Food: delicious, tasty. Modern Mediterranean…read more Service: upscale restaurant, fancy atmosphere for brunch/lunch or dinner Value: expensive but worth it imo

Came here with my coworkers to celebrate my birthday and unfortunately I have to deduct stars due…read moreto service. We're convinced that the waiter either forgot to put in more than half of our meals or the kitchen lost our ticket, but either way our wait time for our food was unacceptable. We're also convinced that the one persons plate who had probably been ready for a long time had been sitting there because her meal was cold. All of ours when the waiter went to check for the 3rd time finally came out hot. For the wait we got 1 appetizer deducted. I didn't get photos of all the food but the star of the show was the hummus! I also had the crab cakes as my meal and it was tasty with an interesting purée. Not sure if I'd come back as it is a pricey place. I will say that their decor is top notch. I'm told it's Californian Mediterranean inspired.

Some friends and I were in town for a birthday and decided we wanted to do the riverboat…read morearchitecture tour. Our friend group is split between two groups. The 1st that plans ahead and gets to places early. And the 2nd that is there for a good time but always gets everywhere late. Those of us that wanted to come early and not worry decided that we wanted to go to a restaurant close by to wait for our tour time and that's how we found Ema. As soon as we walk inside we see how beautiful and modern the interior looks. They had a lot of seating available and we got a nice table by the window with a view We wanted to eat light before the tour so we shared a bunch of small plates. We ordered the mushroom escargot, lemon Caesar, crispy potatoes, a couple orders of hummus and some chicken kebabs. That mushroom escargot was one of my favorite things I ate during the entire Chicago trip. The mushrooms were creamy and rich. It tasted umami, bright from the lemon, slightly spicy from the Calabrian breadcrumbs, and paired perfectly with some warm pita bread on the side. The hummus was smooth and well seasoned. The lemon caesar was fresh and fairly standard. The crispy potatoes were perfectly textured and were soft and pillowy on the inside. As long as they sat on the table they never lost their crisp. The chicken kebabs were tenderly, juicy and garlicky. We were all putting together our perfect bite combinations with the pita bread. Everything we ordered I would actually order again. Though may want to try a different salad next time since the Caesar was pretty simple. Regardless, still no real complaints with the food Our server was charismatic and funny. He had a great attitude and entertained us throughout the meal. Everything came out promptly as well so we made it out and could take our time walking to the riverboats. Lucky for our friends the tour said they'd be docked for a few minutes after our scheduled start time to set everything up. As 3 minutes after our start time we see group 2 sprinting up from a couple blocks away Overall Ema was consistent, flavorful and reliable. Not a bad price point either for what you get. I'd definitely recommend and come back

You can't go wrong with $1 froyo. The line does get kind of long (it moves fast), and they do cut…read moreoff the line as it gets closer to 3:30ish. The froyo itself with no toppings is $1 then any additional topping is $2. They only have strawberry rhubarb and pistachio syrups as toppings though. The line moves fast and the inside is really cute to look at as you wait. If you time it just right, it's perfect as a Friday afternoon sweet treat!

one of the best and most consistent restaurants in wicker ive been to, i used to work next door and…read moreit was my go tomorrow lunch spot! the workers are very personable and helpful! not to mention well kept and very clean, overall delicious food and amazing service you will not be disappointed!

I got delivery from here, interesting take on middle eastern food. I go the falafel wrap, with…read morehummus, it did not come with many veggies on it, the falafel itself was quite dry and the hummus was not very flavorful. My partner got a falafel plate. He liked the meal. He also got a salad, which he reports was good. I also got some French fries with tahini and extra garlic sauce. Overall average.

