Chicago's Mediterranean scene runs deeper than the Greektown corridor on Halsted, though that corridor remains worth knowing. From Persian grill houses to Egyptian lunch counters to West Loop rooms with serious wine programs, the city's hummus landscape covers a lot of ground. These eleven rooms represent the range.
Compare all 11 restaurantsNeighborhood · price · score · first order
In the same order as the guide. Scores are out of 10; dollar symbols show the listed price tier.
Greek Islands is the Greektown anchor on Halsted, and the flaming saganaki is the order, tableside theater included. The lemon finish on the cheese is the detail that separates it from every imitation. Spanakopita and lamb chops fill out a menu built for groups. The room runs efficiently enough that parking anxiety fades once the food arrives. Straightforward, consistent, and exactly what Greektown dining should be.
200 S Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60661 · (312) 782-9855
Ema operates as a Mediterranean small-plates room with a strong beverage program and enough crowd energy to anchor a weeknight out. The lamb ragu is the standout dish, drawing consistent notice for depth and portion size. Rotisserie chicken and hummus round out a menu that works well for sharing. The format leans casual, which suits the River North pace. Service is generally accommodating across the board.
Ema on West Illinois Street is a Mediterranean restaurant with a light, airy look: pale woods, greenery, two bar areas and an outdoor space for those who do not mind street traffic. Diners call the decor modern and comfortable rather than formal, and the clientele dresses nicely but not stiffly.
Start with the spreads. Sweet corn hummus, bhel hummus, hummus with lamb ragu and charred eggplant baba ganoush are the dishes diners name, with spicy whipped feta close behind. Green falafel, a Greek salad, Brussels sprouts and crispy wild mushrooms round out the sharing plates, and chicken kebab, kefta kebab and a braised short rib sandwich handle the mains. Vegetarian orders are easy to build, and lunch and brunch are available.
The room is popular, so a reservation helps, and a couple of diners reported long waits past their booking. Noise sits at a medium level, and bar seats work well for solo diners. A few found a dish poorly executed, and one lunch order did not match the online menu. Most call it a dependable favorite for birthdays and group dinners.
Kabobi brings Persian grill cooking to the city with the Soltani as its flagship plate: a combination of skewers that earns its place at the center of the table. The Caspian Mix Grill adds boneless chicken and filet mignon marinated in pomegranate walnut sauce, served alongside the rice dish Albaloo Polo. Portions run generous, the room handles groups with ease, and Sunday evenings fill quickly. Persian friends approve.
3224 W Lawrence Ave, Chicago, IL 60625 · (773) 583-1400
Bar La Rue leans into the patio when the weather allows, with a room designed to open up toward the street. The Royale with Cheese and the Provence burger are the draws at lunch and brunch, and the Bloody Mary is a serious Sunday opener. The Mediterranean tag is ambient here; this is primarily a burger-and-brunch room with strong weekend foot traffic. Arrive with time to settle in before the crowd builds.
820 W Fulton St, Chicago, IL 60661 · (312) 533-4607
AMBAR runs an all-you-can-eat format for groups, and the Balkan-leaning menu rewards ordering broadly. The Sujuk Flatbread, Steak Tartare, and Crispy Corn Ribs hold up well across the table. Brunch operates on an à la carte basis, which suits smaller parties who want to move at their own pace. Service consistency has been uneven at times during weekend brunch. For the unlimited dinner format, groups tend to leave satisfied.
700 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654 · (312) 547-1700
The Streeterville location of CAVA sits inside Northwestern hospital and runs counter service for a quick build-your-own grain bowl or pita. Hummus and falafel anchor the customizable menu. The format is fast-casual and efficient on most days. Large office orders have occasionally encountered fulfillment problems, so individual diners fare better here than bulk catering runs. For a weekday lunch with speed and some nutritional intent, the format delivers.
270 E Ontario St, Chicago, IL 60611 · (872) 766-8918
West Loop Mediterranean That Runs On Shared Tables
Avec has been one of Randolph Street's most reliable rooms for two decades, and it still earns its place. The Medjool dates remain a signature starter, and the wood-roasted fish shows the kitchen's restraint with technique. Seating is communal, which shapes the pace of a meal here, particularly for midweek lunch. Saturday brunch draws larger groups and benefits from a reservation. Service quality varies across visits, and the endive salad has drawn mixed notes.
Avec has held its position in the West Loop long enough to become a reference point for the modern Chicago dining room, and the format has not changed much: shared tables, a Mediterranean-leaning menu, and a room that moves at pace whether the occasion is a weekday lunch or a Saturday brunch. The signature Medjool dates draw consistent attention and they illustrate what the kitchen does best, pairing a simple ingredient with enough technique to make the dish memorable. The wine program runs deep in the by-the-glass range, which fits the counter-service-adjacent, communal format better than a long reserve list would. Brunch brings out the room in full: the crowd is mixed between groups and couples, the pacing is relaxed, and the dates and other shared starters are the reason to show up rather than a particular main.
