I love it - the best food and service Great askander- gyros I can't wait to try the rest of their menu read more

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I like this place a lot. It's cheap, the food is great, and it is comfortable. They have everything. It's in a good location. It is also byob, so that's a nice bonus if you want to bring wine or whatever. Support a small business! read more

My friends and I, being in the mood for some Turkish food, gave this place a visit. After deliberating over whether we should opt for a pide, Zizi's favorite Pizmahmagun wrap, or the highest priced item on the menu, the Islander Kebab, we consulted our server (and presumably restaurant owner) and without hesitation he recommended the Iskander Kebab over all else. His confidence was infectious and inspiring. As such, we all took the bait and ordered 3 Iskander Kebab entrees. The man did not disappoint. The restaurant also gave us a free appetizer (bread with some carrot spread), which I think they give everyone. However, the owner also gave me and my friend a free dessert (rice pudding; it was good) for licking our plates clean, and we licked that dessert clean too. Overall, a very satisfying experience. Will definitely be back to try other items on the menu. The only criticism I have of this place is that they charge a $3 sharing fee per person if you share your food, which makes no sense to me. read more

Zizi's Cafe - Iskander Kebab plate - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Came here on a friendly suggestion - WOW! This place was delicious. Good prices, portions and service. Highly recommend their chicken wrap.

Amazing Turkish food! One of my fav places to order delivery from. The pide and chicken diner plate are my go tos, but the bread that comes with the dish is my favorite part of the whole meal. Seriously so good! Great value too. read more

Amazing food. We had lamb and chicken cheese pides. It was so so delicious. I would definitely come back again. Not overpriced, good amount of food that they served. Waitress was really nice as well. read more

Zizi's Cafe - Pide with Chicken and Cheese. Half eaten already. Great quantity - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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One of my favorite places in the city. Two can share one entree and be full for hours. It's delicious, fresh and amazing quality. The staff is attentive and friendly, seating us at 8 even though they closed at 9. Stop by anytime for amazing food! read more

Let me start this by saying that I have been eating Mediterranean food since I was a little baby. This is THE BEST I have EVER had. I'm a lentil soup SNOB and this red lentil is not only the best lentil soup I've ever had, but the best SOUP I've ever had. I can tell that this is a family business that takes great pride in their business and it shows in their food. 10/10, A+, literally amazing amazing food. The dolma is amazing, the chicken platter is amazing (my boyfriend LOVES it). Just amazing job. Thank you!! Will be addicted to this soup for years now. read more

Zizi's Cafe - Red Lentil Soup Dolma Hummus - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Staff is super nice/attentive. Food is fresh and DELICIOUS. Got two doner wraps and fries...can not pass these up if you go. The carrot spread and bread appetizer is amazing as well. read more

My favorite Chicago, I can't figure out where to go. Never disappointed. There's always a table, great service, and amazing food.

This place was pretty good. The best part was the lentil soup. It was busy. We enjoyed the outdoor seating.

Zizis has been my savior in covid. From take out in the beginning, to the blissful outdoor seating in the summer, to now extremely safe indoor dining, Zizis has saved the day not once, not twice, but many times in the last year. The staff here is so firnedlt that they've come to feel like family. Zizis is better than a home cooked meal. Paired with a great baklava at the end, and flan on the house, it might just turn your day around, too. read more

Zizi's Cafe - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Wonderful food! Excellent coffee. Our server was so accommodating and sweet. Turkish feta salad was delicious and our gyros plate was plenty for 2. Baklava was homemade and the best I have had in a long time. We will be back! read more

Delicious food and great service by Can. Zizzis never disappoints. Don't walk but run there! After you've eaten don't forget to order some Turkish coffee and delicious baklava and rice pudding. perfect way to cap off a great meal. read more

Zizi's Cafe - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Great food served personally by Zizi. The baked fish is marvelous and the kenufe dessert unique. Good for 6-8 people. Warm atmosphere. Very reasonable and truly Turkish. Can't recommend it more Street parking adequate. Salads very good. BYOB. Tables outdoors in summer. 12 baby lamb chop great when available. Zizi will flame the whole fish at your table. Filet it and serve you individually himself. Unique. You'll love the experience. Bring friends. It's reasonable for what you get read more

