The only thing i get is the wrap and it's always a 10/10. The potato fries are soo good. Gets extra garlic sauce if you want the meal to rock your world. They are always pretty busy so it's best you order ahead over the phone even if you plan to sit in. read more

I always ate at this place and the food is good. Their delivery is horrible. I waited for 1 hour and decided to call them when they told me they didn't have a driver to deliver it. They only refunded my money and never offer some free food and delivery for the next time. They want me to stop by the restaurant to pick up my food. What business is that? A good customer service would provide me with something to compensate for their fault! read more

New item- Funky Fish and Chips-We tried the new item on Cedars menu-- Funky Town Fish and Chips. Wow! A master piece for sure!! Charles, my husband said, this may even be the best fish and chips ever!! The fish was so fresh and light. The batter was perfectly crisped!! The three sauces that came with it, all complemented each other! Dare I say that my favorite part was the grilled lemon to use on the fish! The lemon flavor and juice popped right out! This was accompanied with the yummy very crisp special potatoes they make. We added their Kale salad! I strongly suggest you treat yourself in November, while this month's special lasts! read more

They have a new chef!I love love love their new Kale salad with sweet potato and nuts. The Hummus with roasted corn and mango is the best! The falafel is moist and delicious in a dill sauce, They have a limited menu right now but it is a must! read more

it was delicious it was better than I thought and the food was good, not too overtly price

I remember ordering Cedar's about a year ago and liking it, so I ordered it again yesterday for dinner since it was also slightly cheaper than the Nile and a short walk from my apt. My boyfriend and I ordered the chicken shawarma meal, which on GrubHub says that it comes with a bed of rice, veggies, soup of the day, and 1 side. We chose potatoes as our side. The food was done 30 minutes later and we went to go pick it up. This was a Monday night, so the inside was pretty empty and we were able to go in and out pretty quick with our food. The total was $28. First things we noticed as we opened up the plates were that there was no rice and there were maybe 2 veggies. So if you order from GrubHub, take note that the meal doesn't already come with rice. What was really disappointing was the main dish itself, the chicken shawarma. It was tough and I found myself constantly spitting out my food because it was all bad meat. My boyfriend's dish was the same. It was non-edible, so we threw pretty much all of it away. A complete waste of money. All we could really eat was the soup and potatoes. I will not be returning to this restaurant again. read more

This is one of the nicer restaurants in Hyde Park for many definitions of "nice." I admittedly haven't eaten a sit-down meal here in a while (if I'm going to have a nice sit-down dinner, I'd leave Hyde Park), but it's a place I wouldn't be embarrassed to take family, which is saying something for the area. I'm more familiar with them these days from the food that's sold at the UChicago campus cafes---the cauliflower/potato sandwiches have become one of my staple foods. The pita has the right amount of softness, and I wish I knew how to season cauliflower like that. read more

I caught these guys on a bad day. Service took forever and i had to find a waitress and bring her to the table to take orders and again to get the check. Few others were in the restaurant at the time. The table was dirty and gross. The food was fine, nothing special. read more

Ribs and Chicken are not something that I usually associate with a Middle Eastern restaurants. Especially when one considers Harold's is immediately next door to this place, why would I, the fried chicken fiend that I am, try out the chicken at Cedar's? To answer things delicately, I am living out a daily struggle to break my addiction to Harold's and his greased-up devil meat- so I need to take baby steps away from Harold's and get my chicken fix elsewhere. I have tried many things here and my reactions have run the gamut of either really disappointed to very impressed. One thing that I can stand by here is that Chicken and Ribs dinner plate. The chicken is a boring piece of breast that has been sauced up bright red- like a tika masala. The flavors are good despite using the wrong piece of meat. With no fat, and the way it is cooked- it is always dry. The saving grace for the meal comes from those heavenly short-ribs. I don't know what that sauce is, some kind of pomegranate infused au jus or something, but the sweetness goes so well with the smoky, earthy, meaty ribs that just fall apart with a pull of your fork. Hell- that sauce could go on my damn cornflakes in the morning and turn them good. If only I had cornflakes in the morning, or ever... Anyway, I use that sauce on everything that comes on the plate- including the chicken, which gives it just enough juice to keep it from grabbing hold of your throat as you try to swallow, causing you to choke and turning your face a similar color red. The restaurant itself is nice, but really loud. Not sure if it is because of the modern decor, and therefore a lot of flat, shiny, reverberant materials; or if Hyde Parkers just like to shout over one another- but for the simple reason that it is too loud inside for us to enjoy a peaceful meal, we always get our food to go. Luckily we live three blocks away. Oh yeah, my worldly wife really likes their kefta. Only second to my own in terms of flavor and how well it is cooked. That's right- I do a mean kefta! read more

