Crave Kabob

Mediterranean restaurant · Near West Side

Crave Kabob

Mediterranean restaurant · Near West Side

3

1521 W Madison St, Chicago, IL 60607, USA

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Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null
Crave Kabob by null

Highlights

Mediterranean bowls, gyros, kabobs, falafel, wraps, halal options  

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1521 W Madison St, Chicago, IL 60607, USA Get directions

cravekabob.com
@cravekabob

10–20 $ · Menu

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1521 W Madison St, Chicago, IL 60607, USA Get directions

+1 312 600 6800
cravekabob.com
@cravekabob
𝕏
@cravekabob

10–20 $ · Menu

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Last updated

Sep 20, 2025

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@eater

Too Good To Go’s App Has Created a Chicago Community - Eater Chicago

"Uptown’s La Pâtisserie P surprise bag is always a dozen frozen mixed bao, while West Loop’s Crave Kabob is a mix of falafel, rice, and pita." - Pearse Anderson

https://chicago.eater.com/2023/5/19/23729241/too-good-to-go-chicago-superusers-food-waste-restaurants-app-reddit
View Postcard for Crave Kabob
@eater

The Best Food & Restaurants Around Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago | Eater Chicago

"Crave Kabob also has a suburban Skokie location, and is quick and casual spot for Mediterranean bowls, gyros, and kabobs. Most of the selections are halal (notable not the gyros), and there’s plenty of veggie options." - Ashok Selvam

https://chicago.eater.com/maps/union-park-pitchfork-best-restaurants-food-united-center-casual-fast
View Postcard for Crave Kabob
@eater

Chicago-Area Restaurant Openings For Spring 2018 - Eater Chicago

"WEST LOOP— Crave Kabob is a new Mediterranean spot near the United Center." - Ashok Selvam

https://chicago.eater.com/2018/3/23/17157582/new-chicago-restaurant-openings-spring-2018
View Postcard for Crave Kabob

JaneG

Google
Great service! Clean restaurant and of course great tasting food. I ordered takeout and they neatly prepared my order, especially appreciate the separation of cold and warm prepared food in separate containers. Also give the refreshing mint lime drink a try, especially on a hot summer day! Also, they have free parking right in front of the restaurant, See you again soon!

paula Bortz- Bernal

Google
We had a great experience! I do recommend the food. Fresh, good portions and also the woman that takes your order is really nice, she made us feel welcome. Was our first time at the restaurant but not the last for sure.✨

mc smarto

Google
I tried the special with the chicken shawarma, and I loved the wrap. The fries were meh. I would prefer the option online to order rice instead. I also tried the chicken shawarma bowl. You get to choose your rice, salad, hummus, and sauce. For the price, it was pretty small. It did taste good. Last I tried the gyros, and I love the thicker cut of the gyros. It was very good. I ordered extra white sauce because it is so good and I want it on everything. I definitely want to go in and eat in the restaurant.

Tina Nunez

Google
Hands down one of the best places for falafel ! The outside is perfectly crispy and the inside is soft and flavorful but not mushy!The service is always great and the food is always warm, fresh, and delicious. Thank you for bringing a taste of Palestine to Chicago.

Tanvi Goyal

Google
Maybe it was the hunger. But daam this food hit home, it was perfect in many ways. Their flavours are bang on and beyond. Sadly the food was so good i completely forgot to take pictures. Falafel. Wow. Hummus. Wow. Wrap of Shawarma. Again Wow. Lentils soup Wow. Salad. The sauce in the salad was legendary, I carried the leftover home.

Rozi Redz

Google
🔥🔥🔥 Miss Cree Cree was an absolute beauty over all professional. It was a bit smaller than the actual TikTok video but omg delicious by far one of the best wraps. The spicy hummus was a treat. The side of gyro meet nice tender portions. 😮‍💨 will come back again drive a little over an hour.

Shabbir Chandabhai

Google
This was our favourite spot around the west loop when in a mood to have some Mediterranean cusine… especially as all the meat in Zabiha halal. Overall Good service, great food & best of all ferret parking while you dine or pick-up!

Andrew (Fox Cat)

Google
Sam made a great first impression. He was very helpful picking out the meal. He was very kind throughout the dine in experience. He made it seem like his main priority was the customer. I would go back just to see him again. Lucky the food is also very good here. You get a lot for you money. The food was tasty, and there was a large variety. The biriyani race was very flavorful. I’m also glad Sam recommended the babaganoush, which was very very good.
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Rob G.

