Cairo Kebab

"Near the UIC campus, Cairo Kebab — one of the city’s few Egyptian restaurants — serves a soup made of green leaves that’s popular in several Middle Eastern countries. Molokhia is a warm and comforting bowl with a broth made of chicken stock and often served with roasted chicken. It’s soothing and very popular with children. It’s an ideal cold remedy and habit-forming. Read on for the story behind this soup." - Naomi Waxman

"A rare Egyptian restaurant in Chicago, Cairo Kebob — now located in University Village — features pitas, shwarma, and more. They also serve the classic Egyptian stew, molokhia, a comforting concoction made of greens." - Ashok Selvam, Eater Staff

"Chicago doesn’t have too many Egyptian restaurants, but in University Village, Cairo Kebob has found a home with dishes like molokhia, a soup made with greens; delicious hummus, and succulent chicken. The molokhia is a standout, a soup that’s enjoyed by diners of all ages." - Ashok Selvam, Eater Staff

"Tucked away from the typical Polish and hot dog stands of Maxwell Street, a very different menu awaits discovery. Cairo Kebab, while being the family’s second restaurant in the Chicago area, gifts the city with more of the Salehs’ deeply rooted Egyptian recipes beyond the typical kebabs and dips you might expect. Here’s you’ll find koshari, a popular street food and Egypt’s national dish, packed with rice, noodles, and chickpeas, as well as the ground beef-stuffed pita called hawawshi. Don’t overlook Cairo’s take on macaroni bechamel — a very hearty and comforting dish you’re going to need in the colder months to come." - Alex Jewell

"Despite its name, resist the urge to only get kebabs at this University Village spot—there are plenty of other Egyptian specialties that deserve a spot on the table. The koshary is an excellent mountain of rice, lentils, pasta, tomato sauce, and fried onions that only gets better once the side of garlicky vinegar and hot sauce joins the party. The taamiya is a must-order as well, because there aren’t many places in Chicago to get these fava bean falafel and the ones here are perfectly crispy. Whatever you end up ordering, meals never feel hurried—which is great because you’ll want some time to just enjoy sitting in a booth with some throw pillows after eating a whole plate of koshary." - john ringor, adrian kane, veda kilaru