Recently moved to Portage Park and were excited to find a highly rated Mediterranean food option in the neighborhood that offers delivery. Disappointing first impression. Delivery was over 30 minutes late (1hr 45 minute total wait time), special instructions for one of the items were ignored, beverage ordered was forgotten and food was cold. Most food was okay. Fatteh, which I'd not tried before, was quite tasty . . . so there's that. Store staff was friendly and apologetic when we called to complain but too many things went wrong. Will continue to search for better options. read more

Tuesday 10/11/2011 12:12pm Went there for lunch as I was in the area and Yelpers seemed to like this restaurant. The waitress and the owner was very friendly and nice. I ordered their Lunch Special and hummus. The lunch was $5.95 and the large Hummus was $4.25; the owner told me that his Hummus was the best in the city. The lunch was good and so was the Hummus but I do not know about it being the best in the city. The seating area is small but clean looking, The waitress is new so give her some slack when you see her. If you are in the area and in the mood for some Middle Eastern food, then stop by; however if you are not in the area, I would not make a special trip. read more

Its tasty food but a tad bit overpriced. There are better places for a bargain if you are looking for this type of food. Bring a friend and share a plate or come for lunch when they have better deals. Avoid going there for dinner. read more

It's so hard to explain how yummi is there food i totally always will keep coming back you have to try it to believe it, nice seating and simple, great people and fast service Just great meddle eastern food read more

The food is good but it's so expensive just order a beef kebab with no rice but hummus and to add one side of chicken so (basically like 3 small pieces) and asked for delivery came out to be $25 dollars geez and I still tip the delivery person so wasting more money!! I rather go to a nicer restaurant and pay a good amount for food for $25!! Over priced!! the serving is too small to pay for this much!! Just saying! Charge me 4.99 for 3 small pieces of chicken are you serious wow it's not even organic, never again!!! read more

Hala In Restaurant - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I ordered the grilled tilapia and it has gray spots inside and tastes bad. So gross. I took maybe 2 bites and threw it away. #halaOut read more

I ordered delivery through grub hub and was please with the delivery service but now so much the food. I've eaten here before (like a year ago) and had such a pleasant experience. This time was different. The chicken shawarma wrap was oookayy..not great, just okay. The rice is always amazing so there that! The lam. Shank was also okay. It lacked flavor in my eyes but my husband seemed to like it. They changed the hummus a bit and made it a bit spicy which I loved. Overall, it was an okay meal but I don't think I'll be ordering again soon. Maybe once Covid is over I can go and check it out again. read more

You can tell there's a lot of love going into the cooking here. Fresh ingredients, elegant presentation, amazing lentil soup. I'll be back for more! read more

Hala In Restaurant - Lentil soup, 2 piece beef kabob, pita and free Yelp checkin hummus. - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

A new favorite. I've eaten in and taken out. I am in love with the baba ganoush and the falafel. Everything on the Vegetarian Combo platter is excellent. Shawarma is also tasty. The portions are generous and everything is reasonably priced. One thing to note: no alcohol and no byob--which is disappointing. The only downside to this place is the service. I would take off half a star for sub-par waitstaff. They're not incredibly attentive. read more

This is my go to place near Jefferson Park when I'm in the mood for good Middle Eastern food. Great tasting Shawarma, Hummus and excellent rice. I most definitely recommend. read more

I've been to this place several times. I've got them delivered, I've sat there and ate and I'm also picked up the food. The food is good, but I've had better. There is really nothing to complain about regarding the food. The service is good, they servers are nice and friendly. I've had a problem with communication sometimes, but other than that, nothing else. Place is small, but it's nice. Nothing to great or amazing about the place, but they are a good place to grab food for and eat at. read more

