Place has good food. The management is a bit eh... They'll sit in the store around 2-4 when it's not busy and just stare at you. They've got some nice Porsche and benzs... I kno why too, the food lacks in quantity. Extremely expensive for some vegetable falafels that comes with hmm cheap lettuce some beats or something and rice. Make me yourself or forgo them. Overpriced and under spiced. read more

I have tried a number of Middle Eastern restaurants around Chicago and this was relatively overpriced with small portions for a casual take-out place. Unfortunately I compare everything to Pita Inn in the north suburbs - some might say an unfair but that is the high watermark. I ordered the meat combo plate and there was barely any food. A couple of small pieces of chicken, one shish kebab and a few small pieces of kefta. Was still hungry after the meal. And the taste, was just just above average. For $13, it was not a good experience. Most competitors would offer a similar meal for about $8 -$9, with more generous portions. Also, the service was not great. I got yelled at for not asking for my hot and white sauce when I called my order in. Hopefully my second visit will be better. read more

I enjoy lunch here as the menu is plentiful for middle-eastern / Mediterranean fare and the food is good, though pricey for lunch. The chicken shawarma is very good, and for a comparison, you will find it more flavorful than Naf Naf's chicken shawarma. The difference seems to be in the cumin and turmeric, where Naf Naf's is subtle, Cedar Grill's cumin and turmeric is rather prominent, so if you like a nutty, mustard flavor profile and a pronounced yellowish sauce, you will enjoy this shawarma. The gyro is typical fare, so does not appear to be homemade by them. If it is, kudos to them, because the regular gyro that is mass produced is just fine by me, with great consistency in flavor across different vendors. My one peeve about gyro is that often times, it is not browned enough, and the meat is limp and lacks that good, charred meat flavor and texture. Cedar Grill does their gyro right as far as this goes, and the flavor is quite good. It should also be noted that the portions of meat are generous in their gyro pita order. Their hummus is a bit ordinary, lacking any real citrus accent so it is more of a compliment to whatever is it with. I like my hummus to have a better flavor profile (again, comparing to Naf Naf, where Naf Naf's definitely has a lemony citrus profile, I find that to be very good against the subtle but savory profile of their shawarma). Cedar Grill's menu is much more than just pita sandwiches and fries (good fries, too!). While I haven't yet had the opportunity, I plan to try the rice and meat dishes, especially the kifta and kabobs. The falafel also looks good, as well as the salads, enough that I will give them all a try. Last worth mentioning is that they recently expanded their dining area to include a well apportioned space next door now connected to the original space. Dine in seating now is a problem of the past (this shop gets busy at lunch time, so a good move on their part). Overall, a great little lunch spot for middle eastern / Mediterranean fare. Grades: Seating / Atmosphere - B (ample and comfortable, but not luxurious); Food - B-plus; Service C (waits can be a little long, but the food is always fresh and hot). Overall, B. read more

I work nearby and eat here 1-2 times a week. They have the best shawarma around. The place is clean, looks modern and has plenty of room to sit down and eat there. My go-to items are the chicken shawarma wrap, the chicken gyro and the falafel Mediterranean bowl. Yum! read more

Reviewed Cedar Grill about 2 years ago and had a terrible experience. Fast forward to Monday 6/5/2017 and i was blown away. Have already gone back a 2nd time because the food is that good. Beef shawarma sammich and a 6 pieces of their delicous falafel with a delicious dipping sauce. Cant wait to go back! They did some serious work to this place and it shows in their food. 5 star eats! read more

The hummus was delicious! And the chicken shawerma was great. The pita was amazingly served and large. So why 'only' four stars? Well, the location sucks because it's so difficult to go west on Ogden when exiting. The chicken, amazing, was in a tiny serving. I will continue to come here. I love the food. Love the service. Everything but the servings and location. read more

I've eaten here at least 10 times, and it's always good. Very affordable and tasty. I love their chicken, especially on the honey mustard grilled chicken sandwich. read more

Food had better be great for how long a chicken schwarma sandwich and an order of falaffel took to be ready. May not come back. Ok the food is very good but the service sucked the day I went. If you own a restaurant with 30 seats it's probably better to recommend catering to a party of 18 that just shows up and tells you "this table is reserved for my group". Naf Naf is better, doesn't use a tortilla for a schwarma wrap, and they know their own menu whereas Cedar doesn't seem to. read more

Love the falafel. Menu is friendly to Vegetarians. Everything is always fresh and tastes homemade. Staff friendly and helpful. Prices are reasonable. It's not a chain. read more

