We couldn't decide what dessert to order so we got all four! Did not disappoint at all!! read more

See all

Went there for a reception. Crowded space but service was exceptional. Nice location and great open space. Good was buffet style. Nice salads and other dishes fro the cuisine of the region. Lamb chops were the biggest hit Overall an ok experience. read more

My neighbor recommended going to Sifr for happy hour today! We had such a great time! Happy hours from 4-6 on weekdays. As you know she loves wine, and started with their Prosecco. I had the #2, nice and mild with very subtle taste. After a quick shot, we experienced the hummus, such great flavors and creamy. The herby falafel was crispy and authentic. The fried chicken was superb with the side of creamed yogurt mix. The last drink was my favorite/ SABAA. The flavors combined were superb. Shout out to Art who treated us like royalty! read more

VALENTINES MENU EXPERIENCE (not a review of regular menu): First, I want to say that the staff here was wonderful and the ambiance was lovely! However, if you were thinking about bringing your significant other to Sifr for the Valentine's Day menu ($95 each compared to $60-65 menus normally), I would not recommend it. Saved up to bring my partner here for a special Valentine's Day, spent nearly $300 (was given this estimate ahead of time which I appreciated!) and unfortunately walked away very disappointed. I have had the privilege to be able to eat at some other pricer menu places, and fully trusted that the cost here would be worth it for the blind menu. The menu itself was intriguing when we were given it upon arrival, but the portions were crazy small (I'm talking two courses where the cuisine was the size of my pinky!!). We were lucky to walk away full, but that is mainly because we completely demolished the massive hummus we got after looking around and seeing how small all the rest the portions would be. I don't know if other people who might have had their hummus cleared expecting more to come could say the same... We also asked for an extra pita to finish our hummus and when I checked the bill we got charged for it The price mattered much less than the fact that we got charged for the two little pita discs. How are you going to not give enough to eat with and then charge extra? I woulda thought that the $95 each up front would cover an expense like that?? The food started out good, but the main dish was a disappointment. The lamb loin cuts looked beautiful but were incredibly salty. If the lovely staff wasn't filling our water continuously I think we both woulda felt sick. I personally couldn't finish mine. Maybe I don't know much about lamb, but I thought you usually slow cooked it for a reason... The meat was so tendinous (I looked it up and it's called gristle?) that I felt like I was chewing forever. Overall, Sifr seems like a lovely restaurant and the regular menu looks delightful! I unfortunately left wondering where all the money went in the Valentine's Day experience. Maybe just go and order from the regular menu on Valentine's Day? read more

My family celebrated my bday here and we did the tasting menu which was $60pp. The food was delicious I had ordered scallops for one of my courses but our server thought I ordered lamb kebab and was unapologetic. The lamb turned out good so it was ok . Main course was chicken and dessert was date pudding . I had the old fashioned which was perfect.others ordered, mushrooms branzino , chicken and mango sorbet . read more

See all

The restaurant was so beautiful. A very modern and somewhat cozy feel. The staff was so friendly. We ended up going for dinner and just tried a few items on the menu. The server was so much help in deciding what items were their favorites and the ones that they recommended. It was lovely! Also the halloumi cheese small plate was so refreshing. It was tasty and beautifully plated, but the dessert was one of my favorites. I am still actively think about that house made cardamom ice cream. It was to die for !! read more

See all

Without question, this dining experience was in my top five of all time. The food was amazing. The cocktails were so creative and delicious. And, our server Edgar, went above and beyond to make the evening such a special one. Can't wait to go back! read more

My husband and I had a disappointing experience on Valentine's Day. We were looking forward to ordering from the regular menu such as one of the platters they offer. However, they were ONLY offering a Valentines tasting menu, which ended up being OK- there was no pricing on the menu, so we foolishly assumed it would be priced close to their regular tasting menu which is $60-$65. Note: They advertised the platters and regular tasting menu for Valentine's Day weekend online, so it's no surprise we expected to be able to order one. Imagine our shock when we received the bill and it was $95 each!! Btw 3 out of the 5 courses were (small) shared plates... Oh, and a waiter asked if we wanted more pita to finish our hummus, so we said yes of course, and they billed us $2 for that?? Incredible. I also think it's really grimy there was a 20% gratuity automatically included on the bill AND a 4% surcharge... Like you guys didn't squeeze enough money out of us. Unfortunately, we won't be returning to this restaurant, nor will we recommend it to anyone. read more

