IDOF - I Dream of Falafel

Fast and delicious. Really tasty garlic sauce and the veggies are crisp and fresh. Loved the falafel. The staff was super friendly as well.

My pita with falafel was yummy. I like that you can customize the toppings and sauce you put on it. The lentil soup was also good.

Damn good Falafel place near Union Station. Made a stop in here before out train ride back to Dearborn, MI. Will day their food is nearly as good as what we get at home. Worth a stop.

Very good mediterranean place - loved the shawarma plate and also the chicken kebab plate. Food is delicious and portions are reasonable. And yes it's zabiha halal !

Sooo delightful chicken Kebab, juicy with the perfect body of flavor. The wrap tastes better than a burrito and it is healthier. Or you can get the chicken Kebab in a plate. Also the spicy level is adequate (spicy tomato recommended). Music is so cool (indie rock) we should have some middle east music perhaps.

I'm not the biggest fan of Mediterranean food so the first time I came here I didn’t give it a good rating. I recently returned with a friend and got something similar to what she had and the food was delicious. It’s similar to Chipotle in that you can build your bowl. I don’t eat dairy and they had a nice of variety non-dairy foods to include in the bowl. The food was a bit salty but it may be what I put in my bowl. I recommend checking this place out.

Great place, super friendly staff and big portion sizes and has unlimited toppings. super flavorful and fresh. my only complains is 1. I wish the drink cup that came with the meal deal was larger. and 2. Wish it was open longer. However, this place deserves a 5 star review due to how friendly the staff members are and how good the food is.

Oh my goodness! This is an amazing little restaurant with very friendly staff. I ordered the chicken salad and added olives... it was simply amazing. Highly recommend stopping in for a falafel and some baklava too!

Taking Amtrak? Don't waste your food calories at Union Station - eat here! Everything at the station looked awful and this place is just in the next block. Great little Mediterranean fast food - but lots of fresh veggies and they cook the falafel to order. We got the All In One Platter, (which could easily feed two) and the Falafelicious Wrap - all delicious. You can also customize and build your own - like a Middle Eastern Chipotle. Reasonably priced, clean and staff was nice.

Got the plate with couscous, quinoa chickpea salad, chicken shawarma, cabbage, tomato cucumber, and tzatziki with a piece of pita bread. Fast & fresh. I asked for the spicy tomato sauce on the side- good call as it was waaayy spicier than I can handle. The pita was soft & flavorful. Would recommend.

Really good falafel, but I don't think I'd get anything other than falafel, hummus, and pita next time. I got a plate and the spicy was bad, all wilted and old. The tzatziki was like all yogurt, no dill. The falafel was really tasty, the pita bread was the best though. It was like a soft pillow haha I shared some with my dad and sister, they loved it. Delicious creamy hummus too. The cucumber stuff I got too was a little expired looking as well. I didn't even get lettuce on mine because it was all brown.

I got the all in platter. It came with 3 pieces of chicken kebab and 2 kefta kebabs. Service was fast. Price was decent for the amount of food I got. It was decently tasty.

Never ate the food for this review. This is for the delivery service. Places the order long in advance of lunch as I expected it may take some time. The delivery distance on bike or car was 7 minutes. The order was done probably in 20mins? The food wasn't in sight in 60 mins and arrived 1.5 hours after order. The bike delivery person put the food on the busy sidewalk in front of my office building and was leaving when I got there. I threw all the food away and asked for a refund and never heard back. I'll never order from them for delivery again and unfortunately they're too far away to pick up food. Sad. As I really like their food when I ate at a different location. Oh well. Many other options nearby now.

I don't dream of falafel but this place is proven to be the best lunch spot for me. - Quality of ingredients. Incredible! Everything tastes very fresh. - Portions. Enormous! If you're hungry, get a plate and you'll be surprised how big it is. I also liked the greens proportions. - Standard lunch budget. $10 gets you a big lunch. - Service was fast. - Signature. I would even go ahead and say that this restaurant has a signature food. The taste is original. Try the chicken kabob wrap, with hummus, baba ganoush, red cabbage, onions, tomatoes and cucumbers, and the garlic sauce. I loved it! The pita wrap is original too. Exactly as I like it. Or you can get a plate if you're really hungry.

