Great people, good food, very fair prices (especially for the sandwiches/wraps) Low key, unassuming place. It's a frequent go to for an on the fly sandwich, chicken shawarma and beef & lamb shawarma are my normal orders. I've had their entrees too and very good when want a little bigger meal or a more elaborate takeout sort of thing. read more

Good food, fair pricing, good portions, will be back in future! Food was prepared quickly for me

Came in looking for closer falafel than my regular spot and the price was so right. Unfortunately that's pretty much where the good things end. A beef and lamb pita and falafel pita were ordered for carryout. They were filled meagerly, both main and veggie-wise; the meat one with gristle - why have trompos spinning if we'll get scraps? The tabouleh was incredibly dry as well. Maybe there's a certain dollar amount or bigger format item to order to get good food here. I also asked to add on toum after my transaction with cash, the owner said it was on him. Well I never got garlic sauce either. Enjoy the tip I guess. There was no one else in the building and the food was served quickly, although it ended up not being worth it. read more

Great hole in the wall middle eastern spot. I ordered the shawarma chicken entree and it was delicious! The shawarma chicken was very tender and flavorful. It stood out compared to other chicken shawarma in the city. Prices are very reasonable. Service was good and fast! We ate inside and there's plenty seating. Also, Good go- to spot. read more

Shawarma Garden - Shawarma Chicken Entree - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Ok not enough credit here! It's kinda hidden on the south side of division but this is the best Mediterranean I've had in Chicago and I've tried a lot! I made an online order shortly before close on a Monday night and it was ready within 10 minutes. I anticipated having to give them a little grace being the meat was probably roasted much earlier in the day but I was wrong... The meat was tender and delicious! The flavor was amazing and this is the best yellow rice I think I've ever had. Great flavor here too! The plate comes with a pretty generous portion, a salad, a few pitas on the side, and hummus so it was a pretty good value for the price. My husband got the Shawarma wrap and he also enjoyed that. I can't wait to try the other meats here! Highly recommend. read more

Shawarma Garden - 22. Chicken Shawarma Plate - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Really impressed. I usually head up to Andersonville for these types of offerings but was staying by here off the Blue Line. Decided to walk 10 min here based off of various online reviews. Excellent lentil soup and was really craving it since it was cold out last Tues. Chicken shawarma grilled pita also terrific. Can't beat the price for both. Definitely a gem in Wicker Park. The gentleman (Israeli perhaps?) preparing my order was very nice as well. I'll be back for sure! read more

Shawarma Garden - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I ordered carry out at Shawarma Garden after getting the taste for Shawarma & seeing many 4 to 5 star reviews across platforms. I was very excited to maybe have a new go-to for Shawarma in Chicago. Sadly, I cannot call Shawarma Garden that place. I don't understand it. Maybe I have just had really good Shawarma that set the bar too high, or maybe the place just is not up to the same standards as it once was. When I got my order and opened my wrap, I was disappointed to see that it, along with the wrapping, was drenched in grease. I decided to eat it anyways. It was tasteless, the shell was somehow & amazingly crispy, and they charged a premium for the tzatziki sauce--something that other restaurants often include at no charge. I also ordered naan and hummus to snack on later on in the day. I have bought better tasting of both at the grocery store. I sadly could not finish it. Perhaps the kitchen was just having a bad day. I am sure that they make food that satisfies some. Not me though. I will not be ordering again. read more

See all

The service was alright, until I found something In my food. There was a metal wire in the hummus. This is an insane hazard! Luckily, I was having the shawarma plate vs the sandwich. So, I noticed it while picking at my food. I let them know to check their hummus, as this could seriously harm someone. What surprised me was that there was no interest in making up my bad experience. read more

