Crystal Lake Junction

(49 reviews)

14.4 mi

Shawarma Stop delivers solid food with generous portions and the bold flavors you expect from this…read morestyle of cuisine. While the prices feel a bit on the higher side for what you receive, the quality and preparation still make it a dependable option. As far as fast, casual authentic cuisine goes, it's a strong and satisfying choice.

I ate too fast to let the camera get the first bite, but I was able to catch a few photos of the…read morerestaurant and outside. Here's what I can tell you... this is the equivalent of the Mediterranean chipotle and it's a stunner. The shawarma, falafel, and all the various toppings like baba ghanoush, hummus, tabouli salad, cucumber yogurt salad, and tahini salad were flavorful, fresh, and a great complement to any of the dishes. The house made baklava was good, though my wife thought it was a little dry for her taste. I loved it. The crew here were also very patient, especially since we had a ton of questions. We'll be back here soon and my wife has already been back several times.

Dinning Room

Spicy AF Hot Sauce

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Pita Pita Mediterranean Grill

Great place for Mediterranean food with basic dining. You go in and order, then when your dinner is…read moreready, they bring you your food. In a strip mall, yet comfortable cushioned seating inside and plenty of it. You can get a choice of appetizers such as falafel balls, hummus, or loaded fries. Then they have a wide variety of mediterranean wraps or pita sandwiches - both meat and vegetarian. There are a few choices of salads - all made fresh. Finally, there are entrees of all types. I tried the veggie platter and got falafel, hummus, baba ghannouj, and salad along with pita bread. There's even a shawarma bowl. For drinks, there's a machine with all sorts of choices. The food was filling; in fact - we all had to take about 10-20% of our dinners home with us!

07/23/25 - It's not my first rodeo at Pita Pita Mediterranean Grill (PPMG). After an afternoon of…read moreshopping @ Woodfield Mall we were hungry. My wife suggested looking on Groupon. What I found was a $40 dollar value meal for $20. I've eaten at this Pita Lita Mediteranean Grill before & @ this Palatine location on multiple occasions..Pita Pita has multiple locations. Their food is very good both my wife & I ordered the mixed meat signature plate for $19 a piece. This dish comes w/a very good variety of meats like chicken & beef shawarma, grilled chicken, grilled beef & beef kifta along with/a Mediterranean salad, yellow rice & 4 - 1/2 pocket pitas perfect for making a pita sandwich. We took the 1/2 pita & put a variety of chicken, beef, salad & yellow rice & topped it w/tahini sauce & hot sauce. This made an excellent pita pocket sandwich. The mixed meat platter makes for an excellent meal w/generous sized portions & excellently seasoned meal. In fact we had left overs so I will have lunch tomorrow. The Groupon made a good meal even better because we were able to order 2 excellent meals for $20. PPMG has multiple locations all over Chicagoland. This one was in Palatine off of Dundee & 53. I've also eaten @ the Rolling Ghetto & Lombard locations. I see they also have locations in Des Plaines, Chicago (closer to me), Skokie, 200 W Randolph (no parking). Good solid Mediterranean food & made even better by Groupon

Coke Machine

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Karachi Kabobs

Karachi Kabobs offers a variety of entrees and wraps. We tried both the Chicken Boti and Beef…read moreBihari kabob dinners along with a take out of Haleem. The Beef Bihari was authentically good and generously portioned. The Chicken boti was big boneless cubes of breast and flavored nicely along side 2 chutneys. We had the Haleem the next day. That too was very good and full of perfectly spicy flavor! The owner is very friendly and even checked to make sure we liked our meals. This is a good place to eat a nice fresh halal meal!

Loved the food and service. It was fresh and warm when served. Taste and flavors were authentic.read more

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MazMez Middle Eastern Grill

Still the best in Chicagoland. Love the food and the folks that run it. Best lunch special,…read moredelicious rice, amazing baba ganoush, and do not forget the GARLIC SAUCE!!!!! Btw: Congrats on the new location in Wilmette! See you soon!