I just created an account here to save people from going to Cedars! I just ordered from Cedars for the first time. I wanted to let Cedars know that I was highly disappointed. For the chicken shawarma, the meat was cooked like Indian food, which I don't mind the taste; but I have lived in the middle east most of my life and it definitely does not taste that way. Neither is it stuffed with the hummus sauce that left me not wanting to eat it. I had company over and for them I had ordered the Steak and Kebobs. The vegetables were so sloppily cut I was embarrassed to serve them! You can not tell me that people in Middle East cut the vegies that way! And I can get a much bigger steak for half the price at applebees, which I think I'm going to head to next time! And since when are the steaks cut in "L" shape? I was ripped off of 55 dollars and feel I just threw them away. All in all this isn't a place I'm buying at next time, neither am I recommending it to anyone in hyde park. No stars! (Check out my photos if you're not convinced!) read more

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Cedars Restaurant is actually good food, not just good food for Hyde Park (which is almost an oxymoron) but darn good food. Kimbark Plaza, where it is located, is very run down and looks pretty unappealing from the outside. (And if you make the mistake of going in Leona's -- from the inside as well) However, once you step inside it feels as if you have been transported out of a hideous strip mall to a cute downtown restaurant. Cedars is stylishly decorated with a great open kitchen that includes a wood fired grill -- pretty impressive for a strip mall. The food is also some of the best Mediterranean food you can get in the city. The hummus is outstanding but their specialties like the Lemon Chicken are to die for! Its also a great place to bring vegetarian friends as they have a VERY vegetarian friendly menu. As others have mentioned it is also BYOB, so on top of being incredibly reasonable, you save money by going next door to Kimbark Liquors to get your wine! Bottom Line: This place is worth traveling to Hyde Park for... which is saying something. read more

The Yelp reviews were what influenced my friend and I to stop here for a "quick" lunch on our way to the 57th Street Art Fair. There was nothing quick about it, nor was there much of anything discernibly Middle Eastern about this restaurant, other than the name. Based on the reviews I started with the lentil soup. Whoever says this soup is delicious is delusional. It was ok enough, but more a consistency of water than soup, and there certainly wasn't much lentil to it. My friend had tabuhle, which was a generous serving and tasted pretty fresh. It also tasted like too much oil, way too much parsley and not enough bulgher. Then, something seemed to get lost in getting the lamb + beef/schwarma sandwich to me which I had ordered. Waited..the server finally stopped over to tell me it would be soon. Waited. It finally came. I asked for tahini and hot sauce, I was brought tahini and salad dressing. The schwarma didn't have any discernible lamb taste, and some parts looked like chicken. After a 30 minute wait, it was questionable as to what they had actually done to produce this sandwich. Tasted more like fajitas than schwarma, maybe that was what the cook knew. I lived in the Middle East and my friend is from Lebanon. She explained the name Cedars makes it a Lebanese restaurant. Apparently, any Lebanese involved headed for the hills long ago, and they took their lamb with them. Apparently they lost their abacus as well. When the server brought my change, she shorted it 45 cents! read more

