This hole in the old town wall is so freaking yum. Lemme repeat that for the folks in the cheap seats. This place is soooo yummy. Looks quite unassuming, but packs a serious bite. One a vegetarian and found the menu to have lots of options for me and my wife. We had some seriously delicious falafel and the hummus was insane. Luckily my wife works right down the street, so I can see more of this deliciousness in our future. read more

I've been to quite a few Middle Eastern restaurants in Chicago (And to a few in the Middle East) and I've gotta say that this place is good. I got the vegeterian combination platter and my fiancee got the shawarma sandwich and we were both very happy with what we got. The hummus, cucumber salad and tabbouleh was yummy but not surprising. The babaganoush (sp?) was fresh! Nice surprise there. But the falafels, oh boy. I generally stay away from them because they're always too dry or way overcooked but the brown balls of deliciousness that landed on my plate was anything but! 5 stars for the best falafels I've had. I can't wait to go back and try some of their meat dishes. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. read more

Wow this place is great it has some of the best lentil soup that I've ever had it's a side dish but it's so full flavor and rich I definitely pick up a bowl anytime I come here. The Gyro is on point this is and one of the best Restaurants that I go to. They spice that use really pack a punch read more

Hands down the best place. Their chicken kabob over a bed of rice and a nice salad in the side is yummy. Always great service dinning in, carry out or delivery. We've done all three. Oh, btw, they deliver and don't tell you it's a minimum amount that you have to buy. You can order one meal and they will still deliver it to you. We order all the time!! read more

After many years of obsessive falafel sampling, I think I've finally found perfection, and it's at Chicago's oldest Middle Eastern standby. Old Jerusalem's falafel sandwich ($6.25) is served simply, with tahini sauce, iceberg lettuce, and tomato. However, this falafel needs no embellishment; the patties are spiced vigorously, burst with flavor, and are fried to a delectable crunch. They're awesome. For what its worth, the toppings, while spartan, are exceptional; briefly, the tomato managed to distract me from the falafel. I have to knock down a star because of the hummus ($4.75), which is pricey and a bit bland for my taste, and for the pita, which while not unpleasant, is served at room temperature and is not made in house. Also for these reasons, Pita Inn still holds my top spot for Middle Eastern food in the vicinity of Chicago. However, the falafel sandwich at Old Jerusalem is truly superlative, and in a class of its own. It's a must try. read more

Stopped by for a lunch on a weekday. So the palce was pretty empty. Seemed like a no nonsese kind of a place. Food came amazingly fast. I had the Veggie combo and a fresh carrot juce served with lebonese bread. Food was really tasty. Service was a little business like rather than friendly but it was very efficient. So no complaints here. read more

Last night, I found myself in Old Town, craving some Middle Eastern food before seeing a show at the Red Orchid Theatre. Enter, Old Jerusalem. My boo and I were promptly seated in the tiny space, which was pretty much packed to the brim with other patrons -- always a good sign. He ordered a sandwich and I ordered the mint tea with falafel appetizer. Both were adequate-to-good. My falafel in particular was very flavorful on soft on the inside with excellent crispiness on the outside (almost a bit too crispy for my taste, however). It came with a light salad which was nice, but I wish there had been more yogurt sauce or something to dip the crunchy nummyness in. The service was a little bit pooky, but there seemed to only be three people (likely the owners and one other person -- the cook) working the entire restaurant, so that was understandable. Definitely on the more casual end of the dining spectrum, but all in all, I was mostly quite satisfied. read more

Phenomenal restaurant ran by stand up management. Visited Old Jerusalem for a few appetizers during the Old Town Art Fair. A few friends and I came into Old Jerusalem with around half a cup of beer from one of the food and beverage tents. We were originally charged $1.50 each for a BYOB fee we were unaware of. I brought this to the manager/owner's attention and he waived the fee. Although it was a small charge and he could have easily substantiated it with it's presence on the menu, he was kind enough to waive the fee. The food was excellent and the shaded outdoor seating was perfect. Given that the food and dining experience are wonderful, I want to really emphasize how great the management at Old Jerusalem is. I highly recommend Old Jerusalem. read more

