Old Jerusalem

Previous: $ 15 for 4 small pieces of bland chicken and gross iceberg lettuce salad. Save your money. Utensils and water cup had marks on it and table was sticky. Regret giving this place a shot.
Owners message:
«Im sorry to hear that, but when you come to old town don’t expect to pay 5 $ for your meal .i would love to tell you we have been in this place for 40 years maybe this explain something for you .
Stating that your food has no flavor and addressing cleanliness standards doesn’t warrant this «apologetic» response just because your establishment is in Old Town. We visited during the Old Town Art Festival, that’s why people are going through your doors. try harder. If it makes you feel better about your establishment, your server was nice (we still tipped him even though he forgot what salad we ordered 2x) and we still used your precious 40 year old utensils. I would rather have prepared grape leaves, hummus & taboule from Oasis Mediterranean Cuisine from Whole Foods over this! :)

Food was very good, cheap, and delivery super fast. Portions were generous, we’ll definitely order again.

I got grape leaves and shish tawouk wrap. The grape leaves were small with barely any rice in side. But they were still good. The same can be said about the wrap, there was barely any meat inside but still good. It’s a convenient location so I would order again because of that.

This Suburban dweller ended up in the city craving Middle Eastern food. I love old town and I love the interior of this restaurant… very cool. Not a huge place but very comfortable. As I read through the menu, there were so many options I didn’t know where to start so I figured I’d go with something pretty standard. I ordered the combination plate with shawarma, kofta and kebab. Baba ganoush to start. Now I may not be a connoisseur of Middle Eastern food but I know when something isn’t right. The baba ghanoush was disappointing in that it was a little too wet for me and a tad too salty. But alas I still had my combo plate to look forward to. The only thing I really liked on this plate was the kebab, even if it was overdone. The shawarma was too salty and the kofta was even more so… to the point where it was so distracting, I couldn’t eat any more.
I will say that this place is super busy and it seems like they probably get a lot of to-​go orders because the phone is always ringing as well as the fax machine. So maybe I just had an off plate. Though I’m not sure I’ll return to try again. The biggest disappointment was the pita bread. clearly came out of a plastic bag. Bummer.

I love their pita sandwiches here! Most recently I’ve tried their falafel sandwich and it was excellent. Freshly cooked falafel accompanied with sliced tomatoes, lettuce, & tzatziki sauce stuffed into a pita pocket. I’ve also been quite the fan of their lentil soup as of late. Accompanies nicely with any of their sandwiches and has that homemade quality to it.
If you’re looking for some actual protein, my go to is their mosaheb (chicken) or shawirma (lamb & beef) sandwiches. They also do plates if you’re looking for something heavier. Did I mention they’re BYOB?! Don’t forget to bring a 6 pack or bottle of wine as you please!
‘Til next time, cheers!

Best food I had while visiting Chicago! I love Middle Eastern food (especially hummus), and this was incredibly fresh, homemade and extremely tasty! I will be back on my next visit for sure!

Excellent food. Very fresh, consistent and flavorful. Take out is great, also. Best falafel in Chicago. Very good lentil soup. Service is excellent. Rice pilaf authentic. Tabouleh, baba ghanouj is flavored just right. Chicken Musaheb is a good dinner plate as well as the kofte. I go there often and never disappointed.

Love supporting local family restaurants! Obsessed with their Arayess (kind of a mini pizza on pita), shawerma plate yum, and kefta is everything!

This place is delicious. I’d recommend calling or dinning in because I totally messed up my online order– and what makes this place so great is that when I came in to pick up my food, he totally saw and understood my blunder and immediately fixed it. I will totally return here and will strongly encourage anyone to come and eat here. Great selection and a warm hospitable environment!

Cute little casual neighborhood spot! Stopped in for a late dinner (They’re open till 11 on Mondays!) and even though we were the only ones in the place didn’t feel rushed at all. Not fine dining by any means but great for a quick dinner stop in. Saw lots of pick up orders as well which isn’t surprising
Ordered the standards… Hummus, Baba Ganoush and Tabbouleh salad to start, then got the combination platter plus the Shish Tawouk (sp?) wrap/​sandwich.
The sandwich was amazing!!! The garlic sauce plus the pickles added a contrast of flavors and the chicken was juicy and tender.
Combination platter was decent although the shawarma on it was a little dry.
Starters were all standard and good, served with warm pita.
Their Baklava was excellent… clear that its handmade with a distinct essence of rosewater.
All around a good inexpensive pick in old town when you’re craving Mediterranean/​Lebanese food. Wish that there was a sampler option for the apps so that you can go there and not have to order 3 – 4 larger apps, but other than that no complaints

This is a favorite lunch spot! The wait staff is extremely kind and makes you feel like family. You can’t go wrong with the hummus platter or mousaheb sandwich.

Everything we had was DELICIOUS — they did not skimp on the spices. The baba ghanoush was nice and smokey. I loved my kefta sandwich and Turkish coffee which was like a thick espresso with clove.
This place is a fantastic value and BYOB!
FYI — CASH ONLY

BYOB in Old Town. Done.
Was looking for a place to pregame in Old Town that wasn’t sushi and stumbled across this gem. They take reservations, weren’t crowded when we got there (8:30 on a Saturday) and we were seated right away. Ambiance is super casual.
Food:
Appetizers–
Vegetarian Combination Plate– Hummus, baba ganouj, tebouleh, Jerusalem salad, 3 Falafel. Perfect to split between 3.
Lentil Soup– My friend orders this everywhere and said this particular one was one of her favs.
Entrees–
Greek Salad with Shwarma — Not as good as the one at Athenian room, SO much Shwarma which was nice. It was good, I‘d get it again!
Baked Kefta– We didn’t even know what kefta was but the waiter recommended this and it was truly the winner of the night (we got it baked in Tahini but also would have been great with the tomato sauce). The flavors complemented eachother perfectly.
Shwarma Sandwich– Comes in lebanese bread instead of typical pita (although they had that too) and was very good and a good size.
Staff was super friendly, corkage is only $ 1.50 per person, and location is prime. I’d definitely come back!

