The Loop Lunch Saga continues with... Oasis Cafe! This little gem is indeed hidden in the back of a jewelry store. I personally love both shiny things and yummy food, so you know where this is going! I had the Moroccan chicken special and an IBC rootbeer. It seemed a little pricey when the girl rang up $10, but when I picked up my to go box and my arm involuntarily sank under it's weight, I knew every thing was going to be all right. I sat on a blanket in the park feasting on juicy chicken (4 pieces! I only ate 2), savory rice, and an eclectic mix of veggies. It was totally delicious and provide two whole meals (I finished off the leftovers just hours ago.) I will definitely be going back when it's nice again and the picnic bug bites. read more

Ever checked to see how many Mediterranean restaurants there are in the Loop? It's outrageous... This is one of my personal favorites... buried inside the jewlery mall requires diners to know what to look for. Bottom line: Get there early if possible as the line can get very long Everything is amazing, portions are generous mmm craving some falafel now read more

The kebab combo platter was flavorful and had huge portions. They had great falafel, babaganouj, lamb, rice, hummus, and pita. And while I wish the pita was served warmer and more fluffy, there is really not much to complain about. I'm a fan. To access this restaurant, you have to pass through a diamond store. So if you're ever in the mood to blow money on jewelry immediately after a filling but not disgusting lunch, this might be the perfect place for you! The kebabs are very flavorful, but where Oasis Cafe really stands out is the hummus, which is fresh, flavorful, and lovely. I'm typically not a fan of the hummus, but it made everything better. Try it! read more

Yummers! The shwarma sammich is nice and tasty, and there was a ton of chicken. And it dips nicely into my ginormous side of hummus. It was a teensy bit pricey at $9, but i have enough hummus for a snack later, so I'm ok with that. Oh, and I called in my order and they had it waiting for me and rang me up super quick...in and out and scoping out ugly gold earrings in less than a minute! read more

Still the jam. Just tried their Lentil soup, pretty bada$$. Sandwich and a huge bowl of soup for under $6 in the Loop. Pretty tough to beat. read more

It took me a little while to find you again, but you're back where you always should have been and serving the hands down best falafel in the city...people it's no joke, all of your other falafel joints need to step off. Bother with the chicken specials if you must, try the lamb kifta (it reminds me of the disaster sausage at Sarkis) But the $4 falafel is a gawd damn home run read more

Meh is the perfect way to describe it. We went there around 1, wanted to get the special, but the guy in front of us got the last one! GRR!!! It's not really anyone's fault, maybe the special is THAT delicious! Anyway, I got the chicken shwarma, and thought that it was pretty bland. I still ate it, don't get me wrong, but thought it was lacking in seasoning. The place is great for the price, but I think I like things to be a little more flavorful. read more

Such a nice change from the boring lunch scene in the loop... everything at Oasis taste fresh, i esp love the Moroccan Chicken special on tuesdays!! but seriously everything else are good too quick and friendly service, huge portion size and reasonable pricing, i am a fan!!! read more

I have to explain everything I ordered in a little detail to explain my rating... 1. The falafel sandwich was good and filling. Zad's is better. 2. Everytime I have had lemon rice soup from other places, it is creamy and delicious. This lemon rice soup was not creamy at all, had peppers in it, and seemed very high in sodium. I ate less than half of it. 3. I bought a bottle of apple juice, and I'm pretty sure it had gone bad, because it tasted like a slightly rotting apple. However, the staff let me replace it with a Snapple iced tea once I told them it tasted bad. The staff was nice, and the sandwich was good, so I will possibly come back here again, but I will try lentil soup and stray away from any juices. read more

Yummy yummy yummy! Five dollar falafels in the back of a jewelry store. Plus, the place had a line nonstop and this was after the lunch rush would typically end on a workday. My friend got the kafta kabob sandwich and it blew her mind. As I stated already, I went with a falafel after a tough decision between that and the Moroccan Chicken dish, which was the focal point for my food envious eye when I wasn't enjoying my falafel. The falafel was excellent and definitely beats any falafel where I live (Indianapolis). read more

Ok when people say it's hard to find they are not kidding but that's part of the adventure but soooooo worth the search. Yes, you really do need to traverse a full out jewelry store to get to the yummi-ness but it's worth it! Both the hubby and I had pitas (chicken and lamb). Expertly seasoned meat and fresh pita bread = awesome lunch. We were disappointed to see that we missed the couscous Friday and if we lived in Chicago we would most definitely be back. They serve the food in wax paper and paper plates so if you are looking for something fancy this is not it, but if you are looking for a tasty, affordable meal then check out Oasis. read more