Shawarma Garden is serving food inside or for carry out. They do not have outdoor seating. You order at the register and they will bring the food out to you. Food pros and cons: Pro: The falafel was tasty and made to order. Con: The babaganoush was quite disappointing. It tasted fermented and felt fizzy on my tongue. I did not finish it. I've experienced this at another restaurant, so maybe this is a way it is sometimes prepared, or maybe they don't sell it fast enough and it was old. The woman at the register seemed friendly but bored. When she stood in certain places, the radio sounded staticky. It was quite painful. But by then I was mid meal and just wanted to finish and get out of there! read more

Shawarma Garden - Baba ganoush looks good but wasn't the style I like. - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

I went in a couple days ago and had the beef kabob platter with the garlic sauce. The rice was yummy yummy! The meat flavorful and cooked to perfection. I shoved it all into a pita and added the garlic sauce. I recommend ordering extra garlic sauce because I could drink it with a straw. It comes with a salad that brightens the plate and adds a perfect amount of freshness. I don't eat hummus so I have no review. I am planning to return not only to eat but to compliment the chef. read more

I visited Shawarma Garden and I was totally impressed. I was visiting from New Jersey, which has its own excellent shawarma, and I came in with no expectations. I ordered the Gyro sandwich, the Fattoush salad, and a falafel platter to share. Everything was amazing! The dressing on my salad was particularly fantastic. The staff was friendly and even delivered our food to our table and they remembered exactly what each of us ordered. Definitely check this place out if you're in the area! read more

Shawarma Garden - a plate of salad - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Was completely worth the 30 min travel from downtown Chicago. The chicken shawarma in pita bread and the veggie combo plate were fantastic!! Very tasty and fresh!!! Definitely recommend!!! read more

Shawarma Garden - Chicken Shawarma - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I used to live in this neighborhood and took a little walk down memory lane on Division street. It's so different! But I digress...I stopped in here for a quick bite and ordered the chicken schwarma sandwich. It was amazing! Lots of tender, juicy chicken and the pickles were a great touch. The garlic sauce was creamy and rich and they have hot sauce to balance it all out. I would definitely go back for an inexpensive tasty meal! read more

Shawarma Garden - 11. Chicken Shawarma Sandwich- YUM - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great authentic local Middle Eastern restaurant. Had the kifta in a pita and it tasted really good. Ordered over the phone and did takeout. Food was ready when they said it would be. Fries were nice and crispy! Great place! read more

Shawarma Garden - 10. Kifta Sandwich with French Fries - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

DO NOT ORDER VIA GRUBHUB (or just don't order at all). I did not like the food at all, but the reason for the review was that they raised the price by $2 for a gyros sandwich and $6 for the Shawarma Garden 4 Mixed Grill Plate, in addition to the other fees. read more

Chicken Shish Kebab, pita, tzatziki, and hummus were all great. Baklava cheesecake was absolutely incredible!! Also BYOB which is a plus.

Came by today for a chicken shawarma wrap, fries and a soda ($10.46). Tasty. That chicken was damn good, and the fries were zesties done right. The space is pedestrian inside with the clientele to match, so I loved sitting inside here at a high-top while watching foot traffic on Division stroll by. Falafel & Grill is my go-to in this category, so I don't think this meal was enough to topple the titan. I also have had great meals at Taza in the Loop and Rumi on Milwaukee Ave, amongst other fine Mediterranean/Middle Eastern spots around my area. The new Istanbul Cafe is next on my list, but I would say that if chicken is specifically your thing to give Shawarma Garden a look! read more

Always a pleasure to visit one of my favorite Division St. shwarma places. The guys at the grill are always so kind and chill. I ordered Chicken Shwarma combo plate and it was ready for pickup in under 10 min. There doesn't seem to be inside seating but I was getting takeout anyways. My favorite part of this dish aside from the great meat is the garlic sauce added to the hummus, just gives it an extra special kick. read more

Shawarma Garden - Shwarma Plate - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

So good and cheap. Needed food in between bar hopping and this was perfect. I got the chicken shawarma wrap and it was delish! Easy to eat as you're walking down the street too :) We ordered online and it was ready quickly. read more