Dreamed of this place for a month after booking a business trip. Did not disappoint! Lunch was fresh and delicious! Staff was friendly and informative. Can't wait to go back!

This is my second time catering from here and i wasn't disappointed. Natalie did an excellent job customizing the menu to my needs and promptly delivered the food on time. At some point i was nervous the portion size will be insufficient but believe me it was good for 20 people. will most certainly order again!!

Fresh, tasty Mediterranean food. Service was fast and friendly. I hadn't eaten all day and didn't want anything heavy for my train ride. This was a great choice, especially with the area options. (It was Sunday and some places had already closed) I wouldn't give them 4 stars, but 3.49 sounds perfect. Will definitely be back... if Al's Beef around the corner isn't open. Couldn't decide what to get, so I went with the All in Combo. It gives you a taste of everything and a beverage. Guarantees you don't miss out on anything.

You have to try the All in platter! (Chicken Shawarma, Doner Kebab, and Steak Shawarma) This is not just a random franchise Mediterranean place, the shawarma is outstanding! I recommend adding the pita chips to your meal and dipping into the hummus and/or tzatziki or cucumbur and tomato salad!

I ordered a Create your own Plate yesterday. I ordered the gyros, rice, spring mix, lettuce, and tomatoes. I seem to order Gyro plates in most places i go to and for the amount i received, I have to say I was disappointed. Thin slices in small quantities. The rice is definitely the winner here. Fragrant and cooked very well. The gyro meat was alright - I definitely have had way better and for where this is located, you can definitely find better gyros close by to this store.

I work around this place, but never visited until recently. I'm not sure why I never visited but maybe I assumed it would be average like most of the Mediterranean places in the area. I tried the "All in Platter" so I could have a taste of all their different proteins and pick the best one next time. All of their protein was great besides the chicken. The chicken is the worst - shredded, dry and over cooked. The falafel was the best and cooked to perfection and I plan to get that next time. The kefta was good and the gyro was basic. The rice was better than the rice of its competitors in the area. Hands down. They've got a good variety of sauces and bases to choose from, but it's kind of hard to pick since you feel so rushed. Will definitely keep coming back!

I like my food places downtown to be three things: Authentic, Quick and Clean! The food is freshly prepared every day and with authentic Mediterranean flavors. I recommend obviously the Falafel plate with Red Hummus and Cucumber Tabouli, and don't forget the Spicy Sauce! Staff is competent with orders as well; helping new customers understand the menu and how to order a plate. Huge props to the Manager Danny for having excellent, nice and well spoken employees! They just remodeled as well so it's got the fresh car look and smell! lol

Food is delicious but they really skimp out on ingredients for their pita sandwiches. I would prefer a pita that overflows than the empty ones I've been getting. They are cheapie with how much hummus or salad they use. They use crumbs instead of chunks of feta cheese. And a handful of spinach is 83 cents! I dunno, can't feel great about that. Also they cut off the top of the pita and throw the top away. I want the top! I just hope portions for the pita sandwich improve after they read my review.

Sooo delightful chicken Kebab, juicy with the perfect body of flavor. The wrap tastes better than a burrito and it is healthier. Or you can get the chicken Kebab in a plate. Also the spicy level is adequate (spicy tomato recommended). Music is so cool (indie rock) we should have some middle east music perhaps.

I don't dream of falafel, but I do think of it quite often. And with large portions at a cheap price, IDOF offers some quite tasty offerings that have never let me down. Also, all of their protein offerings I've had(and I've had them all) have all been generous and most importantly tender and moist. I've had one too many pieces of dry schwarma and gyro meat, so IDOF was a pleasant surprise in the consistency of their product. Served cchipotle style and I've gotten salad plates and wraps here, and in addition to giving you a generous portion of food, their proportions of meat to carbs and veggies always seems very well-balanced. Also I'm a big fan of their hot sauce and salad dressing, both of which aren't overpowering but add a nice kick and twist to their dishes. Main dishes aside, their pita chips are deepfried, and not baked, which is certainly less healthy but equally certainly more delicious. Their red pepper hummus I've had to dip them in is very smooth and tasty, though the baba ghanouj isn't quite as good. Overall, IDOF may be one of many iterations of fast casual mediterranean in the area, but it is a consistently cheap and tasty one.

