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    Old Jerusalem Restaurant

    4.0 (504 reviews)
    ModerateMiddle Eastern
    Open 11:00 am - 10:45 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Order Old Jerusalem Restaurant Takeout or Delivery

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    OLD JERUSALEM RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Quiet
    Casual
    Dogs allowed
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Old Jerusalem Restaurant

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    Jerusalem salad
    Chris M.

    Of all the Mediterranean/Middle Eastern restaurants I've had in Chicago, Old Jerusalem is undoubtedly in the upper echelon. The moudardara is indescribably delicious. I've had this dish many times but the one here is head and shoulders above the rest. If you're not familiar, moudardara is a blend of rice, lentils, and caramelized onions, which pairs wonderfully with the plain yogurt they give you. Another favorite is the Jerusalem Salad. So fresh and so perfectly balanced. Of course, everything else here is great too (including the grilled meats and classic sides/appetizers) but these are just my personal favorites. The family members that run the place are also the absolute sweetest people. Please do yourself a favor and pay Old Jerusalem a visit ASAP!

    Combination Platter
    Amelia B.

    Takeout order from Old Jerusalem Restaurant. They've got the meats with their combination platter, complete with rice and some salad. Also had to try to vegetarian platter which was loaded with hummus, baba ganoush, and falafel. The order came with three pitas too. Ended the meal on a sweet note with a baklava. This is a place where you'd probably want to just do takeout. You wouldn't have trouble securing a table if you dine in.

    Menu
    Anthony D.

    Great food at a great price! The staff is friendly and the interior is comfortable, we ordered: - Combination Platter - Hommos with Meat - Grape Leaves The Grape Leaves may not be for everyone, they are served warm and have sour kick. The meat in the other dishes were all flavorful. Definitely recommend stopping by.

    Savanna B.

    Tried this place for dinner last night. The couple running the place were extremely nice and accommodating towards my toddler- definitely kid-friendly. The dining room was slow last night although they were doing brisk takeout business. The pita bread was delicious- fluffy and warm. I could have almost made a meal of that! I had the vegetarian combination and liked it, especially the tabbouleh. The baba ganoush had a nice smoked flavor. We split an order of French fries for the table and those were also good. My husband had the chicken kabob and didn't love it for the price. He said it was mostly rice and not enough chicken. He also said that while the rice was served hot the chicken was cold. Our niece had the chicken and hummus and liked that a lot, so maybe that's the way to go. We all shared baklava, which I thought was just okay.

    Restaurant from back.

    Great food, service and vibes. Beautiful location with lovely people. Clearly family owned and made. You can't go wrong here. The grape leaves were moister compared to others that I have had and I savored every moment! Greta portions sizes and the combo are perfect for sharing although we did get a couple apps to help my tummy feel full. The veggie platter is spectacular and everything is great. They are ready to serve at anytime.

    Kunefe, Baklawa and Harisa
    Zirish K.

    Loved the ambiance and a very nice lady welcomed me. Felt very humble. I got the Kunefe, harissa and baklava. Everything was delicious!! I will definitely go again

    Shawarma Sandwich
    Amy D.

    BYOB! Their portions are very generous and definitely worth taking home for later! I'm personally impressed by the pita sandwich. At initial glance, it seemed like there wouldn't be enough shawarma, but after a few bites it becomes immediately apparent that there's SO MUCH inside - well-portioned meat, sauce, tomato, onion and lettuce. The vibes inside are pretty standard with decent service. I recommend sitting outside instead to really feel a part the Old Town action. -AT

    Combination Platter
    Ernie H.

    Outdoor seating is best. Especially since the eye candy here is more sophisticated than say - Lincoln Park. The patina of time has taken its toll inside. My Arabic coffee was perfectly sweetened rich and strong. The combo platter was ok. The gyro/ lamb and kefta is fine but the beef was overcooked and dry. The kinafa desert is Ok. I prefer the Turkish version.

    Falafil Sandwich
    Simran S.

    Old Jerusalem was probably the most different type of Middle Eastern food I've had in Chicago. I had the falafel sandwich. It was quite filling, tasty with all the stuffing and sauces! Pro tip: order a side of the garlic sauce. It is AMAZING. Service was quick and overall a decent ambiance. Very family friendly.

    Falafel and Baba Ganouj

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    3 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Excellent home made rustic food, friendly service and comfortable atmosphere. The vegetarian platter was amazing. We will be back!

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    1 year ago

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    2 years ago

    I've been a regular of this place for almost 7 years. The food is authentic, delicious, and always feels like home

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Anytime I'm in Chicago this is our spot to get delicious fresh food. We love the owners too. Such a nice family!!! Neighborhood favorite ;)

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    2 years ago

    The food here never misses. I'm obsessed with their hummus entree with chicken it's so yummy. The family is also super sweet and friendly:)

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    3 years ago

    Very authentic food, small quant location. Very unassuming place, but really worth a visit.