HALA IN is a nice restaurant for Mediterranean food. The hummus is beautiful and fluffy. The pita bread is soft and warm. The salad is fresh and crunchy and falafel was pleasant and had a nice bite. If you are a meat eater you will appreciate the Kifta Kabob, it's juicy and flavorful. The reason why I didn't give Hala In 5 stars was because, I ordered the Chicken Shawarma Sandwich and there was barley any tahini sauce on it. I also wanted to order Baba Ghanouj but they didn't have any made that afternoon around 1:00p.m. There portions are a bit small, but I'll forgive that because the quality is very good(they should increase there potions a bit though). Overall, Hala In is a YES for the northwest side's Mediterranean Eats! read more

I thought the food was good. The bread fresh and warm but could be thicker and softer. The hummus was different but the mix of olive oil with hummus grew on me. I got the chicken shawarma which was seasoned well but dry my bf got the beef shawarma which he loved. Service is good owner is very nice. Had a pleasant experience. read more

Hala In Restaurant - Hummus - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We came here with a groupon for a 3 course tasting. Apparently, this was a separate menu with limited choices. Annoying, but understandable. I ordered falafel and chicken shawerma. It came with a ton of rice too. The food was good. Chicken was tender and the falafel was flavorful. Service was a bit slow, which was surprising since we were there at an off time and there was only one other person eating there. For dessert, we had baklava. There was so much food. I was stuffed! I get the feeling this isn't really an eat in place. There are plenty of tables, but it seemed like most customers were for carry out. There isn't really much in terms of decor either. I would order take out from this place again. Lots of tasty food for a reasonable price. read more

During lunch time, nothing beats their lunch special. I'm also a fan of their hummus and baklava. read more

When i die i want to be put on a bed of their beef and chicken shawarma, before my pyre is set ablaze.. This would have to be to the sounds of, probably Slavic Soul Party. OK, settle down... I really like this little unassuming place. It's places like these that make Chicago a foodie city. Fantastic food (every piece of meat i tried made me make yummy sounds, salivate, ask for more), friendly service with an owner who actually genuinely cares, and fair prices. As someone else pointed out, the seasoning of the meat is very interesting, different, and the meat is just so deliciously moist, with a few burnt parts, it's... to cry for. What more do you want?? I want more shawarma! read more

Words cannot describe how awesome this restaurant is! They exceeded my high expectation! The food is amazing. The service is top notch! There was a little mix-up with the order and the owner was gracefully kind to offer a full refund! The most pleasant experience I have ever had. People in the office love the food! We order a package for 15 people but the food is enough to feed 25 people. Will definitely order again and spread the word. read more

Yummy. After another disappointing meal from Zebda we GrubHubbed Hala In for a change. read more

This place got me very sick with one of the cookies they were selling that day. Like days sick. Ever since then I really never want to eat here again and actually made me want to stop eating this sort of food again for a while. What a shame, please don't sell contaminated/spoiled food. read more

Since my last review, I have to agree with many of the people that gave this place less than stellar reviews and primarily it is also related to the smaller portions/price increases and the lack of customer service from at least one of the waitresses that took care of my group (older woman with long hair) she was not very friendly and it was as though we were inconveniencing her when we asked for extra utensils.. she scoffed over but gave a fake smile when she laid them down on our table...although I still found the food to be rather good the service at least on that day was not very welcoming not to mention that I also noticed less meat on my dish but the prices did go up a bit. I had double the rice on my plate than the actual beef shawarma I had ordered. I understand everything has gone up nowadays but it does not justify getting cheated out of a meal.... read more

Service was good. Our waitress told us it was her third day working and she was very sweet and attentive. They honored the free small hummus offer from yelp after the waitress checked with the manager. I ordered the shwarma combo. It came with salad and rice. All of the food was delicious and tasted fresh. I'd definitely go there again for dinner. It was a Friday night but there was no wait to get seated. read more

Hala In Restaurant - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place has not great food, but excellent food. I work in the area and have been meaning to check it out. I'm so glad I did, even the middle eastern people I work with were super impressed by the food. I think the owners were working when I went in and omg they were so nice! I highly recommend this place. read more