Yelp
What an amazing place for super fresh Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food! I started with the fried Mediterranean cheese which was sweaky cheesy great! For my main I went with the lamb kabob sandwich on a pita. Lots of great lamb flavor and no shortage of extra veggies. The service was outstanding. The cashier gave me a sample falafel while I was waiting for my order and was super friendly. Will definitely be back!!
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Katy C.

Yelp
I ordered Crave Kabob on Uber Eats while I was working in the area. I got a steak shawarma bowl with extra grilled veggies. The delivery was quick and packaged well. I thought the portion was filling and I loved the amount of sauce and hummus on the bowl as I'm a big sauce fan. The main salad layer was just some basic shredded lettuce, but I liked the cucumber salad and the herbs. The side of veggies was a bit weird, the onions weren't really grilled so they were basically raw. I liked that they came on a bed of pillowy bread, which I used to dip in the hummus. Overall this was a good, healthier option for delivery food, and I'd probably order from this spot again.
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Zeina E.

Yelp
I always see ads for this restaurant on my TikTok FYP so I figured it was time to try it. I honestly thought it was mostly a takeout restaurant with limited seating, but I was so wrong. There is an entire dining hall, set up with TV's, a drink station and over all, it's kept really clean. Service was excellent. The staff were very friendly and efficient. I had placed an order to go, and when I arrived, everything was packed and ready to go. In order to properly rate a middle eastern restaurant, I had to get the two most popular items - the chicken shawarma and the beef shawarma. I decided to try the chicken shawarma "Arab style". This comes chopped up into bite size pieces, with fries, pickles, and a side salad. It also came with garlic sauce for dipping. The chicken was moist and flavorful, but I wish the garlic sauce was a bit more potent. I think they mix it with mayonnaise, but I could be wrong. The fries were crispy and salty. I got the beef shawarma sandwich and that was by far my favorite. The meat was juicy, seasoned really well and cooked to perfection. I also decided to try their version of the Dubai chocolate, which was a bit overpriced in my opinion (about 13$ after tax) but that's the market price for a viral product I guess. Unfortunately, it was a miss for me. I couldn't taste any pistachio and I didn't get the crunch from the kenefe that I keep seeing all over social media. It was still a solid chocolate bar, but it was lacking the pistachio flavor. They offer both milk and white chocolate flavors. Overall, this is a solid middle eastern place. Definitely worth the try if you're in the area!
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Alberto L.

Yelp
Great food! Good service nice clean atmosphere. Would definitely return and recommend this joint.
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Nava L.

Yelp
I came here with my mom and we had a pretty good experience! You first order at the front then they call your name out to go get your food when it's ready. You also have to get your own silverware and napkins. The place itself was nice and clean. The cashier was really nice and helpful when deciding what to try. We ended up getting a mixed grill and a gyros sandwich which fries. The mixed grill was HUGE cause it comes with two types of rice and 2 salads. The meat itself was okay - some of it was a little dry but they have so many sauces so it makes up for it! We also tried the falafel which was amazing - highly recommend trying it! My mom said both the gyros and fries were great!! The prices are a little on the expensive side - mixed grill was about $30 so I think the pictures of the menu on Yelp are quite old. You do get pretty good sized portions so still worth it.
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Len L.

Yelp
I was excited to give Crave from all the rave reviews about the food. Good that Crave has a large parking lot especially in the area near the United Center. The menu's that they giving you for take out has a slightly less price compared to the menu you see when you arrive to the store. I could see the staff cooking the food from the window and could see the kabobs being grilled. I asked the cashier as I was ordering the food if the lamb kabob was juicy and to my surprise he said all the meat like Lamb, Chicken and beef was dry. I thought he was joking and ordered the combo platter and when I brought it home. The meat was super dry. Overall, the cost is high but the value and taste is not there.

Gary L.

Yelp
In town for a conference. This place had great food, fast service, huge portion size in a clean environment and reasonably priced. Will definitely be back the next time in Chicago.
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Michelle R.

Yelp
Friggin phenomal food for sit down or take out. Try to bowl- tasty and economical. The fresh mint lemon slushy is a hit also on a hot day.
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Danielle A.