For those of us living in Hyde Park, good food is hard to come by. It should automatically be assumed that most restaurants in Hyde Park that recieve a 4 or 5 star rating are actually 2 or 3 star quality. Context matters in all things, and food is no different. Cedars is an excellent example of this "inflated" rating system that envelops Hyde Park reviews (I'm guilty of it myself). Is Cedars a good place to eat? Yes. The space is very cute and conducive to a relaxing dining experience. Is Cedars a 4 star dining experience? No. Unless you only eat in Hyde Park (which is where the inflated ratings come from). Sorry, but I've been to too many restaurants in this city to place Cedars next to them. I do not recommend Cedars for group dining. First off, they don't have any round tables, so the group can only spread our horizontally. Meaning, the more people in your group, the more polarized and isolated the conversations become. Second, and this is something that Cedars does not tell you when making reservations, once the group becomes more than 10, your dining automatically becomes "family style". In my experience, we weren't given options, they just brought out our food. And it was a lot of food! But what if you don't want as much as they bring you? Too bad, you have no choice. The result is a bill that can be well over $20 when individually a dinner at Cedars can easily be $10 and under. This aside, Cedars is a great choice for those looking for good mediterranean cuisine at a descent price (except if you go in a group of more than 10). Cedars is also BYOB so be sure to drop-in to Kimbark Liquors before and pick-up some wine. read more

Cedars is a Hyde Park gem. The hummus is creamy, pita bread soft & warm, and portions huge. Lots of veggie options. I got the cauliflower and eggplant sandwich for $4.50! Crazy cheap for a very yummy curry-like veggie pita sandwich plus a salad and french fries. I just wish I had ketchup for the fries, but I was afraid that would make me an uncultured American. I was so full at the end and there was plenty to take home. It's BYOB, which we were not aware of, but next time-- and there will be a next time-- we're bringing a bottle of red. Edit 6/15/08: You cannot compare Cedars to Zaytinya--that's like comparing McDonald's to Ruth's Chris and wondering why people still like to eat at McDonald's. It's cheap, that's why. Living in DC, I've been to Zaytinya many times and it is probably the best Mediterranean food I've had (although I will qualify that by saying I've never been to an eastern Mediterranean country). Zaytinya is a fancy restaurant--trendy decor, cocktails, a fashionable crowd (well, as fashionable as DC gets), a famous chef owner (Jose Andres), and high prices. Cedars is a neighborhood restaurant where you can wear jeans and flip flops. Six dollars at Cedars gets you a huge meal while you drink your own bottle of wine. Six dollars at Zaytinya gets you 1/2 cup of (the most delicious) hummus and a glass of water. PS. They also deliver, which is great. read more

Since this place moved to their new Hyde Park location, the interior is WAY cuter and more stylish. Same food. It's adequate, but I've never been overly impressed with it. It's BYOB, which I love, and there is a convenient wine store nearby. I'd go here on a group consensus, but would probably not seek it out myself. More "modern" middle eastern food - a.k.a. Lebanese - than traditional. read more

Good old Hyde Park. I'm happy to have migrated to the north side but I really miss some of the neighborhood gems like Cedars. This is some of the best Mediterranean food I've ever had, especially for the price. Everything that I've tried here has been fresh, unique and flavorful. All of the usual suspects like hummus, lamb kabobs and falafel are great. They have daily soup specials and an extensive menu to choose from. Cedars offers a great selection of small plates and appetizers that are plenty big to pass as hearty meals. One of the benefits of dining near a university is that the neighborhood restaurants understand college kids are trying to stretch a buck. I recently ate here with a large group and we ordered one of the family style meals- everything was delicious and plentiful- it's a great way to sample a variety of dishes and leave with food for the next day's lunch. This place is also BYO which is AOK in my book. There is a huge liquor store in the same shopping center so if you like booze with your tabuli you're in luck. Cedars bonus: If you are a member of the Barack fan club like me, after a filling meal at Cedars, you can meander the 3 blocks or so to casa Obama. Don't worry about the black SUVs hanging around, in fact, if you're like my mom you can even wave to the "undercover" secret service and let them know that you are huge fans of the future pres. The house is beautiful, classic and understated. I get a warm fuzzy feeling thinking about having a leader who comes from the diverse and middle class Hyde Park hood- you won't find any gated communities here! read more

