Kebob

Great Middle Eastern food! Really annoying owner. He kind of keeps us away, actually.

I consider this place to have possibly the best Mediterranean in the city! I usually get the Chicken Tandoori Entrée, which doesn’t taste like traditional Indian chicken tandoori, but it’s so good it doesn’t even matter! Make sure you ask for the green and red hot sauces, they’re so flavorful. And the little sides of hummus and rice are beyond great. I usually don’t even eat the rice, but this one is so good.
Unfortunately myself, and many of my friends who are hooked, have called many times at different times of day over the past month and a half and there have been no answers. Today I called and someone picked up, I heard a muffled «outside» noise for a bit, and then they hung up.
I’m pretty sure it’s closed, which is really sad because this place was soooooo good! :(Why Hebron? Why?!

closed

Three stars for the food. One for the owner.
We stopped in for lunch on a Saturday and ordered at the counter. When we sat down, we were greeted by the owner, who asked us what we had ordered, informed us we had ordered wrong, and that he would bring us his recommendations. We figured he knew better than us, however he decided to bring us a lot more food than we initially ordered.
In between bringing out plates he entertained us with off-​color jokes and comments about the family from the suburbs dining next to us. He also regaled us with tales of his business prowess and even tried to flirt with my girlfriend.
After each plate he brought us, he pressed us as to whether or not it was the best we’ve ever had. He did not care for my blunt assessment that it was in fact not the best, but was merely average (the baba ganoush was pretty good though).
When we went to leave he stopped us about paying. Having ordered at the register earlier we paid already. Since he took it upon himself to alter our order, I assumed he was just being a hospitable host. When he demanded I pay for the extra dishes he decided to bring us, I laughed because I thought he had to be joking. I went back to the table, Picked up the hefty tip I had left for what I believed to be comped food, handed it to him and left, never to return.
It’s unfortunate because while there’s plenty of better Middle Eastern in the city, Hebron is the best in the neighborhood. It’s too bad the owner ruined it for me.

Hebron Kabobs is more 3.5*, but just not enough to get to 4* for me.
My falafel addiction came back when I was out running some errands. In the spirit of trying somewhere knew (grabbing an afternoon beer at haymarket also helps) I decided on Hebron Kabobs.
For some reason the online ordering wasn’t working well for me on my phone, so I just did the more old school way of walking in and ordering. It’s a small area inside. There were only several tables, but there was a back patio that I didn’t go to because I was just getting take-​out.
This quickly turned into one of my normal big orders as my eyes can become bigger than my stomach. I got myself a chicken tandoori sandwich, 12 pieces of falafel, and a small hummus. The hummus was spicier than I’m used to. I didn’t know what fully to make of it, but I did enjoy it. The falafel were good. Not amazing, but very good. I was very happy with the chicken tandoori sandwich. They gave some nice sized pieces of chicken and it was spiced just right for my tastes.
Everyone seemed nice here and I got my food fairly quickly. I’d like to try out more of their food on future visits.

Our food was mediocre and I just didn’t dig Rami’s act.
If you are going to take on an officious Nozawa-​esque attitude towards your customers, you better deliver on the food, and Hebron Kabobs did not. I didn’t appreciate Rami overruling everything we ordered mostly because nothing turned out to be all that good, including the disgusting Lebanese soda that tasted like straight corn syrup that he brought me instead of a Coke.
I will not be coming back here.

Glad someone said the food is «hit or miss”— I’ll try it again and hope for a «hit». I will say that the location is good, the back patio is neat, and Rami the owner is certainly a legend— really energetic (but unprofessional? crazy? passionate? yes, those too). That’s super rare and worth visiting just to meet him :)
I didn’t like the hummus or baba ghannoug– I thought they were really oily and bland. I will give them another try!

