BenjYehuda

So this is the last place i’d expect to get cheese fries. The cheese fries are on point!!! The wait time is a bit long but worth it. Also prepare to take out because seating is minimal.

Combo box is one of my favorite lunches in the loop. The flavor is amazing and the spice level is just right. Fast service and good portion sizes. Love this place!

The food was pretty tasty, but there’s not a lot … or maybe it doesn’t feel like there’s a lot because they put the food in the bottom of a pretty deep box. The french fries are on point though (everyone needs french fries with lunch, right??).

Like my mom use to say… my eyes are bigger than my stomach.
I come here once and a while for lunch. Make sure you are good and hungry and know that the portions are large. I get most of the toppings in my box, save for the babagnoush as that stuff creeps me out.
The food is spicy and make my tummy churn a bit in the afternoon. But again it’s fresh, good food prepared and served by people who are nice.

This is the second BenjYehuda location I’ve frequented. I have a special place in my heart for the first time I ate BenjYehuda’s food in its first location at 212 W Van Buren. The food at the LaSalle location is just as good as the Van Buren location, but it’s a little more cramped. The low ceilings further add to the claustrophobia. I recommend take out at either location and dining in only at Van Buren.

This just isn’t my fave spot for mediterranean food. I find it a bit bland. I usually get the pita flight. It’s a lot of food (three pitas and fries). Time after time, I find the falafel to be dry and bland, the steak just okay with the chicken being the best (but still a bit tasteless) of the three proteins. It’s okay food, but I prefer good olé chain Roti for better flavor.
I find the fries to be very heavy and greasy. Some prefer that and they’re quite popular with some, but these are so, so crunchy and the grease just seeps out. They don’t taste flavorful to me – they just taste like very crispy oily sticks. I have heard people really like them so I gave them another shot but no, they just make me feel nauseous. You can get the cheese sauce with them too. It’s a very thick cheese (Merkt’s) but I don’t care for it personally.
Good service, quick line during lunchtime weekday rush, small dark seating area.

I’ve now done a steak box, chicken pita and falafel laffa as of last week. Always good, I’m not sure I’ve ever left saying «that was amazing!» but always very steady. The fries continue to be a minor source of frustration (I want a more tender potato with a better/​more interesting sauce, like the fries at Naansense for example), and it’s super tight in this location from 12 – 1. But for takeout you get a lot of food for the price, so that’s always a win!

BenjYehuda stands out amongst a throng of loop lunch time options that specialize in «mediterranean» food. (See Nesh and Roti)
The first thing you’ll notice is the portion size. It’s no small thing. When you order a box, they make sure they fill it and don’t leave you hungry. The ingredients taste relatively fresh and the meat is actually warm.
The customer service is great as well. Although the line is often out the door, they move it along pretty well. Good Luck resisting the fries… they are delicious.

Tried the lunch box: half chicken, half steak, half rice and half romaine. They have a great choice of toppings and don’t charge you extra for every little thing. Downtown Chicago places can be pricey, but at least the portions here are plenty. This was a pretty tasty meal!
The place is cozy, clean and the line moves quick — definitely a good place for lunch during the work week!

In an attempt to map out all Middle Eastern/​Mediterranean joints in and around the loop I stopped in for lunch today and got the combo plate. Steak shawarma was exceptional, I really enjoyed it. The chicken shawarma was good quality but lacked seasoning. Falafel tasted old and dry, meh. The hummous I liked a lot, but the baba was missing something– it was more of an eggplant purée than an actual baba ghanouj. Next time, I’ll get the steak shawarma wrap with hummous.
Also, I appreciate that they don’t gouge you for toppings, and were generous with their portions. Also, the tahini had a nice consistency, not watery like most places down here. Decent spot.

Very quick service and easy concept: You want a pita, a wrap or a box of food? I chose the chicken rice box and was impressed with how much meat they give. It’s nice knowing I’m not paying 10 bucks for some strands of red cabbage and shredded cucumber. I need substance! The chicken was very tender and seasoned well and extremely addicting with the hot sauce. There seems to be quite a lot of different Mediterranean restaurants around the Loop but this place and Roti are standouts for me. I wasn’t sure how I felt about eating out of a to-​go container just because I was thinking it would be the size of a Chinese take-​out box, but the serving size was more than decent and of course, everything was fresh.

Found this place on Unilocal after visiting the Willis Tower. It was a very short walk from there. Wow… Get the falafel balls and thank me later! I ordered the falafel box on ½ bed of rice and ½ romaine topped with hummus, baba ganoush (SO GOOD), corn salad, red onion, and red cabbage salad. I asked for their hot sauce on the side (which had a nice kick). Everything tasted so good and fresh. Yummmm, now please open a location in Philadelphia…

A friend and I came here for lunch, after I stumbled across it here on Unilocal,and had a great meal!
Décor: There is a distinct Chipotle feel to the interior but that is not a bad thing. It is strictly «business» without a lot of frills. I did find it a bit dark inside, as the walls and ceiling are a dark color, but other than that everything was very inviting. The line is what I couldn’t believe. It was long, but they move people through very quickly. Also, there are a handful of seats as well, but given the crowd we took our food to go.
Bathroom: unknown
Staff: The food makers were very fast and efficient and the owner/​manager (or who I assume was the owner/​manager) was also the last stop in the line before handing it off to the cashier. I like that, he is there making sure everything is going smooth. He also sincerely thanked me for my business, which you don’t get too much these days. Great staff!
Food: We both had the Chicken Shawarma box, with double meat, all the fixings, and Tehini and hot sauce. Everything was DELICIOUS and the portion size was nice a big! In fact, I did get «double meat» but I honestly think I would be good with a single serving. I know, I can’t believe I’m saying that either but it’s true! Great portion size here!
Value: Given the level of service, and the portion sizes, this place is EXCELLENT bang for your buck!
I am so very glad to have found this place because it is such a wonderful lunch in all respects. BenjYehuda has definitely secured it’s spot in my usual lunch rotation.

