Grape Leaves is a teeny tiny restaurant that I think might fit in the trunk of my car. I believe there are only eight tables, so be prepared for carry-out, especially at peak lunch hours --- no big deal since Oak Park has plenty of benches around. The space is casual but pleasant, with murals and middle eastern artwork. Service is friendly. I highly recommend the grape leaves stuffed with rice and currants. The hummus is very rich and creamy, and theirs is my favorite falafel --- not at all oily. The overall dining experience is not the panultimate - this place gets five stars for the awesome, cheap food. One person can have a delicious, relatively healthy, waitstaffed lunch that will satisfy you until dinner (or you might even skip dinner) for $7-10 including a drink and tip. I paid with cash --- not sure if they accept plastic. read more

WOW when I first moved to the village years ago I went here on a regular basis. I always thought is was acceptable (nothing more) but acceptable none the less. I had not been there for many years, and about a year ago the misses and I went because we had a craving for middle eastern food. We were let down, very let down. The other night we went, everyone can have a bad night, right. WRONG, very wrong, this was more than a bad night. Pathetic. Has no business being open. We walked in, the wait person noticed us, because they said hello. Ten minutes later I had to get up, go to where she set reading a book, and ask if we could get drinks, (did i mention that the cook sat in the open kitchen window and watched us, it was 7pm, and we were the only table). We got drinks, and ordered. We also ordered soup with our meals. Moments later I heard the distinct sound of a microwave beep, and magically our soup arrived (not cool). Finally our meal arrived, grease, I do not remember ordering grease. All I got was grease, with some oil, and a little overcooked rice. My wife's dish was no better (did I mention that the rice was also microwaved) We did not finish it, we gave it to the dog (and felt guilty about that). I also had to go fetch the wait person again, to get a refill on our tea, which they charged us for. I would not go back, I would not suggest anyone going there unless there is a major change. read more

I used to go here a lot more when I had a friend who lived in Oak Park. I was never that impressed with the food here - standard issue grape leaves, like a generic Greek restaurant. I wouldn't travel all the way to Oak Park to go here. Pretty bland and unadventurous food. read more

Holy moly, so much food! Ok granted, we sort of over-ordered and miiiiiight have eaten most of it but whatever. No judgement. The cucumber salad and tabbouleh were perfect starters (the small size is fine), the hummus was just delightful with its big pools of olive oil and my falafel sammich pretty much topped it. My dining partner's chicken kebab was really tasty but the rice under was pretty boring and a bit dry. Still though, for all we ate and with leftovers, we got out of there for under $25. Not too shabby! read more

I've been coming here prior to the many changes and noticed the original owner was in the kitchen tonight. Earlier today, my wife and waited more than 30 min for our appetizer, hummus. And i KNOW it doesn't take that long to serve it. It wasn't crowded. However, we did notice a very busy 'to go' priority along with the owner's/affiliation daughter & granddaughter showed up 15min after the 16yr old waitress took our order. There were no apologies whatsoever when i asked about my hummus... Well, the daughter and granddaughter got all their food waaay before our hummus came out. Pretty bad business prioritizing like they did. I think I'll be banning this place going fwd. read more

Hmmmmm where to begin....... First off, the waitress in there is a total crab. She comes off like she hates life and she had this frown on her face the whole time we were there. Second, the food is terrible. The so called Kabobs had no flavor and they were incredibly greasy. The rice was just ok and the veggies tasted like they were frozen for quite some time. The pitas were clearly store bought from the bag they left them in when we got them to go. IMO, this place cuts corners. The food is very low quality. I can understand if someone is having a bad day, but if the food sucks it's not a good combination. I'll never go back. read more

