Donerka Shawarma & Cafe

Amazing shawarma spot! The doner and chicken shawarma are full of flavor, and the pistachio rolls are a must-try. Portions are generous, ingredients taste fresh, and the staff is super friendly. Fast service and cozy atmosphere. Highly recommend!

Best shawarma in Chicago 😍. Love this place for its tasty food. Meat and everything always fresh, guys do their best to maintain its quality. I always come back here. Also they have very tasty desserts, especially Macarons👍🏻. Great service, tasty food 10/10

Delicious shawarma and fast service! The meat is juicy, the sauces are flavorful, and the portions are generous. Don’t skip their desserts — the macarons are surprisingly good and a perfect sweet finish. Definitely one of the best spots for shawarma in Chicago!

Had a great experience at Donerka, their beef shawarma was really good but I preferred the chicken shawarma more. Unfortunately they didn’t have chicken ready the second time I went, but their customer service made up for it. Would recommend and will be visiting again.

Tried this place recently and honestly, it was pretty disappointing. They were out of chicken shawarma, which was the main reason we came. We ended up getting the beef instead. It was fine, but nothing special and not really worth the price. The little things didn’t help either. The fountain drink didn’t have ice, the wraps weren’t cut in half (which makes them harder to eat, especially for takeout), and they didn’t include any napkins in our to-go order. For food that’s pretty messy, that’s a problem. We also ordered a hot tea and were surprised to be charged $4 for what was just a paper cup of hot water and a basic tea bag. Way too much for something that simple. One of the wraps said it came with a ketchup/mayo sauce, and when we asked for it on the side for our fries, the person at the register told us they don’t even have that sauce. Not sure if the menu is wrong or they just ran out, but either way it was confusing. Overall, it felt like they were cutting corners on too many basics. Wouldn’t go out of my way to come back.

I recently visited this doner spot and had an amazing experience! The food was fresh, flavorful, and perfectly seasoned. The meat was juicy, the vegetables were crisp, and the sauces complemented everything beautifully. A special shoutout to Arzu, who provided exceptional service! She was friendly, attentive, and made sure everything was just right. Her warm attitude and professionalism truly enhanced the dining experience. If you’re looking for a great place to enjoy a delicious doner with top-notch service, this is definitely the spot to visit. Highly recommended!

Rude service, sauce cups are significantly under filled and they're charging 80 cents for them. All of the items in my order were labeled incorrectly and the "isntanbul" looks nothing like the picture on their website. Edit: Went there for the second time with a friend and the overall experience was so much better. This time I ordered in person and whatever you order on the big screen is exactly what you will get. Service has improved as well. The young lady at the counter was polite and courteous. All of the wraps that we got were delicious and labeled correctly. The fries were fresh and crispy. Good job and keep up the good work!

Loved the food! I got the Almaty Chicken with the fries and drink combo. I asked if they had hot sauce and was happy to get some pickled peppers as well. The shawarma was made really well and had great flavor and the fries were nice and crispy. Definitely hope to go back again soon to try some of the delicious desserts they had.

This is supposed to be a fast food Central Asian restaurant (Kazakhstan). The interior isn't too large, but there are a few tables outside. You can order at the counter or using the kiosk. We ordered the Bishkek Chicken sandwich w/ fries & drink, Kyiv Beef sandwich, and two macarons. The bread they use seems to be a standard tortilla wrap, nothing unique. The chicken sandwich was excellent; plenty of flavor. The beef sandwich was pretty good, too, and had a nice selection of veggies stuffed inside. The fries were a letdown; they seemed just slightly undercooked. The macarons here are huge, cute, and delicious. Happy overall, but this place is expensive for a fast food restaurant. It cost $52 for two sandwiches and two macarons. The tax percentage was high (10.25%), and there was a random fee applied of $1.03.

Best doners wraps in Chicago land! Love this place. Come at least once a week. Always fresh food. Also they serve nice desserts.