Food was amazing! Got the chicken kebab plate and shawarma over hummus! Yummy food will be back…read moresoon!

Dining space is decorated well

Chicken and rice

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Sahara Palace Restaurant

The presentation of the food when served to the table was so pretty…read more The humus is so creamy. The gyro meat had the richest flavor. The salad was crisp and fresh. When you go to enjoy the verity of Mediterranean food, be sure you are hungry, because the portions are large.

I ate two of the falafels before I decided to make a review! The baba ganoush is smokey and…read moredelicious and light, some of the best I've eaten. The falafel is delicious, and not greasy. Everybody rants and raves about the hummus which is accurate. The only downside is that it does take a bit of time to receive your order, this is definitely not fast food. However the upside is everything is made fresh in house and is completely worth the wait

Behind the counter. Very pleasing open area and colors with Middle Eastern touch from the Holyland.

Beef and chicken and rice

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Front door

Pita Pita

I ate here with a friend who orders on a regular basis, and I really liked the food!…read moreWe had kefta sandwiches, baba ganouj, Jerusalem salad, and some falafels. It was made to order and came out nice and warm (not the salad!) and everything was very tasty! We dined in and the dining area is spacious and well lit. We are regular Pita Inn diners and the food here was a touch better but also a little more expensive, but it was well worth the cost. If I want Mediterranean food and am out this way, Pita Pita is where I will come to.

I absolutely love Mediterranean restaurants, so when I saw this was near my hotel, I stopped in for…read moredinner. Their menu is loaded with all the popular items (kabobs, shawarmas, etc), so chose their chicken shawarma bowl. The lady helping ring me up explained how it was made and that sounded great, which was the garlic sauce (sort of like toom) was on the bottom with the rice on top, salad next and then the protein on top. So, this is what I ordered. It was made fresh and came out piping hot. The rice in the dish was bland and the chicken was slightly more flavorful, which means it was basically bland as well. The garlic sauce and the salad were the best two flavors on this dish and I tried to grab some of that in each bite. I wasn't too impressed with the flavors of the chicken shawarma at all, but then again I prefer flavorful and authentic food and can't stand when ethnic restaurants cater to "Americans" by making their food less spicy/authentic. The place was rather busy when I went and the dining room was kept clean. Service was friendly. I'd recommend this place to those who don't have high expectations for spice, rather are looking for a nice experience.

Interior

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Exterior

Shawarma King

If you have never had middle eastern cuisine before then you're missing something that the taste…read morebuds will definitely enjoy and what is it you're wondering. It's shawarma and the authentic taste of what comes together in an explosion of taste and flavor is undoubtedly delicious when you walk into the shawarma king your nose signals to the brain to get your taste buds ready if you're not already salivating over the smell. But once you've taken a bite you'll definitely come back for more and you will not be disappointed i have told plenty of foodies that are looking for something different besides the typical burger and pizza, so give shawarma king and your taste buds will appreciate it

Amazing shawarma spot! The food was incredibly fresh and full of flavor. The meat was perfectly…read moreseasoned, tender, and juicy, and the portions were very generous. The pita was warm and soft, and the toppings and sauces were spot on--everything tasted authentic and well made. The restaurant was clean, the service was friendly, and the staff made us feel very welcome.

Jerusalem Salad

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Fruit flavors drink

Kosta's Gyros

Great food and service. Never been disappointed. They do charge extra with debit and credit cards.read more

This place knows how to make a good hot dog. The dogs are tasty, the toppings are fresh, and the…read morefries definitely deserve some attention too. That said, it's one of those places where you leave happy... but also wondering how a couple of hot dogs somehow turned into a meal that cost more than you expected. It's not a deal-breaker, just enough to make your wallet quietly sigh. Still, there's something about a really good hot dog that keeps calling you back. Maybe it's nostalgia. Maybe it's the smell of grilled onions. Maybe it's because I keep convincing myself, "This time I'll only order one." Spoiler: I never do. Overall, it's a fun local spot with good food and a laid-back vibe. Not perfect, but definitely worth a stop when the hot dog craving hits.