See all

The food is phenomenal! I came here with a few girlfriends after work and we split a bunch of food. The Chicken Shawarma humus was delicious, creamy and came with 3 pita breads. We got the Mezze Veg- better if you split between 3. We should have ordered two for 5 people but it was great to sample everything. We got the Roasted chicken with risotto. Chicken was so tender. We also got the Turkish pasta which had great flavor. Food all came out hot, fresh and delicious. Highly recommend. read more

Sifr - Veg Mezze and Cheese - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Simple, understated, and welcoming ambiance. This could be a date, a special occasion, or a work meal. The service was awesome. The food is really good. The pita, hummus, labneh, scallops, halloumi, and lamb were all great. The prices are very reasonable. read more

See all

This was insanely good! There arw a lot of options for vegerarians. We didnt go for the tasting menue and instead ordered a lot of sharables, just so we can try more different things. Absolutely worth it! The Maitake mushroom off the grill was one of my Highlights! I recommend leaving some space for the Desserts. Totally worth it! Also dont forget to take a look at the signature cocktails, they blend perfectly with anything on the menu. Will definitely come again! read more

See all

TLDR: One of my new favorite restaurants in town! We didn't have a lot of expectations coming here, seeing as the reviews are sort of a mixed bag--but we loved it! The chicken shawarma hummus was absolutely delicious! The chicken was nice and tender and the hummus didn't get upstaged by it either. Lots of great bold flavors. The charred melons with the smoked yogurt was savory yet sweet and absolutely refreshing. It was a nice palate cleanser before the lamb shank came out!! Which, btw, all three of us LOVED. The lamb was just so tender and flavorful; it was literally fall-off-the-bone tender! Also, don't snooze on the house wine. We ordered a bottle of the Dar Richi 2018 which was a nice bold, dry red with dark berry-forward notes. It was my first time trying Lebanese wine and I thought it paired really well with the lamb. I've already recommended this place to a bunch of people! It's definitely a great value meal analogous to a Bib. read more

See all

Loved this place. As a vegetarian it's really exciting to try new mezze or just have really good versions of my favorites. Pita was delicious. Had the tomato dish that was so different and gave me a new taste palate. The drinks were incredible and would definitely come back to try more. We sat out on the patio on a beautiful night and the service was excellent. Would highly recommend for drinks/apps! read more

I wanted to enjoy Sifr, but the food was mediocre. Alton, the sultan of San Francisco, was our delightful server on this quiet Monday, the first night of the Democratic Convention. In seems everyone was too scared to dine out. We ordered the sampler along with the shrimp. Everything tasted okay, but nothing was sensational. I expected more from the management of Indienne, a Michelin starred restaurant. read more

Sifr - The Sampler - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

We celebrated my cousins bday on a Monday and the place was surprisingly busy. It is Ramadan so they were accommodating in the timing of our food both in bring served and in wrapping up by a certain time do we could leave for prayer. We did family style and ordered the chickpea hummus, 2 orders of scallops, beef kabobs, lamb kabobs, branzino, potatoes, rice and we closed out with a date puddling. Everything was good-great but the standouts for me were the beef and lamb. Service was great, altho our server explained everything waaaay too much and offered way too many suggestions. It'd be one thing if we asked or if we mentioned we are from out of town but he was sweet so it wasn't a big deal. Overall it's a great spot, beautiful decor, good service, good-great food - worth checking out. read more

We went for a birthday celebration and had a great time! The staff was very accommodating and we were able to get a table on the terrace. The server went over the menu and made sure the recommendations fit our dietary needs. They gave us a complimentary rose toast to start off the celebrations, which was very sweet. The veg mezze platter was a great starter- we got to try a bit of everything and loved the fluffy bread and hummus. We then tried the cauliflower and mistake mushrooms and both dishes were so unique and flavorful. read more

See all

Awesome rooftop and ambiance. Fairly well priced, friendly servers. I'd recommend their happy hour.

