For $20, we ordered:
Chicken thigh entree - I recommend it.
Small falafel appetizer (6 pieces)
Small hummus appetizer
2 pieces of beef shish kabob
Extra hot sauce
It also came with three pieces of pita bread. Â Based on what we ordered, I'm not sure how much pita bread comes with which item. Â The beef shish kabob tasted good, but it was a little chewy. Â The chicken thigh was seasoned very well and tasted great. Everything else was decent, not bad but nothing special about it either. Â I still like El Souk downtown better.
I am kicking myself for taking Montrose instead of Lawrence when I head east. Â I could have found this place 3 years ago.
Well, I am about to make up for lost time because this place is amazing. My daughter and I drove by on a rainy Sunday afternoon when we were looking for a decent place to have lunch in Jeff Park(as if). We all know one does not exist.
We were on our way to Kedzie looking for some shawarma or kabobs when we saw the Hala In. Stop, turn around.
I am hooked. The flavors are haunting, in a good way. So good. So far I have tried the kifta sandwich, hummus and the lunch special. I will be working my way through that entire menu. Absolutely delicious and a healthy alternative to greasy burger places.
Yes! I have found falafel that I love on the northwest side!
We were driving home down Lawrence, looking for a restaurant because we were starving. Â Saw this place and pulled over. Â Now it's turning into a go to for us. Â
You gotta get the falafel. Â This is one of the best falafels out there, really. Â I could run in for just a falafel sandwich and be a happy girl. Â
The hummus is also really good. Â I saw a complaint that you only get one pita with it but that was certainly not the case for us, we had plenty of bread leftover when we've ordered both sizes. Â
I had a kefta sandwich last time and I wasn't the biggest fan, not my favorite kefta ever. Â I'm going to stick with the falafel. Â My dude had the lentil soup the first time we were in and we just thought it was ok, nothing out of this world.
YUMMMMY! Â We tried it for the first time last night and everyone was very happy with their dinners. Â We walked in and ordered food to go. Â It took about 20 minutes but considering everything was being made fresh that really was not too bad. Â (Next time I will phone ahead to pick up but this was our first time here.)
The shawarma was the best I've ever had... tender and perfectly seasoned. Â The meat melted in my mouth like butter, both the chicken and beef. Â One bite of the kifta kabob almost brought me to tears. Â The rice was perfect. Â Everything was covered with onions and delicious grilled tomatoes. Â The pitas were hot and fluffy. Â Babaghanoush was amazing with a strong smoky flavor. Â
The only thing I wasn't too crazy about was the hummus but only because it was slightly bland. Â I added some garlic and cayenne pepper to it and it was perfect!
I got a 3-meat combo dinner for $14 which seems a little high, but the amount of food you get is ridiculous! Â I ate like a pig last night and still have more than half leftover for lunch today. Â
This place is going on my speed dial!
This place is fantastic.
We got the Beef and Lamb Shish Kabobs with hummus and baba ghanouj. Everything was absolutely delicious. The meats were tender and seasoned to perfection. The hummus and baba ganouj were also some of the best I've ever had. The portions were good and the people extra nice. I am a huge fan.
If you're in the area, you should definitely give them a try. And by "should" I mean you have to.
While their food is nothing special, it is average and edible. The problem is in their prices and their service. I ordered the side of lamb kabob. It cost me six dollars and had only two tiny pieces of meat, one which was completely fat. They charged me five dollars for a side of salad, which literally was about four forks full of iceberg lettuce with a little dressing on top, and a slice of tomato.
While I did not get an entree, i got several sides including falafel, stuffed grape leaves, lamb kebob, hummus, salad, extra pita, and baklava. So though I ordered hummus which you normally eat with pita, and I still paid seventy-five cents for extra pita, yet my order had only one piece of pita in it. Â First of all, I really shouldn't have to pay for extra bread, and to charge that much for one piece is ridiculous. But why did I not get any with my meal to begin with?
Portions are extremely small for prices. After paying over thirty dollars and eating everything I was given, aside from my hunk of fat, I was still hungry and ended up making food at home. It took over an hour to get my food after being told a half-hour.
Will NEVER be ordering from here again.
