Late post Came here last night with some friends for dinner. For most of us, this was our first time. This place is located in a strip mall, so there is ample parking. Some staff are inviting, others, not so much. They have seating and music playing. I like that they offer options to choose an item from the menu or build your own meal. Some of my friends chose to do this. Another friend ordered a wrap, and I chose the chicken shawarma garden. They don't have their desserts on their menu, but they do offer quite a bit. We got a sampler which had a variety of desserts. The ingredients were fresh, and everyone enjoyed their meals. The fries are awesome, and I am not sure which dessert I had, but it had pistachios on top, and it was delicious. read more

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Consistently good. Great buy considering the huge portions they give. Been here dozens of times. Highly recommend.

I'm always on the hunt for a build your own bowl type of place - and Mediterranean is my favorite. If you're a fan of cava - you'll love this. With a huge variety of toppings, incredible flavors, and fast service - you'll definitely come back for more. We stopped in here on our way to a concert and were not disappointed. read more

Mai was very sweet and explained the menu. Food was fresh, bowls made just the way we like them! We will definitely be back! Food is great! Very clean!!! read more

A happy breath of the exotic! We love to travel the world and part of that experience is enjoying the local cuisine. This was a wonderful combo of many regional delights. Even better - you can customize what you want in your wrap! If I lived closer I would come multiple times a week. read more

SemSem Mediterranean - Combination wrap with chicken shawarma and gyro meat, Jerusalem salad, cucumber, feta cheese, and hot sauce. falafel, lentil soup, dolmides - Mediterranean Near Me - Tinley Park, Illinois

I have been to this place many times . Small Place to sit and eat. Mostly take out orders . Always very crowded . All sandwiches & wraps are delicious and you can have them make it your way Reasonable prices . read more

The food is fantastic. Everything is amazingly seasoned. The staff is extremely kind and hospitable. I mentioned it was my first time and they took care of me. This is real and authentic food. You can't beat it, coming from a Palestinian myself. read more

I spotted this place as I was on my way home one day. I pulled in and saw it was pick your own items which I like. I decided on a bowl and you can pick a rice (2 choices), or lettuce. You can add a protein and 5 or 6 additional items to top them along with sauces. I had the gyro meat, yellow rice, black olives, feta, tomato cucumber, lettuce with garlic and white sauce. Everything looked and tasted fresh. I took it to go and it wasn't soggy by the time I got home which was good. There was enough in there for me to give my husband what he would call a 'snack' portion. I also picked up a pistachio cake from the side refrigerator. That was good too and was the recommended flavor by the cashier. She was the friendliest person there as the people on the food line, not so much and that would be my only complaint. It was my first time there which was evident and I also let them know when their patience seemed to be worn thin quickly with my lack of how the process worked. read more

SemSem Mediterranean - Outside - Mediterranean Near Me - Tinley Park, Illinois

The customer service is Amazing. The food was fresh. The fries are to die for! If you're in the area please stop by!

I love this place! It's like a subway, but with Mediterranean food. The ingredients are very fresh. I especially love their grape leaves!!!! The falafel is great too! The staff is very friendly and willing to let you taste items you're not familiar with. I always have pretty quick service and almost never have to wait in line. There's plenty of seating, but I always order to go. The place is clean and I always feel welcome. read more

SemSem Mediterranean - Fresh ingredients - Mediterranean Near Me - Tinley Park, Illinois

I'm just tired of paying with my hard earned money to a establishment that does not appreciate my business, let's keep it real we only come here because it's the only shawarma place in town, but the service sucks, there's only 2 guys that are pleasant, the ladies at the register are pissed off that your shopping there, a simple thank you would suffice, and if I order a shawarma garden, a fork would be great to eat the coleslaw with, do better because once All the other places open up in orand/Tinley y'all will be second best, especially with that sub par service, bridge view restaurants are way better, btw if your white black or Asian you will be treated like royalty, but middle easterners who put this place on the map are treated like we are second and third class citizens read more

I saw this place on yelp and had to try it. I'm a sucker for Mediterranean food. I told my coworker my order and he picked up lunch for the group. I was surprised how quickly they came back! I ordered a chicken shawarma bowl. The flavors were good, could have used a little more chicken. I also asked for sauce on the side but it was forgotten. However, you get SO much food for the price so I would definitely recommend! Get a side of pita bread too, it's not the boring dry flat kind, it's thick and soft! read more

Huge portions. Great service. Allergy friendly. All around 5/5 stars. I would compare the ordering style to a fast casual Mexican chain, you can get a bowl with rice or hummus, pick your meat and toppings. Everything was fresh and they were happy to let me try things I was unfamiliar with. If you've never had Mediterranean food I think this is a fantastic way to go. If you have had it and love it, this is also a good spot because the portions are HUGE and quality is great. My meal could have easily been 4 servings. Thank you SemSem! Can't wait to go back. read more

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The food is good. It's always fresh. The staff is professional and efficient. I love going in for a quick meal.