Laid back restaurant with freshly made Turkish / Mediterranean food. Good for groups and families. we brought in 2 bottles of wine as it is supposed to be BYOB but we were charged $3 per person...that was kind of a bummer. Otherwise the food and service was great. They brought over freshly baked warm bread that was too addictive and a plate of garlicky yogurt carrot spread which was excellent. We ordered the smoky eggplant salad thinking it was the same as babaganosh but none of us seemed to like it. it was very smoky and had no tahini sauce in it. We ordered a Turkish salad with chicken (good) and the sultan's platter. the description for Sultan's platter says it's for 2 people but it was a lot of food with at least 4 different meats, some veggie patties (not falafel) and 2 kinds of rice and more eggplant. Everything we ordered fed the 5 of us and there was enough leftover for another whole meal. read more

Zizi's Cafe - Sultan's platter - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Came here with my family as my cousin lives here and stated this was her favorite restaurant.. I can totally see why... this place is DELICIOUS. I ordered the combo platter.. it had gyro meat, salmon and chicken... the flavors were ON POINT and the serving was very generous. Had the hummus app which was also very good. The bread and carrot "dip" they brought out to us was DELICIOUS. Had the Shepard salad too. Everything was so yummy. One more reason to fly back to Chicago now. Seriously, this place has great food. Next time we are in town we will definitely make a point to stop here again. read more

Zizi's Cafe - Combo - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This place is wonderful! Not only is the food delicious and well-priced, but the service is outstanding. The owner attended to my take-out order tonight. He could tell I was pregnant, so he made sure I was comfortable while waiting and even brought out a cup of soup as I waited "for the baby." Pro tip - do the Sunday brunch. So yummy and cheap! Can't wait to eat here again! read more

This place is incredible and family owned! The sandwiches are fantastic and very fresh but I'm mostly obsessed with their eggplant dip and fresh pita. Went in and ordered a few things and the owner treated us to some very delicious rice pudding dessert. Will be back!! read more

A very unique cafe. Zizi was a cook in his native Turkey and I believe for a time in Italy, more recently at Turquoise, and now has his own place. The atmosphere as my dining companion put it "is nonexistent." We were willing to overlook that for some grub. Very interesting service nice to the point of being almost cloying. However, he has a lot of personality, is sincere, and informative. It's BYOB. We started with the famous complimentary bread with carrot yogurt garlic spread. Everyone raves about this bread and I'm wondering why. My partner and I both weren't impressed. Zizi showed him his fresh fish so he ordered the Mediterranean Sea Bass Special which is chargrilled whole and comes with rice and salad. Zizi deboned the fish at the table with a knife and fork rather expertly. Ha! Z made sure to take out some of the better bits for me insisting I try. The fish was very good and flavorful; my partner said it was some of the best he's had for a while. He also enjoyed the salad which was by his admission simple, but had great dressing. I had the chicken shish platter with cous cous. For some reason it was plated with a portion of cous cous, some white long grain rice, a couple of grilled zucchini slices, three small toast disks, and yogurt sauce. The grilled chicken was good but as Zizi said himself to my companion "it's grilled chicken." then they both shrugged. The yogurt sauce was great, very fresh and not overly seasoned. The cous cous and rice were a disappointment. I really like more inventive and playful cous cous recipes. As a surprise Z brought dessert. Like the whole Sea Bass I don't believe it's on the menu. It was a generous piece of custard pie that was rich in texture but delicately flavored of vanilla. Very similar to a creme brûlée and served with fresh strawberries. We both really liked it. We were really impressed with the welcoming warm service and quality. However, it's worth mentioning the bill for our two entrees was $37.95. I would still return to try more of the fascinating menu and get that hospitality. read more