Cute little place with good food. Arabic Coffee [$2.75] - Rich texture, bitter but smooth, sips of cardamom...Definitely reminded me of the times I'd hangout at my friend's place and her mom would make us Turkish coffee. Something very comforting about this drink. Falafil Sandwich [$6.25] - One of the best falafil's I've had so far. Only complaint is, there wasn't enough sauce in it (which was really yummy). So maybe just tell them when you order, because it does get dry, like other reviews mentioned. read more

Liberian hospitality! The staff at Old Jerusalem are not only very attentive but very gracious as well. The food was amazing. Shawerma and kefta were very good. The tahini was great as well. But the chili sauce...was amazing! I recommend finishing off you meal with Arabic coffee and a piece of chocolate cake. read more

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I feel a little guilty for only giving three stars, but honestly the word I would use for this place is uninspired. The service was fair, the food tasted ok (falafel was the best dish, shish kabobs didn't seem to be grilled), and the atmosphere was laid back. Prices were definitely reasonable and portions were good. Why only three stars then? The menu selection wasn't quite as original as I had hoped. Basically I could go to many other places to get the exact same things on the menu: falafel, baba ganoush, shish kabobs, etc. Maybe I will return to update later on. read more

This is another instance where I wish Yelp allowed for half stars because I think this place is really more a 3.5 than 3. The food here is solid, but nothing to write home about. The falafels are excellent and I'd definitely order them again if I come back here. I ordered the greek salad with falafel (trying to get that Lean Body 2015 diet going haha) and the falafel was the only real standout. The portion size was big, but the salad was overdressed and I have no earthly idea what dressing was used. It kind of ruined the salad unfortunately. I also thought the hummus was overpriced. Ok, but overpriced. Service was fast and nice though, which shouldn't be discounted. If I was in the area, I might come back again, but this place was pretty forgettable to me. read more

Great, casual spot in old town. Food is authentic and tasty. The staff (mostly family it seems) is super friendly and helpful. Would recommend!! Falafel especially great and so is the combo platter to try it all. BYOB always a plus. read more

My boyfriend and stumbled across this place walking through old town, and I'm so glad we decided to eat here! We both had the Arabic coffee (perfect), I the Greek salad with chicken, and he the shawarma sandwich. The chicken on my salad was grilled to perfection, the feta was chunky and salty, and the tomatoes (the tomatoes!) were juicy and flavorful. Boyfriend's liked his sandwich too. 10/10 highly recommend for authentic Mediterranean/Middle Eastern food. read more

I really wanted to like Old Jerusalem. I arrived with great anticipation and left unenthused. Service receives 1 star while the Food receives roughly 2.5. I'm normally indifferent regarding service, but felt this was particularly poor. We waited several long minutes before our waiter first arrived. Our table received our pita bread halfway through our meal, roughly 10 minutes after the table next to us who had been seated after us. Requests for condiments were left unanswered. A markedly poor experience. The food was slightly better, but nothing to rave about. The grape leaves were uninspiring, the hummus plate was smaller than anticipated, and the lentil was bland. The Greek Salad was decent, although the grilled chicken on top was very good. The Kefta Kabob Sandwich was the highlight. It was bigger than expected and the meat was cooked perfectly. read more

Best falafel I've had in Chicago. This place is such a hidden gem. It's like eating at Grandmas house - nothing fancy, just good food. Also BYOB! They have a huge menu, so I definitely have to go back to try more! read more