This restaurant is not much of a looker, but it's what's on the inside that counts...and this inside being the Chicken Schwarma Pita Pocket! Wow! Huge pita filled with delicious chicken, tomato, cucumber, and hummus. Very fresh tasting and filling. You can't go wrong!

Go to Taza's if you want middle eastern food. This place isn't worth the calories. The Falafel is better than Roti's, but that ain't saying much. Their pita/laffa bread is really average. Their hummus is gross. Their portions are skimpy and their seats are generally uncomfortable (avoid the stools). It's clean though. They get props for that.

I was looking for a healthy choice for lunch the other day and decided to go to I Dream of Falafel, or as the cool kids call it, IDOF (pronounced "eye-dawf"). This place has the similar fast-food setup like Chipotle, Roti, etc; you pick your meat, the type of dish (rice plate, salad, etc) pick your toppings, and pay. I ordered the chicken shawarma salad that had mixed greens, onions, and red cabbage. The portion size was decent. The chicken was somewhat dry for my taste but the rest of the salad was OK. Nothing stood out too much, except for the hot-sauce that came with the salad. It was spyyyyy-ceeeeee. Compared to Roti, I would pick Roti over IDOF due to the quality of the chicken, salad, and the better combination of choices you can put on the salad.

Love this place. My wife wanted to try this place and I was surprised to learn that it is close to my work. I enjoyed a gyros pita with all the fixin's. It was delicious and my Pita was big and filled me up for about $7. Definitely adding this place as a go to lunch spot.

Quality food and huge portions. I had the chicken shawarma with rice and red hummus, which was delicious. Taking a star off because they ran out of pita bread for the hummus/didn't offer anything to substitute.

I'm not a huge fan of their falafels. As others have said, they are pretty dry. I do like ordering the All-In Platter though with the lamb, chicken, and steak. It is extremely filling and I usually can't finish the whole meal. The rice is good as is the hummus, but it can be hit or miss on the meat sometimes. It's hard not to compare with Roti, but I'll resist. If you're in the neighborhood and are hungry it will definitely fill you up.

The food is pretty good, the line moves quick, and the prices are a bit cheaper than comparable fare in the area. But. The food quality control is abysmal. When I found a stink bug in my tabbouleh, I dismissed it as a fluke. But the next time I went there, there was a small pebble in my food that I almost chipped a tooth on. Sorry, I only want food in my food. I want to return to this place, but I don't particularly feel like gambling on getting bugs and rocks for lunch.

I ordered the gyro pita today. Their pita was stale, dry and grainy, not puffy, soft and moist. They don't put enough gyro on your gyro pita and they charge you 8 bucks for it. Sad. Not coming back here. Only going to naf naf.

I used to love IDOF and highly recommend it to others. Lately the portion sizes provided have decreased significantly. I used to have leftover food, and now I'm left hungry. Also I used to love their pitas - warm and it tasted as though they were baked in house. Now it seems as though they are sourcing these pitas from a grocery store. They are cold and tasteless. I would love it if we could turn back time to when I used to crave IDOF!

I decided to write a review after I tried both "I dream of Falafel" and Roti's. Yelp's rating is absolutely correct that Roti's is a 4 and "I dream of Falafel" is more of a 3.5. For me, "I dream of Falafel" is close, virtually no wait, and provides the $1 discount. Somehow, I were not able to find the right combinations from the choices after 2 visits. Yes, I know I did 4-5 time to nail down my perfect Chipotle choices so I may need a few more tries. First time I tried Falafel plate with mixed greens, hummus, and all the veggies. The Falafel was a bit dry to my taste. The mixed greens was overly bitter for me which I suspect it was a little stale. The spicy tomato sauce I asked didn't click with my ingredients so everything together was spicy, sour, and a bit bitter which is not the flavor I was looking for. Pita and hummus were pretty decent. Second time, I adventured with the Chicken kebab with the hot sauce on a rice plate. The total flavor did increase this time however Chicken kebab was not even close the "juicy" description. Both times, the service was really nice. The cashier saw my badge and offered me $1 as the company discount. Let's hope the third time is a charm. But I kind of like the Juicy Chicken Roti rice plate now. So the third visit has to wait a bit.