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Word to the wise...Don't go to Zizi's if you're on your way to some physical activity shortly after. I made that mistake and almost hurled up hummus which trust me is about as uncomfortable as it sounds. You literally can't stop eating here and they have huge portions so it's about the best place ever if you just plan on being a fatty for the rest of the day. The Iskander is insanely good. It's a lamb doner kebab and heavenly homemade Turkish bread covered with yogurt, garlic, and tomato sauce, Easily two meals, but as mentioned is tough to get your taste buds to quit so if you can't show restraint then you may want to stick with a sandwich or a wrap. The place works as a casual date spot cause it's BYOB or if you just want to pick up a quick lunch on your own it's great as well since there's a really attractive Turkish server to talk to. Overall an amazing experience! read more

Zizi's Cafe - Iskander plate - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Random stop in the other night after exiting an event at Mad River. Just after 10:30ish pm, peeked in and asked if it was okay to still dine, Zizi was cool with it so we obliged with an order for two. I had some work to complete so I made use of their free Wi-Fi. Interesting place and cozy enough for a quick meal. There were a few occupied tables and a large group of ladies sharing bottles of wine over many courses of food. BYOB. Good vibe and the counter guys were pleasant however for take out there wasn't anyone paying attention to new orders. Could have been a shift change or it being busier than usual. Who knows. The foods were fresh, flavorful and colorful. Ordered some super salads with add-on's and some side dishes. Due to a conversational misunderstanding our server ordered a couple more dishes we didn't want or need. Since the food so far was tasty, we got them to go since we weren't sure how to get her to understand it was her mistake. Will probably try them again sometime. read more

Okay, let me say this first and foremost: the food is phenomenal. My beef with Zizi's is the service, which everyone seems to laud. The first time I visited, it was TOO friendly. Pushy, really. I spent several minutes studying the menu and knew exactly what I wanted. When I tried to order a salad and a wrap, the guy (I think the owner) insisted on cooking me something else which incorporated the basic elements of what I wanted to order. What he brought to the table was a hot entree, and I had asked for a wrap and a salad because it was a hot day and I wanted cool food. I should have been more forceful about placing MY order. I mean, I'm not a guest in this guy's home; I'm a paying customer. Just give people what they want, you know? The second time it was a totally different story. My wife and I dined on a busy Saturday night, and the service was minimalist and awkward; plus we waited a long time to get both our dinners and the check. But again, the food both times was stupendous. The bread alone is worth five stars. The yogurty carrot slaw was pretty good, too; I could eat that combination every day. The entree was also fantastic. It was a base of mashed roasted eggplant with some chicken doner meat, a small scoop of rice, and a savory red sauce. The punchline of this story is that, on my second visit many months later in the chilly early spring, I voluntarily ordered the same entree that I had eaten unwillingly on that hot summer day. It was delicious both times, so clearly this guy knows how to cook. read more

Zizi's got a bit older but the food is still the same as always. It's great! I love their kofta. read more

Zizi's Cafe - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I have been here many times with my Turkish friend. We are always greeted with a big smile and treated like family. Food is spot on. From the bread and moussaka to the doner kebab to the adana kebab to the kofte...everything is fresh, flavorful, and like it came out of a turkish grandma's kitchen. And don't forget dessert: the baklava and the Kazandibi are to die for. We will definitely be back again and again and again. Thanks Zizi! read more

Zizi's Cafe - The kitchen - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Stopped by for dinner with some friends. Complimentary carrot appetizer and homemade bread. The carrot dish is a cold shaved carrot salad with non-acidic dressing. I couldn't figure out what the carrot dish was but it was great especially when eaten with the bread. I ordered Zizi's kale salad with a side of chicken. The salad was made up of chopped kale, garbanzo beans, pickled beets and portobello mushroom and tossed in a red wine vinaigrette. The salad was fresh and crisp and the chicken had a ton of flavor. My only complaint was the dressing was a tad too acidic for me. Nonetheless I finished the entire salad. My friends ordered a variety of dishes and they all enjoyed their dishes and complimented the taste and flavor. Overall, nice place for casual meal and to catchup with friends. The entire meal took nearly two hours and we never felt rushed. We had about 7 people in our party and even though they couldn't provide individual checks they allowed us to pay individually at the register. It's BYOB, affordable, and steps from Beercade and Diversey Brown Line. read more