Most amazing food and service! Loved every bite! We were a group 5 and we were so taken care off!! read more

See all

The food was good and while our server was very friendly, the overall service was just slow and the meal was quite pricey. We started with the halloumi and chicken schwarma hummus. For me these were maybe the best two things we ate. That said, can't remember the last time I paid $16 for hummus or $20 for halloumi. I would still get these again though. The chicken was delicious and we should've gotten a second plate of it. The halloumi was also good and the dates covering it were great. The chicken kebab was just ok - really needed more spicing and seasoning. I've had better kebabs for half the price. Found myself putting a bunch of harissa on it and yes we had to pay extra for harissa and extra for some pita to put it all together. The cauliflower was quite good too, this was more flavorful and heavily seasoned than the chicken thankfully. Service was slow, but our server was very friendly and accommodative. But for such prices and then a 4% surcharge and I think even then a credit card surcharge, and then the implication of a giant tip, it's just too pricey to frequent. read more

Sifr - date-covered halloumi was delicious, but pricey - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

OMG. The hummus with pita was to die for. Now that's out of the way let's talk about the rest. We did a 4 course meal option that was priced at $60 (in March). It came with a shareable appetizer (hummus & pita, the star of the show), two mains and a dessert per person. We had kebab, scallops and 2 lamb shanks as our main. Kebab was a little dry for my taste (have had fair share of kebabs from all over the world) but the scallops and the lamb shank was just delicious. Perfectly cooked, juicy and flavorful. Lamb shank is an added $16 but even with a total cost of $76, you get a lot of food. Ambiance is nice, good for a date night or for any occasion really. Service was impeccable. Our server whose name I've regretfully forgotten was amazing. Friendly, professional! This place is a must try. Spothero has garages literally around the block for parking. read more

See all

My girlfriends and I finally tried Sifr which is a new Middle eastern fine dining that opened up in River North. The ambiance is surely bougie and classy with all subtle shades around. We had our dinner reservations and were quickly seated once arrived. We ordered a lot of apps and main courses to share. We tried the Mezze platter, batata harra, falafels, chicken kebabs, chicken hummus, Eriste (Turkish Pasta) and Maitake. The Mezze platter is served with pita bread and multiple spreads. Mahummara was everyone's favorite. Our second favorite was batata harra which was a potato side dish, its dressing was very flavorful. My personal least favorite dish was the Eriste as I found it a bit too salty. For drinks we ordered Chamomile tea and a friend ordered Sitta which is a mezcal based drink. The hot tea was disappointing as we were served tea bags with hot water, that is not something we were expecting at a fine dine restaurant. Overall, good food and service. I will be back to try more of their dishes or maybe reorder some old favorites! read more

See all

Sifr Mediterranean restaurant here in the River North section of Chicago is serving some of the most advanced and creative Middle Eastern cuisine I've had since moving here 3 years ago. Not only is the food pretty, it's unbelievably delicious. Sifr gives its customers so many ways to enjoy their food, it takes you a few minutes to choose: prix fixe family style vegan individually plating I for one, chose the latter. What was brought to our table selected by us four here in attendance was: * A really delicious Hummus plate with very good pita bread * Eggplant dip so good I used my index finger to strip the bowl * The best Muhammara I've ever had * Maitake Mushrooms - fantastic * Hoikkado Scallops in a delicious red sauce * Lamb Kabab which was my favorite * Chicken Fesenjan - also wonderful When you're eating food this elevated, it really makes the night worth everything. The service was great and the ambiance put us all in a quiet serene feeling. I personally LOVED Sifr and will most definitely come back here again. read more

Beautiful restaurant with an even better rooftop for nice weather! We first got a happy hour drink and snack at the bar then headed up to our table. The mezcal drink I had was very sweet, so I switched to a nice glass of red for my meal. The fried chicken on the happy hour menu was more like fried popcorn chicken but tasty with a nice garlic sauce. Between four of us, the non vegetarian mezze platter was nice to share as an appetizer. Everything was delicious and flavorful. I liked the warm pita especially. The mixed grill platter was also a great entree to share and feed four of us perfectly for $120. This was a great deal to get a nice mix of all the different meats and seafood - on the pricier side but great for sharing. The flavors were delicious as well. Service was excellent too. I would definitely recommend for a nice Mediterranean meal! read more