Good food cooked by someone who knows what they're doing in a relaxed atmosphere, enough said. Came here for lunch on MLK and didn't leave disappointed. Started with the hummus and the baba ghanouj. Both were really good, home made, and hit the spot. I got the Musaheb, grilled chicken, which was cooked perfectly. I also sampled my friends kefta, and my other friend's falafel sandwich. All of it was really tasty, my chicken was cooked perfectly, and I would definitely go back for the falafel. For dessert we got the baklava and the kinafa, both were sweet, flaky and delicious, I would recommend either to anyone. The service was good, our waiter was attentive and he made sure we had everything we needed. When a restaurant uses age old recipes, decent quality ingredients and good service usually the customer will leave happy. I left happy, and really full. I would recommend getting a sandwich rather than an entree. The sandwich will fill you up for half the price. Great place for lunch or dinner, great part of town, I will certainly be going back. read more

Old Jerusalem is so great. I have Mediterranean food all over the city and I have NEVER found a place that does everything as right as they do! I have never had anything bad from here and would recommend it to anyone who likes this kind of food! read more

The lentil soup is amaZing !! The service was great ! Very cozy atmosphere :) I highly recommend it !! read more

Old Jerusalem Restaurant - Here is what's left of the soup ! - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Solid lebanese food. Great baba ghanoush and meats on the combo platter. Owner confirms that food is halal. read more

Slightly hidden from the bold local tourist traps, this middle eastern style restaurant is incredible for a good lunch/dinner refreshment. All food was cooked well and delicious, the only complaint is that one of our party members didn't receive what they had ordered. Aside from this mistake, it's a good spot. read more

BYOB in Old Town. Done. Was looking for a place to pregame in Old Town that wasn't sushi and stumbled across this gem. They take reservations, weren't crowded when we got there (8:30 on a Saturday) and we were seated right away. Ambiance is super casual. Food: Appetizers- Vegetarian Combination Plate- Hummus, baba ganouj, tebouleh, Jerusalem salad, 3 Falafel. Perfect to split between 3. Lentil Soup- My friend orders this everywhere and said this particular one was one of her favs. Entrees- Greek Salad with Shwarma - Not as good as the one at Athenian room, SO much Shwarma which was nice. It was good, I`d get it again! Baked Kefta- We didn't even know what kefta was but the waiter recommended this and it was truly the winner of the night (we got it baked in Tahini but also would have been great with the tomato sauce). The flavors complemented eachother perfectly. Shwarma Sandwich- Comes in lebanese bread instead of typical pita (although they had that too) and was very good and a good size. Staff was super friendly, corkage is only $1.50 per person, and location is prime. I'd definitely come back! read more

BYO and outdoor patio for great Wells street people-watching are definite pluses, but this place gets 5 stars on food alone. I love everything here from the lentil soup to the hummus, salads, meat, falafel, pita... Best middle eastern in the city, hands down! read more

SHAME ON OLD JERUSALEM STAFF! CALL THE BOARD OF HEALTH TO SHUT THS RESTAURANT DOWN! The people are unfriendly, unkind, and provided poor service. The beverages we ordered were watered down, warm, and were far from identifiable flavors and tastes we typically can expect to receive from any COMMON restaurant we've dined in the past. We love Mediterranean cuisine. But, the chicken dinners my family and I ordered were over cooked and extremely dry. And, the hummus was nothing special! I can overlook old food, nasty waitresses , but this last despicable act and insult to humanity of strategically placing and garnishing , more than 1 dinner plate, with freshly picked human pubic hairs was most disgusting to me (us)! Lastly, to combat this review you'll probably find a relative or friend writing in to save their reputation, but its already a done deal for us!!! Surely, you want to keep your customers coming back for more?! CLOSE THIS PLACE DOWN!! read more

Absolutely terrible service. Extremely rude employees. Would definitely avoid this place.