Oh, I don’t like leaving bad reviews. So I’ll start with the positive — the food was pretty good. So if you’re looking to eat food that’s good, sure, swing on by Kebobs.
The owner is a little too aggressive for my tastes, and he can’t seem to stand still. His constant moving around, loud talking, and BLASTING of obnoxious club music just killed the lunch experience for me. I was there alone, just trying to have a nice and quiet lunch with my thoughts…
I had ordered a Coke, which came in a glass bottle — he marched it over to my table, whipped out his cigarette lighter, and violently popped off the cap. «To show off,» he said.
The music was loud and annoying. I don’t even know how to classify it. Eminem? I think? And when I say loud, I mean ear-​splittingly loud. So-​loud-​oh-​my-​god-​when-​did-​I-​become-​an-​old-​whiny-​bitch loud. LOUD. And from time to time, they’d acknowledge this by dropping it down to sub-​ear-​splitting levels… only to jack it up again when the next song started.
I remember eating her a year ago when it came under new ownership, and being similarly put-​off by how aggressive and loud the owner was. But here I was again today, a year later…
Because, you know, the food is pretty good.
It’s too bad it comes with a side dish of completely-​unsettling-​and-​uncomfortable-​dining-​experience.
Maybe takeout next time?

My first night in Chicago, I looked up some local eats on Unilocal and came across Hebron Kabobs. Their menu sounded good and it was close, so I went for a walk.
Hebron is a hole in the wall type place, but I like that. I ordered Tandoori Chicken and sat at a small table to wait. That’s when I met Rami, the owner. He came over welcomed me to his place, and asked if I would like to sit on the patio. Sure, I said and followed him outside. The patio is a work in progress but was very nice, and a nearby building provided shade from the direct sun at 6ish in the evening.
Soon Rami’s wife came by and said hello. I was very impressed by how homey and friendly the place was, and Rami and his wife were very friendly. Big plus in my book.
Then my food arrived — and it looked great. The chicken was served on a bed of yellow rice, both were very tasty. I also had a side of dolmades which where also excellent. Topping it off was a basket of pita bread and homemade hummus — I’m no hummus expert but I know what I like and this was good.
I’m somewhat confused by the love/​hate reviews of this place, but you can put me in the love column. I’ll definitely return if my travels take me back to Chicago.

I ended up here after running out of mental options for a quick dinner to go — and there was a parking space in the front of the restaurant. So, without checking with my fellow Unilocalers, I went in.
The owner is funny. He told me that I couldn’t look at the menu, simply to choose a protein and then we would review sides. It was that type of workday, so I just went with it.
So glad that I did!
I had a flavorful chicken kebab with rice, hummus, side salad and pita bread. I also took falafel home, which was well spiced and even better with the hummus and salad.
there is also an outdoor area but I don’t think there is appropriate coverage for the very sunny days we’ve been having — so this may not be the best option for lunch on a sunny day.

We’ve been here a few times and the food is hit and miss. Sometimes, it has been hands-​down amazing, others it’s been solidly «meh». The rice has always been flavorful and the falafel fresh and delicious. Sadly, though, everything else has been unreliable — from the hummus being seriously under-​blended, giving you surprise whole chick-​peas to chicken being tender one time and rubbery the next.
When this place is on, it’s 5-​stars, for sure. When it’s off, it’s off, and there’s no way to predict until you eat, so it’s kind of a bummer.

This place was awful, I wish I would have checked on Unilocal before stopping but even then other reviews wouldn’t have stopped me from at least giving this place a shot. So I’m writing this review hoping that you don’t make the same mistake.
The owner was so pushy and rude when I stopped in to order take out. He made me feel bad for wanting vegetarian and then proceeded to argue/​have a heated discussion with an employee (or girlfriend, who knows) while I was the only person in the very tiny waiting area of the restaurant waiting for my food. It was so bad I stepped outside to wait. Awkward! I could have overlooked this but my falafel wrap was disgusting. I wanted to have it on pita instead of the wrap and he said no, the best way was in a wrap. So I took his advice. Big mistake! The wrap and falafel tasted like cardboard. It had a measly couple pieces of lettuce and an old tomato inside it. For some reason I paid an extra $ 1 for the «stuffed» version but mine didn’t include any of those items listed when I got it home.
Don’t go here… stick with Baba Pita, Sultans, Couscous, Roti, Café Med or even better try Naf Naf if you are in the suburbs.

WOW! Came here for a work lunch meeting, and the owner, who is entirely over the top rushed us outside. He asked if we wanted to see menus, or if we wanted him to «feed us». We said «feed us». For 3 vegetarians and two meat eaters, we had rice, hummus, tabbouleh, baba ghannouj, dolmas, falafel, salad, kitfa, chicken — it was AWESOME. 5 people, with tip around $ 70. Can’t beat it.
And the outdoor patio is super nice.