See all

We did the Chefs Tasting Menu: MUHAMMARA / CLASSIC HUMMUS / EGGPLANT / HERB FALAFEL COLORADO LAMB CHOPS & GRILLED BRANZINO LAMB ADANA KEBAB & MAITAKE MUSHROOM MEDJOOL DATE & CHOCOLATE CAKE - Cardamom Ice Cream, Tahini Caramel, Walnut Wafer (Nuts) & MANGO CASSATA - Rice Mousse, Kataifi My favorite part was the appetizer platter, especially the eggplant and classic hummus. I was tempted to order more of the hollow, crispy pita bread. Honestly, no misses with the rest of the dishes. $68 is pretty good deal for you and friends to explore the menu. However, appetizer platter aside, portion sizes are small. So if you are a 20-30 year old guy, you'll probably still be hungry like me. No issues with service. Plenty of seating inside. I would return to try the regular menu. read more

See all

We smashed. I had no idea this place was Michelin Star! the food was so good and the ambiance was amazing, it's not hard to see why this would be listed. We went for a friend's birthday. The restaurant was noisy so it didn't make a difference that we were cackling all night. Every dish I had was superb (again, we were a big party- 6 total- so I tried a lot of dishes). Service was cool (which is why I'm rating it 4 stars instead of 5, there were moments where our table was unattended. For example, we waited almost an hour before being asked if we wanted dessert) Oh, and you have to try the passion fruit sorbet if you go! So so so so good. read more

Torn between two lovers feeling like a fool. Beautiful space with below average service. Tasty inventive cocktails that don't get you buzzed. Bottom line get some apps and some sides and a lot of bread. The entrees were not only a rip off but mis-represented and not worthwhile. 2 Prawns in an entree and average ones at that. Don't order the lamb kebob!!! It is a long piece of ground lamb. Please call it Kufta Lula or anything else. I felt cheated. Dessert was good though read more

We swung by Sifr for a girls night dinner. We had prior reservations. Upon arrival, we were immediately escorted to our table. Our server was friendly. We ordered the veg mezze platter for the table. It comes with two pitas, but we ordered a couple more since we were 4. All of the dips were amazing, especially the Muhammara. The lavash crackers were a delight. The pita was fluffy and the nigella seeds added a nice flavor to them. We also ordered a bunch of small plates such as the falafel and chicken shawarma hummus. For our mains, we ordered the chicken kebabs, Eriste (Turkish pasta) and Maitake. We also ordered batata harra for the table. The batata harra was definitely the highlight of the night. A must try! The eriste was a bit off putting in flavor, it was salty and pickly. Not a fan! The chicken shawarma was great according to my friends but they didn't like the chicken kebabs. The Maiitake was interesting but not something I would typically order since I dislike mushrooms. For the drinks, we ordered the Sitta. It was very crisp and refreshing. My friends ordered some chamomile tea but were disappointed as they got cups of hot water with tea bags on the side. They were expecting a nice brewed cup of tea since we were at a fine dine restaurant. The ambience was very modern and chic. I don't think I will be back, but it's definitely worth atleast one visit. read more

See all

The ambiance at Sifr is 10/10 and not lacking. The inside is beautiful and romantic and we enjoyed sitting up on the rooftop patio. We ordered the non-veg mezze platter for two and while the food was good, it wasn't extraordinary. My mind immediately went to the salatim platter you can get at Laser Wolf in Philly and it was a comparison I shouldn't have made because it only made me miss the mezze spread at Laser Wolf. For what it's worth, the mezze platter at Sifr is a nice sampler but not worth $40 as it's certainly not filling and requires another dish or two. We ended up ordering the maitake mushroom dish and was glad we did as the mushrooms were flavorful and the sauce lying underneath was delicious. Service was great- we were seated promptly and our server checked in on us consistently throughout the meal. read more

Sifr - Maitake Mushroom - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Love that there is two bars to choose from. We sat upstairs in the winter which is covered and has heaters but will surely come back in the summer to enjoy it as an outdoor patio! read more

Sifr - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Staff are inattentive. The rooftop bartender rarely looked over and was on FaceTime for most of my visit. I never got a water refill while sitting at the bar for 90 min and it was a struggle to get a second drink, both ordering and then waiting for it to be made. Drinks weren't very good either. "Interesting" (in a bad way) is the best descriptor. It's very loud, both inside and out. read more