Yelp
Visited Crave Kabob this week and I wish they had more locations because the food was amazing! The staff was very friendly and answered all of my questions and the food is pretty good for the price. I got the Crave bowl with steak and chicken kabob with the spicy byriani rice. Also a side of fries and the mint smoothie. I liked my food a lot, the one complaint is the rice was a bit cold. But the meat was very flavorful and yummy. There is plenty of seating and the bathrooms were clean. They need more locations, some of the best Halal I have had in the city!
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Stacey C.

Yelp
We came here for dinner on the way to a concert at United Center and thought this would be a nice change of pace. I ordered a chicken kabob entrée. Grilled chicken and vegetables, choice of salad and spread, and pita bread. It was very tasty, well prepared and come out steaming hot! The space was clean and modern, and the staff was very nice and helpful for us to understand the menu as we had not been here before.
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Henry D.

Yelp
There are many kebab joint outside of the city limits but for West Loop this spot is my go-to. The fare tastes light and healthy. The service here is fantastic. I love the wraps in particular and they put it all together fast.
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Jennifer C.

Yelp
Today, I met the sweetest, kindest employee, Acreia! Crave Kabob, I am, putting you on notice, she is a total asset! The kind that people keep coming back to, because it's not always about the food but the courtesy extended to somebody on a regular basis. Don't let her get away!!! Thank you, Acreia, for making my day and for turning me onto some great food. AWESOME
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Randy H.

Yelp
This is a good place to order in and when we did they were busy so it took longer than expected. We tried the gyro, the meat dinner, falafel and the salads. All had good flavor. Worth the visit.
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Susan Y.

Yelp
Solid food, it was very delicious and such a big portion. Service is solid, you order and eat in the restaurant chilling. Ambiance is aight, I feel like the staff is constantly staring at us while we're eating. Highly suggest the mixed platter, it is their best seller & it comes with so much food packed! I got a back stink of two rices, one was white & the other one is yellow. Super delicious with the assortment of protein. The dip, I'm not too heavy on it so I didn't really eat that portion. I did get the lemon & mint drink. A good combination of both and it was refreshing after all the flavors from my fooods. It smells so good and a lot of people go there all the time. A little pricier than I like, however you are getting a lot for what you're paying for. The baklava goes hard. I would suggest it in a heartbeat. So rich with solid texture. I like it, prob one of the better ones that I've had. I don't think I finished it tho bc I had too much food, but go and get you some Mediterranean food! 9.5/10 -.5 for them staring ag me while I'm eating
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Mike G.

Yelp
Great Mediterranean quick service restaurant in the West Loop. Parking is ample which is always a plus. The staff is extremely welcoming and friendly - 5 stars to them. The food is delicious. I usually go for the Crave bowl, which has a protein, rice, salads and spreads you can customize. There is plenty of seating inside and they have an upstairs section too in case the downstairs tables are taken. I'll be back to try more items from the menu!
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Kevin N.

Yelp
Updating my previous 9/10 to 10/10. I come back here often and not even once have I been disappointed. Consistent food, service and quality. OVERALL: 10/10

rubina i.

Yelp
The owner is extremely rude. When asked for plates, he shouted like we asked for his property or something. Waiter was nice and apologized. He called him as he wasn't happy that he is apologizing. Worst experience. If you want to ruin your day, only then go to this place

M L.

Yelp
YUMMERS!!! Food was good, staff was great, place was clean- couldn't ask for more. 10/10 recommend.

Attiyya S.

Yelp
Fresh food and even better service! Large portions Owner was so sweet and attentive. I will certainly be back. Great place for a halal family style meal.

Susan S.

Yelp
This is one of my favorite places to eat. The food is always fresh and delicious and the owner is really nice: this is such a welcoming place. I have eaten hummus in Tunisia, in East Jerusalem, in London, in New York, and...here! Honestly, their hummus is the best I have ever tasted.It is amazing. Their falafel combines many spices and is served piping hot (try it with the hummus) and the entrees are all excellent. I particularly like the schwarma and the chicken kebab, but there is nothing here that isn't delicious. Susan S.

Matt H.

Yelp
went in today to grab a pick up order. the lady was nice and simply asked me to repeat the name of the order so I did. bigger guy came out of nowhere started cussing calling me names and started an altercation in the middle of the store for absolutely no reason. absolutely do not go here--I know I will never be back
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Pamir K.