YUM! The chicken shawarma is very flavorful, humus was very tasty and the falafel is good. Tip: Order sauces at the counter or on the phone before pick up. They get busy during lunch and you can wait 15-20 minutes for your food, especially if you get something fried! That's all good because it's FRESH cooking. The staff is friendly and the place is clean. I will come back. read more

The baba with chicken shawarma and pita was all good but not as good as naf naf in Naperville. I ordered take out. Cozy casual dining, friendly service. read more

Cedar Grill - Baba with chicken shawarma and pita - Middle Eastern Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

This place has good food. I stop here about once a month after work to get their big order of meat and rice. Soup included. Amazing

The wife and I had an early dinner here on a Saturday. I really can't think of anything negative to say. The service is fantastic. The menu is a bit more diverse than your typical falafel / kabab place. The food is awesome! I especially loved the soup that comes with the meals. I will definitely be returning! read more

Not bad for the suburbs! It was busy with the office crowd eating a casual lunch. My family shared these three things, for ~$30. Appetizer sampler (hummus, baba ganoush, falafel, toubouli) - the falafel was a big winner!! Nicely fried and very crispy. Delicious dipped in the hummus, which is slightly spicy from the seasoning & oil they put on top. The baba ganoush was very smokey flavored and smooth. The toubouli needed some extra lemon juice though. Chicken schwarma pita wrap - looks small, but it's very filling. Slather it with the garlic mayo! Rice plate with beef schwarma - tasty rice pilaf topped with beef served with a grilled piece of green pepper and tomato half. The beef was a bit dry and tough, but adding some of the garlic mayo made it taste better. read more

Usually my go-to spot is Jerusalem Cafe in Lombard but today I thought I'd try something new. It was perfectly fine until I came across not just one, but two black hairs in my schwarma bowl...YUCK. During these times especially things should probably be more sanitary than that. Back to Jerusalem Cafe for me. read more

I've been coming to Cedar Grill for years now. Everything I've tried has been solid, but the Chicken Shawarma is beyond excellent and is my go to here. It's worth the trip for just the Chicken Shawarma wrap alone. I stop in every time I'm in the area (which is pretty far from where I live/work) and make several detours/year just to hit Cedar Grill! read more

I was a huge fan of this restaurant under the previous owners. My first time back under the new owners, the restaurant had no running water and I was a little grossed out when I saw the chef use the bathroom and suspected he couldn't engage in proper hand hygiene. After talking to to a restaurant friend, who informed me that restaurants have back up plans for these cases (water outage), I gave them another try, feeling I had unfairly judged the new ownership. Stopped by the other day and I ordered a falafel wrap, and although the taste was good, the falafel seemed undercooked/mushy. They have a ton of good reviews, so maybe I caught them on a bad day, but I was disappointed. I say try it for yourself and decide. I may go back and give them another try someday. read more

My 1st time trying checking out this establishments, and I will definitely be a repeat customer. I ordered the chicken kabab plate. And it was delicious. read more

Just OK. My family kept on raving about this place, and I don't know why! I thought I could trust their taste buds better than this. Chose the chicken kabob plate with rice pilaf, and a side of lentil soup and some hummus to share. The chicken was actually decent, but the rice was so flavorless. Disappointing. There are so many other places to get better Middle Eastern food..but wait. We're in Downers Grove. Nevermind. read more

I'll be honest this specific style of food isn't one I'm familiar with but I will say its awesome! I've had the appetizer samplers, the shawarma , the falafel, and a couple other things. I've really enjoyed it all and the pricing is definitely reasonable. I've only ever done take out but I've been happy both times, definitely do recommend. read more

Don't Drive Passed That Sara Lee Outlet! A coworker is in town from FL and found this place... Yea, I don't get out for lunch much as I bring mine to work. We ventured out to the Grill today after my coworker had checked it out a couple days ago and loved it. I had the House Lentil Soup, Beef Schwarma with the added Hummus inside, and a piece of Baklava... Now that's not exacly what I ordered... My coworker that discovered this placed ordered the Lentil Soup & Greek Salad. Another coworker ordered the Lentil Soup, Hummus, and a Lunch Special. The owner was funny and helpful with taking our orders. When our order arrived an extra soup came out for me (w00t!) and 3 pieces of Baklava for us all (wu wu wu!)! This was totally awesome! The House Lentil Soup was bound to be good cuz it was free, right?! HAHA! Just kidding... It was actually Amazing! And I'm not saying that just because it was free! The Beef Schwarma was deceivingly small, but rediculously filling! And the flavors were spot on! I tried my coworkers Hummus and Pitas as well... Very good! The Pitas were not stale as mentioned in previous reviews. My other coworkers Salad was HUGE! Everything in it was fresh and crisp! He mentioned that it really didn't need much of the dressing as it had a great flavor already. We're sitting back at work as I'm typing this completely stuffed staring down this Baklava just waiting until we're able to taste it's sugary delitefulness! read more

