Oasis Cafe

Even though the hipster boat has departed this hidden gem and left all the bandwagoners behind, it still rocks my taste buds. Traveling past the jeweler to find a counter service lunch spot is an adventure every time. Try the daily special and taste the wonders of Turkish and Arab foods. I have yet to be disappointed by the falafel here, though the rice reminds me a bit of uncle Ben’s. The lunch rush is a pain Monday — Friday, although all the suits are good about cleaning their tables when they leave.

Just OK. If you’re in the area and craving Mediterranean food, this is your spot. However, I would never go out of my way for it either. The food was decent, very affordable and it’s kind of fun that it’s in the back of a jewelry store. Nothing about my meal particularly stood out though.

Unsurprisingly, the jewelry store stretch of Wabash is (still) under construction with scaffolding, temporary barricades, and construction vehicles everywhere obscuring the already subtle entrance to Oasis Café. Try looking for a sign or sample menu in the windows as you get closer to the correct door. Walk down the long aisle, past the glass displays, to a two-​level seating area with plenty of larger tables for a group lunch.
Despite the distance from my office in the south end of the Loop, I think Oasis Café is the better of the Middle Eastern non-​chain lunch joints. Compared to Falafel Island, its portions are still big enough for two meals albeit a little smaller and therefore, cheaper. The meat was tender and well-​seasoned, the hummus was fresh and delicious, and the falafel was crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. They also offer a daily special to keep things interesting and my friend has praised their lentil soup.
My only critique is that the Shish Kabob combo promised baba ganoush but I was given hummus instead — the hummus was great, but I wanted baba ganoush!

I came here thinking I’d get a gem with all the Unilocal reviews I saw, but honestly it was just OK. I wasn’t really impressed. Prices were friendly bc almost everything was under $ 10 and the food was ready in good time, but I didn’t think the food tasted as good as other places I’ve been. Portions are pretty big for what you pay. Maybe there are certain dishes that are really good, and maybe I just got an OK dish.
A big downer — I had taken my nephew, and he got sick from the food. He puked it all up like 6 hours later.
Location: It’s hidden behind a jewelry shop as well. A few blocks away from Millennium park. It definitely feels authentic, but I’m no expert. I do think here are other places that taste better though.

Who doesn’t enjoy a little falafel with they’re jewelry purchases?! Ok, so I don’t exactly have jewelry money, but I do have falafel money. Sometimes they’ll even give you free samples of that while you’re walking down the street, so that’s so much the better. Really I like to come over here for the Tuesday Moroccan chicken special. You get enough food for two meals and the service is quick, quick, quick. I always do takeout but there are a few tables if you’re interested in hiding out instead of heading back to the office. I usually grab an order of hummus as well and get two lunches for around $ 11 and not even a block away from work. Not a bad plan if you ask me. They’re not even cash only!

Just ate here. Funny little place tucked into a jewelry store. Do not let that deter you! Veggie plate was great! My husband loved the falafel. All things on it too. I got the lamb kabob sandwich and my husband got ck shwarma. Just perfect!

Affordable, fast, and tasty. Oasis is a great place to go if you’re looking for a lunch stop in the loop. For less than 10 dollars, you can get enough amazing food for two small meals as a light eater. Properly cooked, plated with a heavy hand, and a fun adventure to find, Oasis shines as part of my weekend in Chicago. We plan on returning soon.

First of all — this place is literally in the back of a jewelry store. How weird is that?
Secondly — the food was good, it was cheap and the service was lightning fast. I literally didn’t believe the food was mine because it appeared so quickly. I had the chicken shawarma sandwich, and I thought it was really, really good! The pita was very fresh.

A hidden gem with some of the best Middle Eastern food in the Loop.
The chicken shawarma is amazing and I believe most of their food is scratch made.

Location– back of a jewelry store… that story alone is worth the trip.
Great lunch spot that has been on the weekly rotation ever since discovering this place (thanks Unilocal). Seems like everyone has their favorite special day… the Moroccan chicken is the best. Loads of food for a very reasonable price and I’ve never had trouble finding a table if I’m eating with colleagues. Highly recommend for anyone working in the loop whose looking for a new lunch spot.
Note: They take cards, but prefer cash, and since everyone there is so welcoming and friendly hit up the ATM on the way.

Visiting Chicago and looking for a reasonably priced place to eat downtown. You have to hunt a little to find Oasis, but it’s worth the trouble both on flavor and price! The Friday special is Moroccan Couscous, which I added beef to. The vegetables and couscous are terrifically flavorful. The kafta adds a nice heartiness. I added baklava and Turkish coffee and the total bill is barely $ 12. A bargain and a great place to suss out.

This is a perfect casual lunch spot. Weirdly you enter through a jewelry store, but the food is legit. The hummus is top-​notch, and the lamb was grilled perfectly. The falafels are also excellent.