Yelp
I've never left a review for a restaurant or anything on yelp but this had to be the worst shawarma wraps I've ever tasted in my life. Like I could go to the smallest shop in the suburbs and get a shawarma wrap for 5 dollars and it would taste better than what ever this was. Nothing was done right it wasn't even wrapped correctly. The only positive is the staff were nice. Also the yogurt drink in the fridge also tasted bad but can't blame this on the establishment I guess.
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Moose M.

Yelp
Delicious food with giant portions so plenty for leftovers. The meats and the vege dishes are all good.
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Kit C.

Yelp
They have been my favorite place in west town for Mediterranean food for its quality and quantity however, that has changed after tonight. I have ordered their crave bowl and the lentil soup but the portion of protein I received on my bowl is just laughable. I paid total of $22 for the bowl with only 4 pieces of kabob (small to medium size) on it. I understand the price increase but price increase AND reduced portion? That's just turning into a rip off at this point.

Karen D.

Yelp
I wanted to say that I just discovered this place and I absolutely love their chicken bowls. It is really good. I am writing this and also placing a new order right now because I am always craving it. The girl at the cashier is always so nice too and the place is cool to just sit and eat there. I usually only do takeout.
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Andre W.

Yelp
I love this place as I am a fan of good mediterranean food! Grant it, this is a quick service restaurant but its a very good one! I live nearby so this is usually a call-in and pickup situation...I have eaten inside once or twice maybe. I've never had anything bad here as all of it is pretty good! The hummus and pita bread is pretty good so it always a part of my order. I enjoy the chicken shawarma and steak shawarma wraps and I especially love the chicken and kabob plates which comes complete with char grilled vegetables and your choice of 2 sauces and a salad. The chicken and steak shawarma plates are equally delicious. Very consistent here and the food is always delicious. They share a nice sized parking lot with Subway for you drivers FYI.

Cece P.

Yelp
The food was okay. This place is overpriced for the food you receive. With all the upcharge for meats, you receive a slither. Yesterday, my fiance & I ordered 40$ worth of food, which was a Pita wrap with Lamb( Extra) & a crave bowl ( gyro meats extra). Each of the extras for almost 13.00 total included one piece of meat. The serving are sub par and definitely NOT worth the price or a revisit....
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Rachel D.

Yelp
The French fries are delicious!! Great for vegetarians too! Cheap and delicious- we go all the time
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Hannah R.

Yelp
The food is so good! Everything is always so fresh and we've ordered most of the menu at this point and have loved everything we have tried. We come here all the time and the service is always so great!
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Aaliyah L.

Yelp
I was looking for somewhere I could get a good bowl from besides Chipotle, Roti, or Naf Naf, and Crave did not disappoint. The employees were so kind and let us sample things that we weren't sure about. The lentil soup had me scraping the bowl and the bowl that I created was delicious as well. The falafels were so fresh and our order was accurate. I'll definitely be returning, I feel like Crave is underrated.
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Reina L.

Yelp
My quick lunch stop. First impression. Clean place and friendly staff. The food I ordered, however, is just ok. The soup is creamy but excessively salty. The falafel is crunchy... An okay quick stop, $15 for a small soup and 6 falafel.
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Judyta S.

Yelp
I ordered from UberEats. Everything came packaged well & nothing was missing. I expected more meat for my entrees or bigger pieces of meat, or I should say,compared to what other Mediterranean restaurants usually serve. The side of chicken shawarma I got was seasoned well & juicy. The fried cauliflower was OK I expected it to taste better it & seemed kind of burnt. If I ordered from here again I would definitely order the chicken shawarma & lemon mint smoothie.
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Kasey N.

Yelp
Acreia was so kind and helpful at the counter! Get. The. Falafel. 10/10 would recommend.
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Eileen H.

Yelp
The place is nice and the service was fine but the meat was completely salty and overcooked. Bummer.
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Reema H.

Yelp
Mixed Grill is a must try. Spiced to perfect and great quality ingredients. Enjoyed their frozen mint lemonade as well.
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Danielle U.

Yelp
This place is hit or miss. I order from here about once a week and it's usually pretty good in flavor, there's so much potential but it just seems to be going downhill or they're scaling back for costs. My two main complaints are that the bowls now barely have a half scoop of toppings and a drop of sauce, a girl just wants some veggies with her meat and rice. Secondly are the fries, which are either perfect or undercooked. I've never ate inside so can't attest to that but I do pick up my order to-go frequently (parking is easy in front) and the music is pretty loud inside. Overall I'll prob keep ordering but just less frequently since I could make it at home for cheaper... also hummus grill and shawarma garden are my alternatives for cheaper, still delicious options in the area.
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Brittany H.