We had a great experience here. I loved being able to customize my platter with everything I wanted. I have celiac disease, and it was such a relief to find something quick and cheap and good that I could safely eat while traveling. Their menu was clearly labeled as to what things are gluten free, and I had lots of options. The falafel and hummus were both great, as were the chickpea and tabouli salads. The sauces were delicious. It was a great amount of food for just around eight bucks. What's more, the staff were super friendly and helpful, and the music was good too. We'd had a long day of traveling and I was exhausted but coming here really brightened my day. A guy working there named Ahmed helped make sure my meal was safe for me, and he was friendly and fantastic. I would definitely come back next time I'm in town.

My experience was awesome here. Chicken shawarma was so flavorful as well as the sauces. I'll definitely will be coming back here.

In reading the reviews on here, I think people are forgetting that there are a lot of countries that are considered "Mediterranean" - just cause there's no olives, and they don't serve the sandwiches on pita does not, in any way, make this place not authentic - they use a Lebanese bread which is FROM the Mediaterranean and a welcome change from the millions of places you can get a pita. They have awesome, high quality ingredients which, to me, is way more important than staying authentic when authentic means greasy and cheap. Anyway, I regularly make a meal of a cup of lentil soup (delicious) and an order of falafel. Their falafel is crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside which is something i rarely see in falafel - they are normally hard and dry. Anyway, I heart this place. And it's by far the most low-cal lunch you can have considering all the places to eat in the west loop.

Came in when the place was about to close. Got food to go. Workers were helpful in deciding what to get. Food tasted great. Affordable price.

This Middle Eastern "Chipotle Knockoff" definitely needs help. First, the entrance is confusing: you enter through the main door and you face two more entries/doors (one to the line and the other to the seating area), definitely not a deal-breaker, but just an annoyance. Also, the space is old and dingy, as if they inhabited a run-down Taco Bell. When you order, you can either "create your own" wrap, salad, or rice by choosing a base, protein, toppings and sauces (Chipotle-style) or choose from "chef inspired" pre-matched plates. To skip the hassle, I decided to try it all with the "All-In Platter" (steak, döner, chicken and falafel over a saffron rice, cucumber-tomato salad, red cabbage slaw and tahini sauce), which sounded amazing but ended up being disappointing. All the meats were lacking in seasoning and spices, making the only differentiating factor between them the color. The sides were worse - saffron rice was mushy, overcooked and the rice variety is off (grains are oversized) and the red cabbage slaw was just out of place. There's a reason why there's no line during the weekdays - skip this place.

Chipotle across the street was out of both pinto and black beans at 130pm on a Monday...seriously?? Being a s/low carb kinda guy, I walked out and hoofed over to IDOF. I'm so glad they ran out of beans or I may not have tried IDOF. The falafel was tasty...not dry. Choice of bases was very good, especially for someone who eats like I do. Chicken was flavorful and the sauces (I used habanero and tahini mixed (complimented the flavors well). A good, healthy meal, just the right size, and less than $10. The staff was friendly and helpful so they must have improved that part. I'll definitely add this to my rotation of lunch places near my office.

I was extremely excited because I thought "I indeed dream of falafels" especially now that I am pregnant. However I was less than enthusiastic with their selection. I was waiting in line to order my food when I saw a number of falafels on other patrons plates and they looked really dry and so did the beef Shawerma so I opted for the chicken and rice platter. The rice was good and the chicken was seasoned well. My husband ordered the all-in platter and I was right the beef was dry. He thought their seasoning was good though and neither of us got heartburn like at Roti. I was extremely disappointed with their falafels though. My husband thought they were ok however the name did not leave me dreaming of falafels. I would probably give it 2.5 stars, it was not what I expected.