FOUR STARS FOR THE FOOD: My companion and I decided to share 3 apps and 1 entree. The first item to arrive piping hot only minutes after ordering it was the Stuffed Grape Leaves. I found the flavor to be lacking and the rice inside to be mushy. After squirting a lemon over top, they were better. I expected more considering this dish is the name sake of the restaurant. Next came the steaming falafel. Nice crunchy texture on the outside and flavorful on the inside, we enjoyed these immensely. The last appetizer to arrive was the winning dish of the evening though. It was a nice minced meat pocket. The meat was seasoned generously with cloves and cinnamon. It paired very nicely with the tangy tomato salad that accompanied it, so mix 'em up! Finally we received a HUGE bowl of Chicken Sumac. Wow! I am pretty sure that this dish could feed me for one whole week. Tender pieces of chicken, mushroom, potato, and red onion in a sumac sauce covered a bottom layer of rice. Unfortunately by this time we were so full already that it was difficult to enjoy. But I have a shit load of leftovers!! ONE STAR FOR THE SERVICE: This was the most shocking and unsatisfactory service experience I have ever had before. When we walked in we found that the server was the young lady sitting at the back table with a young man. Not immediately startling. She took our order quickly enough and we received our first dish in no time, but I attribute that more to the efficiency of the kitchen staff. Once I realized that I was needing some lemon wedges to spunk up the dish, I leaned out from my table to try to catch the attention of the server. She literally asked me from her seat "Do you want something or something?" She huffed and brought me 2 wedges of lemon. Sadly she did not bring enough. And have you ever heard of "May I help you?" That's what you are there for, bitch! Disappointingly, her lazy attitude continued throughout our visit. During our entire visit she sat at her back table and talked to the guy, only getting up every once in a while. Meanwhile the tables were soiled with food and the floors were scattered from wall to wall with scraps from previous diners. DISGUSTING! The price was right, but I wouldn't come back even for that fact. Where is the manager in this restaurant????????????????????? Why in holy hell does Yelp have their sticker on the front door of this place? Disgraceful! read more

Frankly, I am shocked to see such high grades for this place. Grape Leaves is nothing special -- in terms of food or service. Allow me to rephrase; the food is unremarkable and the service is remarkably poor. As I said to my wife when we dined here, it is "service with a frown." We have been here a few times and the food has been worse and worse with each consecutive visit. The food is too salty, or lemony, or too whatever. They do not have it quite right; it is simply off. The hummus is OK, but I make better. The falafel is OK, but we are talking about deep fried garbanzo fritters. Deep fried anything is yummy. Any street vendor in Cairo could do better in his sleep. The service, on the other hand, has been consistently poor. Its a small place so they really do not need more than one server. It would, however, be nice if they had one that did not have a recessive smiling gene. She seems unable to smile and appears to be miserable. Looking at her could sap your appetite or joy in life. I have witnessed what someone else noted in their review -- she sometimes sits at a table and chats with her friends while patrons are dying for a glass of water due to the salty food. My wife likes the decor, and wanted me to add that positive note in closing. read more

This is a great authentic middle eastern restaurant! Its very reasonably priced and I like that its out of the main street and out of downtown so there's usually never a wait and the staff is very attentive and friendly. I've only tried the falafel but can't wait to go back and try more! If you can make the hike out to Oak Park its worth it! read more

Grape Leaves Restaurant - Moroccan Near Me - Oak Park, Illinois

Unassuming decor with very yummy food. Do you like cucumber, garlic, lemon, olive oil? Rice? Yum. I love middle eastern food and this is the real thing. Large portions for a modest price. We both had the Sumac Chicken. I also tried the stuffed grape leaves and Jerusalem salad. So much ymmy salad, lots of vegetables, I took home most of my entree. All delicious. Second visit. Stuffed grape leaves and lamb curry. To die for! read more

For a couple years, I lived on the North side of Chicago near "Taste of Lebanon" so I may be a little spoiled. My Fiance and I stopped by for some take-out after a yoga class during a weekend night. Immediately I walked in and it was very *blah*. The restaurant looked clean, the decor was a little cliche; having vines painted on the walls with plastic grape bunches. In terms of the food, I have never had such bad Middle Eastern food. I was optimistic going into this, but it was just so disappointing. We ordered Tabbouleah, Cucumber Salad, Sauteed Shrimp, and 8 pc. Grape Leaves. Similarly to a previous review, I heard the microwave three times while my food was being prepared. This probably has something to do with how dry my food was... Cucumber Salad - It was clear the cucumbers were old and cut poorly. Overall, it didn't taste like much. Tabbouleah - Didn't look like Tabbouleah. Nothing was finely chopped. Tasteless. Just huge leaves of parsley and poorly sliced tomatoes. Satueed Shrimp - The shrimp was way over cooked. It was so dry when I bit into the first one, I threw away the rest. The vegetables in the rice accompanying the shrimp were clearly from a can and mushy. The rice wasn't horrible but anything would have been better. Grape Leaves - I have never had dry grape leaves in my life. The grape leaves were dry throughout which I found baffling. Inside, all I tasted was raisins. It was the weirdest thing. Overall, I threw away all the food and will never return to this restaurant again. I also will tell all my friends in Oak Park to avoid this place at all cost. Do yourself a favor, avoid this place if you like good food OH, and one more thing, adding slivered almonds to everything does not make food more middle eastern... read more