Was craving some Shawarma and had walked past Shawarma Garden multiple times so thought we would give it a try. Placed an order online and was ready for pick up within 25 minutes. I got the chicken shawarma sandwich with pita bread and the baba ghannouj and my boyfriend got the veggie sandwich with pita. The pita bread wasn't the best I ever had but I liked how they put enough of all the sauces inside the sandwich so it isn't dry (they don't skimp out). I also did think the chicken was a little dry and did not taste as fresh but for all three items under $20 will be ordering again. However when we went to pick up we did notice the manager or owner on the phone and didn't really knowledge us. After 3/4 minute we decided to go up by the counter where the cook is. When we told one of the workers we were here for pick up manager/owner communicated with us with gestures because he was on the phone. It was a little odd 4/5 food 3/5 service read more

There's quite a bit of good Mediterannean fare in the area but Shwarma garden has some excellent food to compete. Was feeling pretty lazy on Easter Sunday and decided to grab some takeout. I told the guy at the counter how I had a food allergy to chickpeas and he didn't hesitate with slapping on extra tahini to compensate. I ordered the chicken shwarma and the combo with the basmati rice and chili sauce they give you--pretty tasty comfort food. Nice little side salad had cucumbers and tomatoes with lettuce. GF had the vegeterian platter and loved how creamy the baba ganoush was. Wish I could give it 5 stars but prices were pretty standard. Will be coming back! read more

Shawarma Garden - Vegetarian platter - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Super fresh , tasty, good price--friendly service--my choice for Mediterranean food. Consistently good food and service, I've been to this place often and plan on coming to this place again and again for lunch and even dinner. read more

Order take out from here today, the food was ready on time.Reasonable prices with great portions. Everything on the plate was delicious and it came with 2 pitas. I also ordered a gyro with fries, good size fries and gyros. The rice is flavorful and soft, the hummus is amazing and the Jerusalem salad was addicting!! read more

Shawarma Garden - 26. Falafel Plate - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Places like this are the reason I keep driving to Skokie to go to Zad by Pita Inn, and Logan Square for Zaatar. I ordered the kafta plate. It had more grizzle than flavor. It was served over a huge bed of rice, and was topped with two slices of charred green pepper and a bunch of very undercooked white oonion. The "salad" was romainee lettuce with one tiny piece of one tomato. The hummus was the best part of the meal, and they charged extra for a tiny container of tahini. My husband got the chicken kabob plate and it was pretty similar. We paid like $26 for this meal and I'm more than a little underwhelmed. I definitely won't order from here again. If you're looking for Mediterranean close by it's worth driving a little further north to Zaatar. read more

After a failed attempt at deep dish then all-you-can-eat sushi on St. Pats, we ended up here, and WOW it was a great find. The food was phenomenal, some of the best Mediterranean food I probably have ever had. I wish I could tell you what to get, but I can't, everything we tried was amazing. Make sure to get a baklava on your way out! I really loved that it seemed like a small, family owned place that homemade all the food. He answered all the questions for us and was super personable. The atmosphere was bright and inviting. If you have any hesitation on going into this hole in the wall, DON'T. You won't regret it! read more

My go-to order is a gyro, a chicken gyro, and fries. The service is always fast and friendly and my tastebuds are never disappointed. I usually pick up but the times I've had my order delivered it seems to arrive before I hang up the phone. read more

Falafel sandwich was made very well. It was stuffed with a lot of veggies and hummus and sauce. Fairly reasonable and quick.

