Hashalom Restaurant

I miss hashalom so much. I used to get the turkish coffee and the eggplant. Can I tell you about it? So I guess Devon used to at some point have (it’s now indian) (the western part which is closer) Hashalom is supposed to be a moroccan/​israeli restaurant. That makes it sound like it’s supposed to be some sort of haute cuisine place, but it’s not, it’s really laid back, it’s a lot of home cooking. they had all this craft, the walls were painted blue and full of wicker baskets and rugs and all sorts of knick nacks from the orient. The food’s really good, they had cous cous, and all the service was, you know, kids from skokie. –Paul

Hashalom is a great lunch find! A quaint little Middle Eastern joint, with authentic-​looking stuff on the walls, and the slightly funny «We collect old watches» flyer on the door. The food is great, tasty and cheap. The falafel sandwiches are always up to the mark, and so are the other staples — baba ghanoush, cucumber/​tomato salads, hummus, bourakas, etc. No 5-​stars because we’ve run into this one rude waitress more than once.
Bring cash, they don’t take credit cards.

Better try this place out as soon as you can! They are planning to close forever by the end of March 2010. See Hashalom on Facebook for more information.
HASHLOM IS NOW CLOSED!!!
They are writing a cookbook which should be out soon.

This is the best Middle Eastern food I have found in Chicago. The food is delicious and very affordable.

Hashalom is one of my favorite restaurants in Chicago. Their soups and their eggplant dish in particular are out of this world. Plus, the food is plentiful and really, really affordable. I like the interior deco too, not too pretentious but cute and authentic. Overall, if Middle Eastern cuisine is your thing, you have to give Hashalom a try. I have been coming here over and over again for the last three years!
The only downside is that it’s cash only. But they are really nice about it and Citibank ATM is right around the corner.

I was a little disappointed and underwhelmed. It really reminded me of eastern Europeans cooking middle eastern food. I didn’t know there were many Hungarians in Morocco (i.e. goulash on the menu). The hummus was palatable when not eaten alone: they use too much tahina and not enough lemon. The entrees were quite oily as well. One thing I didn’t appreciate — they go out of their way to advertise that all dishes are prepared with vegetable oil. This is a Mediterranean (ish) restaurant. Ummmm, olive oil please? I do think it’s been an integral part of daily life in that part of the world for a few thousand years. Please, spend a few more pennies and use some extra virgin. The barley soup was good, not too far from what an Ashkenazi grandmother would make. Not exactly sure how those type of items fit in with the middle eastern fare. Well, I guess it’s indicative of the kind of hybridized cuisine of Israel that tries to incorporate the all the foods of Jews of the diaspora, even when some items don’t really go together.
The service was great, but they should start accepting credit cards.

Door front — very unattractive, almost turn me away. But I did my research on Unilocal and ventured in with my fiancé. The place is kinda old, like a mom and pop reastaurant. The dim lighting and panel wall that makes it feel icky, but this places isn’t dirty either.
The food are very reasonably priced. Given that I had not have Morrocan or Israeli food before, I feel ok to just pick things that sounds interesting to me but do not cost me an arm and leg even if I don’t like. If you are like me, go for the appetizer combo. We got the small Israelli one for the two of us. Like someone already said, it has hummus, israeli salad, falafel, baba ganosh and the best of all, Morrocan eggplant (I love eggplant). I get to try a little of each and it’s only $ 5.50
Lots of fresh hot pita bread and a small dish of pickled veggie is served. After the pita bread w/​the appetizer I am already full. Lamb shank is good, it’s tender and it’s marinated well. It comes with the choice of Salad or soup. I had the Israeli «triangular bread wrap with Spinach and cheese stuff”-I was so full so I can’t really taste it…
w/​2 entrees, appetizer, soup and sides, it’s $ 23+tips. Very full and we have left over to take home. The wait staff is very friendly and helpful with a big smile.
I will return! =)

The most affordable and delicious Israeli and Moroccan food around. If you’re looking for someplace friendly with a nice atmosphere and a healthy alternative to plane old fast food, you’ve found it. The first time I went I fell in love with their Moroccan Eggplant it’s absolutely amazing and comes with lots of warm pita bread. Their Lamb kabob sandwich is both filling and delicious. And their stuffed peppers are to die for. I have never had a bad experience and love all the interesting motif on the walls. Come here– leave happy!

Cheap and delicious. Try their Moroccan soup, bourekas and hummus and pita appetizer plate. You won’t be disappointed!

DELICIOUS.
I’ve spent the last four years in Chicago for school and I am leaving at the end of the summer. I am only slightly exaggerating when I say that one of my biggest regrets is not having discovered Hashalom my freshman year! This is a big compliment coming from me, too, since I try basically every Middle Eastern restaurant I see and have gotten pretty picky about the quality of my falafel over the years.
I first went here with a friend a few weeks ago and we split the two appetizer sampler plates — one was a traditional vegetarian appetizer platter of hummus, Jerusalem salad, baba ghannouj and falafel, and the other was a Moroccan platter with beet salad, carrot salad, spicy peppers and Moroccan eggplant. All of it was superb, but OH MY GOODNESS GET THE MOROCCAN EGGPLANT. It is absolutely fantastic.
The plates were a little small but it was more than enough food for me. My friend (who is a man, and was also much hungrier than me at the time) additionally got the lamb, which I did not try, being a vegan and all. They do offer a larger size of the samplers if you really want it as a meal, and there are plenty of other options to choose from (both veg and non) in the sandwich, soup and mezze categories. Menu is in English and Hebrew too if you want to practice or build your Hebrew food vocabulary.
I also ordered tea and was given a choice of lemon or mint tea. I chose the mint, and out came a glass of hot water with a large sprig of real mint in it (!), and a plain teabag on the side. Pretty decent presentation if you ask me, and really cheap ($ 1.25, I think).
Our waitress had to deal with some really unfriendly characters the day we came, but she handled them gracefully (even when she had to kick one of them out!). She was very nice to my friend and I despite being seemingly the only one working that night.
Very cheap, lots of veggie options, and ridiculously delicious. PLEASE keep them in business when I leave, because I will definitely want to come back every time I visit Chicago.

The food is really cheap here and, for the price, really good. I wouldn’t say it’s the best Middle Eastern/​Israeli food around but it’s far from the worst. There is indoor seating and the ambience isn’t super classy but casual. Not a great date place but if you want a relatively quick cheap eat that definitely is good, you should try it.

Everyone should go here and falafel and baklava.
Stopped in for dinner with my gf on Friday — wanted something quick and I was craving fried ground chickpeas. Had the cabbage soup to start and she had the lentil. both we’re very hearty, and tasted legitimately homemade. I feel like a lot of food I try is considered homestyle, but this truly brought that sensation to my mouth (and belly). The hummus was rich, creamy, and served with some warmed pita. I had a falafel sandwich, and she had the chicken kebob (sandwich)… Both were really flavorful (I tried the chicken, and would go for it on a return trip), but the falafel took the cake… crisp, hot on the outside, and very moist and full of flavor and aroma on the inside. The sandwich was very fulling, but there was room to split baklava. It was the icing on the cake. The service was good and the host was extremely warm and friendly (I was asking about it being cash only, to which she replied «you can mail in a check if you want, it’s okay»). That friendliness is worth the trip alone. Oh yeah, and the bill was $ 14 bucks (we paid there).
Easy to miss. Hard to beat.

We had the $ 5 Israeli combo plate appetizer, a kefta in salsa plate and a kefta kebab. The appetizer is a great way to delve into the food — you get falafel, hummus, baba ganoush (sp?), Jerusalem-​style salad and Moroccan eggplant (yum!). Service was prompt and the food was great. I would definitely come back to explore the rest of the menu.

