Tahini Mediterranean Cafe

It used to be so good. An oasis in the middle of a sandwich wasteland. Now, it’s just another sub par restaurant in the area. On my last visit, the cabbage mint salad had so much garlic in it that I couldn’t finish it, and I found shards of sharp black plastic at the bottom of my hummus only after putting it into my mouth. I was so sad. It actually hurt my feelings cause I was rooting for this place.

Fresh ingredients, quick, and tasty! They do have a decent amount of seating available and fun Euro videos playing on the LCD. The décor itself is pretty sterile and nothing to get excited over. The falafel was actually pretty tasty and made to order, fluffy inside and crispy outside. The chicken was pretty tasty as well. Definitely will be back.

The hummus is a nasty paste, the falafel is fine but the veggies on it are horrible. That is the worst excuse for a tomato ever. The chickpea salad has literally zero flavor. Boo, I’m sticking to Fontano’s when I’m in the neighborhood.

No doubt the best place in the Loop for quick Middle Eastern food, and in a really convenient location! Their falafel is very good, better than I Dream of Falafel, I’d say.
The combo meals are a good deal. I usually order the falafel sandwich combo with a side of hummus and lentil soup. It’s a fair amount of food for the price, $ 8. Very fast service, and open until 9pm Monday-​Friday.

STAY AWAY FROM THE BEEF
I’ve been here a couple of times for lunch and have even taken some home for dinner with friends. I really dig the idea and setup — but the beef is just TERRIBLE. I had a couple of fatty, chewy, masses of tasteless and inedible beef when I brought it home to eat with friends a few weeks ago — and I let it slide thinking they were small and it was a fluke. When I saw that one of my friends had left pieces of beef on their plate I figured she just didn’t like the flavor. After what I had for lunch today I’m completely embarrassed that I even brought that food home! More than 50% of the beef that I had in my beef shwarma bowl was inedible! Disgusting!
That being said, the falafel is pretty good and the chicken shwarma was decent — but I’m not sure I could bring myself to eat there anymore after this experience! Sad — because I really like having a local place like this!

Had the lamb shwarma and it was very good. I slightly prefer I Dream of Falafel but this is a close second in the Loop for Middle Eastern fare. Unlike IDOF, this place isn’t very busy and always has seating available (okay, I’ve only been here twice so always may be a stretch). They also have a greater assortment of salads than IDOF. I hope it gets busier because they’re good enough to survive.

Not bad, pretty solid food. Not my favorite Mediterranean ever, but definitely edible.
I ordered their falafel combo, which is your choice of pita or rice bowl. I went with pita, but next time I think I’ll go directly to rice bowl (though actually what I think would be the best option is just a pile of falafel with some sauce). Anyway, the falafel was crispy and had a good taste. As one my sides I chose a minted cabbage, which was tasty. My second side was — I think — the Jerusalem salad (whichever one comes with tahini). I didn’t really care for it. The service was quick and the price was decent. They’re just a block away from my office and I expect I’ll wander over there from time to time.

«it’s no pita inn, but…»
…it is the best/​only decent place in the loop i’ve been able to find to satisfy my lunchtime falafel cravings.
one gripe: i got the «meal» (sandwich and 2 sides), and one of my sides was hummus. but there was no pita bread. and it leaked out of my to-​go container into the plastic bag.
price is reasonable, portions are decent, and when i’m jonesing for some fried chickpea balls, it hits the spot.

I have my fair share of falafel and shwarmas in the loop and I was disappointed with myself that I even gave this a try. My chicken shwarma bowl was packed in a rectangular styrofoam meant for pita sandwiches, which makes it absolutely difficult to eat. They were stingy with the rice and vegetables and made it up with extra chicken.
Sadly to say, I would rather have more rice than their chicken. It’s somewhat dry and surprisingly bland for mediterranean food. Where’s the spice that keeps people coming for more? I mean, this barely had any salt in it.
And the straw that broke the camel’s back? The harissa. This is no harissa. It has an uncanny resemblance to Huy Fung sambal oelek at Vietnamese restaurants. I have a big jar at home, so I know IT IS SAMBAL OELEK, not harissa. I just felt so cheated. Sorry but I can’t recommend my colleagues to this place. Their only saving grace is the fact that the meat is halal.

I’ve eaten the falafel sandwich combo here about 10 times and I like it.
The price is on par with location, huge sandwich + 2 sides + drink for $ 8 is pretty good downtown. Service is fast.
The falafel is great. The first few times i ate here I dabbled in their special sauces, but now I keep it to the regular yummy tahini. I’ve had the minted cabbage, tabouleh, hummus, and fries for sides, and they are all quite good. I will often order hummus and fries as the side because you don’t get bread for the hummus (I dip the fries!) and they almost always cook your fries to order which makes them crispy and piping hot. Yummm.
The only thing I would change about this place is the pita bread. It’s thick and chewy and a bit tough. If they changed the pita to a different brand (soft!) then I’d be a tahini evangelist.

Not bad for my first time trying Mediterranean cuisine :)
I’m a huge fan of lamb so when i saw that i could get a lamb wrap I was o so thrilled. The wrap was very tasty, juicy tender lamb with tons of veggies on a whole wheat wrap. I wasn’t sure which sauce to choose so i had the mint yogurt and Tahini sauce on the side. The Tahini sauce was great, the mint yogurt not so great but not bad. I also tried some of my friends falafel which was another first and it was good! Only thing was the prices were kinda high, my lamb wrap was 9bucks! Not sure if it would have been cheaper if i had chicken or beef. Regardless, i had a good dining experience, definitely won’t be a regular spot for me. But i will visit on occasion.

