Laurel Mediterranean Grill

Ahh Laurel’s. My husband and I were extremely excited to try this place out as it’s the closest and one of the few Turkish places in Illinois. Being born and raised in Turkey the husband knows his stuff and pretty much looks for it anywhere we go.
We first tried this place when it first opened in 2009, we were the only other table in the place, which was fine it was a week night and it was the first week after all. Fist off the place inside is very plain. I didn’t mind it as much but H was disappointed at the lack of Turkish flair. Not a huge deal and we got to the important part, the menu! We were a bit surprised at the lack of traditional items on the menu. We went ahead and ordered some appetizers and each got some kind of skewer/​kabob as our main course. The appetizers were good not top notch but pretty decent, but the main courses were a disappointment. The rice wasn’t fully cooked and the skewers were «meh.» We left full but sad faced.
Flash forward to December 2010! We decided to give Laurel’s another shot. It’s been a while since they’ve been open so maybe they learned from their mistakes. First off the drinks H decided to order a traditional Turkish drink called Ayran. The waitress looked a little confused and asked the kitchen about it. Apparently they were out and couldn’t make it/don’t make it every night. Ayran is water, yogurt and a little salt… but apparently it’s not offered all the time. Weird. Ok We move on with our American Cokes… the menu, still the same, little traditional offerings if any. Wait did we go to a french restaurant? Oh no, it’s still the same place. Ok then… We order up a few different appetizers and main dishes. I got the same main dish as before since I don’t care for steak or anything of the like at the restaurant. H orders some kind of pasta. The Appetizers are good particularly the eggplant spread and lahmacun. Thats about as Turkish as you’ll get. I get my entrée and it’s the same song and dance the rice is a little chewy, and H hates his pasta. We try to look at the positive side… baklava. Turks are KNOWN for the baklava. We ask if it’s fresh. Nope. It’s sent from a bakery in Michigan. Really? A Turkish restaurant with a Turkish cook can’t make their own? We skipped on that decision. On the way out H asked a very important question to who we think was the owner or owners wife. She was Turkish so H talked to her in Turkish. He asked her nicely if they were going to add Doner to the menu (Gyros). Her response? It’s too hard to make them. Every Greek restaurant you have ever been to including the hole in the wall Gyro places can do it. But apparently not a Turkish restaurant in Naperville. Even the villages in Turkey manage to make them. This is sad. We really really wanted to like this place, unfortunately I don’t think we’ll be back.
To skip the tl;dr all you need to know is:
This isn’t Turkish food. You’ll find better choices at any Greek restaurant.
ETA: I guess this placed is finally closed, can’t say i’m surprised. RIP.

Still the best thing going. I wanted a buffet so I ordered the whole shebang. The hommus is the best I have had in a restaurant. The lahmacun was out of this world. I could not get enough of it. I ate the chicken panini by myself with the homemade potato chips because I was that hungry. And the beef tenderloin sis kebabs were cooked to perfection. There were about 5 tables of guests at lunch. We need to pick it folks before this gem goes away!

I LOVE this place! Why aren’t they busier? They have fantastic food, I’ve never had a bad plate here… the hummus is delish and the lahmacun (flat bread with minced lamb) is outstanding! As another reviewer mentioned, they could sure use a make-​over, as the décor is a bit off… but the food is always on!

I love it the food so great! And tastefull great quality and as for the place very friendly waiter’s awesome atmosphere ill definitely will be returning

I love Mediterranean and specifically Turkish food. I’ve tried a lot of Turkish restaurants in Chicago and in the Chicago area and this is the best I’ve found, hands down
My family and I have come here repeatedly and everything I’ve had here has been good. The fish is typically fresh and delicious. The lamb shank is outstanding and the eggplant begendi (sidedish) is to die for. I could really just eat that as a main dish but the lamb is tasty as well.
Of course, as a frequenter of Mediterranean restaurants I love kebabs (Adana kebap is my personal fave), and they’re as good here as they are anywhere. I recommend a combo platter.
I’m surprised to see some negative reviews above, I’ve had consistently good experiences here but nobody’s perfect.

I’ve been here twice with my fiancé’s family who is Turkish. They always come back to this place because of how authentic and yummy the food is. The last time I was there I had the lamb shank (huge, meaty portion you could sink your teeth in) with begendi which looks like mashed potatoes but is this creamy eggplant concoction. SOOOOO delicious. The kazan dibi for dessert was also one of the most delicious things I’ve EVER had. Unique, and authentic. Looking forward to coming back here.

My wife and two kids enjoyed a wonderful dinner here to celebrate my wife’s birthday mid-​week. Business was slow — which really amazes me, given the flavorful food quality, friendly service and conteporary décor. The restaurant fits nicely into the modern/​upscale Naperville restaurant scene, while retaining its’ authentic charms and flovors.
We ordered one tradional dish, the Adana Kebab, which was one of the best I have had in a long time. I have had this dish in Turkey, and at Cousins in downtown Chicago, and it compares favorably. We also ordered a plate of scallops — which were good portions and served in a simple, yet tasty sauce. Our kids enjoyed some kebobs from the children’s menu and we all enjoyed the fresh hot bread that is served once you sit down.
The only thing holding this place back is the location — in a strip mall with Planet Fitness, Big Lots and Staples. If you can get past the location — you will have an enjoyable meal.

Food is mediocre. Had better for lesser price. It’s kinda pricey. Parking is easy. Outside dining available.
I would go somewhere else.

Never again! Zero (0) stars!
Went here to fulfill some kabob cravings and it did not. I ordered the beef/​chicken combo plate and it was dryer than the Sahara. Even the rice pilaf was dry. I used up the yogurt sauce («white sauce») to juice it up a bit. I had to ask for another which already came in a decent size container.
The wife ordered the beef kabob plate and her’s was too rare but was practically burnt on the outside. Looks like their grill master was merely a novice– maybe a rookie! The fire or heat on the grill was probably too high and looked cooked to the chef. They took it back to finish it off, and that’s exactly what they did– they might as well have brought it out in an urn because it was almost ashes. I had beef on my order too and it was totally different than her’s.
Only upside was the unexpected bread appetizer which seemed fresh and was tasty especially with the diced tomato concoction. Here’s the catch– they bring out a tiny portion of the diced tomato concoction and if you want/​need more, there’s a charge. So you basically get a serving spoon size sample.
Both of our plates came with a banana pepper and server said «sometimes it’s spicy and sometimes it’s not». Well that day they were both spicy! So it’s a hit or miss depending on your taste.
Ordered the appetizer sampler too (about $ 12?) — don’t bother with it. It’s basically beans with other nonsense: 3 pieces of fried calamari which were the ring size of a thumb ring and skinnier than onion strings, some pepperoni?, a spoon full of hummus without flatbread, some other non-​appetizing crap.
This place tried to be fine dining with a wine menu, Mediterranean/​Middle Eastern food cannot be that. We expect cheap food with good size portions without the nonsense.
We need a Pita Inn out here!

My wife and I have eaten here three or four times and although the business seems to be struggling, the food has been terrific. We had dinner last night with our son and his family and we all enjoyed the food and the ambiance sitting out on their patio area.
I had the seafood Ka Bob and it was excellent. The scallops were large, salmon cooked just right and the shrimp ok. Others at the table had the broiled half chicken which melts in your mouth and beytie ka bobs (very good). Our waiter was very helpful with good suggestions.
We were pleased to see that the business seemed to be pretty good last night unlike our prior visits. Not having to fight the crowds in downtown Naperville is nice and we hope they continue to have success.

We went here for lunch and loved it! We started with their complimentary eggplant concoction and bread. That in itself was good enough for me to go back for more. We went as a big group so I got to try a few items. I recommend trying the Lahmacun appetizer. Some described it to me as Turkish Pizza… but basically it is a soft flatbread with finely minced veal with tomato and lemon. The lemon gave it a nice zesty-​ness.
We also tried the Hummus. It was good but nothing really to write home about. The Kofte was good as well but my favorite was still the Lahmacun.
For my entrée I got the Lamb Kebab. It was served with rice and some bean salad. It was cooked just right.
I only wish I had room left to try the desserts. I think for my next trip back, I’m going to just make a meal of the appetizers and desserts!
It’s definitely worth a try!