HAKLGGUCB;;AGHS THIS PLACE IS FLAWLESS Food was amazing, employee answered my mom's questions about the menu, and the whole thing feels very clean, including the bathroom. 100% gonna eat here again! read more

Ambiance: The music was nice and the place was clean. The aroma enticed me to order my hearts desires. Service: Quick. I felt a little rushed when ordering. Food: I ordered the falafel bowl. It was okay. The spicy rice wasn't what I expected; it tasted like regular rice. The fried eggplant was so oily I couldn't enjoy it. I'm not Impressed. I was excited to try this place and it was okay. read more

First timer , super clean and bright. Very friendly and helpful staff. The food was fresh and AMAZING!!! My taste buds are still jumping Thank you yo everyone at SemSem read more

SemSem Mediterranean - Mediterranean Near Me - Tinley Park, Illinois

Love love love the food! I ate here 8 times within a 2 weeks time but it was WELL worth it , fresh and delicious!

The Gyro Bowl is the best thing I've ever tasted in my life! NO BS. The place is clean, service is fast and and food is fresh. The bowls are the best thing. I will return again. read more

SemSem Mediterranean - Gyro Create Your Bowl - Mediterranean Near Me - Tinley Park, Illinois

Such good food! The food was fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented. The hummus was incredibly creamy, the falafel was perfectly crispy, and the lamb was tender and juicy. The atmosphere was warm and inviting, and the staff was friendly and attentive. If you're looking for authentic Mediterranean cuisine, this is the place to go. I'll definitely be coming back! read more

SemSem Mediterranean - Mediterranean Near Me - Tinley Park, Illinois

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Ive always loved this place ,Never misses always amazing one of my fav Middle Eastern spots. read more

SemSem Mediterranean - Lamb shawarma build your own +fries - Mediterranean Near Me - Tinley Park, Illinois

It's Chipotle for grownups. Fresh food, deliciously prepared, mixed with good customer service. Wonderful flavors... step outside the box, and allow yourself to taste the wonderful flavors of the Mediterranean... read more

Absolutely incredible. Fresh. Large portions. Good prices and fast! Seating inside if you would like to eat it here. Similar to a Mediterranean chipotle. Their sauces and toppings are so fresh- you can tell they were just made. Always busy around lunch time on the weekends. Definitely worth a stop!! read more

SemSem Mediterranean - Create Your Bowl- Out of this world!! - Mediterranean Near Me - Tinley Park, Illinois

Love it! It was my first time here. Delicious fresh tasting food. Great hummus. I got the bowl and enjoyed getting to order five delicious toppings. Feels clean, kinda of the chipotle of Greek food, but cleaner, and more delicious! Flawless! Will definitely eat here again. read more

Let me just first say this place has me in a choke hold. I kid you not. I have literally been eating here every day for like the past 2 weeks. The chicken shawarma bowls are heaven sent. It's like a Mediterranean Chipotle. So satisfying and flavorful. My new favorite place to eat. read more

The chicken over rice is really good. I think it's around $10. The chicken is seasoned well and very tender and delicious. I really do like the yellow rice. It also comes with tomatoes and peppers. And you can get it however spicy you want with different various sauces. It also comes with pita bread. Lots of parking available. Clean bathrooms and friendly workers read more

SemSem Mediterranean - Chicken Over Rice - Mediterranean Near Me - Tinley Park, Illinois

My wife and I both love this place and order takeout often. Everything is very good. The hummus is absolutely amazing. Would return, would recommend. read more

A fellow Yelper highly recommended this restaurant when we were talking good Middle Eastern eats. I decided to try it. The concept here is like a build your own bowl or sandwich. I selected the Chicken Shawarma Sandwich. The Delicious Chicken was tucked in a warm fresh pita and then I chose the three sides to fill the pita. I picked the fresh Hummus ,Arab Salad and Tabouli Salad. Then I had some pickles and lettuce added and topped it all off with the garlic sauce. So delicious. I was too hungry to take pictures!! I will have to do that next time. There is an eat in area but I carried it out. I want to try the Falafel next time! read more

I'm so impressed with the menu variety, the food is delicious, and so light, seasoning is great. Customer service is friendly and attentive to customer needs. The ambiance is fine, has Back and front entrance, great parking lot. read more

First time going here and the food was very good. Unfortunately,I relate to some of the negative reviews. I felt very rushed and slightly belittled. They seemed almost annoyed. It's disappointing because I'd be a regular here if the vibe was more inviting. read more

The food was delicious and the serving size of the vegetarian plate could have fed three people! Fast and reasonably priced. I'll go back! read more

you can never go wrong the food is always Fresh and Hot with a healthy twist. Service is always top notch and friendly read more