I wish there was a way to break down the ratings, because Grape Leaves is a secret treasure in Oak Park, but you have to know a few things going in. First, quality, simple, Middle Eastern food at a great price. So five stars for value. It's a little hole in the wall, so there isn't much seating and there's just the single door. Just one person taking care of customers (they get a lot of carry out). So I'd give it three stars for comfort and service. The chicken curry lunch special is a great deal. The lentil soup is excellent. My vegetarian wife loves the falafel and kebab vegetables. It's a good menu for the health-conscious. Try the sage tea or the fresh-squeezed juices. If you're visiting Oak Park and you need some cheap eats, seek out Grape Leaves. read more

In the past I have enjoyed eating at Grape Leaves. Last night, I went there for dinner at 8:45pm, knowing that their hours stated they were open until 9:30pm. Immediately upon seeing us, the man behind the counter told us they were only doing takeout orders because they were closing in 10 minutes. I looked again at the clearly stated hours on the door, and pointed out they were closing 30 minutes early. The man proceeded to LIE to me and say oh, that has been there on the door forever, but online it has been changed to 9:00pm. I knew this was untrue, as I had found their hours on Yelp before choosing to go there. Their laser printed menus also still stated 9:30pm. Their website still says 9:30pm. Clearly these people just wanted to close up shop and leave early, and lied about their closing time. I would advise you to be careful about going there for dinner, as you never know if they will honor the hours they have stated. I won't be returning. read more

A wonderful lunch companion with titillating conversation did not make the stale pitas at Grape Leaves any fresher or my shrimp kabob any less overcooked. Yuck. My shrimp seemed to have a metallic tinge to its flavor. Yuck. My companions Falafal was great and our Babaganoush was tasty although we were eating it on stale pitas! Yuck. Service was mmm......barely there. Looks like this leaf is heading into late autumn. read more

A friend and I tried this place after having heard other locals rave about the hummus. I have to say, I was seriously unimpressed. They put a lot of stuff in the hummus, but it tasted like they forgot the tahini--and I hold that good hummus is a fairly basic thing, with tahini and chick peas as the foremost necessities, with some salt and lemon juice being a good addition, and maybe some cayenne and olive oil on the top. Well. There was a lot on the top, but prettiness does not a good hummus make. The entrees were also a let down--very bland, soggy pita, yuck. The space was cramped but there was a pretty mural on the wall. The service was unspeakably, unforgivably slow. We should have been there for around 45 minutes but were dragged into waiting around more like two hours. The one pleasant surprise was a dessert, with custard and rose water and some other things in it, that was delicious. It wasn't sufficiently delicious to ever make me want to go back, though. read more

Excellent place!! I went with one of my friends and had a three course meal for $17 TOTAL (for two people)! We shared a delicious small hummus ($2.50), we both got the sandwiches ($4.50) and we shared the dessert. I was completely full after the meal. The only bad thing I would say that the meat of both the chicken shwarma and kebobs were a bit dry. However, there was plenty of food to devour. Don't be fooled by the small prices, there's alot of food that comes with it. BTW, I try not to eat too many carbs, so I opted for the sandwich minus the pita. I would have gotten the entree, but I hear they fill it up with ALOT of rice and meat. I'm a pretty petite girl, so I just got the sandwich and it came in a pita with salad on top. read more

Just terrible. It's been a long time since I had a bad meal, but time has caught up here. I regretfully ordered the Mediterranean seafood platter which was equivalent to an undersized, underwhelming, and overpriced tapas portion. When it was brought out, I seriously was wondering where my entree was as the portion was so measly. I couldn't believe for $20 how disappointing this was. The over-cooked rice on the side didn't help. This place used to be great with fresh food, generous portions, and fair prices. It's nothing like it used to be and I can't remotely endorse it. They even stopped serving soup or salad with the entrees. I understand that this stretch of Oak Park Ave is rapidly gentrifying, but please try to deliver a fair and fresh product for the price. read more

I heart places where you can eat for practically nothing and still have enough to consume the next day, and on occasion the day after that. For the most part, the portions are HUGE. My personal favorite dish is the chicken curry. It's yummy. Usually I can get three meals out of it, which is grand, when you consider you pay a little over $6. I've only eaten there a couple of times, because it's usually packed at lunch time. For the most part, I order take out, it's virtually next door to my office (man I love the convenience factor here). Sometimes, it's hard to understand the employees, but they have yet to make a mistake. The place is tiny, but what they lack in seating, they make up for in cute decor (there are grape vines painted all over the walls) and great food. If you're in the area, it's worth a taste. The Grape Leaves aren't bad either. read more