This place is awesome. Not only is it in a freakin jewelry store, but the food is super authentic and high quality. There are a lot of options on the menu, the portions are quite large, and there is basically no wait at all. I had the Mixed Plate which came with falafel, hummus, salad, rice, chicken kabob, and pita. It was all great and I definitely couldn’t finish everything. I tried a bit of the kefta as well, which was cooked very well. I went around noon and the place was jam packed with people waiting for tables. That was only surprising because I just didn’t realize so many people were aware of this place. I will certainly be coming back.

This place is a hidden gem — no pun intended. Ok. Pun intended. Although based on the number of people waiting in line, they might need a better hiding spot.
I recently started working in the city again and tend to wander until I find something that catches my eye. Today I wanted to get off my normal route, so I turned to Unilocal to find a place close to the office, but somewhere I hadn’t been. Enter Oasis Café.
I had the Chicken Shawarma Plate, which is my default meal when trying a new Mediterranean restaurant. I’m not a big falafel eater — although I was super tempted seeing them here. Next visit — which will probably be tomorrow.
Back to the shawarma… you’re given the choice of rice or hummus as a side. I opted for the hummus which was extremely creamy and certainly one of the best I’ve had. The shawarma was perfect. It wasn’t overly seasoned, but not bland. It was cooked to perfection — a nice mix of crunchy charred bits with tender chicken. It wasn’t dry. It wasn’t greasy. It was… just right.
Included with the plate was pita. My favorite pita is across the street at Naf-​Naf, mostly because it’s pillowy and still warm from the oven. The pita at Oasis was very good and rivals that of Naf-​Naf.
This is my new destination for Mediterranean food in the Loop.

This is my favorite secret Chicago lunch. They have the best falafel I’ve ever had outside of Israel, which is an annoying pretentious thing to say but who cares, it’s true. The food is super fast, their entrees are enormous, and again, I can’t say it enough, their falafel sandwich is KILLER.
Plus, it’s in the back of a jewelry store, so you get to look at diamonds on your way in.
One star off bc it’s really a lunch place for people who work in the city, and never seems to be open when I am downtown on weekends or evenings.

This place is unreal. I come here every Wednesday religiously for their Wednesday special — Napole Stuffed Chicken Breast. The quality of the food is always consistent: the chicken is juicy and tender, the stuffed spinach, cucumber and tomato give a nice fresh balance to the taste. You can have a choice of rice, salad, lettuce or a mixed of those. The people work there are friendly, helpful and efficient. All of the above makes it the best Wednesday lunch spot in the city!
Did I mention they also have the best falafel in the whole universe? My boyfriend will always order extra falafels with his stuffed chicken.

My group of friends and I went to Oasis to get lunch on the Saturday during St. Patty’s Day weekend and sadly, they were out of rice and lamb, which are the two main ingredients for Mediterranean food. A few of my friends were a little drunk so we were really hungry and the only option was pretty much salad…
So we left to another place and did not even get to try it. I was so disappointed.

If you’re looking for cheap, heavy, flavorful Mediterranean food that will be assembled and ready for you before you even have time to sign off on the receipt, Oasis is the place for you. A great lunch spot with very generous portions.
For a sampling of the best of Oasis, go with the kebab combo platter ($ 9) which is chunks of beef or lamb shish with three falafel, babaganouj, and rice. I always opt for the lamb shish, which is plentiful and pleasantly charred. The falafel are consistently great, crispy (but not oily) on the outside and warm and fluffy on the inside. Babaganouj is some of the best you can find in the Loop. Chunky, smoky, and creamy, this is eggplant at its best, not the mushy, applesauce-​texture stuff that babaganouj sometimes ends up being.
Their hummus is extremely rich and flavorful, heavy on the tahini. I’ve had the very popular Wabash special, but found that I enjoyed the fluffy falafel, heavy hummus, and earthy foul more than the actual chicken pasilla, which was decent, just not very memorable. The Moroccan chicken was very tender and juicy, but didn’t pack the same flavor that I’m used to from Oasis. Kofta are also delicious, but relatively standard.
The one big disappointment is their pita, which is pre-​baked, flat, and cold by the time it’s served to you in individual plastic wraps.
My recommendation: skip the chicken and the pita sandwiches, there are better places in the Loop for that (I’m looking at you, Naf Naf.) Instead, go for some combination of the flavorful shish kebabs and falafel with the outstanding babaganouj and hummus on the side.

If you want authentic middle eastern food, this is the place ! Everything taste good. My favorite is the chicken shawarma .
The only thing I don’t like is that special of the day tends to run out really early during the day ! :-(. Other than that this place is really good !!!

You get good food fast at a reasonable price. Isn’t that what we’re all looking for?
There’s a small sign outside of the jewelry store and in the back is the café, there’s plenty of seating including some tables upstairs. They move really quick, if you are in a rush then go vegetarian or opt for the chicken (beef and lamb take longer). They do take credit cards. Very friendly staff.