Sat on the rooftop and ambiance was great! Food was good, specifically the hummus, falafel, and labneh. They ask that you order everything all at once, which is fine but we were still hungry after our initial order and wanted to add more items, but the waiter said he had to ask the kitchen if we were able to order more food. That comment was a little off-putting, but otherwise we had a great time. read more

Service was okay. Food was delicious. We did their tasting menu and it did not disappoint. Little pricey for the portions but overall good place. The rooftop is gorgeous. I tried a number of different desserts but the date flavor of the date cake didn't quite land at all. It just tasted like chocolate cake lol but the food was good enough for another visit :) read more

The food was flavorful and delicious. Service was great. I first tried this kind of food at Laser Wolf in Philly and have been seeking it out in other places. I love the variety with all the mezze plates. read more

See all

When everything comes together for a great experience! Sifr delivers on food, ambiance and especially customer service. Our first reservation to try this place was cancelled due to an unforeseen building issue. However, they went above and beyond to accommodate us. You could tell they are on top of their game as everyone from the host to the server knew about it and was apologetic/kind. They even provided a complimentary drink! Now unto the food, it's Mediterranean just like a half dozen other places that opened up. However, they have their unique take on it with more of a middle eastern flavor and the emphasis on large shareable plates. Everything was delicious! - Falafel - simple yet great way to start Chicken shawarma hummus - couldn't stop eating it with the freshly made pita - ask for as many as you need. Lamb shank - wow it's a star. Delicious in every way, especially the rice. Black prawns - delicious for your casual seafood eater. Also had a great cocktail, very unique middle eastern flavors - Arbas. The ambiance was light, bright and yet warm and intimate. Overall a hit...went from zero(Sifr) to hero! read more

See all

Went for happy hour and everything was great. I got the lamb burger which comes with a side of pickled veggies. I also got the pita and humus which I recommend. read more

See all

Beautiful restaurant, amazing service, & great food! The hummus is pretty good and pairs very well with the pita bread. They even have a fried version of the pita if your are feeling adventurous. Every time I see halloumi on the menu, I have to order it and I will say this one was pretty good. If you are vegetarian and like mushrooms, I recommend getting the maitake mushroom! It's a really hearty and flavorful dish with the yellow pepper curry as a base! I was totally taken by surprise but the summer pea & fava manti was amazing probably one of best things I had here!! I wasn't going to order it but our server said we wouldn't be disappointed and he was definitely right! I though the batata harra and falafel was okay... don't think I would get those again next time. The zaatar bread was decent but I've had better. read more

See all

Had an amazing visit to Sifr! I came with my family while my parents were visiting for their anniversary. Upon arrival, our waitress brought us all out some champagne to celebrate, which was so nice. She then walked us through the menu and explained how everything is meant to be family style. We ordered the meat appetizer platters, the chicken entree, prawns, the cauliflower entree and falafel. Everything was delicious! The flavors were so good on each dish. We all really liked the smoked labneh -- highly recommend. And the chicken thigh entree was a personal fave. The cocktails were also great. Highly recommend for a delicious meal! read more

This place is so fun. I had a networking opportunity here and it was great! I thought it was a perfect place for a group setting I loved the food and the White Russian was to die for the only other White Russian I've loved in the whole city was alla vita. Our waiter David was very attentive and knowledgeable as well! Will definitely be b read more

See all

Restaurant cancelled our reservation without informing us on Valentine's Day because they got overbooked. Only way I found out was by looking at my OpenTable app and not seeing the reservation anymore. We were able to get a table an hour later than our original reservation with a minimal apology from the staff. Food was average, portions were for a toddler, service was mediocre at best. Probably won't be back here. read more

Incredible experience from beginning to end. The beverages were outstanding in presentation and flavor combinations. The food was equally satisfying. The dishes were satisfying to the eyes, nose, and palate. The ingredients were fresh and the food options were plentiful. Great variety of meat/ vegetarian options. The service was immaculate. The servers were attentive and dishes were removed and silverware was reset with each course. 10/10 recommend Sifr for a great food and beverage experience. The price is fair for the food quality and service. read more