What a great experience! Place came recommended by my daughters friend as a great vegetarian place and it truly delivered! Everything was super tasty , made to order and fresh. Falafel just the way I love it - crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside. Great little salad and hummus. My shrimp kebab pita exceeded my expectations. I also really enjoyed iced tea with lemon and mint leaves. I will definitely be back to taste other things on the menu. It's my new find in Oak Park. read more

Babaganough was amazing. Nice and smoky. Nice place. New owner is doing great. Never been because it looked like a droll cafeteria before. Will definitely go again. read more

Excellent restaurant!!! The place is very clean, the service is great and the food, delicious !!! Can't wait to go back !!! Once you place your order, it might take some time to arrive because it's cooked fresh and very well worth the wait. Try the mint tea while you wait. Awesome!!!! read more

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It's true, this place is a dive and the service is sometimes not as exuberant as we Americans are used to. I don't care, the food is awesome and cheap! I adore the hummus and pita bread served warm, the salad with little slivers of almond and the chicken couscous big chunks of veggies that feeds two for a week! It's true, their namesake dish isn't the best. I haven't been as happy with other menu items. But I always take a little baklava to go and I will definitely keep coming back! read more

This place is great for an extremely inexpensive Middle Eastern meal. I think I've never spent more than $6 there. Their falafel and their kabob sandwiches are very good, especially the kefta kabob. read more

I just can't get excited about my experience here. I tried a combination of items: sauteed shrimp, falafel, and grape leaves. I do agree with previous reviewers that the falafel was the best I've ever had. It was really well seasoned and wonderfully crispy on the outside. I kind of wished I stuck with that. The sauteed overcooked shrimp had some kind of spice on it that just didn't work. They sat on top of a really disgusting looking bed of overcooked rice along with an overcooked veggie medley. The taste wasn't bad, but if you weren't careful and mistakenly ate one of the preserved lemon flavor bombs scattered throughout then you wouldn't be able to taste anything else. This was the worst dish. The grape leaves were just ok. The stuffing inside had a good taste but the rice was way overcooked and it just had the texture of a mushy mess. Even though my overall experience wasn't good, I probably would go back for just the falafel. read more

I love this place. I love the mint tea. I love the hummus. The pita is always fresh. My favorite thing to get is the tabbouleh and the chicken curry. This place doesn't skimp on the portions either. For a reasonable price I always come home with left overs. I marked it down one star because the staff, occasionally, can be no-nonsense. You seat yourself, you place your order, your food arrives, and you pay at the counter. This really doesn't bother me much though. Gives me time for me and whoever I'm with to talk and enjoy the food, without being interrupted. read more

This place will shock you, the appearance isn't great but the food will amaze you. They have great vegetarian food as well as good meat entrees. Definitely a lot of food that won't be a lot on your wallet. Take out options are good as well, food was still fresh tasting and good when I got home. I recommend the stuffed grape leaves. read more

OK WHERE TO START?! Its easiest to start from what I hate about this dive. -Awful Hours(Mainly open for lunch most days only) - Service with an attitude(the server has been there as long as I have been going. Always long waits to get water or recognition. -Small (if you arrive and there is no other tables left you'd better order to go, people can linger here.) SO WHY DO I GO BACK? GREAT FOOD GREAT PORTIONS! On a budget? Do not worry 15 dollars is good enough to feed 2 generously. If you have the endurance and patience of a monk its worth the try. I am the youngest child so endurance is my game, Nothing can keep me away from the food here. Unconventional Comfort food read more

This place does have some tasty things in their menu , but the owner is extremely rude !! I sent my daughter there to pick up an order for me . The order was completely wrong and he yelled at my daughter instead of apologizing and fixing the order ! I have also visited the restaurant for dinner and the owner again was extremely unfriendly and rude !!! Not sure how you can do business that way !!!! I also do not recommend the beef kabobs , beef was chewy and tasted not fresh !!! Not worth returning to this place !!! read more

Hadn't been back in some time, and they did not disappoint. Delicious, complex, and aromatic flavors! soothing jasmine tea...Great friendly service, wonderful place for a quiet relaxing dinner. Highly recommend the lamb chops w/roasted vegetables and chicken tangine! read more

Awesome local Middle Eastern food and service! I often order take outs, and it's always fresh and on time! read more

STUNNING! Hands down the best restaurant I've been to in years! Chef Karim and his team create dishes that will blow your mind. Already planning to return with some friends in a few weeks. Anyone who gave this place a bad review is a putz. Go to grape leaves, you won't regret it. read more