This is the second time I've gone to Shawarma Garden and it deserves a proper review. The first time I came here was after a night of drinking and to be honest, I couldn't remember what it even tasted like and I think I got more of the chicken shawarma wrap on myself than I did in my mouth and stomach. However it got the job done for drunk food. Sooo after coming here a second time (after a Bulls game, easy access off the Damen bus from the United Center) I ordered the chicken shawarma again with an order of grape leaves and my girlfriend got the falafel wrap. After going to the top places for falafel in the city (falafel and grill, taste of Lebanon, etc.) my girlfriend reported the falafel was nice and crispy and had lots of crunchy vegetables and was worth the price (~$5). The chicken shawarma was also very tasty with a nice garlic sauce in the wrap. We've had better grape leaves, but you get what you pay for. Bottom line, pretty good fast casual shawarma and Mediterranean eats, sure there's better in the city but a good option if you're in the neighborhood after a night of drinking (they're open until 1 AM) or you're craving falafel. I'd recommend it! read more

Their chicken shawarma is truly the best I've ever had. It's juicy, seasoned, but not too salty. It's the perfect pairing with pita bread, garlic sauce and some fresh lettuce and onions. The chicken may be seasoned with turmeric because it has a slight yellow hue. Needless to say, it's to die for! The reason why this place loses two stars is because of consistency when it comes to food quality. On some days the chicken is perfect. On other days, the chicken will taste like dry leftovers (just like what I got a few minutes ago on Uber eats). I almost choked on it. The other reason why is that other items at this restaurant simply don't taste good. All the meat skewers are dry, tough and tasteless, e.g. the kofte, lamb and beef. I love authentic hole in the wall ethnic food, but this place needs to live up to its potential. read more

I went in with a white friend of mine and was complete disrespected by the staff. I was literally the first individual to order. I ordered a simple wrap with falafel. I paid and sat while waiting for my order to be prepared. My friend who ordered after me got his food... ten minutes go by and nothing... I watch as people enter and leave the establishment. I approach the individual who took my order, only to be YELLED at. He claimed " I told you it would be 25 minutes when you ordered and you said that would be OK!" He never mentioned anything about a wait time. I'm an extremely perceptive individual, so I mentally noted how much meat was on the spit, prior to ordering. I'm almost certain this was racially motivated. Why was every white customer given priority over me, when being served? I'm he tried covering his bigoted tracks, but unfortunately was unsuccessful. I hear the younger fry cook explain that he never even got my ticket! The order taker hid my ticket behind others just to make me wait. Pathetic. There was no apology issued. No one took any accountability for this action. I was simply left feeling unwanted and inferior. As a newly relocated local they can forget about my business or that of my associates Salam. read more

So, I stopped here as it was on my way to work around 4:30-4:45pm and got the chicken shawarma! The service was quick and the place wasn't very busy but have seen many coming in and out from time to time. Restaurant was nice and clean and pretty good service. The total for a meal which include chicken, rice, pita bread, hummus, and side salad all For $12.12 tax included. Since I was taking my meal to go and ate when I started work didn't really get a chance to take a photo but they give you pretty big portions. I had more left over for later and liked the chicken and rice the hummus is what makes the meal! Very good will definitely come back and dine in!! read more

Been coming here for years. Always great food, prepared quickly. The shwarmas are delicious. The hummus is amazing. The gyro ranks in the top 3 in Chicago, because the sauce is nice and fresh. There are a couple of menu items that take 10-15 minutes to cook, but the owner will let you know. They are priced right, considering the high quality. If you don't like this place, then you can't appreciate its' authenticity. Go to Pita Inn. It's the McDonalds of middle east cooking. read more

Nickel and dime for everything. Hummus? $$ Jerusalem salad? $$ rice? Sauce $$. So what comes on the wrap? Chicken and pickled vegetables. Anything else is extra. Who tf just wants chicken and giardiniera? UPDATE : they forgot the full side of rice I paid for bc they wouldn't put any in the wrap. No apology, just "come back and we'll give it to you". read more

Issa is a fantastic human. The food the atmosphere... all I have to say is you'll love it!

