We love this place! The food is great! The shawarma is delicious and the Moroccan cigars are amazing!

My friend and I came across this place by accident last night. Our hotel manager had sent us to another restaurant, but when we got there it was closed. We kept driving down the road and saw the Panda Express and had to turn around to get to it. When we did, we saw Taboun and figured we would try it out. We are sure glad we did. There was a very large party in the front celebrating a wedding. It was a really neat cultural experience to see and the people were very friendly. Our food was outstanding! I got the mixed meat platter with Israeli salad and the rice of the day. All of the flavors were great. The wedding party had some dessert sent to us. I don't know what the items were called, but they were great too. Our waitress was very helpful and friendly. We plan to dine here again the next time travel brings us to the area. read more

Taboun Grill - Kosher Near Me - Skokie, Illinois

Had a great lunch here today! My wife's Jewish coworker recommended this place for me to try. (It's Kosher) Its really not much to look at from the outside so you might pass it by but don't! They have lunch specials that cost way less than the regular entree. I wanted to try a couple things but was unsure about ordering too much food. My server helped me decide and assured me I would be satisfied but not overfull. I started with the Yemenite soup. Its a potato and herb based broth. Really good. Oh and they put out a small plate of delicious little pickles and beets to get you started. Then I had the falafel appetizer. Tasty little fried balls of deliciousness with some kind of spread! Yum! I decided on Kefta, an herbed sausage. You get to pick two sides. So I chose, with help from my server, Israeli salad and the grilled onions. This is all served with the most incredible pita bread you could ever eat! The restaurant is open, comfortable, and very clean. The staff is friendly and attentive. You don't need to be flashy or gourmet to get 5 stars from me. Delicious food, presented well by friendly people, in a clean and comfortable environment! read more

I've always heard good things about Taboun and decided to give it a whirl! I walked up to the to-go counter to place my order. Unlike many counter-based restaurants, Taboun also features a full-service seating area. I ordered a chicken schwarma pita without tahini sauce (hate the stuff), knowing I would still get hummus and Israeli salad. I forked over an amount just shy of $10 (the entree is $9 excluding tax). Although the schwarma pita was rather expensive at $9, and although other entrees exceed such a price, one must remember how expensive Kosher items are to both procure and produce. The price was at least somewhere near fair, given how the portion was filling, tasty, and stuffed with tender, flavorful chicken. The accompanying Israeli salad and hummus complimented the chicken, and the pita was fluffy and held up pretty well for sitting in my car on the way home! read more

Great food , always freah and taste great. The place is very clean, and very good service!!

Have always wanted to eat here and finally got a chance tonight! Parking: a ton. It's in a plaza so no worries about this. Ambience: nicely lit, clean, spacious, open layout. Looks fancy on the outside but pretty laid back one you go in. Recommendation: Moroccan cigars, it's got a pretty good kick. It's flavorful, highly recommend trying this. I got the skirt steak special. This only comes with hummus, no Fehina or salad. This was not bad it was not what I was expecting. I was expecting for it to be more flavorful. Meat was a bit chewy, pita didn't see as fresh. My husband got the fish pita. Was not salty at all, flavor was just right. Thumbs up on this one. Overall, I give it a three. I would probably come back again only to try the Shawarmas read more

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I was driving through Chicago to Indy and got taboun carry out. This place is sooo amazing. I got potato pastels, beef cigars, beef kafta, and chicken thighs. The food lasts us for 3 meals. The food quality is just so high class and the service was quick. My husband is israeli and loves getting taboun anytime we come into the city. If they offered frozen shipping I would order all of the time!? read more

Worth the short ride from the city for the delicious food . Atmosphere nondescript - in a strip mall. Service is fine. Reasonably priced lunch specials. read more

Love it! A little pricey, however, the food is fresh and authentic to Israel .. I had the schnitzel with onion mashed potatoes and Israeli salad, one word to describe it - Devine! :) Great food!!! read more

They have delicious food. Their falafel has the perfect texture and flavor. The staff is really nice and it's a great place to gather a big group of friends. This is my favorite Middle Eastern restaurant in the area. read more

Very good service the environment is nice. There are a ton of options to choose from they even have a vegan selection for those who are vegan. Everything came out fresh. Shawarma is juicy and moist as it should be. I recommend this restaurant for anyone looking for a great experience an very good tasting food! read more