Great place. Sometimes there are ethnic places that only treat you well if you are that ethnicity. Not so with Hala In! The owners are almost always there are are super personable and genuine. We used to live less than a block away and had to move this summer so we only get to eat here occasionally but they are missed.
Some of the best middle eastern food around. The grilled tomatoes are to die for as is the lentil soup. Do yourself a favor, Â no do the community a favor and eat here!
Ok, I love this place. I have been here several times. The same woman is always serving and she is super friendly and knowledgeable.
Hands down they have thee best hummus in town! Don't even hesitate and just get it!
I've had the beef kabab plate which is very flavorful. Pita Chicken Kabab sandwich was also a favorite and the baklava is good!
Prices are very reasonable!
WOWZERS! I was a bit hesitant when my friend said she had a new place to take me to. I had tried hummus before and was not to fond of it, after trying it here, I am officially HOOKED! So fresh and that olive oil makes a huge difference, and those falafels are addictive! I had the chicken shawarma, and could not get over all the delish flavors in the chicken.
The guy who took our order was super nice, and was very patient as we asked our questions,I plan on going back, very very soon!
This place has fantastic and cheap Mediterranean cuisine. I used to waitress at a Mediterranean bistro where everything is home made so I am biased and it is hard to impress me at times... but this place has quality food. My husband and I had an order of falafel, hummus, shared a kabob pita, and split a piece of baklava all for $15. Unreal.
The place is small and feels more like a cafe than a restaurant but the service was good, the food was great and the prices were even better!
I work with Assyrian people and I have been to my fair share of Assyrian barbecues. Hala In is everything positive that reviewers have to say.
My feedback comes from the taste of the kabobs. I guess I have been spoiled because I have had homemade kabobs; but I have also been to other Middle Eastern restaurants. The kabobs at Hala In are small and they are not very juicy. They are also spongy and you cannot split them very easily with just a fork. My experience has been that kabobs are easily separated and crumble much like hamburger that's been cooked.
The rice they use is yellow. Real middle eastern rice tastes different. The rice is long and thin and white. I just wasn't getting that unique flavor that I'm used to when I have rice at other Middle Eastern places and at the Assyrian barbecues. The other reviewers are right, they use too much rice and they don't give you enough of the meat products. There are other places that do better for the same, if not a dollar, less per dish.
The staff is very friendly and the customer service is good. I will probably eat there again only because it's on my way to work. It won't be because it's my first choice of Middle Eastern cuisine
The chicken shwarma was delicious and huge, though very heavy on the rice. Â The rice had great seasoning, and it was tender without being mushy. Â I got some extra tahini sauce, which was necessary. Â The tabulleh salad was also fresh and pretty large. Â Delivery only took about 30 minutes.
Review Source:We ordered two combination plates and some grape leaves. We got delivery b/c as we were driving up to the restaurant two guys came out of it and told us we had a flat tire-even the customers were helpful :) So we had to go home and order for delivery instead. The food came fairly quickly and everything was delicious-tons of rice and the meat was perfectly spiced and cooked-the only thing that I thought might have been missing was some sauce (yogurt or tahini please?). Will go back again now that my tire is fixed :).
Review Source:A pleasant surprise. I live in the North Mayfair neighborhood and although I love it, it is a virtual restaurant wasteland. Hala Inn is a very welcome addition to the "hood". The food is excellent. I had the vegetarian combo. The hummus and baba ganoush might be the best I ever had. The pita is also fantastic. The atmosphere is nice...simple, clean, good a/c and very friendly service. I only wish they had more vegetarian options. All in all, great middle eastern food...highly recommend..and oh, yeah....great prices. Â check it out!
Review Source:Was looking for a Mediterranean restaurant in the Mayfair/Albany Park area and with the help of Yelp came across Hala In Restaurant. Â Decided to get two small appetizers in the falafel and hummus and both were very delicious. For the entree I decided on the Combo Plate which included beef and chicken kabobs, kifta skewer, chicken shawerma and rice. These too were also very delicious and the portions were plentiful. For the desert I opted for the baklava and that too was good. Â The size of the baklava is a little on the small side for my taste but it's also proportional to its price. Â Last but not least, service was good as a whole. Â The waitress was very pleasant and she came back just the right amount of time to check up. A very good first experience at Hala In and will definitely come back again!