My friend and I came here for an early dinner because it’s roughly halfway between our neighborhoods, and it turns out it is a little bit of an odd destination dinner spot, but it was wonderful.
When we first got there, we were gossiping and joking around and the owner, Rami, suggested that we sit outside to continue dissecting our love lives. He was really funny about it and said «chop chop! chop chop!» to get us outside. The patio seating is charming and very clean. I usually hate eating outside so I was worried, but I would sit out there again in a heartbeat.
We shared the Combination Feast (shish kabob, kifta kabob, chicken kabob and lamb kabob with pita bread, rice pilaf and tabouli salad) and the falafel sandwich. The best part was the chicken by far, even though everything was great. There was SO much food and it was nice to eat it leisurely (there wasn’t a big crowd at 6:30 even on Saturday so we could take our time).
After reading everyone’s review about how friendly Rami was, I’m sad we didn’t get to see more of him! But what we did see was great, and his wife was very friendly as well.
We were able to split the bill by using cash and credit, but you can’t split with just credit cards. There was also free parking after 5 right outside the restaurant!
We will definitely be back! Next time I plan on trying all of their baklava! :)

Kebobs has a really nice outdoor seating area. We had lunch there on our anniversary date. We were celebrating 8 years of marriage at Kebob’s. It was a quick bite to eat we had the falafel wrap and some chicken tandori wrap. All in all it was okay, it wasn’t the greatest I have ever had, but it was passable.
I have yet to try their meat entrees. Perhaps one day since I still have a
coupon I purchased for this restaurant.

I use to go to Kebabs every week when they first opened because it was the best gyro fast food in the West Loop. Because of my job/​traveling situation, I went back after a year hiatus.
Here’s the summary:
1. New owners.
2. They don’t offer gyro salads anymore.
3. The price on the website doesn’t match what they actually charged you. The $ 8.99 gyro plate that I paid before was now $ 11.99.
4. The gyro meat was very skimp for a $ 11.99 plate. I would of got more meat if I went to the Subway on Jackson and Halsted.
5. After I tried to eat the carryout, I had a pizza afterwards to get rid of my hunger.
6. You have been warned.

**DO NOT GIVE THIS OWNER YOUR BUSINESS. AWFUL EXPERIENCE**
We ordered dinner tonight from a menu we had gotten only few months back. When the driver arrived, he charged me $ 33 for what should have been a $ 20 bill. I picked up on the error when I got back inside and called the restaurant. They apologized and said they’d send a delivery driver right back over with the money they overcharged me.
35 minutes later, I got a call from Rammi (the owner), who explained that the restaurant changed ownership and the prices I had were not accurate. I found that odd, as I had recently got the menu and the name and store were largely unchanged from what I could tell. Still, it happens, especially when ownership changes hands, so I decided to hear him out.
That was a mistake.
He rewarded my attempt at understanding by saying that his manager should have never told me I’d get any money back and, «If I had to honor those prices, which comes up every single day, I’d go out of business.» I asked how much the bill should have been, factoring in these «new» prices. He gave me the new prices and said I was only overcharged $ 4 instead of $ 13. I did the calculation while he did and our figures didn’t match. When I asked him to explain why I was coming up with different figures, he refused to answer and asked if I liked the food. I found that both frustrating and really bizarre. It felt like he was avoiding my question and just making things up as he went. No apology was ever offered.
I tried to end the conversation and asked him to send a driver right over with the money he said we were owed so we could get on with our evening. He responded with such memorable quotes as:
* «I’m not one of those owners who thinks the customer is always right»,
* «Getting you your money is not a priority for us. We will get to it when we can»
* «I’m sorry if we hurt your feelings or something, but people make mistakes. I can’t just give everyone their money back when they get upset with us»
I agree: mistakes do happen. And having worked in the restaurant industry for at least half my life, I’m pretty forgiving of them. But I was floored that ANY restaurant owner would say things like that.
Rather than react to the epically poor judgement he was exhibiting, I said I’d drive to the restaurant (I live 5 minutes away) and asked him to simply call his manager and tell him to refund me the overcharge. He insisted that he be at the restaurant to talk to me. I explained I had things to do and just wanted the money. I refused to do as I asked and said I’d have to wait 15 – 20 minutes for him to get there.
When I got there, sure enough, he wanted to talk. I asked for my money, plus the delivery charge since he made me drive to the restaurant (it sort of defeats the purpose of paying a premium for someone to drive food to me if I end up having to go to the restaurant anyway).
His response? «That ain’t gonna happen.» Any willingness to engage him in a conversation after I got my money was gone. He then took a call, which sounded personal. Unreal. I was flabbergasted. I actually had to insist on my money before he made a move toward the register. As he gave me my money, he said «I can’t believe you are going crazy over $ 3. You are being an idiot». I then had to remind him it was AT LEAST $ 4 and the amount wasn’t why I was frustrated. He kept chatting away on the phone as he shooed me off with my money like it was a nuisance to give it to me. Again, no apology.
As I was leaving, I told him that this was an awful customer experience and that he should check Unilocal and Metromix later. He found time to focus the appropriate amount of attention on me at that point, following me out of the restaurant. He got verbally abusive with me, saying among other things, «I don’t give a f*ck what you think!» He tossed him some aggressive, menacing statements for good measure. I just walked away as getting back to my evening seemed like the preferable and rational thing to do. I figured this joker had already been responsible for enough negativity for one evening.
Other reviewers make him out like a fun character, but I that he was rude, abusive and a jerk. Rammi is right: the customer isn’t always right, but here, I CLEARLY was. And he didn’t care. Pushback was absolutely the wrong approach. Worse yet, he was abusive about his displeasure.
While I’ve had better Middle Eastern cuisine in Chicago, the food wasn’t bad. I wanted to like this place. But anyone who cares so little about his clients and can only treat them nicely when things are going well will not get a dime of my money going forward. And he shouldn’t get any of yours, either. There are too many good restaurateurs in Chicago who serve tasty food and truly care about their customers. Give your money to them, not this awful businessman. I hope the $ 9 he kept was worth more than avoiding a review like this. In the end, I suspect it won’t be.