Zizi's Cafe - Zisi's kale salad with a side of chicken - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place is awesome. My husband and I went to Turkey last year and we love Turkish food so we were excited to try this place when my Turkish coworker told me about it. The owner is so friendly and the food is delicious. First of all the homemade bread is warm and amazing. I could eat 5 baskets of this stuff. I had the red lentil soup to start and it was great and flavorful. My husband had the lahmacun and it was good as the stuff we had in Turkey. For my entree I had Ziziz's favorite wrap (Pizmahmagun)) which is basically like meat wrapped up in lahmacun. So delicious. Plus the portions are huge so you will have leftovers. My husband had a platter with eggplant and doner and it was delicious as well. Dinner for the two of us with appetizers was only about 30 bucks, plus we were able to eat the leftovers the next day for lunch. We will be back!! This place is BYOB too so next time we will be sure to bring some wine and friends. read more

If you like Mediterranean, Zizi's Cafe is worth visiting for three reasons: 1) The food is fresh. 2) The restaurant has a relaxed, family-owned business ambience 3) They have a BYOB policy! And the owner is sweet enough to put your unopened beers in the cooler while you eat. As far as food highlights go, the complimentary carrot spread and homemade bread is delicious! "Carrot spread" sounds strange, but it's essentially grated carrots mixed with a yogurt sauce. SO GOOD. I also loved the red lentil soup - deliciously spiced! I wasn't as impressed with the falafel, but it came with a nice yogurt sauce, so that helped. Everyone here is very friendly, so if you have questions, don't be afraid to ask! They will make sure you have a great time here. :D read more

Great service, awesome turkish bread, and wonderful non-greasy falafels. Most of the items on the menu are pretty cheap, and if you order the soup for under $4 you get a HUGE piece of turkish bread (see my pics). The soup is served in a very small cup to go but the bread makes it all better. The owner tends to give away free stuff to get you to try it and love it. The frozen yogurt is sinfully good! It sure beats the place here before, I can tell you that much! read more

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I stopped by for lunch on a semi-rainy day and ordered the chicken donor sandwich which turned out to be very large and quite fantastic. They don't skimp on the chicken which by the way, was fairly moist and had good flavor by itself. I absolutely adored the sandwich bread - not sure what it's called but it's yummy! Two meals in one for sure. Would have been 5 stars if not for the fries which I was not a fan of. They were much too soggy. It MAY have been because I had mine after a ten minute walk but even with that, it was still overly soft. *Edit: I came back and had the fries in the restaurant this time. It was not as soggy but still softer than I'd like. Good seasoning though. The dolma is fairly standard. I wouldn't say that it's particularly special. The first time I tried their falafel, it was also average, then on the next visit, I had it again after learning they had changed the recipe a bit. Sigh, it came out worse this time - the inside was much too soft for my liking! Go back to before please! There was also kind of a long wait for our food even though there was no one in front of us in line - be prepared as this is not as fast as your typical mediterranean speediness. If you have time, I highly recommend dining in. They bring you their amaaaaazing homemade bread with carrot spread. SCRUMPTIOUS, mouth watering delicious. Best complimentary bread + spread I've ever had! read more

Great good ! Great ingredients !! Very healthy foods !! I am 70 , diabetic !! Been eating all over the places including top restaurants , Zizi Cafe has the best diabetes friendly food in Chicago !!! And for a great price and service !! Proven by 30 years experience!!!! read more

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Dissatisfaction and Disappointment! The tables were dirty and the space cadet waitress didn't even bother to clean them. the owner had to run over and set her straight. I've Never seen such lazy service. The Turkish bread with sesame seeds was under cooked. The chicken Doner was Over salted, the rice was under cooked. The entrée stated that it included Veggies as well. unfortunately 90%of the veggies were potatoes with No flavor. I asked the server for more veggies instead of potatoes because I didn't want to Overdose on carbs. Mind you ; Bread, rice and then potatoes. . The server comes back and...Guess what ? She brings More potatoes. I told her again that I wanted veggies and she just stood there and smiled clueless to what I was talking about. Im Not coming back to a place where the owner doesn't care how his 1st time patrons get treated. read more

