A friend recommended this for a quick bite ... it's packed with people at lunch hour and the lines…read moremove fast . I ordered spicy chicken shawarma wrap, bowl and a regular chicken shawarma wrap . We got enough food to feed an army . Everything was subpar or w eh e high standard coming from Chicago . Either way it was tad bit disappointing

Staff was wonderful. The food was very delicious nice and warm. I got the chicken wrap. The wrap…read moreis very large could probably feed two people. There are two locations. The one on Green Street is near the university. Love the staff here however it is extremely hard to find parking. The one on university is just as nice but easy to get in and out of that location.

Ask for Tanja to be your server. She was awesome!!! We were excited to try Ugly Restaurant, as we…read morelove Turkish food. These folks did not disappoint. Tanja brought us some pita bread and carrot salad to start. That was complementary. We had a couple of cocktails from the bar, which were very good. We next had the Cigar Borek, which were little cheese rolls with a spicy tomato dip that was outstanding! We then ordered the beef doner wrap, which was just delicious! The beef they use for this is really tender and delicious. We cannot wait to return to this lovely Ugly Restaurant. :)

When I see Yelp ratings of 4 1/2 stars on over 80 reviews, my expectations are high. This one let…read moreme down for sure. One of the reasons I love Mediterranean food is its use of spices and infused flavors. A complimentary carrot salad mixed with yogurt was served with warm pita bread. This was not good, frankly, and was the start of what would end up being an underwhelming experience. I ordered the mixed sampler platter for an appetizer. The only thing worth eating was the falafel and the cigar borek (fried breaded cheese). My entrée was the chicken shish kabobs that were accompanied by rice, a small chargrilled tomato, a chargrilled pepper and an onion salad. The chicken lack any kind of seasoning. Even salt would've help. This was probably the most bland Mediterranean food I've ever experienced. The presentation was grade A but the lack of flavor resulted in a Grade C. Even the baklava was bland. For $60 (including tip) I could've had a much more fulfilling meal.

The Best Mediterranean Cuisine in the region! Fresh,…read moreauthentic, flavorful & healthy. Fresh tasty salad, Delicious Kabobs, excellent hummus dip, top it off with sweet flaky baklava & Karak Tea ! Must try & you be very glad you did.

The karak chai with saffron is amazing. Do yourself a favor and get the large. The food is also…read moregreat but lunch (hot food) service does not start until 11am so please be aware of that. We got there a little early and had the chai and a date mamool while we were waiting. They ended up taking our food order a little early so it would be ready at 11am since they weren't very busy and I am pretty sure the front counter worker was enamored with our 2 year old daughter. This was our second time here (we went last year as well when my wife was at this same conference) so I was well overdue to review this place. The food here is fantastic which is why we repeated it - it has to be for us to do that at places we visit. Good or okay doesn't get a repeat from us. The dolmas are exactly what you want them to be and there is a perfect amount of salt on the arabic salad, the cabbage salad, and the pickled turnips. Speaking of which, the pickled turnips here are divine perfection. I would be hard-pressed to find better pickled turnips anywhere. The schwarma is quite solid - not as good as I recall from The Netherlands, but as good as any here in the U.S. The Middle Eastern vegan platter is quite a bargain and delicious to boot. The workers here are very kind and I have no knocks against this place at all. They even sell Dubai chocolate to go on a deal - Buy two original bars and get a Strawberry cream Matcha one for free.

A tear nearly came out when I brought that chicken into my mouth. It's just so good…read more Good service. The seating and tables were sparkling clean. Plus, the food took like three minutes to come out.

When we walked in, the environment was not friendly. The food was okay, but it lacked seasoning and…read morecould have been better. It is a family-owned restaurant, and we respect their business and support local businesses in Peoria. However, the server could have shown more friendliness. He did not seem polite. We kept saying "thank you" when he took our payment and when he served our food, but there was no response--he just walked away. He needs to learn hospitality. However, when I took pictures of our food, they started becoming friendly. "get the hint" We hope their business do well. Danny the chef was friendly as we were leaving he was busy cooking

I really like this place. The owner is nice and friendly. I saw him nodding to other frequent…read morecustomers, which makes this place very warm, especially during pandemic when people have less communications. The food here is fantastic, as always. I have tried fish, chicken and veggie platters for lunch and kabob for dinner, and they are all flavorful and tasty. Shout out for the hummus and baba ganoush, they are my must-have things each time I go there. The price is lower than you typically have to pay for a meal in this area, but the quality is higher than a lot of other restaurants. Sometimes there will be lamb shank for lunch, if you are lucky enough because not everyday serves it. There are also desserts which are also tasty. Once I went there the owner also let me tried the fresh tomato salad made from the tomato he grew himself, super grateful for his friendliness!! Overall this is a fantastic restaurant, and is my first choice when I don't want to cook my own. Highly recommend!!

Honestly, this is the most underrated spot on campus. Everything is home made, fresh, and…read moreabsolutely delicious. From the hummus to the grilled meats, every bite I had was amazing. Since this is all ran by one older gentleman (the owner himself), the meal takes a little longer to prepare so please be patient when ordering. He wasn't exactly in the best mood when I was ordering but the food definitely makes up for the service and I respect the hard work he puts into this restaurant. I am definitely coming back here when I get the chance to visit UIUC again.