time going to Larsas. I ordered the egg plant wrap and jalapeño hummus and loved both. Both dishes had a lot of flavor. The hummus was smooth and tasty and I enjoyed the eggplant wrap very much too! I want to go back and try the lentil soup too cause I heard it is very good! read more

Rosemary/potato pizza is just straight up awesome. I don't even know where to start. This is another easily missed place, with amazing food. I drove by this place for years before realizing it was great inside, mostly due to yelp reviews. Let me state that I don't know about the comments of over-friendly staff - they were merely polite as normal. The food however? Impressive to say the least. We started with the jerusalem salad, which they make homemade. This means it's a different seasoning style than pita inn - I would daresay better - more tahini flavor. It's still fairly similar in ingredients to any other jerusalem sald. Then we had the mediterranean salad. Great flavors. Again, here too the dressing was great. This was followed up with Turkish coffee and Manna. I have to say the manna is incredible. We're talking a lightly fried lightly oiled dough with a homemade zatar? Deliciousness. I probably could have ordered this and eaten it by itself, it was that great. Turkish coffee is....well, turkish coffee. Either you love it, or you hate it. There's really no imbetween, and some people like/hate the coffee sludge from it being unfiltered too. It's also fairly strong, as to be expected. However, what meal would this be without mentioning the rosemary potato pizza? The thing here is - it's a flatbread pizza. So not only is it super thin (and very very, generously sized for the price), it's got a unique flavor profile. Potatoes + rosemary on a pizza is very different. The only other place I can think of that makes a pizza with a similar flavor is Trattoria Demi's pizza with sunchokes, which basically taste like potatoes. A second time we planned on Larsas, we ordered the BBQ chicken pizza. BBQ chicken pizza included basically: chicken cooked and seasoned Shawarma style + bbq sauce + pineapple. Absolutely amazing. That was not a flavor combination I expected, but I was extremely impressed with the taste. Long story short? Check out Larsas. Cheap, great, overlooked. Oh, and they deliver. read more

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Among the best Middle Eastern restaurants in Illinois. The waiter was gracious, patient and knowledgable. We ate here on a Saturday evening, a party of seven. The food was delicious , flavorful without being salty. The chicken shawarma sandwich has turnips, tomatoes, onion and tahini sauce. Even a little sumac on the veggies. The kefta chicken kabob could have used a bit more flavor, but still excellent. The homemade humus was perfectly matched with the fresh homemade pita. We will certainly return. read more

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