Israeli style Falafel Laffas in chicago? Yes please!
I stepped in here hoping to get some good middle eastern food. What I didn’t realize is that I was stepping into Mizrahi grill territory. This is awesome.
For those who get middle eastern sandwiches — make sure you get them from places that make laffas, because that means you’re getting a huge, huge sandwich. Think middle eastern burrito and less pita pocket. Unless you want a pita pocket, in which case carry on.
The menu is very straightforward, and the food comes with the signature things that define a true middle eastern sandwich: pickles, pickled vegetables and french fries in your sandwich.
Toda BenjYehuda, Toda.

This place is new, so I’ll give it time. And this is a meta-​review, since I am eating my BenjYehuda lunch right now.
Falefel: should be bright green, is not. Sorta dry. OK flavor.
They have steak schwarma — but I didn’t get it, ‘cos why no lamb? It should be lamb.
Rice: no pieces of the teeny, mystery vermicelli that middle eastern rice should have.
Hummus: where is the lemon juice and garlic? TOUM, I want TOUM! (Ziyad still rules)
Salads: I had lettuce, corn, red cabbage, onions, pickles (THOSE are right, and sooo delicious and sour)
But habibi. .. WHERE ARE THE SPICES and TOUM?!
So. .. this was just sort of a boring, Middle Eastern salad of cut up vegetables. I may return, but I think I’m gonna hit Mezze before I try this place again.
I should add I’m a demon for Mideast food, ‘cos I had it from the SOURCE in Damascus, and there is no better food than Syrian food. But I don’t think this is Syrian.
I didn’t finish my lunch, even. I got bored and quit.

I was hooked on this place on my first visit over a year ago. It’s nice when you can walk into a place and state «I have no idea what you’ve got here» and the staff walk you through what they offer and how you can order. When I got to the toppings and asked «how many can I pick?», the answer of «the world is your oyster» pretty much had me hooked on this place. I’ve cycled through the offerings and have homed in on my favorite combinition of hummus, cucumber, tomato, onions, tahini, and depending on mood, pickles. Go nuts trying it all. Having so many veggie options as sides is just such a nice feature. Servings of steak and chicken are always plentiful and never dry. Seasoning is not light so you’ll get plenty of flavor. I’d say stronger than most Mediterranean places.

Came by for lunch and ordered the flight. The flight consists of three mini pita sandwiches (chicken, beef and falafel), jerusalem salad, pickles and fries. The mini pita sandwiches can be topped with a variety of sauces and crunchy vegetables. It is quite a bit of food for lunch and quite tasty. The fries are great, didn’t really like the cheese sauce for the fries. Their cheese sauce is Merkt’s cheddar which is quite strong and does not allow for easy dipping. My favorite sandwich was probably the chicken as it was seasoned well and not dried out. The steak was a little tough and the falafel was ok.
There’s usually a line but it passes fairly quickly. Decent lunch spot.

I rarely go out for lunch because you’re always $ 10 – 20 poorer and not eating the healthiest. But I can usually count on «customizable» places like Roti, Chipotle, and now BenjYehuda where you can choose healthy ingredients and load up on veggies! Of course, you can be sinful too and order their super crunchy fries with Merkt’s cheddar. I’m usually a soggy-​fry kinda gal (we’re rare but make good eating partners), but these fries made me feel some type of way!
I got a chicken schwarma box with ½ rice and ½ romaine with every toppping, and it was almost $ 10 after tax. But the bonus is that the portion is large enough to turn this into 2 medium-​sized meals!
The line is long already by 11:45 AM on weekdays, but it goes by pretty fast. Seating is limited, so I suggest coming here at 11:30 AM, or you might be standing around until someone leaves their table.

Chipotle took a nice long vacation to the Middle East and came back as BenjYehuda. Grilled chicken and steak morphed into chicken and steak shwarma, saucy sofritas became crispy falafel, but the lines out the door during the lunch rush haven’t changed much from Chipotle. If you’re craving a lighter take on Mediterranean food with the ability to customize everything, BenjYehuda is the place for you.
Go with the chicken shwarma box, the chicken has a nice char and crisp edges, different from what you get at Naf Naf. I like that they let you choose whichever vegetables you want, and all the ingredients are high quality and taste very fresh. On the flipside, their toppings can border on the edge of being bland, including the run-​of-​the-​mill hummus and overly watery, underspiced babaganouj. Definitely opt for both the tangy, slightly sweet hot sauce (really terrific) and tahini, and mix them together, Halal Guys style. This really elevates the entire box.
The falafel are very crunchy and pretty tasty. I found them to be over-​fried, but that might just be a matter of personal taste. Fries are delicious, especially topped with some Merkts cheese. Overall, BenjYehuda is a very solid lunch spot with lighter, less forceful flavors than you might expect from Mediterranean food.

My friend and I went here during lunch today and I wasn’t overly impressed. The line wasn’t too bad and the servers were super friendly. It can be a little overwhelming when seeing everything out in front of you, but they help me put my meal together. I just went with the Yehuda flight. I was able to sample the steak, chicken, and falefal mini pitas. The chicken was probably my favorite followed by the steak. The Falefal on the other hand was too hard and tasteless. I would also have to say the salad did nothing for the pita’s either. Everything tasted a little bland.
The fries were okay. I decided to add the cheese sauce and it tasted very weird (maybe I got a bad batch of cheese though)? All in all I may give it another try if I’m over that way, but wasn’t to thrilled with the food.