I am trying hard to find a story to tell about my experiences at Cedars but really nothing comes to mind.....damn...a bland review.... I guess it's just the sign of an honest "ok" place. Hence the 3 stars. I really can't complain about this little restaurant conveniently located 3 blocks from my place because everything I had here has always been good. I tend to always get the lamb kefta kebabs though; they are really tasty and come with two sides. It has become a take-out staple for us, and a very reliable one: good and cheap. Feed the beast. Straight to the point. I actually don't like eating on-site because it tends to get really loud and pretty cold in any season. I prefer eating my meat in front of my fireplace. Call me asocial if you want - I don't care as long as I can feast on my skewers. read more

As a person who used to live near Kedzie and Lawrence, a haven for some of the best middle eastern restaurants in town, I have experienced some highly enjoyable Mediterranean fare. But that is decidedly not what you will get at Cedars. What you will get is a strip mall-like atmosphere, fast-food type servers (friendly but very inexperienced), and just average food. And maybe even below average food. We started with the Mediterranean salad: mixed greens with fresh vegetables and feta cheese topped with house-made vinaigrette. This was so boring I nearly fell asleep head first into the lettuce leaves. An utter disappointment. We also ordered the lebna, a Mediterranean soft, creamy cheese, topped with diced roma tomatoes and olive oil. This was also boring and tasteless. Sadness ensued. Finally, we ordered the spit-roasted lamb & beef. I chomped down on a bone on my first bite. And...we're done here. There are so few restaurants in Hyde Park. If only there were some good ones. ~sigh~ read more

Second time in 2 years, both times, anniversary. Food is good but a solid 3.5. 4 because corkage is FREE! Way to go, I love places like that. We ordered the sampler, good dolmas but I'm not really a falafel fan and I don't get how people get so enamored with those fried balls. They're slightly savory but not really outstanding in flavor or texture. Kinda MEH. The Jewish vegetable salad (side) was excellent, as was the lentil soup. The lamb curry (12.50) was delicious, a solid 4 star. I slurped up the gravy The pomegranate beef and lamb was far too sweet and lacked refinement and complexity. I had to wash it down with water; not good. Baklava pistachio and regular were good, regular was much better though. Nice they offered to give us half portions of each. read more

Ate here recently...good conversation, okay food. Started off with crispy falafel (which was tasty) and for my entree I had Chicken Shawerma which was just okay. In my opinion I have not had any chicken shawerma that taste better than the Nile (also in Hyde Park). The person I was with had the eggplant stew with lamb which I must say was delicious and when I return to Cedars, that is what I will get next time. Good atmosphere, service was so so. It took awhile for them to bring us our food but it was hot and fresh. :-) read more

We are new to Hyde Park and trying to eat at all the restaurants in our new neighborhood. Cedars is so far number one in our book. We love their hummus. read more

The sandwich lunch special looks and tastes like it cost more than $7.99. Large, fresh, portion; and it's fairly healthy, too. Even the fries that come with didn't seem greasy, if that is possible. I was there awhile ago but I remember the place is clean and service attentive. I felt like it took awhile to get lunch, but that could have been because I was with my boss and I didn't have much to talk about. I would go back. read more

Love the lentel soup, they have good customer service, great food in general, the price is good and very clean place keep up the good work read more

Cedars Mediterranean Kitchen - Awsome lentel soup - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Okay, let me start by saying I feel guilty for giving the place 3 stars. The friend I went to eat with lives nearby and loves it loves it here. But I suppose that doesn't mean that I have to. There's plenty of parking in the lot, and a liquor store next door, so parking and BYOB isn't an issue. That's nice. But...I met my friend inside and we literally sat there for 25 minutes drinking water and nibbling on pita before my friend flagged down an employee and asked if we had a server. The employee said "Let me check" and returned saying "Your server is busy but I can take your order if you're ready." We were, of course, having had 25 minutes to study the menu. We both ordered falafel sandwiches. They came, after what seemed like an absurdly long time, and they were good, but my friend mentioned that every time she comes, her veggie hummus pita is made differently....sometimes with some kind of red saucy stuff, sometimes with traditional yogurty stuff, and this time it had neither of those but it did have zucchini...she said she'd never seen that one there before. More plusses...once the food arrived, it was good. The restaurant is pretty. The bathrooms were clean. The server, once we got one, was efficient and nice. And oh, holy cow, was this ever cheap. read more

The food is great and the service is wonderful also. My favorite dish is the chicken shawarma platter! Absolutely delicious!