My new favorite restaurant! the food is DELICIOUS and the staff was incredible. I don't give…read morereviews much but just loved it here so I had to :)

This place had a line that went out of the door during the multiple times I've crossed the…read moreMagnificent Mile bridge in Chicago. Made last minute reservations for brunch next day after the infamous architecture tour. It was quiet as we've put in an early morning. All the more better to savor all intricate dishes from start to finish. Like the name, The Purple Pig, their specialty is pork dishes so majority of our orders were this. Daily special of the bone marrow bacon jam toast - glazed, slippery off the bone, savory and sweet. Always love a good bone marrow dish to get the sweetness off it. This was so good that there were bits of the marrow and jam left stuck to the bone, I took a piece of the toast and scooped the bone dry. Nothing left for anyone to attack this. Non pork dishes were the Mushroom 3 ways and Spanish octopus. Mushroom dish was savory with all the coated sauces elevating this. Spanish octopus was kicked lightly and easily can bite in to enjoy the tender and charred portions. But the award went to my main course - the braised pork shoulder with saffron, apricots and Swiss chard. Aside from the rippable pork meat when dining on it, the sauces fused together on this dish elevated it and had everyone coming back for more. I needed an official Chicago culinary experience and found it at The Purple Pig without a doubt.

pros: -fast and friendly service…read more-such a yummy meal!! i ordered the harissa chicken bowl -clean tabled and restaurant cons: -none

Tried Roti for the first time this past week after walking by it a million times and wanting to…read morecheck off another fast-casual Mediterranean spot in the city. Overall, it was just okay for me. Chicago has a ton of strong options in this category, and I don't think this one stands out as the best. I ordered the Mezze protein bowl with steak, chicken. The lettuce wasn't great so I mostly picked around it, and the steak was a bit more well done than I'd prefer. Everything else was solid and what you'd expect from a classic Mediterranean fast-casual setup, but nothing that really wowed me. Not a bad spot by any means, just one where I'd probably choose a few other places in the city first before coming back.

Amazing food and gigantic portions!…read more We ordered several mixed plate entrees and each one was enough for two people for several meals. I loved the beef and chicken koubideh more than the chicken and steak kabobs, but all of the proteins were delicious! Make sure to order a hummus as well!

This was amazing food Maybe the best Persian and middle…read moreeastern I have ever eaten This can compete with noon o kabob Great kabobs good rice great service and cool inside 4.7/5

Good "bang for buck" would be an understatement when describing this place. The quality of the food…read moreat Falafel & Grill is absolutely OUTSTANDING, and comes at a beyond reasonable price. As typical for a counter serve, this facility is no thrills but it's kept very clean and the service is straightforward and great. We've gone back here a few times and have never had an issues with wait time, which is impressive as it can get pretty busy with orders. We've tried both the Chicken Kabob Plate and the Kifta Kabob Plate and both were fantastic. They truly make the meat here the PERFECT tenderness - probably the softest and juiciest chicken I've had in the city!!! The hummus and falafel that the Plate meals come with are also delicious. 10000% recommend for a casual Mediterranean meal or takeout

I lived in Chicago ten years and always wanted to try this place. Sadly it took me moving away to…read morefinally give it a try! This place is a local gem: simple, quick, casual, but packed with flavor. The falafel is crispy crunchy and herby served with two sauces (the red is bright and spicy - my fav), and you can see that juicy shawarma rotating in the window as you pass. Though unassuming on the outside, this place serves yummy Lebanese food at high ROI. Of the two shawarma plates I tried, I fancy the beef, but I tend to lean beef. The chicken was clean and flavorful. The hummus is creamy and delicious and the plates are served with a balsamic fresh salad on the side. The guys behind the counter are working hard and if you're picking food up to-go, you're likely in and out of line with hot fresh food in under 10 minutes. Definitely a spot to try if you've never had shawarma or Falaffel, or need a quick bite while on your lunch break. Also wouldn't be a bad late night snacky

food was delicious, great serving size and fresh !! customer service was also fantastic, super…read morefriendly and accommodating. will be coming back