I can’t say I’ve developed a craving for this place, but there is enough variety on the menu to keep us coming back to explore. My boyfriend and I used to live in the neighborhood and have enjoyed walking over here a couple times: Once on a Sunday evening when there were a couple of other parties dining and again a few weeks later on a Saturday evening when the place was about ¾ full.
The complimentary bread baked with some delicious seeds and spices served with roasted eggplant topping is delicious. It was enough to get us halfway full before the meal. We still indulged ourselves with the Su Börei, a feta and dill pastry, on one visit and Mucver, a fried cheese and zucchini treat, on the other. These all went great with the Mark West pinot noir I was sipping throughout the meal.
The grilled vegetable, hummus and rice platter is a great entrée. The hummus is creamier than any I’ve had before. I only wish there were more vegetarian options (maybe they could do something more with those delicious eggplants?). There is a penne arrabiatta I have yet to try because I haven’t been in the mood for pasta. If there were one more meatless entrée to round out my choices I would be so much happier. I just think it’s a pity I’ve wanted to try so many of the appetizers and wines (not to mention the desserts we haven’t had room for) but I couldn’t change up the entrée.
We had the same waiter, Jeff, both times we were there and he was reasonably attentive (there at the right times, not asking us how we were doing too much or too little). I live farther away now up in Wheaton, but I’m sure I’ll come back down here when I’m in the mood for a casual and reasonably priced meal that’s elegant at the same time.

Lunch visit was great. Fresh ingredients, meat cooked to order (med-​rare is seldom correct outside steakhouses) fast and friendly service, pleasant atmosphere. A welcome addition to the Ogden Ave dining scene.

Went with 3 girlfriends and myself to Laurel Grill last night.
It just seems that restaurants in that location never do well and this one won’t either. When we walked in at 6:40 for dinner last night, we were only the 2^nd table occupied. Luckily, there was another table of guests. I was rather disappointed, as other guests add to the atmosphere. We left at 10:35 and I think that whole evening the restaurant had only 12 tables of patrons total, on a Thursday night.
The atmosphere was entirely different than City Club, its previous owner. It was open and airy and a bit casual. The fireplace was roaring, but I had my back to it the entire time so did not get a chance to enjoy it. We started out with drinks. My margarita was very good as was the wine the others had chosen.
The waiter was friendly, but did not offer suggestions or any explanations on the rather foreign menu. We decided to order 2 appetizers to start, which were both pretty good. Before the appetizers arrived he brought a basket of delicious bread and an eggplant, tomato, carmalized onion spread, courtesy of the chef. If we had known that was coming, we wouldn’t have ordered 2 appetizers. Needless to say, we were pretty full after all that !!! We decided to split 2 dinners between the 4 of us and it was just enough food. We shared the chicken stuffed with apricot and almond. It came with a rather runny mashed potato and grilled vegies. I would say it was rather dry. The other entrée we ordered was the laurel grill, lamb in a dough that was baked that also came with mashed potatoes and eggplant gratin (very average). I tried both and can’t way that I was wild about either. For dessert we shared the pistachio baklava and had coffee and a rather good tea (which 2 loved).
On a whole, Laurel Grill won’t be long there either. It is too bad, as I would love to see something do well at that Iroquois Center location.

Our waiter James new what vegans were and our dishes were delicious. I was disappointed that the kids menu had no prices and choked when I saw we were charged $ 7 for some plain noodles in a bowl for my son, nothing else included. Family of 4 and a baby was $ 90 before tip.
My hubby the NY strip and said it was mediocre, I found all of the veggie dishes scrumptious — the hummus was mild and could use a little more seasoning.