This restaurant features fare that is more Middle Eastern than Mediterranean if you ask me. Either way, the quality of the food is exceptional. The hummus is the best I've ever had; it's drizzled with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, paprika, and other wonderful ingredients that I can't identify. Their baba ganouj is also solid, but not as epic as the hummus. The lunch special contains more food than you could possibly eat in one sitting for six bucks, featuring moist falafel, zesty kefta, tender lamb, and two kinds of chicken, plus rice and salad. If you eat there, you'll be offered complimentary tea or coffee by one of the friendly staff (and there is no shortage of staff for a place that isn't terribly busy). They don't play Egyptian dance music playing, which is a shame, and the decor is very bare. Still, it's a comfortable atmosphere, and the quality and value of the food is umparalleled. read more

Love this place! Same middle eastern food you can get everywhere, but here it's FRESH! Have not tasted better falafel, hummus and baba anywhere. Off the beaten path way west on Lawrence. Owners are friendly and welcoming. Always stop in when I'm over here! read more

Best Falafel in the City! Super friendly ownership make this neighborhood gem a pleasant stop for their cheap lunch special. I get the vegeterian platter lunch special and am stuff by the end. They are heavy on spices and don't skimp on portions. Very flavorful! Amazing. read more

This is my favorite middle eastern restaurant. It's inexpensive and you get a lot of food. The staff is friendly and welcoming. This concludes my Yelp review. read more

You come here for the great food, the atmosphere is bland. Anyways, whom cares about atmosphere when the food is so freakin good! Can I say Yum! I ordered the vegetarian platter, super good & super filling. I'll be back. Prob this weekend.. read more

I have tried so many middle eastern restaurants and being middle eastern myself I have to give Hala In a 5 star. They make the best falafel sandwiches and hummus. Very clean restaurant and family friendly. read more

For $20, we ordered: Chicken thigh entree - I recommend it. Small falafel appetizer (6 pieces) Small hummus appetizer 2 pieces of beef shish kabob Extra hot sauce It also came with three pieces of pita bread. Based on what we ordered, I'm not sure how much pita bread comes with which item. The beef shish kabob tasted good, but it was a little chewy. The chicken thigh was seasoned very well and tasted great. Everything else was decent, not bad but nothing special about it either. I still like El Souk downtown better. read more

Good order and take out experience, great menu, and fresh ingredients. My wife and I purchased and devoured the vegetarian and falafel platters - a lot of good fresh food for $16. At first she complained that it looked like lots of oily food, but when we dug in, it was not bad, just smothered in lime and some olive oil - SOO GOOD. Definitely better than some of the other places on the North Side of Chicago for sure. read more

Hala In Restaurant - VEGGIE PLATTER - DESTROYED - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I was very happy to find a place that delivers middle eastern food that actually tastes authentic. I had the hummus which was good but nothing compared to the meat. I ordered the beef shawarma entree and the beef kofta bc I wasn't sure how big the servings were. The beef shawarma was great although it's a mix of lamb and beef and personally I prefer just beef, but that didn't stop me from inhaling my food. Even tho there was plenty of food, I had to try the kofta and that was terrific, wish I got more. The rice was a tiny bit too greasy but not an issue bc I didn't eat it all. The hot sauce leaves a little something to be desired. I'm obsessed with Pita inns hot sauce but the food at Hala is way better. Can't win em all! I will def be back. read more

Great place. Sometimes there are ethnic places that only treat you well if you are that ethnicity. Not so with Hala In! The owners are almost always there are are super personable and genuine. We used to live less than a block away and had to move this summer so we only get to eat here occasionally but they are missed. Some of the best middle eastern food around. The grilled tomatoes are to die for as is the lentil soup. Do yourself a favor, no do the community a favor and eat here! read more

Incredibly good food. Fast delivery too. We love this place. We highly recommend the shawarma, falafel and taboule. Just perfection.