Midweek lunch is the lower-key version of the same room, table assignments still communal, service still attentive. The endive salad has been a point of contention in the record; execution appears inconsistent enough that the vegetable-forward plates carry more risk than the kitchen's richer preparations. At upscale pricing, that inconsistency matters. Avec sits in a neighborhood, the West Loop's Randolph Street corridor, that has accumulated serious competition since the restaurant first opened, and it holds its ground more on institutional familiarity and the strength of a few well-executed dishes than on any claim to being the most ambitious room on the block.
The shared-table format is a feature, not a compromise; solo diners and pairs fill the bench seating without issue. It is an expense-account-adjacent room that the neighborhood crowd also uses for a low-drama weeknight dinner, which is a real and underrated category in Chicago dining.
Insider tip
The Medjool dates are the order here regardless of the meal period. Book ahead for weekends; midweek lunch is the most relaxed version of the room and the best entry point for a first visit.
What to order
Medjool dates, Endive salad, Brunch entrees
HoursMon - Thu:11:00 AM - 2:00 PM, 3:30 PM - 10:00 PMFri:11:00 AM - 2:00 PM, 3:30 PM - 11:00 PMSat:10:00 AM - 2:00 PM, 3:30 PM - 11:00 PMSun:10:00 AM - 2:00 PM, 3:30 PM - 10:00 PM
Cairo Kebab is one of the few Egyptian-focused rooms in the city, and the mezza combo platter is the entry point worth ordering. Baba ghanoush and koshari both appear on a menu that rewards regulars who work through the full range. Service runs relaxed and friendly rather than formal. Portions are honest, the room is low-key, and the kitchen turns out Middle Eastern staples with care. A solid neighborhood lunch or dinner option.
730 W Maxwell St, Chicago, IL 60607 · (224) 521-0649
Beatnik West Town earns its brunch following on the strength of its room as much as its plates. Avocado toast, eggs benedict, and french toast cover the expected ground. The Chicago River setting gives the space a visual anchor that most brunch rooms lack. Opinions on the food itself split between those who find it a complete experience and those who expected more from the kitchen. For a birthday occasion with a striking backdrop, the room delivers.
1604 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60622 · (312) 929-4945
Zizi's Cafe has built a regular clientele on the strength of its hummus, falafel, and baklava, with a kitchen that earns repeat business on consistency alone. The staff is knowledgeable, and the menu works equally well for dine-in and takeout. Delivery orders have occasionally arrived with an extra dessert, which says something about how the kitchen treats its regulars. For an accessible Mediterranean lunch or dinner with no agenda beyond a good meal, this is the room.
2825 N Sheffield Ave, Chicago, IL 60657 · (773) 697-9228
Falafel and Grill is a late-night option built around grilled meat and rice, with falafel and gyro sandwiches rounding out a short, focused menu. Portions have been inconsistent across visits, with some diners finding the gyro undersized for the price. Where the kitchen is on, the food is fresh and the service is fast. For a grilled-meat craving after most rooms have closed, the format holds its own.
1433 W Montrose Ave, Chicago, IL 60613 · (773) 800-9119
Where can I find the best hummus near me in Chicago?
It depends on the neighborhood. Zizi's Cafe and Cairo Kebab are reliable everyday options. Ema brings hummus into a broader Mediterranean small-plates context in River North. CAVA covers the fast-casual lane for a quick build-your-own. Greek Islands in Greektown anchors the experience for anyone on the West Side. All eleven entries in this guide carry an Insider Score based on the public review record, and no restaurant pays to be listed.
Are these restaurants independently selected?
Yes. Every entry in this guide is selected based on the Insider Score, a composite drawn from the public review record. No restaurant pays to appear here, and no placements are sponsored. The rankings reflect what the record supports.
Which of these restaurants is best for groups?
AMBAR's all-you-can-eat dinner format is built for groups and handles large tables well. Kabobi seats groups efficiently and the Persian grill menu is designed for sharing. Greek Islands has long operated as a group-friendly Greektown room. Cairo Kebab and Zizi's Cafe both handle casual group dinners at a lower price point.
Do any of these Mediterranean restaurants work well for brunch?
Several do. Beatnik On The River and Beatnik West Town both run dedicated brunch programs with Chicago River settings. Bar La Rue works well for weekend lunch and brunch, particularly when the patio is open. AMBAR offers à la carte brunch. Avec on Randolph Street has run a midweek lunch and Saturday brunch program for years.
The data first, then the verdict
We start with the review record, not a press release. Every room here is a real kitchen with a strong rating across a meaningful number of reviews, ranked on our 10-point Insider Score. We weight consistency over time and the rooms locals return to, not the ones tourists pass through once. The list updates as the data does. How we work →
Eleanor Brandt is Top of Chicago's chief critic, covering the West Loop and Fulton Market, the Michelin tier, steakhouses, and the new-American rooms. Analysis is built from the public review record, not press dinners.