This is a good place to grab a tasty falafel and lentil soup. Enter through the jewelry store on Wabash, and check out the diamond cutters hard at work along the way to the back of the building. Inexpensive, quick and relatively healthy food including vegetarian offerings for about $7-9 a meal (excluding beverages) and seating is available. read more

Cheap, Fast, and Good! Get the Mixed Combo Chicken and you'll be full for the rest of the day (maybe even have lunch for the next day). They accept Cards but prefer you bring cash. read more

My favorite Mediterranean food in downtown Chicago! Highly recommended the chicken kabob mixed special. Super filling and delicious. Always prepared extraordinarly fast and tastes fresh every time! read more

Hands down the best medi/middle eastern food I have had in the US. Buried in a jewelry store but this place is the real gem. Prices are very reasonable, portions are good size, flavor is immense. Kefta and falafel both get particularly high praise but even the rice was good for crying out loud and the hummos is fresh and creamy. If you're in the area for the art institute or any reason at all, this should be your lunch spot. 10/10. read more

This, my friends, is as good as it gets. You won't find a better hole in the wall place than this. You literally can't get to this place without walking through a jewelry store. Don't let that freak you out. The people who work there won't try to get you to buy anything as you walk by. Unless, of course, you WANT to buy a sketchy looking watch. Anyway, Oasis is a lunch favorite of mine. I don't think I've ever spent more than 5 minutes in the store, and that might be stretching it! You can get in, order, get out, and be eating so fast you'll wonder why you haven't been here before. All of the food is lunch priced, if you know what I mean. I usually get the Chicken Kabob plate. That comes with 2 Chicken Kabobs, rice, beans, hummos, and a large pita. Seriously, I can't ever finish this thing and its under $7!!! I highly suggest you eat here. Now... WTF why are you still reading? Seriously go. Takeaways: Cheap, Amazing, Mediterranean food in the back of a jewelry store. Nuff Said. read more

I've avoided Oasis Cafe in the past, deterred by the jewelry store you must go through to reach it at the back. I went here for lunch on a weekday and found it's a very popular spot. I ordered the Wabash Special, which for $6.99 comes with a "burrito," beans, hummus and veggies, and pita bread. I'm not used to Mediterrannean food but thought this was good, although it left me very full, and I'd go back to try some of their other options- the ones with rice looked like they might have more flavor. Well-priced, convenient, and healthy (I think). read more

Artfully hidden in the back of the jewelry store, presumably so you can enjoy some sparkle with your Falafel, this is the place that you'll likely only discover because someone else brings you there - as was the case with me. A great little Loop lunchtime escape, I find myself here fairly regularly. If you want to pay less than $10 for lunch in the Loop, your options are pretty limited to the $5 footlong, or a handful of fast food places. So it's always refreshing to find a place like this where $10 will fill you up and leave plenty of change in your pockets. They're crazy fast, they're affordable, and if you go there on a Wednesday, their stuffed chicken breast is pretty awesome. Fortunately enough, their baba ganouj and falafel are great all of the rest of the days. Best Mediterranean food in the city? No. But certainly the best you'll find in the Loop at this price. Definitely worth accidentally forgetting your lunch at home every so often... read more

A hidden gem with some of the best Middle Eastern food in the Loop. The chicken shawarma is amazing and I believe most of their food is scratch made. read more

I have been to this location 3 times and have tried different dishes each time. Before my last experience, I would have said 4 stars, but I thought that my couscous special dish was very oily and bland, and severely lacked the vegetables that were promised. The location in the back of Jeweler's Mart makes this place seem like a hidden gem. On my first visit 2 years ago, I felt like I had stumbled upon a hidden secret of Chicago. It still seems very humble in its decor, but it has been packed with people every time that I've visited since. I think an upgrade of tables or decor (new tiles, perhaps?) would help the place, since it lacks the luxury of having windows or an easily accessible entrance. The vegetarian sampler plate is good but small in portion for the price. I wish that I had a picture of it to show the small quantity. I don't actively seek out large portions of food, but I left feeling slightly hungry. It consisted of 2 falafels balls, one piece of pita bread, side of hummus and baba ganouj, and two stuffed grape leaves. Certainly a good sampling of vegetarian Lebanese fare, but I could've benefited from another falafel ball. read more

My buddy DJ A has been raving about this place for a while now. And this past Friday he was bugging me to head over to 21 N. Wabash with him. So we grabbed another co-worker and headed over to the Oasis Cafe for a Friday lunch. Well I ordered the Oasis Kefta special. This came with grilled ground meat that was served over rice with hummus, veggies and foul. I thought it was just average, nothing to truly write home about. I also grabbed a bottle of water and my total lunch bill came to just over $9 dollars. The food was truly just average tasting, no memorable spices or flavorings or anything. The veggies were pretty good though. It wasn't bad, I just know I have had better. The Oasis Cafe is a little place that is tucked away in the back of a jewelry store. The service was nice, not too friendly, but nice. I did experience some bad after taste of my meal 2 to six hours after eating my meal. I wasn't sick but just a real funky after taste for quite a while. I think it was the ground meat. So will I go back with my buddy DJ A to give the Oasis Cafe another try? I would say yes, but the next time I will try something different than the Oasis Kefta. read more

I'm just gonna break it down and review everything I've eaten here: -falafel plate and/or sandwich: DELICIOUS!!! I have absolutely no complaints! Well...maybe one...it only lasts for a minute cause I wolf it down so quickly. -kifta kebab (beef) plate: a bit on the dry side but definitely flavorful -shish kebab (lamb) sandwich: Yummmmm. I don't know about you guys but I can't think of anywhere downtown where I could get me some tasty lamb action except this joint. -vegetarian plate: I'm not a huge fan of the stuffed grape leaves because they're a little bit on the dry side but everything else on the plate is awesome -lentil soup: pretty tasty...it's not like the best soup ever but honestly, I always get it as a side for something else and it goes great with everything My biggest complaint? WHY DON'T THEY SELL THOSE PITA CHIPS THEY LEAVE OUT FOR YOU TO EAT??? THAT STUFF IS SOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOD read more

I know it's politically incorrect to say it in this country, especially in the Midwest, but the portions are far too large! Being on a diet, this is the only thing that keeps me from coming back more often (well, that and the difficulty I have remembering where it is). C'mon folks--make me happy AND improve your margins--how can you go wrong? :-) I was last in there two days ago, and I still can't get that amazing, fall-off-the-bone Moroccan chicken out of my head! The service here is fast AND friendly. Don't let anyone tell you you can't have it both ways. read more

Pay attention to the address or you might miss it! I found this place using Google Maps. I was craving baba ganoush and was looking for someplace near my office. I walked right past it the first time. If I had looked on yelp, I would have seen that it is located in the back of a jewelry mall. It was around 1pm, so there wasn't a huge crowd, but there was definitely a steady inflow of customers the whole time I was there. The service was fast; total time from getting in line to receiving my food was less than 5 minutes. I ordered the veggie plate, which includes falafel, baba ganoush, hummos, vegetarian grape leaves, and a piece of pita. The food was reasonably price and was really good. There is also seating, so I was able to relax in the A/C instead of taking my food to-go or eating at my desk. You should really try this place! read more

Oasis Cafe - Veggie Plate - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place is one of The Loop's best-kept secrets. The most awesome thing about it is that you have to walk through some jewelry mall to get there. It's like this gauntlet of fancypants jewelers who are probably completely exasperated at having to deal with downtown business-y lunchers everyday. The actual seating area is fairly generic, but who cares? The bizarre location definitely makes up for it. The hummus is amazing, and the falafel is excellent as well. Be sure to get the hot sauce, too. It's a little on the spicy side but delicious. Oh, and they have fountain Diet Dr. Pepper, which is rare. The register guy is cooly efficient and and all the kitchen dudes are nice, helpful and tolerant of frequent requests for extra pita bread or hot sauce. read more

Don't be confused, this place is at the back of a jewelry store (well mall for that fact). It threw us off at first. DO NOT let that discourage you from trying this place. We were walking around millenium park and needed some food. Not wanting to eat at the grill right there at the park we decided to venture down the street a little. Boy are we glad! We didn't have any idea what we wanted to order so we took probably 10 minutes looking over the menu. The cashier was super friendly. Although they have "daily specials" we chose something else, a combo plate with kifta and a kifta sandwich. Both were AMAZING! You can't really go wrong for the price. I got the sandwich, about $6 total. It filled me up to where I didn't have to eat dinner. This place was a diamond in the rough and boy are we glad we found it. read more

Great food, great service, great prices. You can easily get a full delicious meal for two under $20. They hold accountable for possible mistakes made (hummus vs. Babaghanoush) and will replace/ refund if necessary. They stay open later than they would if you walk in literally 2 min before they close. Best part about them: They turned their stoves on just to serve my bf and I who walked in moments after they were shutting it all off. We also got free stuffed grape leaves and baklavas. My favorite in the city read more