I really liked this place. They have parking in front of the restaurant and back. I highly…read morerecommend a reservation on Friday-Sunday even if you are just one person. I called them because I wasn't sure if the online version would be too slow. We were a group of three that came in Saturday night at 7 pm. It was moderately busy. The staff were all welcoming with smiles on their faces and attentiveness. Prices were fair for the amount of food you receive. Food portions are colossal so I would recommend one appetizer and one entree if you are a couple. They give you a complimentary dish. We ordered arayes with meat, meat toshka, mixed grill with baba ghanouj, fillet of basa fried, and mint lemonade. They also offer you fresh Arabic coffee before you leave. This is about a 4.5-5. -arayes with meat 4 - this was not bad. It's like a tamer version of the meat toshka. -meat toshka 5 - I prefer this over the arayes because they add the Syrian cheese. This one was bursting with flavor the moment you took a bite out of it. The minced beef and lamb just melt in the mouth. -mixed grill 5 - this came with 3 big skewers (shish kabab, kufta kabab, and chicken tawook. It also has tomatoes and onions to help cut down the meat when digesting. There are two heaping portions of biryani and saffron rice and baba ghanouj. The baba ghanouj was creamy and flavorful. It goes well with the pita bread. The meats were cooked medium well unless you want something. I think next time I'll ask for the shish kababs to be cooked medium rare or medium for a more juicy taste. The chicken tawook and kufta were both succulent. -fillet of basa fried 5 - the two pieces of basa fillet were astronomical. It also comes with two different kinds of rice. The fish was flaky, moist, and seasoned. Make sure you add the lemon and eat it with the sauce. -mint lemonade 5 - this was very refreshing after eating a heavy meal.

We came here on Saturday for their brunch and I wanted to say our server was amazing!! The food was…read moregreat especially the Meijoo dates. We got a lot of dishes to share between four people and it was more than enough. A lot of the dishes had eggs which is great and everything was so flavorful. We choose to sit outside and it's so lovely and nice. Will be back to try more on their menu.

This came highly recommended by multiple people, and for a good reason! Our friend made a late…read morenight reservation, which was perfect after the architecture boat tour. This location runs a long narrow path with tables on the right and bar seating on the left. Beware, you'll be pretty cozy with your neighbors since some of the tables aren't split up. Mediterranean food is usually a hit for group dinners since we get to try a ton of small dishes. - Endive peach salad: delicious parm greek yogurt on the bottom, and was just what we needed after a day full of carbs. Light and refreshing - Wild mexican prawns: they added another for us since it usually only comes with 3. Make sure to dip the pita bread in the sauce - Chorizo stuffed dates: not a favorite for me, it was a bit too salty - Hummus with glazed short rib - this one was also just ok, the short rib was quite fatty - Heirloom tomatoes: another light and refreshing, but very savory starter. Loved this with the endive salad - Shwarma spiced chicken: we had to order this after seeing and SMELLING our neighbors' chicken. The spices are so fragrant and reallly good. I don't usually order chicken because it's usually dry, but even the white meat was moist As you can see, we left STUFFED. happy bellies

An absolutely standout meal, each dish better than the next. The stuffed dates, however, were about…read moreas spectacular as anything I've had. A perfect place to go with a group to try as many different things as possible. And don't sleep on their happy hour, which makes the experience even better!

Avaspi is one of the best restaurants I've been to in Chicago. My party of six split 6 appetizers…read moreand 3 entrees. Mediterranean Meze - very flavorful blend of 22 ingredients according to our waiter. This dish was truly unique. 5/5 Grilled Halloumi Meze - delicious cheese with olives and garlic bread. 4/5 Stuffed Eggplant - savory and creamy dish which actually might be even better served hot. 5/5 Calamari Meze - Excellent and tender. Not chewy at all which was nice. There were a ton of olives which I didn't think complimented the calamari. Overall, still 5/5. Mushroom Tava - mushrooms were cooked perfectly and were delicious. One of my favorite dishes of the night. 5/5 Stuffed Mushrooms - this dish fell flat on flavor and had more of the typical mushroom texture. 3/5 The Hunkar entrée initially was extremely salty. I mentioned this to the waiter and they remade it, which turned out great, so I'm hoping the salty dish was a one-off. 5/5 Our waiter was very friendly and attentive throughout. The restaurant itself is also casual upscale, so nice for most occasions. Avaspi exceeds expectations and I highly recommend this excellent Mediterranean restaurant.