The kefta kabob sandwich and the falafel were fine, not amazing, but tasty. I would go back for both since the price point was pretty solid. However, I'm still not cool with the $1.50/person BYO surcharge; as part of my cheap eats weekly dinner, this surcharge put us over the $10/person standard. Otherwise, great service in a simple setting...not remarkable enough to go back but I can see where it would be if I lived close by. read more

After a movie at Piper's Alley, this was a great place for an easy, relaxed saturday night dinner. We started with Jerusalem Salad and Falafel, and split the meat combination plate, with schwarma, kefta kebab and beef kebab. Overall, it was pretty delicious. The falafel was crispy and fresh and the salad was bright with lemon. The meats were all great, especially the beef kebab, and the rice pilaf served with the meat was really good. Everything came with plenty of tahini sauce on top, and a side salad was a nice accompaniment. Unfortunately, the pita wasn't the best I've ever had, and there wasn't enough of what there was. It's not my favorite falafel in the city, but when I'm in Old Town, it's definitely worth a visit. read more

My parents and I were on our way to the Zoo Lights, and my mom really wanted to stop at Old Jerusalem for dinner. It had been an old family haunt, I think we first started coming here in the late 80s, when we discovered the part of Chicago that lies between 900 North and Lincoln Square, the old-school one lined with delicatessens crammed with Fraus und Herrs. Back then, my parents associated falafel and hummus with their days of shopping on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn nearly a decade before, and found Old Jerusalem to be an exotic, nostalgic gem. Sadly, last night Old Jerusalem bore very little resemblance to our discovery so many years ago. While the hummus still held some of its magic, and my mom declared it better than Cedars of Lebanon down in Hyde Park, most everything else was mediocre. My lentil soup was on the bland side, even after a squeeze of lemon, and the potage was nearing watery. The tabouleh salad, while strong on the parsley, just the way I like it, had a sweet and sour apple cider vinegar aftertaste. I didn't have a falafel sandwich, but I can tell you that the ones from Sultan's Market look a lot better. There was a generous amount of feta cheese on my Greek salad, but shame on me for ordering something with tomatoes in winter. Worst of all, the restaurant was freezing! Service was on the slow side, but the staff is friendly. If we hadn't been going to Zoo Lights, and just had been in the mood for Middle Eastern food, I would have taken my parents to Sultan's. Next time I will, and I will also relish thick, savory lentil soup as I listen to my mom tell stories about the next door neighbor in Staten Island teaching her to make hummus. read more

This Old Town spot is perfect for a quick middle eastern fix! The staff is all middle eastern so its really authentic cuisine.. and the location is perfect for people watching and walking around Old Town afterwards! read more

Old Jerusalem Restaurant - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Just tried this spot recently, and I liked it for the most part. I got the Musaheb sandwich (essentially a chicken sandwich), and my dining companion ordered the Shish Kabob sandwich. My sandwich was simple and tasty, largely due to the sauce but the chicken was good, too. The baklava was actually considerably larger than those from other places I've ordered yet around the same price. It was good, too. The service was decent, not extremely nice, but they did refill our drinks, take away dishes, give the check, etc. in a timely fashion. I do feel that some of their dishes are overpriced, but the appetizers seem pretty cheap. Just FYI: the prices on their website are outdated ones; they've gone up a few cents to a dollar. One more thing I like is that, according to their website, they're open until 10:30 sun-thurs, 11 fri-sat. I wish more places stayed open later during the week, at least until 11, so yay for them! read more

Chicken kabob was chewy, the yogurt dip was watery, hummus was bland, and falafel was just okay. The food was absolutely nothing to return for. Service was underwhelming-had to go inside to find the waitress quite a few times Outdoor seating right on Wells is a plus. read more

We came here because a friend who is actually from Jerusalem said he wanted to try it. He had driven past this place a few times and was intrigued. Sadly, this place is terrible and does not hold up to Jerusalem standards. I ordered the combination platter.. it was just a bunch of lamb and beef with white rice. No chicken, no garlic sauce/tahini, no salad, no pita. Even my friend, who is Palestinian, said he has never seen a combination platter with no chicken. We ordered garlic sauce and pita on the side after we realized. Salad was given as an appetizer, which we didn't eat because it wasn't very appetizing. The food overall was very bland. We also ordered kibbeh, which was mediocre at best. Lastly, and worst of all, we ordered kunafe for dessert which was inedible. Worst kunafe I've ever had. No idea how this place has been open for so long or gets so much business. The service was terrible, we had to ask for everything we ordered twice. My sister waited to get the tea she ordered for 20 minutes. We had to ask twice for garlic sauce and our kunafe. In the end, we got up and came to the counter to pay our bill as no one seemed interested in helping us. We ended up taking the food to go and gave it to a homeless man because we hate wasting food. My suggestion - do not waste your time or energy coming here. read more