The changes they made are SO disappointing! Came here at lunch in January to discover that they have made so many unfortunate changes to their menu. They eliminated both kabob options that they had. They kept the Doner kabob, but you can no longer get chunks of chicken or meat. They had great chicken! Such a shame. You can choose between different bases now which is not so bad, however what is disappointing is that the plates they use are about half as deep. I am not at all opposed to getting less food for lunch, but if you're going to cut the amount of food in half, the price better be reduced! Note on sides: You used to be able to get as many "toppings" as you wanted (onions, tomatoes, pickles, the kinds of things that are unlimited at Subway), however now they nickel and dime you for wanting more! So, if you get tomatoes, onions, and lettuce, they charge you for pickles! I am sorry to say that I will not be returning. I have been a loyal customer since the place opened. Now I feel like they are really trying to squeeze every penny out of me, and if I want that I may as well go to Hannah's Bretzel.

Amazing place. The workers are so helpful and nice. The food is awesome. Literally everything I've tried has been extremely good and their prices are great too. Their pita bread is the best I've had

I order from this place on Uber eats at least once a week and had to review it. The ingredients are always fresh and tasty, the food is prepared in a timely manner, and they always get my order right, which is a plus! I gave them four stars because I always order the chicken shawarma and it's kinda hit or miss- sometimes it's cooked well and juicy and other times it's super dry, so there's a lack in consistency there. Other than that I'm truly satisfied and this place is always my go to! Delicious, fresh and healthy!

So apparently this place rivals Roti. In my opinion, this ain't no Roti Here's my breakdown for I Dream of Falafel: Laffa - It's thin. Almost too thin. I got a couple holes in the laffa. Falafel - They offer a more traditional falafel than Roti does but it's kind of dry. Fixings - They have the regular assortment, sauces, lettuce, jerusalem salad, red onions and lettuce. Size - This sandwich is huuge! They must've put 6 falafels in their for a sandwich. This place is good but it wasn't mind blowing. If I had to pick a Mediterranean place for lunch I'd rather spend my almost $7 on Roti.

Okay, so I love I Dream of Falafel's food, but, I work in the financial district and we do some crazy hours here, often until midnight. It's bad enough that the closest store to us closes at 3pm (do they have siestas in the middle east?) but the 555 location, which is open until 7:00pm, and delivers, has a minimum delivery of, get this, $25! Huh, what? Do you have any idea how much Tabouleh and Hummus I could swim in for $25? I could order for myself and some grazing animals. How about no minimum order and you charge maybe a $4 delivery fee? Hire someone under the table that works for the fees only, no expense to the restaurant. Anyhow, because my hours are evenings and late nights this pretty much means IDOF will never get a penny's worth of business from me unless I get 2 or 3 other coworkers to order in bulk with me, and perhaps two yaks and a llama. So, bummer for me, I don't get the food I like, bigger bummer for IDOF for losing maybe $50 worth of business a month from me alone. Greed'll getcha every time.

Not worth the price - ordered the All In Platter and it looked like it was half eaten by the time I was checking out. The plate barely had any meat or toppings. Better of going to Benjyehuda or Mezza's across the street in Ogilvie.

I can't resist a good kebab and hummus, but I think that I can resist I Dream of Falafel. If Roti didn't exist, I might have a different opinion, but Roti and all its delicious baba ganoush and roti meat does exist right by my office. Last week for lunch, I chose the plate option: greens, hummus, and Jerusalem salad topped with a chicken kebab, spicy tomato sauce tomato, cucumbers, and onions. The ingredients were fresh, but there was no special taste or memorable aspect to the meal. My kebab was completely forgettable. I feel that I dream of Falafel is also rather skimpy on the vegetable toppings (1.5 thin cucumber slices doesn't count as a topping). A message to all the hungry girls out there: I'm a firm believer in saving your calories for dinner. I want a delicious lunch, but I also want it to be healthy and light. I find it nearly impossible to create a light lunch at Dream of Falafel. It tasted light, but the online nutritional calculator had me balking in disbelief at the high fat content. For some reason their rather normal tasting hummus and Jerusalem salad is super-high in fat content. Jerusalem salad is just cucumbers and tomato! The staff also has no idea how to reduce the portion size and acted completely baffled when I tried to turn the plate into a full salad, since a salad is not on the menu. I asked them to make a salad, not a wedding cake. If the food was more special, I might not gripe about the nutritional value and just call it a splurge. The price is also rather high; $9+ for a salad that I was mad at, and I declined the laffa bread. If I want a Splurge or Light lunch, I'll head to Roti. Maybe, I'll go back to I Dream of Falafel if Roti's line is too long?