Yelp
The location has parking, it's really clean, nice TVs, great staff, but the food was just okay. I had the chicken kabob entree. My chicken was really dry and I actually like dry chicken but this was too dry and lacked flavor. The fries were delicious and I liked the hummus.

Ron Z.

Yelp
This was one of the smallest gyros I've had in the Chicagoland area. Ate this as a sandwich, and barely a small piece of meat fell off. From most places, I need to take half the meat off to eat it. The Tzatziki sauce hardly covered the top layer, so dry as cracker juice. I should have known better when I ordered a (yee-roh) and the person behind the counter said (ji-roh), THIS should have been a clue. At $11 for just the sandwich, it was $5 overpriced. Crave is the right name because after eating here your still craving a meal.
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Chris B.

Yelp
If I could leave a no star review I would. Food was awful. Ordered a steak shawarma wrap, veggie wrap and fries, pretty standard. Wraps were in a flour tortilla (wtf is Mediterranean about a flour tortilla), flavors were bland and the sandwiches were soggy and luke warm, couldn't finish any of it. Gross. Absolute trash, don't waste your money.

Reda D.

Yelp
I ordered the mix plate for $28 , the meat was very dry and over cooked , the portion was small and not like the one advertised on the picture menus . I won't go back
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Michelle P.

Yelp
Just moved to the area and ordered this for dinner tonight. It was the worst "Mediterranean" I have ever had. Steak was so overcooked, it wasn't even edible. Seasoning is almost non existent. The chickpea salad was interesting. Seems like they emptied the can out and threw some diced veg and cilantro in. Terrible. Definitely won't be ordering again.

Lisa O.

Yelp
Beware when ordering... I wish I read the Google reviews about the small portions and quality of food before I tried this spot. I got the Chicken Shawarma Bowl and received a handful of food. For the price, it was absolutely not worth it. I spoke to "Sam"? who identified himself as owner/operator. He explained that my selection of No Rice and only choosing Arabic salad was my own error and is the reason the bowl was so small. I assumed by selecting No Rice, the bowl would be filled with the other option selected so you could get your monies worth at least. I don't understand how any business owner could be satisfied sending this amount of food out the door. Nonetheless, the chicken did not taste good and even if rice was added, the bowl is still very small for the price. First and last time I'll be ordering from here.

Yazmin G.

Yelp
Super extremely long wait time. Without any kind of communication. don't recommend coming here unless u got more than one hour to wait for food.
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Tracy H.

Yelp
I love this place for their bowls. I've only had the chicken shawarma and the falafel bowls, but goshhhhh are they good. The falafel is always crispy and perfectly seasoned, and the shawarma is never dry. I've only ever ordered for delivery, so I can't speak on service, but this is an absolute must in monthly lunch rotation, and it definitely compares to my other favorite shawarma/falafel bowl places!!!

Becky K.

Yelp
Amazing friend, reasonably priced! Love it here. We found if on google maps. Very understated place!
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Abhishek S.

Yelp
Great service, great food, great value for money and they have their own parking lot. Then Why didn't I give 5? Coz of the homeless lady who kept asking for money from the time we parked the car and she just made us uncomfortable when she came inside the restaurant asking for money. Only 1 table was occupied in the restaurant apart from ours but still she managed to come in and no one stopped her. I hope this was one off situation but if not, if you are okay with homeless people bothering you, this restaurant is highly recommended.
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Neesh S.

Yelp
Big fans of this place! We stumbled upon it but have been going back ever since. Lots of selection, good veggie options, a lot of customization as well with the bowls. The Fried Mediterranean Cheese is amazing. Definitely get it. The Spicy Hummus is also a win. Also, very underrated fries. They are always crispy. The only knock is that sometimes when we do carry out, the consistency of the rice is a little dry.

Daniel A.

Yelp
Good kebab bowls with decent selections for salads and sauces. Occasionally Greek fries are soggy with very little cheese.

Tina P.

Yelp
I know prices are high but damn, this place is highway robbery. I got a steak crave bowl. There was a $5 uncharge for the steak, making my total close to $18. When I got my bowl, there were FOUR bite size steak pieces. That's it. Never again. What a rip off.