More seating

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The Village

4.7

(55 reviews)

26.0 mi

Got the gyro dinner and the Greek salad. Big serving for the dinner but could use more pita bread…read moreand "Greek sauce". My husband really enjoyed it. I had the Greek salad. The chicken was super tasty and I loved the block of feta. Although, for 15.00, I could get double the salad and chicken and get pita bread at another local Greek restaurant. I would suggest adding more to the salad for the price of 16.50. I will try something different next time but I think my husband will stick with the Gyro dinner and we will just ask for more sauce and pita bread.

Took advice from Yelp reviews and chose The Village for lunch while heading to Blumen Gardens for…read moretheir holiday open house! More of a "hole in the wall" diner....but you could smell the food just walking through the door! The girl working the counter was most accommodating and friendly! Came for the creamy lemon rice soup and wasn't disappointed!! Delish!! Couldn't decide on entree so I opted for the $17.00 plate with pork skewer and taziki (sp) sauce soup and spinach pie! Was looking forward to trying their Pastitsio but they were out of it. Spinach pie was a very good second choice! Only downside was no liquor license and we didn't think to ask if we could byob.... They served fountain drinks and nice jugs of cold water ....one infused with cucumbers which was a nice touch. All in all very good food and way more affordable than a fancy Greek (or Mediterranean ) restaurant. Didn't have room for dessert. But looked like some nice offerings. I would go back...even if it were just for the soup!

Moussaka and Greek potatoes

Menu

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Menu

Ali Baba Mediterranean Cuisine

Conveniently located at the corner of E State St & Sundae Dr, we were pleasantly surprised with…read morethis find. There's plenty of parking in the lot around the restaurant too! The restaurant is nicely decorated. Appreciated the attention to detail... even the booths and tables were covered in pretty designs. After walking in, we ordered at the counter toward the back of the restaurant. We got our drink cups and chose our table. My husband and I shared a mix grill plate, which came with a Greek side salad that came out first. The mix grill had chicken, beef and lamb kebabs over rice. Super yummy! Super satisfied. Next time we go, we want to try the gelato at the side counter and other register?

This is a WONDERFUL little gem of a restaurant. Very clean, great ambiance, friendly service, food…read morewas out in a very short time, and the food was absolutely amazing, especially the beef kabobs, very tender and flavored perfectly. I travel a lot for work and have had middle eastern food all over the USA and this place is at the top of my list. Always stop there when I'm in town.

Tandoori Chicken Platter served with rice and salad

Chicken Shawarma Wrap

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Jerusalem Mix

Duke's Alehouse and Kitchen

Not sure why this place has low ratings because it was fabulous! We came on a weekend during off…read morehours and the place was pretty quiet. We sat inside and the indoor seating is clean and spacious. It was brightly lit with big windows to the main road. There was also a stage which I'd imagine has some live music at night to complete the ambiance. The food quality is unlike any other. It's one of the original farm to table restaurants in the area. They even list their food sources on their menu. We started with the tempura green beans. I'm not normally a fried food person but these were so light and fresh and came in a very generous portion. For my meal, I had the grain bowl and added tofu. It also came as a generous portion. I loved all the different flavors and textures. I tried a few of my boyfriend's sweet potato fries and you cannot get fries tasting any more fresh and flavorful. Service was on top of things and helpful at providing recommendations. Shoutout to Kyle for the great experience!

Everything about Dukes is 5 star! Food ... the best!…read moreService... always friendly! Ambiance... perfection!! Love having the outdoor patio open!

Veggie app. You can't see it easily but two small red and yellow peppers are in there too. Whole?

Artsy postcard

Mussels were delish

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Moontime Smokin' Que

4.6

(115 reviews)

0.0 mi

I'll keep it simple we order catering and order multiple pounds of brisket. We've ordered on the…read morecoldest day ever, and even on a holiday. These folks are the best and the most accommodating team ever. I thank you for everything! My parties are always hits no matter what and the brisket is gone in seconds. Anytime anyone asks for a recommendation of places, this is the first one I recommend Everytime. I've eaten at the restaurant once, it's always pretty busy but for a good reason! If you're ever in the area stop by but keep in mind if there hours too!