My go to for a great kosher meat meal that's close enough to Lincoln park. I was craving lamb and got delicious chops. Grilled onions and green beans for the sides. I could eat this every day! The cost isn't too bad, makes sense for kosher food. read more

I worked with Anat on three big orders for my daughter's school- she is a pleasure to work with and is extremely detailed. When a miscommunication occurred, she was focused on the fix and said everything possible to make it right. That being said, I love the food! It's our go to kosher restaurant in Chicago. If you haven't been before, the pita is awesome, I love the combination salads and shwarma. read more

Love this place. They have two locations, skokie (original) and Northbrook. We work in Skokie so order out from here for lunch and are obsessed with their falafel sandwiches. Soo fresh, soft and great ingredients. A little more pricey than local similar establishments such as Pita Inn, however the quality is much higher. We catered for a party from here and they provided so much food we couldn't finish it all! read more

My studio is right down the street from Taboun, so I thought I'd pop in and take out some lunch today. It was fairly busy at 1pm and they were pretty attentive to me (especially since I wasn't staying). The prices are way too high for what you get. I know that kosher meat costs more and they need to maintain their kosher status (inspections, etc), but this still seems too high. I ordered the shawarma sandwich and an order of falafel (since the sandwich comes with nothing on its own). They didn't tell me that they didn't put any tahini in with the falafel (6 balls), so it was pretty dry and wayyyyy too garlicky. The shawarma was good, pita was really soft and fresh (nicely spongy). With Basha and Pita Inn just down the road on Dempster, they've got some competition to contend with...even if this is kosher and those others are not. read more

I drove by this place a good 6 months or so ago and have been meaning to try it ever since. I finally decided to try it and called in an order. It was Sunday night and the best way to describe the atmosphere in there is chaotic. There really is just way too much going on and even waiting for my take out order was stressful. I really wanted to get a feel for this place so I ordered the salad combination plate, the falafel pita and an order of baklava. This all came out to about $25, which is at least $15 more than a comparable order at Pita Inn right down the street. They have their prices online though so I knew what I was getting into. Let's start out with the positives. The purple cabbage salad was pretty good. It reminded me of a coleslaw that wasn't overpowered by mayo. The hummus and baba were also pretty decent. The best part of the meal was their pita. They were different from the normal pita as they were thicker, more fluffy and slightly charred. It almost reminded me a little of naan bread. The baklava used rose water which isn't exactly what I wanted, but it was still not bad. The worst part of the meal was unfortunately the part I was looking forward to the most. The falafel was pretty much awful. They actually had a really good consistency, the only problem was this place seemed to use whole peppercorns as the main ingredient, which completely dominated the flavor. I enjoy putting ground up pepper on things, but whole peppercorns are not on my list of favorite things to bite into and every bite seemed to have some in it. It got to the point where I had to pick out the falafel pieces and just eat the rest of the pita. It was extremely disappointing. I have to say that I will not be making a second visit to Taboun in this lifetime. read more

Had a late lunch over at Taboun today. The food is as authentic as you will get outside of the Middle East. Pricing is good, especially for Kosher. Service is very good and the staff is excellent. They have the best Baba Ghannouj in the United States. read more

Good service and great Yemenite soup!

It seemed like every time I've wanted to go to Taboun it's been a Saturday night and unfortunately they are not open as it is a kosher establishment. I finally went today and I am so glad that I did. We got there at about 1:30 Sunday afternoon and it was not that full. The restaurant is brand new, very clean and the decor is not bad either. I think they were trying to go for a rocky, prairie style that they didn't actually accomplish but nonetheless it's not bad. The kitchen is open to the restaurant and their ventilation system is not the greatest and I did walk out of there smelling like food. The food..we ordered the baba ghanoush and it was delicious and the grilled pita is some of the best I have ever had. I ordered a chicken schwarma sandwich that comes again in the pita, this time not grilled with hummus smeared inside and Israeli salad. DEElicious!! I am looking forward to going back and trying other things. read more

