Taste Of The Middle East

I arrived late and they were out of a couple of items but I had the felafel wrap (yum), grape leave rolls (yum, yum) and a mango orange smoothy and IM SO HAPPY:)
We need this in the cincinnati area. Middle eastern taste in what felt like a mall food court.
Hidden Gem!

MIddle Eastern food at a tollway oasis?! WHAT! And it was very, very good. I was disappointed to have to stop at an oasis to eat, because normally it’s nothing but bad-​for-​you fast food. I was delighted to find this place and my food was terrific and made to order. My son had the chicken shwarma wrap, which he loved. I had the combo platter that gave me a little of everything. They also offer fresh squeezed juice. What a wonderful surprise to find something other than greasy burgers and sugary sodas at an oasis. I’ll definitely return!

Taste is consistent which I like because I know exactly what I’ll been getting. Docking a star because the size of shawarma wrap is a little smaller than I like. 1 and ½ shawarma would be just right to satisfy me.

Good but they only serve Chicken Shawarma, Chicken Kabobs, and Falafel. No beef or lamb. Not bad if you are in a hurry and passing through the food desert.
I had the CHICKEN WRAP. It had a mild flavor with some type of savory curry sauce. At $ 5.99, very filling and decent deal compared to wraps and burritos.
I couldn’t help but notice there was like 10 people working in this Oasis shack but service was slow and inattentive. As I stood there and watched them work, I wasn’t greeted or acknowledged and I didn’t know who to order from… whatever, it was truck stop service.

So I was up at the Costco in Mettawa around 4 o’clock and I was kind of hungry as I haven’t eaten since breakfast this morning. I checked out Unilocal to see what was in the area and spotted Taste of The Middle East not too far away. This tiny little booth is located inside the Lake Forest Oasis. There isn’t any signage on the outside, but it’s inside the oasis.
I went in and ordered a chicken shawarma sandwich. It come rolled up like a burrito in a pita bread. It was delicious. The chicken was cut off of a spit like gyro meat and cooked on a flat grill to get a slightly crunchy texture. They added cucumber and tomato salad on top with a little bit of a spicy kick to it. It was very good and worth trying some of their other dishes if and when I’m up this way again.
The only problem is I live in Chicago and am facing north. I need to exit the oasis and go up to 176, turn around and come back south

Excellent delicious food. Portions are generous. There are halal signs. I didn’t see signs for the restaurant outside the oasis so you need to walk inside the oasis to find the restaurant.

My son worked in this oasis above 94 and discovered this little gem. It is well worth the tolls and even a special highway run to get there even if you’re really not going anywhere. The shawarma is awesome, you can’t duplicate the sauce (I recommend hot/​spicy) and try the babaganoush. fantastic! I later found it is a eggplant based spread but not knowing anything about it going in, a unique flavor you have to try as it’s hard to explain. But I can tell you this, I order it every time as a side from then forward.

Nice to have a healthy option at the Oasis. Great smelling an tasting food.
Falafel plate could have more than 4 small falafels on it. Outstanding food and service.

Good healthy food at a rest stop.
Halal clean.
Family owned and operated.
I’d say more but I am a man of few words.
I will return if ever on this bir of freewau again.

Incredible chicken shawarma combo. The chicken itself was great, and the sides were awesome. Comparing to the most popular chain — Pita Inn, instead of some stupid lettuce, they actually have a proper cucumber/​tomato salad, and roasted zucchini, along with rice. Also, a little dash of hot sauce — very good. My wife also had hummus with their pita bread — she loved it.
The only negative side is the drinks — only choice is fountain drinks. I wish they would have something like the mango drink in Pita Inn.

I had pretty high hopes for this place, but the chicken shawarma was pretty bland. The cucumbers in it were pretty soggy and the sauce needed garlic.

Great food, good price. Excellent alternative to «yet another» burger on the road. Lots of dairy-​free and/​or gluten-​free options. Staff helped us convert/​create an additional DF/​GF meal. Great service!

Wow, oh, wow! This ain’t no fast food type of place. It is so good!
I had the chicken shawarma combo which comes on a bed of rice and with salad and vegetables. All of the food is so fresh! The parsley in the salad tastes like it was just cut; the cooked vegetables were crunchy; the rice nice and fluffy; and the chicken was freshly cut off a rotating spit. I recommend adding sesame seed oil and the hot sauce (never say no when adding extra flavors). The «heat» isn’t too hot, so get it!
I also got the Orange Mango smoothie which they made from fresh fruit while you wait. It ain’t none of that stuff that is premade in a box, that’s for sure. My only complaint and it is so minor but worth mentioning is that the straw is too small for the smoothie. It is easy for it to get stopped up when you suck up some pulp (so sneak over to McD’s and grab one of their straws). Though if you don’t like pulp in your orange juice at home, I would pass on this particular drink.
If you like Panda Express, you’ll love this place. If McD’s, Taco Bell, or KFC is your thing, turn away from that mass produced stuff and get real fresh, real food here.

As far as shawarma goes, this is the best I’ve had. I’ve only tried a few other shawarmas but they pale in comparison. I even tried a place called «The Best Shawarma Place» and it just made me sad. The shawarma is the only thing I’ve tried here but it was enough to make me look into getting a meat spit for my house. It would be foolish to eat anywhere else at the oasis. The dudes running the place are nice guys and they seem very sincere about making every wrap they sell me the best one I will ever have.

This is basically a no thrills, road side stand that is conveniently located inside. It is so simple, that I feel a simple review is in order.
The menu is simple and yet covers the basics. The service is very friendly and quick. The food is simply outstanding !! The trouble here is keeping yourself from overeating which could be easily done with such reasonable prices.
I’ll definitely be a regular here as it is conveniently located on my way to /​from work.

Definitely different food & smell! Yummy chicken wraps and their hot sauce is the perfect compliment! Must try’em

I love anything with falafel from this place and prices are reasonable. Never imagined getting falafel from a rest stop!

Wow, how accomodating. Someone took the last falafel and they offered to make me more. Lathe, sorry if I misspelled, you are the best. I will definitely be coming back very soon.

Considering that their location is on the tollway, I concur that it is one of the best places to eat there (though I haven’t tried the gyro place there yet). One would never expect to find Middle Eastern food at a tollway Oasis. I ordered their combo meal and enjoyed the rice, shaved chicken, and chicken pieces. I didn’t like the veggie salad with yogurt dressing, the exact name of it which escapes me. The falafel weren’t as tasty either. Also at $ 7.99 their combo special is below par to Pita Inns, the latter which has more variety and at least $ 2 cheaper. But you are paying for convenience when at the Oasis so considering that, this place is a good choice.

This is the best place in the oasis/​rest stop by far! Would give 4.5 if available, I only give 5’s for an exceptional all around experiences. The food is great and the service is quick.
They have great steamed veggies, falafel and shawarma, along with good sides and rice. Also good smoothies that you can add vanilla protein too and delicious assorted sweets!
Better than many restaurants serving middle eastern cuisine!