There need to be more cheap, fast middle eastern restaurants like Old Jersusalem around town. This is pretty healthy food, and I crave it nearly every week. This is highly authentic and tasty. read more

Old Jerusalem Restaurant - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Im not sure why this place gets so much hype. I've seen it in like 3 travel guides for Chicago. Maybe its because I felt like there was a bad vibe in there and a wierd creepy lady with a scowl on her face seated us. Maybe its because I am from Detroit, which probably has the best (and most) Middle Eastern restaraunts in the counttry. I am just not that into Old Jerusalem. I have to say my Chicken Pita was really good but everything else was just OK. My friend hated hers. The worst is when you suggest a place to a friend and then they hate it. Woops. Sorry. I may go back but they need to put some music on in the place. Its just quiet and wierd and not too appealing. Anyway, Its OK. The food is above average. The service is not so great. read more

Food: Great. Service: Hit or miss. I've been here a few times and the food never lets me down. Usually I get the chicken kebabs, but any time I've tried something different, I've been satisfied. The hummus is delish, the corkage fee reasonable, and the sidewalk seating is perfect in the shade on a summer day. The only complaint I have is the service- usually I have no complaints about it, but a few times it has been slow. read more

My go-to falafal spot for the crew. Love their babaganoush, hummus, cucumber/tomato salad. I don't eat lamb, but it's popular w/the guys, as is their grilled chicken that comes on this awesome flavored rice. Not sure abt the ambiance, have only catered them in. read more

Stopped here for lunch during a shopping day in Old Town, and we were both pleasantly surprised! We came at a weird time, like 1:30 pm on a Monday, but a few other diners with weird eating schedules came in throughout the afternoon. Looks like they do a swift takeout business too! Not being terribly hungry, I got the Jerusalem salad (tomatoes, cucumbers, and parsley in tahini sauce) and the lentil soup. The lentil soup was surprisingly fantastic. I thought it would be thin and average but it was really complex and flavorful. The bowl was generously sized, and along with the salad made for a great light lunch. The Jerusalem salad was very thick and creamy from the tahini - I ended up eating it stuffed in pita, which was great. I couldn't finish the whole portion myself - it's not a huge amount, but I wasn't super hungry - but it kept well in the fridge and made for awesome snacks later. My boyfriend got the hummos with beef, and he really enjoyed it. I stole a few bites of the thinly sliced beef but he did a pretty good job polishing it off. He too was pleasantly surprised at the quality of food coming out of this little joint! Since Yelp says that our favorite Middle Eastern spot, Fattoush, is closed, we may need to start coming here to get our fix! read more

This is a litle restaurant in Chicago Old street. It is opened very late and you will get your meal very fastly. The speciality are typical of Midle east cuisine and is very well made. I addition you can seat inside or outside. So this place is prety much a good deal if you want to eat late something unusual for the city read more

Note: This is in regards to DELIVERY service We ordered a simply hummus plate and falaffel plate and had to wait 1.5 hours for it to be delivered (we live less than a half mile away). Once it was delivered it was cold, the food was mediocre (maybe because we were so frustrated but oh well...) and it cost a ridiculous $18 for hummus, pita and a few falaffel balls. Not somewhere I will ever order from again. read more

I love this place! I get the Vegetarian Combo almost every time, however, I 've had other stuff too. BYOB, reasonably priced for it's location. The staff is extremely friendly, but it's more of a cultural difference I think. Outdoor seating in the summer, carry out and delivery available. They are open late, so I often call in an order and swing by for carry out if I want a lighter meal after 9 or 10pm. read more