When I am back in my home town, I always try to hit this place. It is simply a cut above your better Middle Eastern fare...and for me, because it is strictly Kosher, one of the only places I can eat without taking 10 minutes to explain my Dairy allergy to cows milk products. What you get here are sensible portions, the finest ingredients, prepared to perfection in a simple yet immaculate setting. Don't miss the Yemenite Soup! Lunch entree half portions will allow you to sample that soup along with 2 sides-I always do the rice of the day and Israeli salad. Enjoy! read more

Absolutely fantastic. The baba ghannouj is to die for and the purple cabbage is fantastic. However, if you want a variety, I strongly suggest getting the salad combination plate. You not only get the baba ghannouj and the purple salad, but also hummus and morrocan eggplant. If you're with a group of people, I also suggest getting the appetizer combination plate so you get some meat as well (Moroccan Cigars, Kubeh and Pastels). The Moroccan cigars are fried very well and the meat complements it perfectly. Also highly recommend getting the falafel appetizer. These aren't breaded too heavily and the chickpeas are extremely fresh. The falafels also surround a bed of hummus. You will need to ask for more pita breads so just keep that in mind. As for the main course, I am a big fan of the chicken shwarma plate which is absolutely delicious. For the sides, I have never had the same rice of the day which in speaks for itself because the rice of the day is always fantastic. A side of purple cabbage completely rounds out a great meal. The grill combination is also fantastic. If you are a party of two and get all the appetizers that I recommended above, then as for the main course, splitting the grill combination will fill you up if you are not already full. That and a side of the rice of the day and the purple cabbage. So apparently the tea with Nana is supposed to be a desert drink but I really like it with the meal because the mint helps cleanse the pallet. I have been here about 6 times and absolutely love it. The only reason why there was not an earlier review was because I kept forgetting how to spell Taboun. read more

The Morocco cigars are to die for! My father and i come here pretty frequently for dinner. Its not very busy if you go before 7pm. The women are very nice and attentive. The only reason i did not give them 5 stars is because of the last time we went. You could see they were setting up for a small party. Once the party arrived they started adding more table. They completely closed us in and rushed us to finish so they could have our table. I understand you didn't set up enough tables, but we are paying customers too. Needless to say we felt disrespected and will look for a new dinner spot. read more

I have eaten here at least 30+ times since the owner opened up his first restaurant in Chicago (now closed). While I respect everyone's views several of the negative reviews are IMHO just plain wrong. Of all the Israeli restaurants in Chicago this is by far the best bar none - now on to the food. My personal favorite is a tie between the Beef Shish Kebob and Chicken Thigh Kebob. Each come with two sides (of your choice) Israeli salad and rice mix well. My kids cannot get enough of the fries. I was there just the other day for a business meeting and someone ordered the Moroccan Fish - very spicy and enjoyable. When my father-in-law visits from Israel he always goes with the same - Falafel to start and Shwarma Plate for the main. He always enjoys the food that reminds him of the his little place he eats back home. If you are looking for other starter choices I would go with the Kubeh or a large plate (to avoid the fights) of Hummus. The wait staff is consistent and they always make sure my water glass is full. If you are not stuffed yet, finish the meal with some Baklava and Turkish Coffee; however my wife prefers Tea with Nana (an Israeli staple). They do planned take-out meals (you need to order in advance) every Friday afternoon. It is a completely different menu, one that I would highly recommend exploring. Now the $1000 question - is the food authentic? I say yes based on my personal experiences visiting and living in Israel for the last 30+ years. The owner is Israeli and (as stated above) my father-in-law who lives in Israel agrees 100% it is a small slice of home. read more

Review based on a take out order, not sit in: This restaurant is in a strip mall next to a Dunkin Donuts, in case you see the name on the Dempster side. I went in for a quick pick up lunch, and was pleasantly surprised to see that the place was fairly packed on a Friday afternoon, with some catering orders waiting for pick up. 'Authentic Israeli Cuisine" is on their take out menu, and that got me excited....until I opened up and saw the prices. It is a tad bit higher than what you would expect to pay at other local eateries, sandwiches are 8-11 bucks, entrees are 16-28. Perhaps the word "grill" threw me off? Spotting a regular, I asked him what to order and he points out the Shwarma, chicken thigh (I will get this if I go back), and falafel sandwiches. Ordered the shwarma and onion mashed potatoes. The shwarma was chicken and Israeli salad in a pita. (They also have options to have it in a lafa for 3 bucks, another thing I will try if I come back.) From what I've had before, this sandwich tasted lighter and less greasy than others. However, the chicken was a bit dry. The salad was fine and helped with the dryness, but not enough to tastify it. The onion mashed potatoes side dish was actually quite tasty, a comfort food for sure. It wasn't a strong green onion taste, but more a slow cooked white onion taste. This would be great with steak! Service here was quick, kind and eager to help. I would give this place another chance, but at that price, I would have to justify it as a sit down for dinner, not take out. read more