I’m not sure why peeps be giving this place bad reviews — — for fast, cheap mediterranean food it’s pretty good.
No meat for me, so I’ve only had falafel. First time in the pita, second time in a whole wheat wrap. Definitely go the wrap… sure, it’s less authentic but much easier to eat! The falafel are delicious — fresh, crispy on the outside, moist on the inside. I like mine with cucumber, lettuce and tahini… mmmm.
The minted cabbage salad is delicious, and does not taste like fish like a previous reviewer mentioned. Hummus is ok, but not giving pita is weird (so I have to spoon it onto my falafel sammich… weird).
And I’m not sure why people think this is expensive…$ 8 for a falafel sammich/​bowl, 2 sides and a drink is NOT bad at all. You’ll pay the same anywhere for lunch in the loop — heck, Chipotle down the street is $ 8 before drinks/​sides. Sheesh.

my coworkers and i went a little before the lunchtime rush. the place was bright lit, very clean, but with limited seating. got my food and went to pay…
$ 8 for chicken shawerma that looked like a taco. no sides, no drink. i can only imagine how much i would have spent if i ate regular-​people-​sized-​meals (shawerma + 2 sides and a drink). i was considering getting a side of hummus, until i found out you had to pay extra for pita bread. absurd! maybe people actually eat hummus by itself…
ok, so the chicken shawerma actually did taste alright. not the best i’ve ever had, but still decent. i do wish they used a different kind of pita. you have to roll it up like a taco when you eat it… also, they were a littttle stingy on the lettuce and tomatoes, so it was more like a plain chicken shawerma taco. sad, i know. my coworker did offer me a fork-​full of hummus (she didn’t know you had to pay extra for the pita bread and walked out without noticing). that was ok too, but not the best either… maybe some bread would have helped. ok, i’m done complaining about the pita bread.
bleh. i’ll probably never go back. it’s just… not worth it.

A good place to eat if you are in the mood for a quick Mediterranean bite. The food is tasty, and the staff is friendly. I had the vegetarian combo-​very fresh. They make some of the best falafels I have ever tasted!
However, I didn’t like portion size and the prices. I would definitely come back here more often if the prices weren’t as high. Unfortunately (or fortunately, not sure which), I think I have developed a weakness for the falafels, so I know they will keep me coming back.

This will do in a pinch. I had lunch with my brother the other day, and his summation of this restaurant was pretty accurate. He said «It’s not as good as some Middle Eastern food we’ve had, but it’s okay.» Since my bro and have wandered around Syria searching for the Ultimate Falafel (and in Chicago, it can STILL be found at Salam), you should heed this.
The Falafel was nutty, chewy and not dry. It was BRIGHT GREEN on the inside, which it is supposed to be. Moist inside, and crispy outside. Very well done.
Well, it was perfectly acceptable. And my brother reported that his Chicken Schwarma was pretty good.
In other words, it’s fine for a cheap, quick lunch. $ 5.95 for a Falafel bowl which was just enough food to take the edge off my hunger while not making me a big olé pie wagon.
I’ll be back. I like the array of ingredients, I can see mixing those up for infinite variations. Ahnjeed!

Can’t really say that I enjoyed the food here. I ordered the chicken sharwarma. The food looked absolutely delicious but was unfortunately very flavorless. For the price, I did expect it to be much tastier than it was and it definitely was NOT. Its unfortunate because this place is right across the street from DePaul where I spend a good deal of my time.
Unfortunately, I won’t be back. However, kudos to the place for trying to give it a go in a heavily saturated restaurant area.

I am not complaining, it is tasty and fresh fast-​food. But it is no Oasis, and for $ 9 I would like to feel a little more full.
Those little side’s compartments in the take out container? Fill them up if you are going to charge me that much, they were only a third of the way full. Otherwise, no complaints. The staff is super nice and it was less than 10 minutes from the time I walked in the door to the time I left.

Plus one for a fast moving line
Plus one for nice, clean design
Plus one for fresh, delicious tabouleh and yummy chicken shwerma
Plus one for two sides and lots of options
Minus one for bland hummus
Plus one for fast, friendly service
Plus one for family owned and operated businesses
Plus one for environmentally friendly containers
Minus one for the price tag, almost $ 10 for a drink, schwerma and sides– ouch
That’s like, I don’t know– 1000 points. Whatever, I’m going with four, because I really did like the food, but the price tag is a little high.
Math is hard.

I was rooting for this place because it’s close to my office, but unfortunately, I’ve had much better.
I ordered the chicken shawarma sandwich and it was loaded with toppings but not enough meat. It was the size of a double decker at Taco Bell, non-​filling and left me unsatisfied (see my uploaded photo). The taste was not there and some pieces of the chicken were tough to chew. I asked the the cashier if I could have a fork and she said to «to your right». It was actually to my left. The utensil dispenser is a good concept but just seems a little dirty when it’s dropped on the tray.
I wanted to dine-​in, but they automatically gave me a plastic bag. Come on guys, ask if it’s for here or to go. A little bit can save the planet. The service preparing my meal seemed a bit unorganized, but that can be improved over time.
My $ 7.17, down the drain because I’m still hungry. Sad. Oasis Café is gives you more, tastes better, and $ 2 cheaper.
I know this place is new in the area, so I’ll be back in the summer for an updated review.

I had lunch here today. I’m sorry. I’m not trying to be mean but that was a waste of calories/​$ 10 bucks. I had a chicken sharwarma with hummus and tabouleh on the side. The food had no flavor. In the presence of so many veggies and spices, I can’t understand that! And it left some unidentifiable oil type aftertaste that made me queasy. Well, at least I can add it to the list of places I’ve tried. The best part of my visit was hearing Separate Ways by Journey. Two stars only because of that song! I still wish them well