Ordered through Caviar app and I'm glad I found this restaurant! BEST HUMMUS and Stuffed grape leaves. The pita bread was fresh and the rest of the food was delicious. read more

They blatantly and unilaterally refused to deliver after receiving my order.. This is unacceptable because we sat here and waited for the food that never arrived.. read more

SHAWARM-ASTIC We were attending The DoDivision Fest and looking for some food but not street food. We opened up our Yelp App and saw this place. So we all agreed and headed over. At first I was surprised how empty it was but then realized they didn't serve alcohol and most people attending the Fest were getting their drink on. So the calmness of this place was a great break from the craziness outside. One of the first things I noticed was the stacked chicken on the rotating spit. Not pressed or processed chicken but real chicken. I knew what I was ordering and I asked for a Chicken Shawarma sandwich. It is also available as a plate but I didn't feel like building my own sandwich. After ordering, I saw a spit with stacked beef and lamb. They also had a third spit with the processed gyro meat that all Chicagoans seem to love. The owner told me that he sells a ton of those and at $4.99 it might be the best deal in town. My chicken shawarma looked amazing. I could hardly wait to dive in and it was delicious. The chicken was juicy and full of flavor. I really loved how the meat was seasoned and not with salt but real spices. I can not wait to come back. I shared a few bites with my girls and both were having shawarma envy. I was in jeopardy of losing my food, so I had to redirect them to their choices. Ha! My wife ordered a large hummus with pita. I will say it was the most beautiful hummus plate I've ever seen in my life. It not only looked good but it tasted fantastic. One of my new favorites in Chicago. The owner was really nice and shared some of his lunch with us and gave us some circular bread with toasted sesame seeds on top. The bread was delicious, in fact, my wife was sad when it was gone. It was hard to go from this wonderful bread to the pita. I really must say thank you to the owner for giving us this wonderful authentic culinary experience. I had no idea what this Special Sesame Bread was until, a Yelper friend from California, John D saw the photo and told me it's called Ka'ak. This bread is commonly consumed throughout the Near East. It is made in a large ring-shape and is covered with sesame seeds. It is sold by street vendors and is usually eaten as a snack. Thanks John for the insight. I really appreciate it. My little one went with a Side of Rice and a Lentil Soup. She loved the rice and I must agree it was really good. She was not a huge fan of the soup but that was good news for me. I was able to finish off what she didn't. I liked the soup and loved it more when I squeezed the fresh lemon into it. I also observed how the staff ate as a family. It was really sweet. They all gathered around the back table and ate family style. I was really jealous of their giant plate of olives. They were also enjoying the Ka'ak bread. My wife asked me if I would go over and ask for some more. I looked at her but realized she was joking. I like this place from the great food to the amazing staff. This place was over 5+stars and the food was incredibly affordable. I can hardly wait to come back for another visit. If you are looking for a great place then this is it. read more

See all

I live in the area and have come here a few times. My last visit was my final. The quality has gone down exponentially and $8 for a sandwich at the size and quality is extremely poor. It's extra (50-75 cents for hot sauce or an adequate amount of promised pickles. My sandwich was soggy and as you can see from the picture my vegetables were soggy and sitting out for more than a day. All I can say is GROSS! read more

Shawarma Garden - 11. Chicken Shawarma Sandwich. GROSS!! - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

One of Wicker Parks' gems. Friendly owner and consistently delicious. Thank you Shawarma Garden!!!

We've been waiting for this gyro/shawarma place to open on Division Street right off Damen and are happy to welcome them to the neighborhood. It fIrst caught our notice with the grass green bright interior. Further exploration found a decent amount of seating inside and free wifi. Upon entering you immediately notice gigantic meats rotating on splits - lamb and beef. I ordered chicken shawarma and a veggie combo to go. The service was friendly but not quite up to takeout now speed. My husband said the shawarma was fine and my veggie combo was just okay. The falafel in my combo lacked that fresh crunchy texture that makes falafel really delicious. It's hard not to make a comparison to the all mighty Sultan's which is a half mile away. If Sultan's is perfection, then Shawarma Garden is a good runner-up. This restaurant is just starting out so I'd keep an eye on this new kid on the block. Something to note - open late on Friday & Saturday night with a 2am close. read more