One of the nice things about Hyde Park is the diversity of its cuisine. From Thai to Italian...or, in this case - Mediterranean, one has a plethora of choices. I often find myself dining here for a variety of reasons: 1. The restaurant is very nicely decorated. Soothing colors, nice comfy seating and a 'chill' atmosphere. 2. The food is actually quite good. They have a variety of dishes, some familiar and not so much. All, quite satisfying. 3. The food is moderately priced and very plentiful. A dinner often nets several meals! That said, if you want to escape the hustle and bustle of the "loop" ... read more

I am not sure what happened here. We noticed many small maintenance items being left undone around the seating area. Things like missing vents and light bulbs burned out. The food was o.k., not what I expected after the other wonderful visits. The server was overwhelmed with too many tables and no support from anyone else. Where was the manager or owner? I am giving the stars and hoping my experience was a one off. read more

This place has five-star potential. The food was well seasoned and flavorful. However, on a slow night, our waitress was terrible. My food arrived cold. Mostly because our waitress was chillin'. Pros: lentil soup! The food was fresh. Cons: bad waitress, waitress drowned my salad in a house oil/vinegar dressing w/o first asking if I wanted it, and she seemed a little spacey. I'd come back because the food was so f*cking good. read more

I've walked past this place for YEARS!!!! I never wanted to try it - I would make a straight line to the Harold's next door. BIG MISTAKE!!!! We had dinner there last night and I must say it was GREAT!!!! Pro's: BYOB (and we didn't get charge a corkage fee) Fantastic Chicken Great Shrimp Good prices Con's I'm a pretty big guy and I felt like my chair was about to break. Besides that I shall return. Big guys...and gals get a BOOTH. lol... read more

This is a very big deal for Hyde Park. Cedars has rebooted since the death last year of Sukhi Abdullah, the founder of this 25+ year-old Hyde Park institution. Sukhi's son, Amer (who graduated from the nearby Univ of Chicago) opted to take over the business and recruited Chicago chef Amado Lopez from the Rick Bayless empire. The result is very promising. To be honest, I hadn't been to Cedars in a few years because it was not that exciting. In particular, the falafels were famous but I didn't like them as much as others in the area. But neighborhood enthusiasm has been building as people have been tasting the new dishes. So we picked up an order for a big family take-out and tried about a dozen items from the menu. To make a long story short, there are some truly spectacular innovations among the stalwarts that were good but standard. The Savory baked flat Za'atar Mana'eesh bread, arugula, tomatoes, onions is a must-order delicious Middle Eastern pizza and at $7 is an incredible bargain because it is the better part of a meal in itself. I imagine the lamb flat bread is even more satisfying but we have to try that next time. The roasted eggplant with pistachio and feta and the seared salmon were subtle and interesting dishes that point to the fact that something way beyond neighborhood falafel is happening at this restaurant. The Grilled Lamb & Beef Adana Kefta was basic but delicious and tender. We actually didn't order it, but somehow they sent it along with our other items. So we ate it. :) I feel like this could go in an increasingly innovative and exciting direction and we plan to check back soon to see what's going on. read more

Great service- awesome lentil soup, generous substitute for pita bread for gluten free people- they gave us a huge plate of vegetables for their complimentary baba ghanoush. read more

I think those of us who live in Hyde Park are spoiled by the great food available in our neighborhood. I've eaten at Cedars probably 50 times and am just now writing about it. The food is great - fresh, hot, great spices and textures. I always order the Kefta Kabobs. Yummmmm. The hummus could be eaten with a spoon and the falafel is addicting. We eat here often....and so should you! read more