My boyfriend summed it up pretty well by deeming this place «wicked mediocre.»
It’s been around long enough (since fall 2009) that they’ve had a chance to get in the groove, so when the young man asked me where I wanted to go to dinner the other night, I suggested Laurel Grill. We went on a week night, and there was one other couple in the place when we arrived; two other tables filled in over the course of our meal.
We were seated near a lovely fireplace, which contrasted the beachy two-​tone turquoise paint job. Other décor included huge blown-​up photos of olives glistening with oil and giant apothecary jars filled with pomegranates. It was generally hushed (obviously, with only a few tables full), and oddly remixed Edith Piaf songs playing on the speaker system.
Our waiter was a little scattered. He took our appetizer order, then disappeared to bartend; happily the other waiter manning the room took note of the fact that we were ready to order (and had been waiting a while) and stepped in. When the original waiter came back he was kind of defensive about it; we didn’t care, we just were glad it got done. He seemed to try to make up for it by hovering a lot for the rest of the meal, which was worse than the disappearing act.
The food ended up being a mixed bag, but the best thing we ate was the appetizer. They really are doing this dish a disservice by calling it «Chicken Tenders,» which calls to mind the children’s menu at TGI Fridays. These were chargrilled but still juicy, served with dollops of a delicious yoghurt sauce on the plate and wedges of orange; we squeezed the orange juice on the chicken and then smeared it through the sauce. The remaining sauce was also good to sop up with some of the excellent bread, dotted with black and white sesame seeds, that was brought before the meal and came with a bottle of olive oil for dipping.
The entrees didn’t fare quite as well as the appetizer. I don’t know why I ordered chicken since I cook so much of it at home, but the «Farm House Chicken Breast,» a house specialty stuffed with apricots and almonds, sounded intriguing. Besides, my boyfriend was ordering the other dish that sounded of particular interest (Sea Scallops with a red pepper sauce) and I didn’t want to order the same thing.
The fruit and nut filling of my chicken was tasty, with a kiss of cinnamon hinting at Moroccan influence, though the texture got a bit monotonous after a while; the chicken itself, however, was disappointingly dry.
My boyfriend enjoyed his sea scallops well enough, though he was expecting more pep to the pepper sauce (I think it was red bell pepper based; I tried part of one, and it was fairly tame, though it had a decent flavor).
The side dishes were forgettable: both our meals came with garlic mashed potatoes, which were pretty bland, and the mixed vegetables, aside from the carrots, looked positively gray.
Overall, it felt like if they had just tried a little harder and hit on all cylinders this place could be better. Maybe they weren’t bringing the A-​game since it was a quiet night. I most likely won’t return for a repeat performance; Laurel didn’t earn a laurel wreath from me.

I went to a birthday dinner here today and had a very nice time. The lighting was more traditional to an evening dinner than they show in the pictures. I have eaten at this location when it was City Club and I like the new remodeling. It’s very open and the lighter colors lend itself to a more mediterranean feel.
Between our party of six, we each got a little something different. The chicken was very tender and not grisly. The country tomato salad was VERY fresh. Perfect combination of spices, oil, feta cheese and tomatoes. The smoked eggplant gratin was not what I expected. It was more of a mashed eggplant texture with cheese melted on top. We got to talk to the owner who was very friendly as well. Overall, the food was wonderful. We brought along «grandma» who had not eaten Mediterannean food before and she really enjoyed it. None of our party ordered wine or beer but the menu seemed to have a good variety. We did not have the problem with the plates that another reviewer did, but perhaps they have fixed that since we came there. I recommend that you try this restaurant!

Kudos to Laurel for having the balls to move into a space where no restaurant has survived for an extended period of time. My parents moved to Naperville 25 years ago and it seems like everytime I visit, there’s a new joint by Kinkos in Iroquois mall.
I like this place. The food is authentic and well executed. I would like a heavier hand with most of the seasonings, but that’s a personal preference.
I don’t get why most of the entrees come with french fries. They have so many lamb dishes – but why all the fry accompaniments? Doesn’t make sense to me.
They also have pretty, but not practical plates that rock back and forth when cutting. Kinda bothersome. But nice/​friendly (not speedy) service, which I’m sure will improve as the life of the restaurant goes on.
Definitely the best offering this cursed space has had to date.