Super happy about this place. Now that I have a new work neighborhood, I’m trying and learning everything Old Town. This was good — great tabouli, although I prefer it a little dryer, and the shwarma was good too. Easy order online and pickup!

#21
Old Jerusalem was super yummy and delicious. I think I might have just discovered a new staple for my Chicago visits.
Old Jerusalem is such a lovely little restaurant. The space is replete with Middle Eastern culture. When you walk in you hear beautiful, regional music, you see gorgeous fabric murals and rugs along the walls along with other tiny art pieces. The staff is friendly, inviting and welcoming.
I knew I was in the right place for a late lunch. This is most definitely a «mom and pop» type place, and highly authentic. The staff makes you feel so welcome and does not rush you out of the place. It is as if they want you there, enjoying the food, relaxing and soaking in the atmosphere. This is the real deal… And I speak from a certain point/​place of knowledge ;)
We ordered the Combo Platter to start while we made several other choices. This lavish platter comes with Falafel (my absolute favorite), Baba-​ghanoush, Hummus, Tabbouleh, a delicious salad and of course – pita bread for dipping into all those wonderful spreads.
We also had the Chicken Kebob – yep, you guessed it – to die for! Nick got the Stuffed Grape Leaves and we made him share. Lauren ordered the Kefka Kebob and that was a super display of the right way to serve lamb. I went ahead and grabbed a (nother) Falafel wrapped in pita as well; because the falafel on the platter was so amazing I had to have more.
I seriously forgot I was in Chicago for a moment and had returned to the Old City for real… That is really saying something.
We completed our ridiculously amazing meal with a few baklava desserts, since the food was so super good we seemingly lost the art of «sharing» somewhere along the way and knew to order a few.
Wait… Did I mention the whole BYOB thing? I thought we only did that in Cali with wine. Not so. The corkage fee was nothing like we are used to in the Bay Area either. Thank you Old Jerusalem ;)
Stephani Smiles for Old Jerusalem ;)
#byobandbereadyforleftovers

Not that good. Beef shawarma was really dry as was the pita. Sandwich fell apart.

Cute little place with good food.
Arabic Coffee [$ 2.75] — Rich texture, bitter but smooth, sips of cardamom… Definitely reminded me of the times I’d hangout at my friend’s place and her mom would make us Turkish coffee. Something very comforting about this drink.
Falafil Sandwich [$ 6.25] — One of the best falafil’s I’ve had so far. Only complaint is, there wasn’t enough sauce in it (which was really yummy). So maybe just tell them when you order, because it does get dry, like other reviews mentioned.

Wowzers… I don’t usually like eating Middle Eastern food at restaurants… either they over cook stuff, the service sucks, or the food is bland and muted to appeal to the American palate. Not the case here!
It’s such a cute restaurant. There are little touches of the culture, but nothing overwhelming. Soft music, an embroidered mural, little pieces of art, it’s pretty and I like it. Add to that the fact that the food is all so fresh and comes to you super fast and I want to come back all the time.
So. I. Have. Been.
I come every week. It’s a family restaurant and you can tell. This summer I’ve seen the owner’s kids sitting quietly in their corners with their electronics or even rolling silverware (so adorbs!) and even a little old lady who I’m sure is the matriarch either sitting outside enjoying the sunshine or relaxing in her corner of the restaurant overseeing the excellent service!
But okay, ambiance and people aside, the food— oh dear sweet lord, the food. It’s like Aladdin, Genie, Abu and the magic carpet came and swept me off to Beirut– or dare I say Old Jerusalem :-p (see what I did there?) The flavors are authentic, the food– fresh, the mashawi (grilled food) are whoa, falafel is the best I’ve had this side of the Atlantic and don’t even get me started on the hummus… I want to kiss the hands of whoever made it and beg them, «teach me master».
Seriously though, if you want Middle Eastern food that is actually REAL Middle Eastern food, run– don’t walk to Old Jerusalem on Wells.

Easily one of my favorite restaurants in the area!
A no frills restaurant with straight-​forward service.
…and did i mention BYOB???
The sandwiches are great and all under $ 10. The babaganoush is the best I’ve had. The combos are huge and yummy! (my personal recommendation is the chicken kabob)
All the yummy eats + BYOB = definitely a 5 star review!

This place came highly recommended by the chaps at my hotel and it did not disappoint. I went from 70 degree weather to snow when flying in earlier in the day so wanted something to warm me up.
I ordered a bowl of lentil soup and side of tabouleh with bread. The soup may have been the best lentil soup I have ever had. It was seasoned perfectly and warmed me up. The tabouleh was fresh and delicious. I indulged a little and had a piece of baklava, also really good. Flaky and not too sweet just like baklava is supposed to be.
It’s a family run joint and you can tell. Friendly atmosphere, good food and very reasonably priced. I will definitely stop here again for some nosh when I’m in town.