I went here for the first time in years and I have to say that I was not missing out on much. I had the seafood kabobs with rice and veggies and the egyptian lentil soup. We also had the falafel appetizer. The egyptian lentil soup was surprisingly pretty good though I thought it was a little too salty. The falafel appetizer was also pretty tasty. Unfortunately my main dish was not good at all and I believe I had the worst tasting scallops I ever had in my life! They were rubbery and tasted slightly of dirty dish water. The salmon was okay but pretty tasteless and the shrimp was again okay. The rice was meh, I only had a few bites of it. The veggies were good, though not very tasty, I just happen to love veggies so it would take a lot for me not to eat them... ^_^ What was extremely off-putting (so much so that I almost informed the management), was that as they cleared a table right next to us, they thought it was okay to spray (from a freakin aersol spray can) this strong smelling cleaner all the over the table while we were eating. wtf?!?! seriously, as if my dinner could be less appetizing!!!! One good thing about the place is that it is BYOB with no corkage fee.... read more

The food is great, I prefer a little more spacing between the tables so that I can refrain from eavesdropping on other people's conversations but whatev. Cedar's is a hyde park gem. I have had their pita sandwiches that my work caters regularly and they are awesome. But I had never been to the restaurant and never tried their dinner menu. I loved it. Thumbs up: 1. Appetizers: great mediterranean grilled shrimp! 2. Main course: great pan-sauted lamb was tomato heavy but it was good. Also good was their lemon-garlic chicken. Both come with soup. Lemon chicken soup was delicious. 3. Service: Our server was nice and friendly. Thumbs down: 1. It feels like they stuffed a lot of tables in a small space. Please be aware if you are claustrophobic :P read more

I think that this is one of Hyde Park's little secrets. Too much to go on about but just think of the best of city dining without the attitude and a genuine interest in your visit. The food reflects the best of the Med. I will definitely be going back down there soon! read more

Love this place! Food is so good and uniquely Mediterranean. I had the pomegranate chicken wings and cauliflower dish. My sister had the salmon and it was superbly spiced. I also had the pineapple-cheese hareesa which was yummy as well. I will definitely be ordering again and again. There are many Mediterranean restaurants in Chicago but this is by far my favorite. All of the dishes have a unique twist on traditional recipes and are truly mouth watering. Highly recommended!!! read more

Are are the reviewers for Cedars insane? Or maybe just overly optimistic when it comes to good Med food. Sorry to break it to ya, but this place is average at best. Now, I'm not from the Middle East, nor am I from Chicago. I'm from Pittsburgh. So what does a Pittsburgher know about Med food? Not much. But... I can recognize good Middle Eastern food when I have it. And sadly, this ain't it. I ordered the Lentil soup that is supposed to be out of this world. It was tasty but nothing that I will remember come tomorrow. And the cup really is a small cup. I also ordered the Baba Ghanooj as an app. All I have to say is "Ehh... just ok." To make it worse, the pita were microwaved so while they did come out warm and soft, but you know what happens when they sit for awhile. By the end of my meal, they were cardboard. And finally a falaffel sandwich. Again, just ok. The falaffel's were fried too hard. I hate it when they're super crunchy. Makes me feel like I'm eating my mom's overdone tater tots back in 3rd grade. The sandwich came with the Cedar's "homestyle fries". Not sure what that's all about. I checked with a friend of mine who moved to the US a few years ago from Lebanon. He couldn't think of anywhere that potatoes were done like this as part of a meal. Oh well, perhaps Cedars is trying to cater to the non-Med-food-eating crowd. So, I dunno what all the fuss is about. I've had much better Middle Eastern fare (for example, check out my review for Zaytinya in Washington DC). Maybe in Hyde Park your choices for this kind of food are slim. I realize I'm in the minority when it comes to this review so I'll probably be ignored. It's ok, I won't take it personally ;) read more

If you're looking for kabobs in Hyde Park, this is the place. It's quite trendy and more upbeat compared to all the restaurants on the same street eastbound. read more

I hadn't been here in a while so I decided to stop by one of my favorite spots. The first thing I noticed was a change of menu and that it has been shortened. I ordered the chicken masala which had great flavor but was slightly dry and the portion was small for the amount. read more

I'm not a huge fan of Mediterranean cuisine, but I often order from Cedars to cater lunches at work- and they are always a HUGE hit. They have such nice vegetarian options as well. They always do a great job recommending serving sizes for our group #s, they are on time, friendly and easy to work with, and we will just keep on ordering from them. I've been to the restaurant once- and it's very lovely inside. I'd venture to say one of the nicer places in Hyde Park. read more