I took a group of friends here for my birthday dinner and it was a dissapointing experience. We used to go to this place when it was City Club and they completely re-​decorated. At first I liked the bright colors, but after awhile I felt like it was too bright. The restaurant is very open and airy and you felt self conscious when you are trying to have a conversation because it is so quiet in there. There weren’t a lot of other diners when we were there, so maybe as more people find out about this place that problem will solve itself.
We had an overly-​attentive waiter who was very eager to please us but it came across as being pushy which I did not appreciate. He was helpful when it came to ordering — he offered a few good suggestions and told us about a wine that wasn’t on the menu that we did order and that we all enjoyed. But this is when the good service started to go awry.
Our food took a really long time, which was okay — we weren’t in a hurry but if we had other plans I would have been aggravated about that. They had an eggplant tapenade with bread on the table to start with that was really good, so we skipped ordering an appetizer. For dinner, I got the Lamb Laurel, which was excellent. Other people also liked the kebab dishes, but the people that ordered the Chicken felt like it was overcooked and unflavorful. We were never asked if we wanted refills on our wine, but as we were eating we felt that our waiter and the busboys were hovering over us waiting for us to finish so they could grab our plates off the table. Speaking of the plates, most of the dishes come on these ultra-​modern, oval-​shaped dishes which were very hard to eat on. If you had a dish that required cutting of any kind, it was a struggle to cut your food while these plates moved around the table. Our waiter took a couple people’s plates from them as soon as they set down their silverware without even asking if they were finished — almost like they were trying to rush us out of there.
He did ask if we wanted desert, which we politely declined. However, he came back and said that the manager wanted to give us desert on the house anyway. I thought it was a nice gesture and he surprised us with some delicious baklava. But then again as we were sitting around and talking while enjoying our dessert they were hovering around us waiting to snatch up the plates. We felt like we couldn’t sit and enjoy each others company and they acted as though they needed the table though most of the restaurant was empty.
I liked the food here, but I think that they still need to work some of the kinks out and train their waiters a little better. The prices for their food and wine are pretty reasonable BUT they have $ 10.50 martinis which are very expensive considering that this place is not even downtown. I did like that the waiter offered to split the check for us, which is always helpful when you have a large group.

FIRST!
Just kidding… okay, not really but I had to.
I want to start off by saying Happy, Happy Birthday to My Cool Daddio. I took him out for his b-​day and he chose Laurel, a brand spankin’ new Mediterranean grill in Naperville. In fact, it was their first day open… soft launch style.
For the first day, there were a handful of things that could be improved but I still gotta give ‘em the 5 star treatment. If they hadn’t just opened, I’d prob give a 4.3 but they did a damn good job right outta gate, so I can give the upward bump. I mean, they don’t yet have their liquor license but the manager offered me a complimentary glass of wine in place (Does that mean you can BYOB?). I had finished my Caesar salad and the bowl had been taken away 5 minutes before they brought out a bowl of chicken kabobs that were supposed to be on the salad but got missed when the salad went out BUT it was for the better because I’m a veggie gal and totally missed the part about the salad having chicken on it and would’ve requested it without anyway… though they did look REALLY good. The food took a REALLY long time with only 4 other tables in the fairly large restaurant but for just opening, but I think it’s totally acceptable. I went to a Maggiano’s once that had been open for a week and the BF and I ended up waiting 3.5 hours (no joke), missing our movie, and only getting 2 glasses of wine and a small salad to go because they couldn’t get their sh*t together… and that was a Maggiano’s. Lastly, no dessert menu… yet. But they again remedied it by giving a complimentary plate of the one dessert they did have, and it was DEE-​LISH!
To start, we got bread and a cold eggplant, caramelized onions, tomato, and garlic salad. It was SO good. I think I ate a half loaf of bread because it was a good excuse to spread the eggplant salad on. We also got a zucchini feta cake over minty yogurt… it was phenomenal! The cakes were fried but they were so light and airy and I think I could have eaten 3 more plates of it.
For dinner I had the vegetarian plate which is a bed of steamed veggies over a TON of some of the best hummus, I’ve ever had. I would have liked to see more veggies or some rice or something else because a lot of the plate was hummus, but I was full when I finished. My Dad got the scallops with mashed potatoes, which he really liked, but I think the scallops needed to be larger or more plentiful and there needed to be another side.
The dessert was a rice pudding cakes with these donut pastries in syrup with dried dates, apricots, and nuts. It was pretty darn good.
The service was a bit shaky but our servers, Sarah and Stephanie, were so cute and oh so helpful. They rocked the house, as did the manager, who came to greet the table and was oh so friendly.
I will certainly be back… and I’ll be ready to be wowed, officially, hard launch style.