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    Page 2 of 13

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    Ask the Community - Old Jerusalem Restaurant

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    3.9(97 reviews)
    1.5 miLincoln Park, DePaul

    First things first, cafe yaya is by the same group that operates galit and is literally right next…read moreto galit! So if you aren't able to get a reservation at galit, cafe yaya is a great option to consider. Cafe yaya was a great experience for us! We had a prior reservation and came here for brunch. We ordered a bunch of things for the table, including the Yaya fries, shakshuka, veggie bowl with sweet potatoes, mushroom, some more veggies with a side of some slaw and a sauce, lamb burger, pistachio rose bun and a veggie twist (this was at the cafe counter). The food was good but for me he standout was the pistachio rose bun. Omg it was to die for, it was not overly sweet, very decadent and had a great amount of pistachios and rose flavor in it, YUMM! The veggie bowl and the shakshuka were decent. My friend loved his lamb burger. The veggie twist was ok, and our server had forgotten about it for a while so we got it late. Overall, the service was great! The server was super friendly, explained everything really well to us and even offered a replacement when I spilled my coffee. Very hospitable staff overall! The ambience was great! Felt like we were in a Mediterranean cafe.

    Tried a grain bowl recently for lunch, as there are no vegan breakfast options from what I could…read moretell (disappointing but I'm used to it), and it was alright but the upcharge for tofu was ridiculous. $6 tofu upcharge. Tofu is less than $2 per 14 oz pack and this is a lot less than a block. This may still be a fine price to pay for someone prepping my food were it not a miss. It feels like miscellaneous vegetables thrown together without much thought or anything to tie it all together. There's also completely random unadvertised services charges? Wtf? There's barely any service! The atmosphere is nice but the entryway is always crowded and chaotic, it's confusing when you enter the building. Overall disappointed. It's cute but really felt like I was getting charged nearly $25 for beans and rice. Wanted to like this place as it's near where I live and looked promising.

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    4.1(541 reviews)
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    Came as a solo diner after having tried Cafe Yaya. Absolutely delicious and a HUGE amount of food…read morefor one (they're meant to be sharing portions so for one I had plenty of leftovers, which were delicious the next day). The wait staff were SO sweet and did warn me about the portions so I didn't fill myself up too early! I could eat that hummus by itself with a spoon and be perfectly happy. LOVE the tiny little tasty side dishes! The highlights for me were the foie gras and the lamb chops, which were a special item: they were so tasty and juicy in their sauce and absolutely perfectly cooked. There were protestors outside who screamed at people coming in and out of the restaurant, but honestly obnoxious people like that just make me want to come back and support Galit MORE, not less.

    Galit offers a cozy four course meal that is both creative and filling. When we arrived, our table…read morewas not ready so we were seated at the bar. Service was fine but not overly warm, and since it was our first time, we found ourselves asking about the menu rather than having it introduced. The menu starts with a shared hummus. We had the bubbe's brisket, which was very tender, along with four sides to mix and dip with pita. For the second course, we chose the kubbeh halab and beef tongue. The kubbeh halab, a fried dumpling with lamb, was flavorful and came with some dill and brown sauce, that worked well together. The beef tongue was extremely tender and paired nicely with its rich sauce. The stuffed cabbage with rice was a bit plain compared to the other dishes. For mains, we had the barramundi and lobster. Both were cooked well. The sweet potato purée with the barramundi did not work as well with the beurre blanc since the textures were too similar, and there was a bit too much sauce. The lobster stood out with a citrus sauce and slices of blood orange, and paired nicely with the parsnip purée. Worth the additional $20. For dessert, we had the malabi, which was described to us like a panna cotta. The citrus topping was a bit too tart, so this was probably my least favorite course. Overall, really good execution on their meats and seafood. We would come back and try other dishes. They also offer a happy hour with some dishes available à la carte.

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    Pars Cove Restaurant

    Pars Cove Restaurant

    4.3(575 reviews)
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    They've made me a customer for life and I will tell everyone to go to their restaurant for as long…read moreas I talk about Chicago. This restaurant is 50+ years old and has been in the same location for that long too. The inside is a bit darker and there are very few windows but they have ambient lighting and music playing that doesn't make your really realize it. There is a lot of seating for smaller and larger groups. The service is some of the best I've had. The owner, Max, personally comes to take your order depending on the rush and he is so sweet to recommend dishes. The food itself is so flavorful and all of the proteins fall right off the bone. They were also able to accommodate a big group and were so kind to play music and serve cake for my birthday! Truly one of those spots where you will leaving feeling full in your stomach and your heart

    How can a restaurant be both cozy and dungeon-like at the same time? The unusually shaped,…read moreunconventional-looking Pars Cove somehow managed it! This is just a provisional review, as I've only eaten here twice. The hummus was good and the pita was delicious (unlike most American restaurants, where the pita tastes like cardboard.) The main dish, lamb shank in walnut and pomegranate sauce, was somewhat disappointing. The lamb was fairly tender (though not on par with Greek-style lamb) but I couldn't taste any walnuts or pomegranates whatsoever. It came with a big heap of flavorless rice. I'll update my review when I try some other dishes. I'm a little worried about this place. They've been around forever, but the two times I've been here, it was almost deserted.

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    Pars Cove Restaurant - Amazing food even better service! Thank you Max Pars you are a legend.

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    Old Jerusalem Restaurant - mideastern - Updated May 2026

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