Review Source:Holy smokes, this was delicious! We got 2 pick two combo plates (Chicken Schwarma/Kifta and Beef Schwarma/Kifta), some falafel and baklava. Delivered with tip under $35. The food was great. The falafel was gone in a second. Serving of Baklava a little skimpy, but taste was good. Will definitely order again.
Review Source:Wow, this place has the most fresh and most delicious food. Nothing was dry and everything was cooked to perfection. The salads are so fresh, I love their tabouleh!!!! Also, their hummus & falafel are the best I ever had. I always order from Grub Hub, but decided to visit the restaurant this time. The inside was clean, but nothing to rave about. The waitress was very nice and answered our questions, so the overall experience was good. Our experience inside the restaurant was similar to a tapas restaurant. I think that between the two of us we had at least 7 plates on the table (we love to get plenty of salads, hummus and share a main dish). The focus is all on the food and the food is absolutely amazing!!! You should definitely try it!
Review Source:I'm going to make this short and simple: If you have been wondering where the "people who know" go to eat authentic "middle eastern" food go...congrats...you have now found out our secret. Aside, from mom's kitchen or being abroad...this is as good as it gets. Especially if you prefer "levant" style (Homsi/Lebnani/Pali/Ammani)
Review Source:I came here with a friend who lives in the area... she asked we check it out because it was right by her house. Â Very clean atmosphere and the staff was extremely nice! Â The owner greeted us and we told him it was our first time there, so he ended up giving us samples of different appetizers. Â The BEST falafel I've ever had in my life!!! The owner said it's his mother's recipe. Â I would go back just for the falafel... you'll understand what I mean once you try them!
Review Source:Had dinner last night with my girlfriend. Â Really friendly and helpful server who made the experience that much better. Â Prices were really great. Â We had falafel, hummus, tabouli, two beef & chicken shawarmas, coffee, and bakalava, all for $30! Â The food is fresh and tasty and they provide plenty of Pita bread. Â This place is not to be missed if you are looking for some good middle eastern food! Â Thanks, we will be back!
Review Source:OK- Hala Inn offers a pretty basic menu but offers better execution and presentation than similar restaurants. The dining room is attractive, clean and comfortable, the staff is friendly and very capable. That's about all I need in ANY restaurant.
Oh yeah- while offering better food in a great atmosphere- Hala Inn also manages to come in at about 30% cheaper that restaurants that would be considered competitors.
Recommendations? Well, maybe hummus is a good litmus test. Try that. Sounds silly, but the small pool of quality olive oil makes all the difference. And there are other small diffrences throughout the menu that will likely keep you coming back.
This place got me very sick with one of the cookies they were selling that day. Like days sick. Ever since then I really never want to eat here again and actually made me want to stop eating this sort of food again for a while. What a shame, please don't sell contaminated/spoiled food.
Review Source:I have ordered twice from here. And I AM SATISFIED! I had tried to order a Falafel again, because I ordered for the first time at a different restaurant...not what I expected. There was no WOW involved for me. Then I ordered from here... and all my hopes and dreams of falafel's came true! lol
The lentil soup is not runny, it's nice and thick! I LOVE IT! The Yoghurt Cucumber Salad is wonderful! I use the extra on my side salad, I had also had a Chicken Shawrma Entree, it was FANTASTIC!
The first time I ordered, I had salmon, which was not overcooked but not under cooked! I just want to say, Hala In, you are my HaBiBi! & thank you for delivering!
When i die i want to be put on a bed of their beef and chicken shawarma, before my pyre is set ablaze.. This would have to be to the sounds of, probably Slavic Soul Party.
OK, settle down...
I really like this little unassuming place. It's places like these that make Chicago a foodie city. Fantastic food (every piece of meat i tried made me make yummy sounds, salivate, ask for more), friendly service with an owner who actually genuinely cares, and fair prices. As someone else pointed out, the seasoning of the meat is very interesting, different, and the meat is just so deliciously moist, with a few burnt parts, it's... to cry for.