After much nagging from my husband, I went to try this place. I am a HUGE fan of Naf Naf Grill in Naperville, and he swears that this place is even better. I did not agree; Naf Naf tastes much better to me. I tried the Chicken Shwarma, because that is my favorite thing at Naf Naf, and it was a completely different sandwich than what you get there - which I was fine with, but still nowhere near as good. Their Chicken Shwarma comes more like a wrap, with everything wrapped up in this warm pita. I like that it was easy to eat, but the flavor of the meat was missing and all I tasted was the hummus that was on my sandwich - which I did like. I was surprised when I ordered and asked for a side of fries that they told me that the fries are actually in the sandwich, along with pickles, hummus and tomatoes. The fact that there was so much in the sandwich made up for the fact that the chicken had little to no flavor, but I still wasn't a big fan of this sandwich. Both the pictures of the kabobs and other Yelp reviews have enticed me to give this place another try and try something different next time, so I will update my review when I do that. However, my advice is that if you are a fan of chicken shwarma - keep going and head to Naf Naf Grill - nothing is as good as theirs. One plus is that this place also has American food items (hot dogs & hamburgers) for the non-adventurous eater/children, which is great. read more

This is my favorite Mediterranean place to eat. This place is not not close to where I live, but I make the drive to get this food. I live over 30 min away. Everything is fresh. The plates are delicious- meat always cooked and seasoned perfectly, rice pilaf is so good and the garlic sauce is very favorable. I love the wraps as well usually can't decide on one, so order two and take half of each home. The lentil soup is great. Never had a bad cup. Hummus, baba ghanouj, tabuli, falafel is always fresh and oh so delicious. Chicken gyro is made fresh daily and once gone, it's gone. To sum up, quick, delicious, authentic food. read more

I work close to Cedar Grill but never noticed it because it seems rather hidden even though it's on Ogden. A coworker of mine suggested it so I thought I'd give it a go. The staff is very friendly and the food is fabulous! I didn't expect the presentation of the chicken shawerma when I ordered it on my first visit as it looks more like a sub sandwich or a wrap than what I'm used to, but it was divine. Very fresh ingredients. I went back today and tried a Greek salad. The portion was HUGE so I immediately got a to go box so I could have lunch tomorrow also. They have ACTUAL SILVERWARE if you dine in which is a nice touch for more of a classy fast food restaurant. I was kinda creeping on the other customers by checking out their food and it all looked amazing. I think I will try the tabouli next time I stop by. The prices are VERY reasonable especially for the large portions. I love this place! read more

WOW! This place is a gem in Downers Grove! I tried the Chicken Shawarma plate with a side of lentil soup. The hours are awesome and the location isn't too bad either. Decent size building and parking lot - which is ALWAYS a plus in my book! Now, the good part: the food! Simply put, it was amazing! I have only one other place in Chicago that can compete with the flavoring I had near Milwaukee and Ashland (on the north side), but I have to say that for the price, this may beat my favorite place for Chicken Shawarma. The lunch portion is enough as well to satisfy your hunger. I will be back here again when I'm in Downers Grove. read more

The outdoor sign is deceptively modern-looking. The indoor decor is from a decade or two ago, at least. I thought the food was fantastic! But that's because I knew what I wanted. My friend ordered a beef entree that he absolutely hated, and feels was overpriced. I wish they have been more helpful so that he would have enjoyed it as much as I had. I would definitely come back for the hummus wrap, and possibly the gyro. read more

Average restaurant and food. I went on a weekday arond 11 am, but i really didnt feel that the food or atmosphere stood out but 2.5 stars would be about the right rating. read more

Last thing I'd expect driving down Ogden St. in DG is a middle eastern restaurant. I discovered this hidden little gem by accident not too long ago and needless to say, I've become a regular. The food is just fabulous. Its both fast food and dine-in place with a wide variety of choices. The hummus, baba ghnoush are 100% authentic, the grilled meats are tender, well marinated and grilled perfectly. Don't be scared to ask the Chef (if he's around) to prepare something special. I know for a fact that he is a gourmet chef and often like to show off when complemented. The other day he prepared a special meal for me which was simply amazing, Grilled chicken with sour cherry sauce. read more