You know BBQ is good when it doesn't need any sauce. I loved the pulled pork, beans and fries…read more Everything was really yummy. Friendly service, really nice dining space. Highly recommend. I was brought here by frequent customers, that absolutely love the food here. I have to agree!

Grilled cheese brisket sandwich with jalapeño corn bread!

Nice comfy seating

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BRISKET TACO chopped brisket, chipotle crema and sauteed onions & peppers on a flour tortilla

Grounds Coffee Bar & Cafe

I love grounds so much! its so much better than a fast food type of coffee place, but it also is so…read morepretty inside and the ambiance of the entire place is so good! also the service of all of the staff is so good, they're quick to get orders out and extremely kind. I personally think the iced Nutella latte and the breakfast burrito are the best! this is a place you need to go!

The staff is very inviting and friendly. I ordered a vanilla iced latte with cinnamon and my mom…read moregot the coco loco- it's coconut and mocha. Both of them were good. I think the coco loco would be good with white chocolate though. I'd return if I'm in the area.

The counter for ordering. All decorated for Valentine's Day.

A hot mocha and almond croissant fueled me for my day of shopping.

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Interior

Da Baffone Cucina Italiana

Absolutely incredible food, incredible staff, and incredible vibes. This is the perfect spot for a…read moreweekday dinner or a fun weekend night out. Couldn't recommend it enough. The Untraditional Chicken & Eggplant Parmesan was unreal, so flavorful and just done perfectly. The staff are amazing and truly make you feel so welcome. It's the kind of place you just want to keep coming back to.

It's EXCELLENT!!! Wow, so good. We headed in early on a Wed evening and everything was great…read more(little hard to park). The warm, crunchy bread, the excellent bruschetta and delicious soup! Entrees are spectacular and large! Get ready for left overs (and I appreciate the extra sauce added for that). Service was great and we had a fantastic evening!!

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3 reviews that are not currently recommended

The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.

Jill K.

121

4

0

1 year ago

We love it here! Their corn salsa is awesome as a free chip dip, the shrimp chowder is amazing, our son loves the big hamburgers, and they have a lot of fresh pescatarian choices as well as beef and pork and chicken. Oh, plus fancy milkshakes and a full bar. Great! read more

Nick K.

0

1

0

1 month ago

Crystal Lake Junction closed months ago. That address has already reopens another restaurant.

Rosie M.

6

47

4

2 years ago

Versatile menu, friendly staff.

Crystal Lake Junction - tradamerican - Updated July 2026

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We went for lunch last Tuesday. They have a great patio for dogs with a menu of dog bowls. Tuesday…read moreyou get a travel dog bowl and a cute scarf. They took our dogs pics too. Cute touch The service was perfect, the manager came by several times to check in a well as the owner. He used to own the Public House. Everything is made from scratch and was delicious! Can't wait to go back!!

Duke's Alehouse and Kitchen

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Not sure why this place has low ratings because it was fabulous! We came on a weekend during off…read morehours and the place was pretty quiet. We sat inside and the indoor seating is clean and spacious. It was brightly lit with big windows to the main road. There was also a stage which I'd imagine has some live music at night to complete the ambiance. The food quality is unlike any other. It's one of the original farm to table restaurants in the area. They even list their food sources on their menu. We started with the tempura green beans. I'm not normally a fried food person but these were so light and fresh and came in a very generous portion. For my meal, I had the grain bowl and added tofu. It also came as a generous portion. I loved all the different flavors and textures. I tried a few of my boyfriend's sweet potato fries and you cannot get fries tasting any more fresh and flavorful. Service was on top of things and helpful at providing recommendations. Shoutout to Kyle for the great experience!

Everything about Dukes is 5 star! Food ... the best!…read moreService... always friendly! Ambiance... perfection!! Love having the outdoor patio open!