I came in today for the first time to grab a bite to go. Almost immediately, the owner introduced himself and asked if he could make a suggestion. I told him I didn’t eat meat and he suggested the Veggie Combo. He also asked the cook if she would bring me a sample of hummus and baba. She did and it was very tasty! I love Mediterrean cuisine and this is the best in the West Loop (not a fan of Baba Pita at all) and Alhambra Place is way overpriced for the quality).
I really love falafel and baba and these items in my combo didn’t disappoint. I don’t love grape leaves, but these were good. I will be back, probably for a falafel sandwich and a side of baba and hummus.
Since summer is on the way, I should mention that they will have a patio open soon and they are BYOB.

Yes! Delicious middle eastern food nearby! The lamb kebob was done right, I asked for medium rare and it was perfect. The platter comes with rice and veggies, which are outstanding. Really flavorful rice, and a great mix of peppers, onions and mushrooms. The salad it came with was perfect with some of the tahini that they give you. Hummus was exceptional. The sandwich comes on flatbread, which is really great. The chicken shwarma was delicious. And I loved the homemade hot sauce, it had a good kick! So glad we found this place. We will be back!

C’mon guys, pull it together.
Seeking an alternative to Baba Pita (which has excellent Middle Eastern delivery, but a surly phone guy + confusing Baba Pizza in same building) we rang up newish Kebobs in hopes for a hummus/​falafel savior.
Order:
Falafel
Cabbage Roll
Chicken Schwarma Sandwich
Falafel Sandwich
Gyro Sandwich
Tamarind Juice
Lemonade
Baklava
Received 1h20m after placing order:
3 sandwiches (check)
A Lemon Vitamin Water (subbed for Tamarind Juice)
A Snapple Pink Lemonade (subbed for Lemonade)
Hummus w/​chicken (subbed for cabbage roll)
Ummm, ok? Had to make a call back to retrieve our falafel and baklava, called it a wash on the juices (WTF?) and no cabbage rolls. Alright then. I won’t even get started with the juice thing. Not even going to attempt.
*The delivery guy was very friendly and did get back here (3 blocks, so… ok) quickly to give us the falafel and baklava that had gone MIA.
The food was subpar. Dry falafel, drippy tahini, dry pita. FalaFAIL, sadness. The hummus was a bit off, and overall… just not very impressed with what we received for $ 40. Yes, $ 40 for half our order in almost 90 minutes from a restaurant 3 blocks away. Unacceptable!
We gave it a shot… but, unfortunately… Kebobs if off the delivery list.