We love this restaurant! I've never had any problems with the food. We think their food is delicious. It's in a bad location. If you're not familiar with the area, you'll probably not find it. read more

Great middle eastern food! The chicken shawarma and kefta are my favorites. Babaganoush and hummos have that great fresh taste. The babaganoush has a distinctive smokey grilled flavor (most likely from the eggplants being grilled?) that I haven't ever tasted at other places. Falafels were tastey as well. Overall, one of the best places in the area to get a quick middle eastern fix. Food quality beats Pita House and Naf Naf hands down! read more

Cedar Grill - Food being made fresh - Middle Eastern Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

looking for a good restaurant can be a challenge. i search for quality products cooked properly with good customer service to feel relaxed comfortable good atmosphere clean and respected. i give cedar grill five stars because they have everything i want and the food is healthy and they're friendly. Awesome place! keep up the good work! read more

The only reason why they're getting four stars is because they're kind of pricy. Then again, you're getting quality food so, I guess you get what you pay for. The chicken schwarma anything is absolutely delicious, (get the garlic dip with it!!) lentil soup is awesome, and so far... That's all I have tried because I love the schwarma so much =) staff is polite, place is kept clean. read more

Cedar Grill - Chicken schwarma. - Middle Eastern Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

The Sampler appetizer platter gives you a wonderful introduction to Mediterranean food! Loved the crispness of the Falafel, smooth Baba Ghanouj and the fresh Tabuli rounded out the beginning of our eating adventure. We also had delicious bowls and wraps! We were appreciative of their using mostly paper goods! read more

If we have a taste for Mediterranean food, this is where we go. I'm partial to the smokey baba ganoush, combo platter (chicken, steak, kefta) and the garlic dip. My wife likes the chicken shawarma. The pita are hot, steaming and soft. I've often called my order in from the road and the food has been waiting when I arrive. Sometimes the meat can be a little dry -- best to eat it there, but that will have to wait until the 2020 restrictions can be lifted. Until then, I'll continue to support them w/ takeout. read more

A HIDDEN GEM! if you are looking for amazing Mediterranean, you need to come here . Nothing like this anywhere in the area is this good, and hummus is to die for ! I usually order for takeout but you can eat inside too read more

This place is so good!! I went here for the first time a few weeks ago because it's so close to where I live and was NOT disappointed at all. I went a little before closing for take-out and I was the only patron there and my food was ready fairly quickly and everyone was friendly. I got the chicken shawarma lunch portion and it was so filling and came with pita too. I loved their rice and chicken. Both were sooo flavorful. The hot sauce they give is really spicy and the white sauce is delicious. Will definitely go here again. It's a tad bit pricey and I really wish I was given more sauce on the side, which are the only reasons I gave it 4 and not a 5. However, I highly recommend going. read more

Cedar Grill - Chicken shawarma with rice, pita, hot sauce + white sauce (lunch portion) - Middle Eastern Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

This was our first visit and we were treated like royalty.... There are some tables to sit at and eat in the restaurant or you can take the food for carry out. There were three of us on this visit. We got the sampler platter and there was enough food for two of us to share. The hummus was flavorful and fresh, the falafel and stuffed grape leaves were fresh and tasty as well. My daughter got the chicken shawerma wrap and enjoyed it. The service was fast, the food was good, the owner was friendly and the pricing is fair. Ooooh, the rice pudding was yummy...it tasted like jasmine. Next time, we are getting the baklava. I've heard that it is the best! read more

Everything I had was delicious!! I had the artichoke chicken, which is a creamy sauce with artichokes and onions with shawarma chicken. I also had the appetizer sampler that included hummus, babaghanoush, grape leaves, and falafel. The apps for the most part were pretty standard, with the exception of the babaghanoush. That was REALLY good! Theirs is really smokey flavored, which made it better than most! The owner, George, was very friendly and explained the different dishes well. He gave me some baklava, and it was incredible. I will definitely be going back! read more

Cute little place. Food prices were in line for a fast food Arab place. Only complaint I have is the yogurt and cucumber sauce tasted like plain old mayonnaise. read more

The only med place I'll order from anymore. The hummus is the best I've had, and delivery is always super fast. We get it at least once a week and are never disappointed. read more