Love the doner wraps we had! I got the Bishkek style, it's warm, melted mozzarella and beef shawarma. Like hubby's Kiev style too! Tons of carrots and different favor. Substantial and super full! Burger is a bit shy comparing to the wraps though. I would avoid it at all cost because there are countable amount (with one hand) of shawarma in the $10 burger, and the top bun was slightly over toasted due to the panini press. Small seating inside with some outdoor seatings. It seems to be very popular despite it's only been open for a couple weeks

The donerka Almat-ata was delicious, but if the doner was bigger it wouldn't be bad ))

Overall, an average meal. The biggest improvement needs to come from the bread/wraps. You can tell they are store bought; even when warmed, they are rough and take away from the meal. Homemade wraps would really elevate each dish to a new level! The fries and meat were excellent though!

Wonderful new Kazak--style doner kebab joint - only issue was a lack of German-style doner, the Berlin doner version is the best and is not available here. At least not yet. Quick, friendly service and every language from English to eastern Europe to middle Asia is spoken - you will feel welcome.

Bishkek style mixed shawarma is my favourite. It is cheesy and juicy inside, crispy outside. The tractor refresher is very delicious. It has different flavours and my favourite is berry flavour. Pistachio roll is our favourite dessert - raspberry and cream cheese are so good together in it. The macaron honestly wasn't the best. I can tell it has lots of sugar instead of almond flour - so it is very chewy to teeth which should not be so with real macaron made with proper portions of ingredients. Another good thing I like about this place is that it is clean inside. Definitely recommended!

Visited Donerka for the first time today, and we were genuinely impressed! Opted for the Almaty style beef wrap, and the meat's quality was absolutely spot-on. The garlic sauce was a delightful surprise, bursting with deliciousness. As someone who tried a lot of shawarma in Chicagoland, I can say this is in my top 3 now! Everything exuded a sense of freshness, and the place itself was so clean. Whether you choose to perch on the bar stools by the window or select a table inside or outside for dine-in, the place is great for a quick meal. We're thrilled to have discovered this gem and looking forward to sampling their other shawarma options. The folks working there are just lovely!

I really recommend this place this is very delicious. Service also good guys always smiling, and answering all your questions!

Chef's kiss. Run here. Don't walk. Open until 10 pm. The food is the best quality and value out there. The service was crazy quick. The ambiance is modern and welcoming. I was there for take out but I sat down to eat bc the place is clean and inviting. The homemade macarons are huuuuge. The Whoopie pies will make you forget that the world is on fire. Run here. Why aren't there more of these. I need them in Chicago and other suburbs. This works with my carnivore heavy diet. The bread is thin and soft. The spices are on point. The meats are literally succulent.

Doner wrap was real swell. Fries were alright. A little expensive. Wish there were slightly more options... and a soda fountain.

Hey everyone, I hate to leave a bad review. I believe in small businesses and entrepreneurship. But, this place was just awful. Save your money and spend it next door at at A Thousand Tales. Here's why I'm leaving a bad review-- the food was not fresh. We ordered mixed grill plates and the bread, fries, salad and meat were not fresh at all. The meat was dry, the rice was flavorless, the salad was old, and the fries were stale. Additionally, we TOLD the restaurant staff that the food was not good. We told them then that food wasn't fresh. They didn't do anything to try to fix the issue. They didn't offer a refund or offer to place another order. This business will not survive with poor customer service and lackluster food. Edit 3/15/24: Thank you for responding to my review. I would like a refund. We spent $40 on food we left behind because we didn't like it at all. I enjoyed the tea but we feel that you should show your earnestness to correct this situation by issuing a refund.

Good food and nice staff. The seating arrangement is a bit crowded but the variety of food is worth it.

Excellent food! Very tasty and kind staff! We had the Almaty and the Istanbul. Full of meat and seasoning without being too spicy!

So-so. The dönr was not warm; so not very satisfying. For $14, I'd rather spend my money elsewhere where I know the quality will be better. Might try this place again; but chances aren't high.

It was good, but would be much better with mayo instead of the garlic sauce on the wrap. The garlic sauce was too powerful. I'd go back and try the Istanbul wrap I think it's called, which has mayo, ketchup and hot sauce. The chicken and beef were good.

We were thrilled to finally try a good kebab sandwich. We had Istanbul and Bishkek. Good ratio of meat to vegetables. Good meat quality. Sandwich was little cold, but considering the vegetables and sauce it is probably hard to keep it warm. Overall very satisfied and we will definitely be back.

Really great balance of meat, ingredients and sauce. Very very tasty! Highly recommend

De-li-ci-oooo-us food, super friendly service, clean dinning room. I'll be stopping by again!