Israeli / middle eastern style meat restaurant with excellent food. Just the right balance between fancy and casual. Can be crowded at peak times, but other times easy to get seated. read more

Thrilled that Taboun came to Skokie - Great location near the Edens. I keep meeting friends from Chicago to Highland park. It's easy to get to. The food is great and the service was good. My kids love it too. read more

Awesome place to go for authentic Israeli food. People are great and food is awesome. We were her just visiting and stumbled onto this place what a find read more

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First time I had the veggie pita, which was pretty good, but nothing fantastic. It satisfied me. Next time, the falafel, which was super spiced up with coriander, and I loved it. Next time I got the tilapia in a 'lafa' (thicker, soft, chewy version of flour tortilla), and it was off the rails. Cant wait to go back and get that, but I don't know if I can since it is not kosher to eat fish with the lafa since they grill the lafa on the meat grill...but I liked it! Hopefully next time they are equally accommodating to the non kosher kid. I have seen the meat things, and they look realz chewy, but I dont think I will try them anytime soon. Just word to the wise. Its an interesting crowd too. Lots of interesting Israelis. read more

Went here for lunch with a coworker today. Pickles and beets to start are really good and house soup is just ok. However, the highlight was the dark meat chicken kebob in a pita. The meat had a really nice char and flavor, plus all the fixings tasted fantastic. Don't forge to cut up some of the pickles that are brought to the table and add it to the pita kebob....mmmmmm Avoid the potatoes with onions. read more

Can't compare to a good Arabic restaurant. Wouldn't recommend this place. Too many great restaurants around .... unless Kosher is a big deal for you. read more

I went here the other night and the food was pretty good. I really liked the Moroccan Cigars. Probably more than my dinner. I had the Schnitzel with Israeli salad and mashed potatoes. There was more than enough food on my plate. The service was friendly and quick too. The environment is really casual and open. There isn't much ambiance if you want a nicer dinner out. There aren't a ton of kosher meat options out there and I think their food and price is really reasonable. Worth checking out if you keep kosher! read more

I would have given Taboun 4 stars, but the hummus here is just so-so. An Israeli restaurant should have amazing, authentic, Israeli-tasting hummus! Maybe it was an off-night when we ate there last, but the hummus was pretty tasteless. No tang or garlic. Just basically chickpea paste. However, the rest of the salads are spot-on (we ordered the salad combination plate as an appetizer). The baba ganoush is really good--smoky tasting and creamy, although it tastes suspiciously like Sabra baba ganoush. But I have no doubt they make fresh. The Moroccan eggplant salad is also delish--there were some crunchy vegetables (pickles maybe?) mixed in the salad, which added a really nice bit of texture to the soft roasted eggplant. Hubby asked to sub matbucha for the cabbage salad, and I am not a fan of matbucha, but he really liked it. The pitas were soft and warm, which is key. For an entree I had a chicken shwarma lafa. The chicken is nicely flavored, and there is a lot of it--not like some places that will put a ton of salad and not a whole lot of meat. I wondered why they don't have regular lamb/turkey shwarma, but I'm glad they have chicken because I don't like lamb shwarma. The first time we ate at Taboun, I got a shwarma pita, but I would definitely recommend the lafa--the wrap is much chewier and tastes better, plus you get leftovers for the next day! Hubby had a beef kebab lafa, which he really liked. Overall, this place is a nice treat since we only eat kosher meat and don't often get to eat meat in restaurants. The prices are steep but pretty standard for kosher meat. We've only ever ordered sandwiches, but ordering entrees could get pretty pricey. The food tastes Israeli enough, but left me longing for a true Israeli pita with fried eggplant, chips, gobs of hummus, the works. This will tide me over until my next trip to Israel. Although we are in the South Loop, it's worth the drive to Taboun every so often. I just wish they opened after Shabbat ends in the winter, since it's kind of a pain to go on a Sunday when I have work the next day. read more

falafel in lafa - like a slightly thicker, chewier flour tortilla. It was like a falafel burrito! Awesome. Way better than in a pita, so much moister. Turkish Coffee is terrible. Garlicky Green hot sauce is good. I'd like to try more. read more