Been going for years and years… love the place in spite of its imperfections.
Think they have the best Moroccan eggplant I ever had, anywhere.
Soups outstanding, good pita. Good. Anything I’ve had although I am not in love with chicken but… I can stand it if I have to.
Yep, the service can be slow, depending on the time of day and the week and the weather and if all the help showed up…

I came here with a few starving friends. When I eat Middle eastern food it’s really hard for me not to go crazy. I’m glad my friends like to eat as much as me.
We ordered 2 combo platters which came with babganosh, hummus, cucumber/​tomatoe salad, and falafals. Those were the BEST falafals I have ever had. They were so moist and perfect I couldnt stop popping them in my mouth. The babaganosh was really good had a nice smokey taste, the hummus is hummus.
I also got Dolmeh which were really good, another thing I could eat a ton of. They were also so cheap! 2.50 for I think 4 or 5. I also got a bean dish which I cant remember the name of thats cooked in a lemon type of broth.
My main dish was good as well. Another thing I can’t remember the name of. I hate when I wait so long to review…
I can’t wait to go back

Hashalom gets the 5 full stars due to its quality of food, price, and great service. It is both Moroccan and Israeli. We went for the Moroccan appetizer combination: eggplant, spicy pepper, beet salad, carrots all done in traditional Moroccan style – except that the eggplant was better than any I have eaten before-​it melt in your mouth. I had the stuffed peppers, our friend, the stuffed cabbage and my husband the kefta kabob. All entrees come with soup or salad, and rice or fries. Go for the Moroccan veggie soup.
It’s BYOB too, so our total bill came to $ 17 per person with tax and tip included. Appetizer, entrees, soup and dessert with coffee. Our waitress was attentive and helpful. I highly recommend Hashalom.

Hashalom is one of the few restaurants I’ve been going to consistently since I moved to Chicago 10 years ago. Since then they’ve upped couscous night from Fridays to both Friday and Saturdays, but that’s the only change I can recall.
As mentioned in other reviews, their soups are EXCELLENT. I’ve tried the Moroccan vegetable, split pea, navy bean, three bean and mushroom barley, and have never been disappointed. Pita provided for dipping as well.
I’ve also had their Moroccan and Israeli appetizers, couscous (both veggie and w/​chicken), and bourekas (which are wonderful, served w/​tomatoes, hard boiled egg and tahini on the side — potato is my favorite), and samples of whatever friends have ordered — stuffed cabbage and peppers, kabobs. All delicious, and tons of food for the price.
Save room for their awesome crème caramel and café au lait (frothed right in the mug and a bargain at $ 1.25).

Its NOT quite the Moroccan restaurant, but there are some good Israel Eats that have a home cook feel. Cozy wall deco.

Cash gets you great food there.
It is outstanding how basic meals can be so fantastic.
They use fresh and healthy incridiens.
It is very consistence, not fancy just very very good.
Anything I ever had there was fantastic.
I have been there about 20times since I got here.
Excellent Value, very inexpensive likes the rest of that area
A block down you can get a $ 5 «5min haircut»

The best thing about this menu was that the food is EXTREMELY affordable.
My friend and I got an Combination Platter and the Cornish Hen stuffed with Dates and Nuts, as well as the Rack of Lamb.
As part of the entrée, you also get a little side of pickled vegetables as well as a soup or salad.
The Combination Platter was out of this world, and the soup was amazing. However, I was disappointed with the other two dishes. The texture of the chicken was a little dry and stringy even though it was heavily infused with the flavor of dried fruits. The lamb was also a little underwhelming. Maybe I just have high expectations, but I’ve yet to find a place that has really cooked a rack of lamb to my tastes.
I also have to commend the waiter for being pleasant and delightful.
I’ll probably go back to try something else.
P. S. They don’t accept credit card. Be prepared!