The amount of food you get for the money is unbelievable. I got the chicken couscous and will have 2 more meals out of it. The chicken was juicy and tender. The meal tasted like I was eating a homemade meal at someones house. It came with veggies, some of which were a little over cook and some were fresh and crispy like the carrots. I have a feeling they might not have been cooked together or the chef didnt put them in the pan in the right order. Either way, I still liked it. To go with the meal we had a small Jerusalem salad and a small tebouli salad. The Jerusalem salad was fresh and delish but the tabouli salad was covered in green onions. THis place loves green onions. So if you dont, ask them to leave it out. The green onion took awat fromt he other flavors of the salad. The service was fast and friendly, the prices incredibly reasonable and I would definitely go back. read more

Probably the best Middle Eastern cuisine in Oak Park River forest! I came here for lunch got a small Baba ghanoush 4 grape leaves and a lamb shawarma sandwich. Absolutely finger licking and delicious!! food portions were more than enough the grape leaves were the best I have tasted from a restaurant, that says a lot from someone who ate middle eastern food his whole life. Everything was made fresh the decor inside was phenomenal I felt like I was in morocco. The Babaghanoush was great and te sandwich was so tasty. If I can give them 10 stars I would. read more

Grape Leaves Restaurant - Good variety and well priced - Moroccan Near Me - Oak Park, Illinois

Cheap eats in a small space. The food was fine, nothing too special in my opinion. The place, although tiny, rotated tables pretty quickly - mainly due to swift kitchen handiwork, I'd presume. Main complaint: when a place is so tiny, and there is only one server. She should be attentive. First, let me explain - I drink water b/c I genuinely like it, not b/c I don't want to pay for a drink. I bring 2 32 oz bottles with me to school and bring one with me whenever I run errands. I was incredibly thankful that during my Grape Leaves visit, I had brought that bottle of delicious water b/c I don't know if I would have gotten my fill had I not. I filled my water with my water bottle that I bring with me everywhere because she didn't come to fill my drink for so long. She only brought us 2 menus for 3 people. Little things like that when the food isn't that memorable just aren't acceptable. I'll go back sometime; I'll just be sure to bring my water bottle with me again. read more

I have loved this tasty Moroccan restaurant for years. Decided to have them cater a small(14 people) gathering for a friend. WOW! This food travels well. Served in gorgeous dishes and platters. Everyone loved. First time for Moroccan Cigars. YUM read more

Hadn't been here in 20 years and went the other night. It was so much better than I remembered! Thoroughly enjoyed our meal and will be going back. Babaghannouj is a must and the falafel were delicious and come in the cutest shape! We split the chicken curry which was yummy. There are about 10 other dishes I want to try. Prices are on point. Took off a star for service; a little inattentive and took several times asking just to get water. But the food is worth it! read more

Again would give three and half stars if I could. Nothing fancy, but damn fine middle eastern food. Good for lunch. Too small for a big group. read more

This place is a little hidden jem! I have been going here for over ten years and it has always been a great little spot. It is super tiny and casual, one small room with maybe 6 tables and a little take out window and kitchen and usually one cook and one server. Everything is definately authentic and made from scratch and it just feels so fresh and wholesome. The prices are a TOTAL bargain. Entrees are huge and shareable and I am usually stuffed after splitting a vegetarian combo plate with another person!! I adore the hummus and baba ganoush...it is drizzled with olive oil and paprika and slivered toasted almonds....yummm!!!! Tabuleh salad is fresh and tangy and another fav of mine. I love supporting a small family owned business like this that goes out of their way to make sure you love everything! read more

my first time trying this place. We ordered carry-out so that may not be fair when I rate the falafel as average and on the dry side. It might have tasted better fresh, but again this was my first try. The hummus was delicious as was the baba gannoush both were topped with olive oil some roasted peppers and slivers of almonds which adds a nice touch to the spreads. The Jerusalem salad was fine, but I expected a little more cucumber. It was tasty as it was. We bought the tray of baklava and all 4 varieties was very good and I love that they had a lot of pistachios in the desserts. read more

I was pretty hungry and ordered from Grape Leaves for the first time tonight. I ordered the falafal and hummus combo and a chicken shwarma sandwich. The combo was fine, though the falafal was over fried and a little hard. Hummus pretty good, better than Jerusalem Cafe. The real disappointment I was the schwarma. I have eaten shwarmas all over the world, I have a pretty high standard. This was just not up to par-did not taste bad per say, just not my expectation for a schwarma. This was just shredded chicken in a soggy pita. No herbs, fresh vegetables, or yogurt sauce. Maybe it was just an off night, but would probably only go back for the hummus. read more