Jerusalem Restaurant

Now keep in mind, I don’t eat a lot of Mediterranean food, so I may not be an expert, however, this was the freshest tasting place I’ve been to. The owners are super friendly and brought us a ton of items to try for free. If you eat in, they give you a salad sampler which all were fresh and great tasting.
For food, the Turkish salad was amazing (super fresh). He brought us Falafel and that also was the best I ever had. We got the lamb chops and the combination platter. Both were good, but the combination platter was amazing. Does have a good garlic taste to it, so if you don’t like garlic, you’ll want to avoid, however it wasn’t overbearing and perfect to our tastes. I also enjoyed the Heressa which I had never had before. Baklava is a little sweet for me so this was a lighter and tasty.
Prices were normal for what I’ve seen at similar style restaurants. We did buy the highest priced items, but I still think it was reasonable.
On a downside, there is only window (bar style) seating and only a few seats, so it’s not great for a family/​group. However, the owner told me that he is planning on expanding to the room next as soon as the permits come through, so this may become a 5 star rating from me in the future.

Every time I eat here, I’m never disappointed. Chicken Shawarma over rice with hummus and salad is really good. And I love their falafels! It’s not on the menu but you can order 6 falafels over rice with the hummus and salad.

I needed a quick, healthy, flavorful lunch option so chose this place. Food was delicious, hot and had the perfect amount of seasoned flavor. We were given a full round of authentic pita and plate of dips and condiments to tied us over for the wait. This was a fun appetizer however there was no wait! Main dishes were served up almost immediately after. The customer service at Jerusalem Restaurant was top notch. Peoria will benefit if more establishments like this take the chance to bring new options and same great customer satisfaction, to town.

I love this restaurant. The proprietors are friendly and helpful and the food is delicious. I usually get the falafel sandwich and the falafel are amazing– not at all oily, with a nice crisp outer crust and soft and fresh interior. I also really like the tomato salad (I can’t remember what it’s called on the menu, but I just call it the tomato salad when I order it.) It tastes like a medium-​spicy salsa. The hummus is the best I’ve had in the area. It’s really fresh and flavorful.
I’ve convinced two of my coworkers to eat there, including one who hadn’t had Middle Eastern food, and they’ve both been really impressed.

Probably the best hidden-​treasure in Peoria! I stumbled upon this place on a Sunday afternoon, and ended up having other some of the best Mediterranean food I’ve had in a long time! There was literally no wait to order my food (Chicken shawarma), and was extremely impressed with how quickly I got it. Moreover, the entrée came with a ton of other sides that made it completely filling.
The couple working there were incredibly helpful and friendly, and really cared about what I thought of the food by asking me how everything tasted.
Overall, I had a wonderful experience here and highly recommend to everyone to try it out!

IMO– the best Middle Eastern food in town by far. There were a couple of items that could be improved but overall, very good flavor and portion sizes! The best items were the falafel and the beef shish kabob which is the ground beef. Both had great flavor and were cooked to perfection. The falafel had been cooked to perfection at an earlier time however and were lukewarm. Luckily I won a pizzazz so they were perfectly crisp again in no time at home! The rice is very flavorful and plentiful and the hummus was delish. The salad seemed to have a little lemon juice maybe but no spices or added flavors. I shook on some cumin, onion and garlic powders at home and it was fine then. The chicken was least exciting with very faint spices and very dry.
Overall, very nice people and great food, will definitely return!

Friendly helpful staff. Amazing food. Chicken shwarma is fantastic. The lamb is amazing. Everything has great flavor and a hint of spice. Definitely well cooked fresh food for the price. My favorite falafel I’ve ever had! Will be back!

This is our new favorite restaurant. Huge portions, delicious, with a kind staff. We tried it on a whim and loved it. I had the combo schwarma (sp?), falafel, hummus and lentil soup. Reasonably priced! Pita was perfect! So full!

Best Mediterranean food I’ve eaten in a while! Had the Beef Kabob Combo Plate that came with a small cucumber/​lettuce/​tomato salad, hummus with a pool of rich, delicious olive oil, warm and chewy pita bread, beef skewer on a bed of season rice.
The beef skewer was made of reconstituted meat dressed with spices that gave it a piquant bite, cooked just right, not too charred on the outside. The fried rice that hosted the meat was just how I like my rice, hardy but not crunchy nor soft, great flavor too.
The hummus had a nice light garlic flavor. The olive oil was divine! It had a woodsy olive taste and pair beautifully with the hummus which had perfect consistency for dipping pita bread.
This combo makes for a great lunch or dinner! I think I’ll try lamb next time.
I also had some Falafels on the side (purchased separately), which were delicious! These had a crunchy fried exterior and a soft, fluffy interior. It went great with some garlic sauce. If you’re not into garlic, you can dip them in tzatziki sauce, which is more neutral in taste.

I loved this little place. I noticed it a few months ago and was excited to see what kind of business it was going to be. When i heard Jeruselam Restaurant was open i had to try it. The owners were so friendly and helpful with the menu description and the husband that was grilling gave me and my friend a sample plater of different items to try that were out of this world. Not exactly sure what it all was but wow everything was full of flavor and spiced perfectly. I should have taken a picture. This was meant to be eaten as we waited for our food since we were new to the place. The falafels are amazingly light and seasoned perfectly. Some i have had from other places are heavy, oily, and blah. My lamb chops plate was very good and loved the grilled vegetables that accompanied the chops. Only complaint is i think $ 13.99 for my 3 small lampchops is still kind of pricey eventhough i had a plateful of food. I would have liked for them to ask also how i wanted my lamb cooked. I prefer more medium to medium rare than well done. Otherwise experience was perfect. Everyone should try this place out. Small businesses are hard to come by now especially good, clean, reliable ones!

Adorable little family establishment serving authentic and absolutely delicious Middle Eastern restaurant! My husband and I ordered the chicken shawarma entrée and beef shawarma. Both were absolutely delicious! The hummus especially was fabulous and I particularly enjoyed the side salads. Will definitely come again!

A newly discovered gem near Bradley University. Although it is a small restaurant it does have several seats at a counter if you wish to eat in. I had the humus and a falafel sandwich which were the best I have had in Peoria. The falafel were light and fluffy and perfectly seasoned. The restaurant’s owners were very friendly and helpful. I was told if I want takeout to call ahead and they will have it ready. I will definitely go back to try their combination plate.