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Absolutely incredible food, incredible staff, and incredible vibes. This is the perfect spot for a…read moreweekday dinner or a fun weekend night out. Couldn't recommend it enough. The Untraditional Chicken & Eggplant Parmesan was unreal, so flavorful and just done perfectly. The staff are amazing and truly make you feel so welcome. It's the kind of place you just want to keep coming back to.

It's EXCELLENT!!! Wow, so good. We headed in early on a Wed evening and everything was great…read more(little hard to park). The warm, crunchy bread, the excellent bruschetta and delicious soup! Entrees are spectacular and large! Get ready for left overs (and I appreciate the extra sauce added for that). Service was great and we had a fantastic evening!!

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Saturday 4/28/26 4:00pm…read more They don't take reservations but there was plenty of room. Was disappointed because we went there for dinner but wanted that dinner did not start until 5:00. Unfortunately the web (which needs to be updated with their prices) nor the menu we got didn't say anything about the dinner time menus, so we were stuck with the limited luncheon menu. Customers that came at 4:20pm were able to order dinner. The waitress was not very friendly but was attentive. Now, that said, my wife & I order the Shrimp luncheon and the perch luncheon. Both were excellent except for the table spoon size serving of Cole slaw. Good portion of luncheon shrimp and the perch was excellent. We may try getting there a little later next time to get the dinner menu. If would have been nice if both on the web and Resturant menu if they would have that printed when the dinner menu started.

Montarra

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•$$$

We went to Montarra last minute yesterday for dinner and we were able to grab a table…read more This was our first time and the food was wonderful. I was a bit underdressed since this was an unprepared dinner. The ambiance is a nicer steak house. I would say most wore business casual at least. The prices were fair for the portion we got. I really liked their bacon wrapped scallops as well as the crème brûlée. I would for sure recommend for nicer meals.

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RACIST establishment. Do NOT go if you have any respect or compassion for your fellow neighbors…read more How can I give zero stars for discrimination? I'll try to be short, but want to give a true account of the events. Yesterday I came from the city via Metra late afternoon with another friend to visit a dear friend that moved to Cary a few years ago. Cary is far & we rarely see one another. Needless to say, we were super excited to for this mini-reunion & for our friend to show us a slice of Cary. It was not the best planning being St Paddy's weekend but so be it. We specifically looked for a place we could easily talk & catch up. We started w/ one chocolate martini at Cucina Rustica and chatted OVER an HOUR. Little did we know, we should have stayed there. Next stop, Cary RACIST Ale House. The back area lounge was nearly empty & we were assured it was open (not booked for any events). The waitress, at the start aggressively asked a bunch of questions. I first thought her line of questioning was bizarre so I ignored her while trying to figure out what to order. She asked how we got there, who was driving & specifically said she didn't feel comfortable in serving me. WTF?!?!? My friend politely answered her questions and when she left, we all agreed the waitress's behavior was odd & laughed it off. We refused to have her ruin our evening. To our SHOCK the waitress would NOT serve me?! Only me! Was I disruptive? NO! Was I being violent or doing something illegal? NO! Did I come in stumbling? NO! Was I slumped over passed out? NO! This was crazy! Check your security cameras if you don't believe! Was this a bad twilight zone episode? Was someone going to tell us this was all a joke? I was speechless. We asked her why. She said it was a management decision. What?! Interesting since no one came to talk to us aside from her. We asked her to explain, to get some understanding. You will NOT believe what she said....she said it was my eyes. I looked at my two white friends & asked if something was wrong with my eyes? No, nothing is wrong. WOW, she basically said my Asian eyes were an issue. Falsely claiming I was drunk and couldn't be served because she didn't like Asian-looking eyes?!?! I was stone cold sober ***hole! We were all completely sober & flabbergasted! Completely disgusted, we left. I thought about brushing this aside but I wouldn't want anyone else to be treated that way. I will not allow them to humiliate me. This was supposed to be a happy occasion, and it was spoiled by a bigoted, small-minded person. I don't know how these people can live with themselves.

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