SemSem Mediterranean - Create Your Bowl - Mediterranean Near Me - Tinley Park, Illinois

They start serving a bad food recently The quality is too low Prices too high They overpriced read more

This is not bad. If you're used to eating traditional Middle Eastern dishes, and expect that from this place, you will be disappointed but if you come here understanding that it's more of an American fusion you'll be happy. The sauces are good, but I did not try any of the mayonnaise-based sauces as I am on a diet. read more

SemSem Mediterranean - Chicken Create Your Bowl - Mediterranean Near Me - Tinley Park, Illinois

Was in the south suburbs and met a friend here. Place is delicious. Super fresh meat and toppings. You can't go wrong especially with the bowl. Open one up in the North Suburbs asap lol. read more

SemSem Mediterranean - Bowl - Mediterranean Near Me - Tinley Park, Illinois

First and foremost: the staff are unmasked despite a state-wide order. If this matters to you, then skip the restaurant entirely. The food is at once better than expected and worse. The plates (e.g. the chicken shawarma) includes options to choose lots of vegetables and sauces, but doesn't include rice. The falfel wrap offers the promise if a great sandwich with what seems like dozens of potential choices of toppings. Sadly, mine was soggy despite picking it up directly from and eating outside the restaurant. read more

SemSem Mediterranean - Unmasked employees despite a state-wide order requiring masks. - Mediterranean Near Me - Tinley Park, Illinois

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Great food! They can be a little stingy with the sides when you order at the restaurant but I recently ordered the big 5 shawrma sandwich box for a gathering and it was A BIG HIT! It was fresh, sides were great and portions so generous. Will def order again . I wish I had a picture read more

Food was excellent and very tasty. Many options to choose from. Good location and excellent staff.

Think Chipotle for Middle Eastern cuisine. You can either get some preselected wraps, and rice bowls or customise you wrap, pita or bowl. There are a few different base options (two different rice, greens, hummus), 3-4 protein (chicken & steak shawarma, chicken kebab) and lots of great , healthy and tasty toppings to pick from. I got a hummus bowl with chicken shawarma. The chicken was juicy and flavourful. In addition, I got baba ganoush, fried cauliflower, beets, red cabbage and cucumber and tomatoes in tahini. They offer 5 toppings for free and a small charge for any additional. I didn't need anymore after my 5. Too bad they aren't close to where I live or I'd be back all the time. read more

SemSem Mediterranean - Mediterranean Near Me - Tinley Park, Illinois

Was trying to figure out a casual, tasty, quick place to go to as it was one of the coldest days I've seen in a while in the burbs, Christmas Eve of 2022. I settled on SemSem after seeing the reviews and liked the concept of make your own bowl like Chipotle style. When we came in, we were greeted tentatively by a quiet guy behind the line. He didn't really explain the process but it seemed pretty easy--pick your protein (chicken shwarma, steak shwarma, grilled chicken, falafel, gyros or falafel), rice (spicy or yellow) or salad, and 5 other sides for your bowl. I chose the chicken shawarma and a mix of rice and salad though the salad was not really what I would consider salad, it was just chopped iceberg lettuce. I was impressed by all the other topping choices and got a little overwhelmed as I tried to figure out what to add to my bowl. I didn't know that I was only allowed 5 items, so after adding arabic salad, banana peppers, fried potatoes, baba ghanouj, and sumac onions, I wanted to add pickles and was told no because I was over the 5 item limit. I do wish I was told this before I ordered, however, the nice guy serving me added a bit in there for me anyway which was really nice and appreciated! The bowl was $12.99 and then I opted to get the combo for $4.49 which was for fries and a soft drink. My eyes bugged out at a little at the dessert options and I also ordered a pistachio tres leches. I asked about the Yelp check-in offer for a free soft drink for my spouse, however, they told me they wouldn't honor it as it was a coupon that was over 2 years ago. They were so nice that we didn't want to push it, and I did mention this to the owner via email after the fact, and they invited us to come back for a free bowl on them, which is excellent customer service!! As for the food, the bowl was overall great and very filling! Fresh, healthy ingredients. The fries were good also and in general the portions were large enough to take home food. The tres leches cake was also very tasty. The only other disappointing aspect of our evening other than the fountain drink, is that this place is COLD in the winter time. There are 2 doors to the restaurant--1 in the front and 1 in the back. Customers were coming in from both sides, and there was no double door to catch the cold air as people opened the doors and sometimes because of the wind, would stay open. It was one of the coldest nights in a while with temps below 0 and I was just freezing while eating my food. I wore my gloves and coat and tried to get through my meal. In any other circumstance we would've brought the food home but this was supposedly date night so we stuck through the cold and still enjoyed the meal! read more