What more do you want?? I want more shawarma!
Tuesday 10/11/2011 Â 12:12pm
Went there for lunch as I was in the area and Yelpers seemed to like this restaurant.
The waitress and the owner was very friendly and nice.
I ordered their Lunch Special and hummus.
The lunch was $5.95 and the large Hummus was $4.25; the owner told me that his Hummus was the best in the city.
The lunch was good and so was the Hummus but I do not know about it being the best in the city.
The seating area is small but clean looking,
The waitress is new so give her some slack when you see her.
If you are in the area and in the mood for some Middle Eastern food, then stop by; however if you are not in the area, I would not make a special trip.
BEST. CHICKEN. SHAWARMA. EVER!!!!!!! Â I don't think I NEED to say anything more...but I will. Â You can get the Shawarma with hummus or rice. Â I got hummus, my hubby got rice. Â We were both happy. Â The chicken is super moist, with a fantastic seasoning. Â They also have decent Baba Ganouj. Â Pita is tasty; it's yummy to make little pita "sandwiches" filled with the hummus and chicken. Â YUM. Â So glad it came in huge portions too, so we could both have leftovers! Â Want to try the baklava next time. Â Too bad this place is too far away from my house. Â I can only get it delivered when I am dogsitting, which I am doing tonight. Â Guess where we're getting dinner???
Update: Â Just had dinner: Â Baklava was AMAZING!
Very nice people here.
They have done very last minute (before close) deliveries for me.
Beef Shwarma. Â MMMMMMM - get it with the hummus instead of the rice. Â Stuff the pita with beef, onions if you like, then hummus on top. Â The tops.
Their falafel is also to be recognized. Â Last I had them they were extremely fresh and I almost died when I tasted it. Â Problem is that 10 minutes of sitting and they dry out a bit. Â Changes the texture completely, it "blands out" a bit in my experience.
I haven't tried much else because I am so damn stuck on the Beef Shwarma. Â I will be more adventurous next time OR I will have to buy two main dishes, haha.
They are also CHEAP, to me at least. Â They are extremely reasonable. Â I was in a pinch for food the other day and I ended up opting for the $9 shwarma instead of an $8 McD value meal.
Think about it, this is at least good food and I usually have enough for two servings.
Ask for two pitas with it though, one is not enough for all the meat they give you.
ENJOY!!
This restaurant features fare that is more Middle Eastern than Mediterranean if you ask me. Â Either way, the quality of the food is exceptional. Â The hummus is the best I've ever had; it's drizzled with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, paprika, and other wonderful ingredients that I can't identify. Â Their baba ganouj is also solid, but not as epic as the hummus. Â The lunch special contains more food than you could possibly eat in one sitting for six bucks, featuring moist falafel, zesty kefta, tender lamb, and two kinds of chicken, plus rice and salad.
If you eat there, you'll be offered complimentary tea or coffee by one of the friendly staff (and there is no shortage of staff for a place that isn't terribly busy). Â They don't play Egyptian dance music playing, which is a shame, and the decor is very bare. Â Still, it's a comfortable atmosphere, and the quality and value of the food is umparalleled.
I'd say that this is a 3.5 star review...
Good hummus and a huge portion for the small size but only 1 pita with it. Really? Yes, really!
Lentil soup is okay... Nothing to write home about.
The falafel is REALLY good and not dry at all.
The tahini sauce is missing a certain something... It's really plain tasting.
I won't cross this place off my list but would like to find a better place in my neighborhood.
Update - New exterior and interior - looks great. Â I thought the place had changed owners, Â But whew! Â Just gave the place an updated look. Â The drapery inside really looks nice.
Outstanding in every way! Â The prices are great for the large portion size. Â My wife (who is a bit of a hummus snob) fell in deep deep love with their smooth creamy version. Â
The owner is truly genuine, and so very nice. Â He sat and chatted with me while waiting for an order. Â I feel like I made a friend. Â The falafel comes with pickles on it, something I never tried before - results are awesome. Â I never tried baba ghanoug before but wow is it good. Â I found this place by accident while looking for another restaurant, but have made it a regular stop.
It is nice to have a local stop for good quality Med Cuisine.
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