Jerusalem Middle Eastern Cuisine

Food is very fresh here ! I am a big fan of Jerusalem these days. I can see the one and only guy cooking, taking orders and cleaning. Freshness of food and the guy’s dedication to serve quality food impressed me.
Nonetheless, I see some reviews complaining about an absence of «smiley» welcome or food being served late. It’s up to you, folks … Go to a chain restaurant if you want it «fast» with lots of «smiles». Whatever makes you happy.

Alright, the owner really tries. The tea here is excellent and the falafel has improved greatly.

This restaurant serves very healthy food. Love the plate of the day. Best option for vegetarians in Champaign-​Urbana.

I entered, ordered at the counter, and only then did I look around and notice every single person had ordered the special that comes with hummus, salad, and chicken. Every one of them. Wish I had noticed that before I ordered the lamb kebab.
The food itself was the only disappointing part of my experience at Jerusalem. The lamb kebab was a decent sized portion — not at all generous, but totally within the realm of «decent». The flavor, and particularly the texture, of the kebab was a totally different story. It was somewhere between «acceptable» and «gross» and possibly the worst kebab I’ve ever had.
It is worth mentioning that I didn’t have the same experience other reviewers had with the owner. He was not at all rude. I hadn’t even decided yet before he asked if I was ready to order, and he gave me all the time I needed to read the menu. The décor that other reviewers complained about is unpretentious and perfectly fine by me. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the place except the kebab. I do want to return to try the special — it looked like lots more food for the price. I will update this review if I have an experience that changes my opinion, but for now, I’m giving this place a solid «meh».

This place is usually empty for a reason. Like the 3 other restaurants adjacent, it is dated and unattractive. That would be fine though, if the food was any good. It’s not. The meat (lamb) was dry and stringy; overcooked and with a texture like cotton. The bread is meh. The fries? From frozen, and they’re no good either. A waste of my time (took a while for my order to be ready) and money. To top it all off, service is abysmal. The owner, who is probably the only employee, is cold and withdrawn, speaking little to no words, even when taking your order. This is not a comfortable place to eat, and the food doesn’t help.

I’m new to the area and wanted to try the local middle eastern cuisine, as back home I am blessed with a nice variety of it in the southwest suburbs.
I went into the (just about empty) Jerusalem Restaurant and looked over the menu before being silently greeted by the notorious owner. I stepped up to order and he turned his back, apparently cooking someone else’s food. I patiently waited and eventually ordered the daily special of kufta, salad and hummus.
After observing my meal being cooked and assembled, I dashed home to try it.
I opened up everything and was initially let down by the quantity I received for about $ 9.
I started with the salad which looked to be a combination of many different vegetables including onions, celery, carrots, spices and a couple of other unrecognizable things. Even though there was a large array of different ingredients for this salad, it was unbelievably bland and some of the vegetables pretty hard in consistency. I couldn’t figure out why, there was some kind of a dressing on it, but it wasn’t much more than some type of oil, maybe a really light olive? I’m not sure. It then occurred to me that this salad was probably sitting for a very long time before I had eaten it. I wouldn’t get it again.
Next, my order came with Kufta (lamb & beef), 2 pitas and a very small dollop of hummus. The Kufta had a pretty unique flavor to it that I did like, but the quality of the meat was fair, at best. The pitas were decent but by far the best part of my dinner was the hummus. The hummus had a very nice taste and was complemented well by a splash of olive oil. It was not bland and definitely the highlight of my meal.
Overall, I was disappointed having spent almost $. The portion size wasn’t much, and the starch (pita) is really what filled me up.
I will be back in sometime just to try something else and see if my review is consistent for all the food, rather than just what I had. This place has a variety of options and maybe I just picked the wrong one.

Restaurant review
Do you remember that episode in Seinfeld at the soup restaurant. I won’t refer to the name given to the owner of that restaurant but this experience is very similar. You go up to the counter to order from a surly man who is cooking and running the register. He will ignore you for a few minutes and finally come over to take your order. You sit down and after a few more minutes or more he will yell your food is ready with only the bare minimum of words. Not the best customer service, but I digress. The upside is the food is inexpensive compared to chicago. There are daily specials. I ended up with the lamb dish with rice, split pea soup, and some beans. The flavors were very authentic, not too salty or spicy. I just wish the lamb was not cooked way through. For the price you pay it is good, but the food would not be acceptable restaurant quality in a big city. All said and done, I will be back if I crave Mediterranean food.
Pro: inexpensive, authentic middle eastern food
Cons: average food quality, overcooked, poor customer service, NO free refills…
Hidden gem: Daily specials are a bargain, check out my picture for the menu