Easy to find. Just walk up Wabash and you will see the sign. The good here is really good and reasonably priced. I had the hummus appetizer (about $4) and the felafel sandwich (about $5), and they were both very good. I also tried the grape leaves, which were a disappointment (I would skip them next time). The baklava was also very good. Nothing jumped out at me as incredible, but a good solid meal, perfect for lunch. There is plenty of seating here. I counted about 30 spots downstairs, and there might have been another 20 up. I got there about 130ish and it was not crowded. More people got to-go while I was there than sat down. If you are in a hurry, this is the place for you. It takes more time to walk through the jewelry store than it does to order, pay and get your food. If you are close and looking for lunch, this would be a good place to try. read more

I go to school nearby and wanted something other than a chain to get a quick cheap bite at. I came across this place on Yelp and was determined to find it. So worth it! Falafel sandwich was perfect! Will definitely go back again! read more

Oasis Cafe - Falafel sandwich is so fresh and delicious - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place is a hidden gem...coincidentally it's in the back of a jewelry store absolutely amazing food and the prices are great! The portion size is a steal for the price! I got the mix combo plate with Chicken Shawarma, Ketfa, Hummus, Falafel, Salad, and pita bread! Way better than any other shawarma place in the downtown Chicago area. All the food is Halal too, unlike Naf Naf and Roti! The guy working was really nice and accommodating which is a huge plus! If you're looking for quality middle eastern food then go here! read more

Great falafel. Very good hummus. Decent chicken shwarma. HORRIBLE pita. I've tried a dozen things from the menu, but have settled on the mixed combination with chicken shwarma for the past 50 orders. It's good! Except the pita, which is an abomination they should be disappointed in. read more

The Best Food So Far (BFSF) ... Try this meal (Steak, Chicken Kabab, Rice, Hummos, Tabbouleh). Just go there and ask for this exact meal and then write me back if you loved it and BELIEVE ME YOU WILL. I can not wait till tomorrow comes so I can go there for Lunch. ;-) read more

A little hard to find and kind of a weird location but the serve solid middle eastern food. I usually go with the kafta or the falafel and I haven't been dissapointed. read more

Ok, again. Falafel. I tried the combination. I don't know why people crowded there and give the high ratings. In my opinion, it is not good. The environment is not good also. If you compare this with other Asian food: Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Thai... I don't see the point. Other Mediterranean place like Roti is far better than this one. read more

At first I thought my boyfriend was luring me into some engagement ring trap where he promises delicious Middle Eastern food in a jewelry store and then subtly brings up our future together while we search for said food. Luckily that wasn't the case as far as the ring shopping goes, and the food definitely didn't disappoint. You kind of get the feeling that the building manager had extra space in the back that he was having trouble renting out and talked some family member into starting a restaurant in the spot. I got the daily special, which was vegetable couscous. Imagine a huge pile of delicious couscous with tender eggplant and sweet potato thrown in and a chewy pita on top for less than $10. It's great, and the portions are so big that I've seriously been eating my leftovers for dinner for the last two days. Most of the folks at the tables around me had lentil soup, which I regret not ordering. It looks delicious and costs less than $2. For the price and deliciousness levels, this place is hard to beat. read more

Easy to miss if you're not familiar with the area (you have to walk through a jeweler a shop) but this place is very quick, reasonably priced and has a decent menu. I had the mixed grill with chicken. Everything was pretty tasty - well seasoned chicken, good rice and very tasty hummus. Two large pitas were a nice bonus. I got here around 11:30 And beat the lunch rush as people started streaming in by quarter to 12. read more

Oasis Cafe - You must walk through a jewelers - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Thanks to yelp! I got to experience this place for the 1st time. Its hidden away behind a jewelry store. We ordered a Monday's Special. .it sure was special..it was delicious n fast service. read more

Oasis Cafe - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The taste of the food was unexpectedly good for a place that you wouldn't think that their employees were professionally trained in cooking school. The price was also cheap, while the portion of each menu we had was gigantic. We left the place with a full stomach and smile face. Little did we know the evening after we had this for lunch, my boyfriend had stomach problem and that food was the only thing we had that day. The meat/chicken may not have been the freshest, even if it was prepared/cooked well. read more

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This is a perfect casual lunch spot. Weirdly you enter through a jewelry store, but the food is legit. The hummus is top-notch, and the lamb was grilled perfectly. The falafels are also excellent. read more

Oasis Cafe - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Lord, I miss this place. I used to work right across the street, and it was difficult NOT to come here every day. The food is very reasonably priced, homemade, and for the most part, cooked to order. Their hummus recipe should be a closely guarded secret, because it's absolutely incredible. Make sure you get a side no matter what you order, preferably with some chewy pita to dip. The ambiance is a little quirky, but perfect for locals who lunch. I will be back very soon!! read more