This is a tough one to review - but I've finally had enough. I was very frustrated to drive all the way up to Skokie to find out they were closed on Thurs, 10/20/11. There was NO voice mail to explain that they were closed - NO sign at the restaurant to explain why they were closed - and NOTHING on their website to give their customers any information. The sad thing is -- The food here is TREMENDOUS! Best falafel I've ever had! And in the past, I've been disappointed with the slow service and the rude wait staff making me feel very unwelcome - but I avoid the staff and slow service by ALWAYS calling ahead and ordering take-out. Without these problems - the food alone would rank the restaurant a 5-star! But with poor service and poor management communicating the reason for their closed doors, I have downgraded them to a 3-star. read more

My second time at this location; third time overall. The falafel is excellent--light and fluffy (not just a ball of tasteless grease like at other places). The falafel appetizer comes with hummus and pita bread. The bread is so soft and tasty, too. I love the pickles. Unfortunately, I couldn't even begin to start to eat the chicken shwarma (sp?) sandwich because the chicken was so chewy and had to keep spitting it out. Yucko. I think that was $9 down the tubes. The Israeli salad I got tasted really bland and the ingredients did not taste fresh nor ripe. I actually threw out the side of salad I got bc it looked old. I really wanted this to replace my Pita Inn take-out for dinner or a quick lunch since it's right by the highway, even though I know the food isn't the same style necessarily. I went right before the lunch rush, so there wasn't any reason for any inedible food... Sorry, Taboun. I'll be back, but just for falafel. :( read more

We ordered some items from Taboun this year for break fast, and we're going to make it an annual tradition. They were so excited and sweet about our order, they ran out to the parking lot with more with baking instructions for our Jachnun and advice on what to eat it with (grated tomato, hard boiled egg and s'chug). It was DELICIOUS and worth the 12 hours we slow cooked it in the oven. It's family owned, glatt kosher, and an overall sweet operation. Happy to support! read more

Everything about this place was lackluster except the exorbitant prices. Decor and ambiance are stark, waitstaff uninterested, food bland, portions small, prices high. Stopped by with a friend because we were in the neighborhood and were hungry and Middle Eastern food is "always delicious." That's a joke because this was the opposite. Not only would I never go back, I would suggest everyone save their money and stay away as well. read more

I was here just the other day, and wow can they provide delicious middle eastern food. Taboun Grill provides a more Israeli take on middle eastern cuisines, so there are regional specialties that Taboun Grill provides that other "middle eastern" restaurants do not. I have always loved middle eastern food, so when I was recommended this place by a friend, I simply just had to go. I ordered the chicken schwarma entree and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Compared to the schwarma at Pita Inn, I found the chicken schwarma a tad more oily but it was still delicous. I also tried a family members falafel and it was a bit "oily" too, but it was still delicious. What many other yelpers have commented on is true-the pita is divine. The pita here is by far the best pita I have ever had outside of Israel. It is served fluffy and warm, and honestly I could have just made pita my main course without anything else. Taboun grill is a nice and quiet sit-down restaurant providing Israeli food of a delicious caliber. I mark it down to 4-stars due to the wee bit of extra oil and the higher price point. Nothing to fret or be turned away over, just something to be aware of. read more

Falafel and shawarma as they should be. Yemenite soup and kubeh. The food comes quickly, the place can get noisy, and I enjoy every meal here. read more

This restaurant was so delicious! I ordered the following apps and it was equivalent to a meal - hummus (wonderfully creamy), Baba Ghannouj, and falafel. (This came with the fluffiest and freshest pita bread). Every app was delicious - especially the Baba Ghannouj. I highly recommend this restaurant. They are also Kosher. I can't wait to try other items on the menu. So happy I found an Israeli restaurant close to the city. read more