Amazing! Had to get pick up because I was running late on my way to Union Station. Superb service. Everything was hot, delicious, and exactly what I needed for my trip! Veggie Wrap, Vegan Plate, and Vegan Baklava! Yum!

Quick service so be ready with your order before you get to the front of the line. Nice staff and good quality ingredients with a price tag usually under $10 for lunch. Interior not as upscale as Roti or Baci but not at all bad. Wraps are really good, better than Roti because they smear the hummus on the pita before meat & vegetable and throw it on a toaster press last. Get a bag of their store-made & spiced pita chips, too.

Fast service even when the line is annoyingly long. Food has never failed me here so if you're looking for something healthy, be smart and come here.

Love that I can get Mediterranean food fast and right around the corner from where I frequently work in the loop! Being able to mix & match ingredients in a Chipotle-like format is a plus, as I can get exactly what I want, without a lot of tough decision making. Recently, I had to wait a couple minutes for my falafel to be cooked (must have been on the late end of lunch) and they gave me a coupon for a free side! Bam! I hadn't complained about the wait, and was pleasantly surprised at that. I was back in the next day. Couldn't wait to cash that in! ; D

This used to be the best place to get falafel and chicken shawarma near union station. They must have changed the supplier. The chicken is now tasteless, cold and slimy! The falafel is cold. The steak is a bad deal. And the gyro is somehow bland. This wasn't the case before. It used to be delicious!

Very fast service and friendly people, great atmosphere and the food is always fresh and delicious. Falafels are made fresh... I always get chicken shawarma/gyro wrap with all toppings and falafels on the side, great every time I go. Also, very reasonable price for the amount of food you receive. Thanks IDOF!!!

As far as downtown Middle Eastern goes, this place is as reliable as they come. The service is friendly and quick, which always helps too. Their falafel is pretty damn satisfying (and only 400 calories if you get the raita sauce), but can be dry, so make sure to ask for extra sauce if it looks like they're skimping. They also have sweet potato falafel which is a really nice change. The meat is flavorful and spiced appropriately, but it always give me bad breath and puts me to sleep after eating. They really need to improve the flavor of their hummus and baba ganoush. This is a favor faux pas for such a place (though it is still better than Haifa Cafe's). I would also be happier if they were more generous with their topics choices, especially the cabbage, considering it must cost them a whooping $1 a head. They offer a student discount and a punch card, which makes them more appealing than the rest of the chains in the general Loop area.

Pretty much some of the best chicken schwarama you will ever have. Delicious. I go here at least once a week, and have turned my whole office turned on to the place. The Falafel is great, very flavorful, their hummus is great and the price is affordable. Nice selection of sauces. Also, this location is open on the weekends, and sorta late for Sunday in the loop! +++ I took a star off though, because we ordered a couple wraps today from IDoF and they weren't marked. This wouldn't be a problem but they all look the same.. so its really hard to tell what you are getting once they get wrapped up. The food was still warm though, which is a plus! And it didn't take forever. Make sure that you get some pickled turnips on whatever you get... a they have nice options for toppings here.

I consider myself to be a connoisseur of falafel and used to visit IDOF quite frequently, but now that I know what else is out there I can only say that this place is just average. Not bad by any means but not something that will wow you either. Not quite as flavorful and fresh-tasting as other places and not as many toppings to choose from. Go to Naf Naf or GRK instead, or even Roti.