Zizi's Cafe - Undercooked rice - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Very tasty plates I tried Iskander kebab and combo salad and combo plates all taste delicious. The Turkish tea you feel it in your brain..' The best place so far for turkish bread. I recommend it read more

Zizi's Cafe - Turkish tea pot - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The best restaurant in town for sure! The food is delicious and the staff is super friendly. You get a warm welcome, then comes the great food. We are visiting from Alabama, but we will be back for the food! Beyti, lahmacun and red lentil soup are all to die for! Highly recommended. read more

Zizi's Cafe - Kazandibi! Yummy - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Zizi's is definitely a unique Mediterranean food experience. Starting off with the highlights, their bread is amazing. It's not really like pita bread that you get at every other place. For one thing it's totally oven fresh and it's kind of like this puffy sour dough bread which is perfectly warm and toasty and crispy and soft all at the same time. It was awesome. The bread was the best part of the Zizi's menu. I didn't particularly care for the hummus. They give out this shredded carrot thing with that awesome bread as a complementary snack when you first sit down and that's a nice gesture. The falafels in the falafel sandwich were kind of hard/tough, even though they made them fresh to order. Oh, and there's no hot sauce. They actually serve Sriracha. I thought that was kind of funny. :-) Well, I wish I knew how to make that bread... actually, I've only had bread like this at the Mediterranean places in Detroit. Amazing bread out there... But those are still pita breads. This was different. More like bread bread, than pita bread. read more

I ordered take out through Yelp, or Eat24 I think, and everything was both presented and packaged nicely. All the food was good and really fresh. The top three dips or spreads were all served with a huge fluffy piece/loaf of bread, three in total. Sadly, due to its thickness, not as nice as other pita type breads for dipping. Carrot Spread $4.25 - Was really garlicky but good. Hummus $4.75 - I've had better, but probably just a preference thing Tabouli Salad $6.95 - a little different than I'm used to, but probably just more fresh! Zizi's Favorite Pizmahmagun Wrap $9.95 - Its huge, with lots of chicken and a strong onion presence. I would get an extra order of the yogurt sauce next time. The fries were a tiny potion and really soggy, but I expected that as it was carry out so no biggie. read more

Zizi's Cafe - Carrot spread, hummus, tabouli and favorite wrap. A ton of food for $28.30!!!! - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Meh. Everything was fine, nothing special. I ordered the combo. Salmon though wasn't to my liking; weird extra fishy/deep see spoiled fish taste. read more

Zizi's Cafe - Combo platter with couscous. Pretty good, but getting white rice next time. - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Incredible food. Incredible service. Quiet neighborhood ambience and family friendly. Great with gluten free options and very knowledgeable. We'll be back! read more

Overall, a good experience. We stopped by Thursday evening and we were greeted and seated promptly. There were a few other occupied tables. I liked the open kitchen and the décor - it was cute and somewhat homey. I loved the complimentary carrot spread and sesame bread - this was delish. I haven't had the carrot spread before and the bread was nice and hot. I was really craving dolma so I had that and falafel. Both were decent. Boo had the chicken doner, which was also pretty good. Everything was fresh, but I just wanted a touch more flavor/seasoning on everything. Also, our waitress asked if we wanted hot sauce and I said sure, and she returned with sriarcha... pretty disappointed in that. Service was very good. Our waitress came by regularly and waters were always refilled. Also, she brought us out a complimentary rice pudding at the end, which we enjoyed. All in all while we enjoyed the food, it was not the best, especially for the steeper price tag. read more

AMAZING. The food, the service, the owner are all great. As close as it gets to authentic Turkish and Middle Eastern food in Chicago. The lahmacun (Turkish pizza) as well as all the kebabs/salads are very tasty. You can also see the kitchen from the seating area, - very clean place. The owner gave us complimentary tea and dessert, which was super nice, but we would've become regulars even if not. Highly recommended. End your meal with Turkish coffee and baklava. read more

Zizi's Cafe - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois