I really like this store. The falafel and hummus are reason enough to keep coming back. The staff are always friendly and accomodating. I've tried lots of other things like the chicken wraps and shawarma - all excellent. I also recommend the brown rice - I think it's called ossie or ozzie? It's topped with almonds and the flavor is so unique and delicious. Glad this place is in my neighborhood!
Review Source:A much needed addition to an area which doesn't have a whole lot of eating options outside of Polish and Italian cuisine. Â Middle Eastern Flair is both a grocery store and a deli. Â Their falafel, when fresh is amazing...light and airy inside, hot and crispy outside. Â Best falafel I've had ever had and I've eaten a lot. Â Rotisserie chicken and spinach pita pies are really good too. Â Date cookies and baklava are both decent, fresh and not too sweet with a nice hint of orange flower water. Â Aside from that, they have shawarma, pastries, salads, hummus, and several daily specials on the menu. Â There's no place to sit down and eat though, so it's best for take out.
I haven't done too much grocery shopping here but their store is clean and well stocked with all of the usual Middle Eastern groceries. Â Butcher department though is a little limited. Â
Definiately worth checking out if you happen to be in the Norridge area.
We've been looking for a place to get some Middle Eastern grub in our area and saw the positive reviews for this place and decided to give it a go. I really could not have been more disappointed. Yelpers rarely let me down. We ordered a little bit of everything. Schwarma, pita, feta cheese, rice, falafel, etc. Everything but the falafel and rice was almost inedible. Took the pita's home to warm up and discovered they were covered in mold. The schwarma was dried up and tasted like a salt-lick. Totally gross and threw most of it away. Went to totally inauthentic Naf Naf Grill and it was 110% better.
Review Source:I don't frequently go to Middle Eastern Flair but each time it do I am offered a falafel to sample. Â I haven't had too much luck with getting fresh falafel and this place has excellent fresh falefel. Â The vegetarian plate is generous and includes tabbouleh, hummus, lots of rice and falafel at a reasonable price. Â They also have great baklava.
Review Source:Meh........
Was craving Middle Eastern Food and hit this place up because I didn't feel like driving to Skokie for Pita Inn(that I grew up on).
I have been here before but just for some simple groceries. As always, greeted with a Falafel Ball when I walked in the door.
I ordered; Hummus, Baba, Shawarma, Falafel, Ozzie rice.
I think the owner was spending too much time bragging about how great his food was, and not paying attention to preparing the food. Hummus and Baba were very good, Falafel was OK, Shawarma tasted like 2 day old leftovers that he somehow reheated.
Not the Awesome Middle Eastern Food that Pita Inn served me for years. Next time; I will take the 20min cruise to Niles for Naf Naf Grill!!!!
I live in downtown Chicago, but this is by far my favorite middle eastern food. Hot and fresh, delicious, authentic, priced well, and very friendly service.
In reading old reviews, it looks like they went through a few months where food and service was poor. I'm not sure what happened, but as of 4/16/2012 this place is amazing. Whenever I'm anywhere near the 'burbs, I try to make it down here.
Highly recommended.
I live so close to this place, but I've only been a couple of times. I started getting their hummus and pita chips - homemade and seasoned - they are amazing! Stacey's pita chips are crap compared to these.
My husband and I went in the other day as I had a taste for the chips and hummus. My husband started eyeing the prepared foods, so we ended up taking these chicken rolls (looked like burritos) and a side of this rice dish which had veggies, some lamb and beef and TONS of flavor from the seasoning. I could not stop eating the stuff. And he gave us a huge portion. Also tried their cucumber salad, made in their homemade yogurt. So garlicky - I loved it. Â It was great with the pita chips. Never fails, every time I do go in, I get free falafel!
Always have received great, friendly service and I look forward to trying more things! For all the food we got, less than $20, beats fast food any day.
They probably are one of the nicest people that I have bought from. The store has many varieties of groceries. The spices they sell are cheaper than most of the chain stores. They also have cooked food like chicken and rice. They also have a wonderful selection of sweets bakalava anyone? Overall a great store.
Review Source:I love this place. Â The falafel is terrific. Â Crunchy on the outside and softer on the inside. Â My son always asks me to get the hummus and pita chips. Â The baba ghanoush is great. Â My favorite things are the pies. Â I love the spinach pie and the bread with the seasoning and feta cheese. Â The owner is super nice and makes suggestions for new things to try. Â Lots of vegetarian options and of course meat options for the carnivores in my family.
Review Source:This place was a surprise to be honest.My friend told me they make food to order even though its a grocery store. I walked over to the deli the guy barley spoke english but he was cool. I ordered a shwarma and it was great really fresh and tasted great, and it seem like they could make anything that is middle eastern you just have to ask because there is no menu. I would say this is great place to grab a cheap tasty lunch and it didnt take long to make and its healthy. I really like this place I'll go back if I'm in the hood.Good eats at a good price Yay! I'm a fan. I looked around and noticed they had some fresh made cookies,baklava, and other things and it looked very fresh. This place has THUMBS UP!! written all over it
Review Source:Not an expert on middle eastern cuisine Its only my second time eating it, but the roast chicken, baba ghaunoush, falafels and swarmha were excellent. The home made yogurt is sour. Hummus is good tho. The price is great for the amount of food you're gonna get here. I recently just had the lamb and rice dish, the lamb is perfectly seansoned and very tender. If you love lamb you won't be disappointed.
Review Source:Things must be back on track again because I stopped in a few weeks ago and everything was great. Â
I don't know what happened but for almost a year the place went downhill... food was bad, they never had anything made, nobody working in the store, etc. Â
Now we are back to super friendly service and cases overloaded with delicious food. Â Yay!!!
I fantasize about the baba ghanoush from Middle Eastern flair.
The prices are beyond reasonable and you get a ton for your money. I've tried a ton of different things here - my favorites are the spinach pies, these chicken roll up things (almost look like a burrito in the case), the baba ghanoush and their falafels.
The staff here is tremendously nice and they often offer samples if you have any questions. The groceries seem incredibly inexpensive and they have several items that are hard to find.
Definitely recommend grabbing some of the baba ghanoush and their pita chips for your next party!
We just moved into the area and stopped by over the weekend to try it for takeout dinner. Â I walked in super hungry (always a mistake, I know!) and walked out with a freshly made bag of falafel, a shawarma platter (including rice, side salad and hummus), half a roast chicken, spinach pie, assorted sweets, and a big container of their special rice dish - forgot the name but it's something like "ronnie rice". Â Plus they tossed in a couple extra falafal, a small container of house-made yogurt, side sauces, and some pita. Â This is a family-run grocery store/hot counter and we all had a fun time as I ordered more and more (and more...) food. Â
And oh, was it good food. Â The beef/lamb shawarma was decent (a little saltier than I'm used to) and the hummus was too "smooth" for my personal taste (I like the slightly chunky style Salam makes) but the falafel was the BEST EVER. Â Delicately crispy and slightly sweet but with a tiny heat afterbite. Â The BFF never knew those "extra" falafel existed - they were gone with the first stoplight I encountered. Â I need to lock the bag in the trunk next time to avoid destroying them on the way home. Â
The chicken was very juicy and well-seasoned and that special rice was insanely good (good cold the next day, too.) Â The BFF wasn't crazy for it like I was, but if you're in and they have a batch made up ask for a taste. Â It's light, spicy, and addictively good eating. Â $29 for enough food to feed a small army. Â I'll be back soon.
When this place first opened it was great. Good food and nice selection of groceries.
The last 3 times we have gone we had terrible falefal sandwiches.
They tasted cold and like baking soda which is sometimes an ingredient used.
The groceries were looking bad too. Almost all of the vegetables were turning brown and wilted.
Needless to say 3 strikes your out we will not be coming back.
For $5.99, you get a ton of food. Â Two chicken thighs, two drums, half the container full of rice pilaf, some hummus, one falafel, Â and a small side salad. Â
Loved all the food except for the rice, as it was super oily. Â In fact, the rice tasted worse the next day. Â :(
I'm Asian, rice is a big thing to me. Â Some things are just unacceptable in my book. Â 3 stars.
We walked in hungry, and I think they knew it, because before I knew it, I was kindly handed samples of delicious falafal and cakes. Â This place is a hybrid of a grocery store, deli and take out restaurant. Great quality in every aspect. It is clean, organized and has a very tasty aroma! A little pricey, but has a variety of items in this small store.
Review Source:Such an uncommon restaurant for this area.
Dominated so long by Italian restaurants and cuisine, with small deli' s and the occasional Polish and Mexican restaurant thrown into the mix. Norridge and Harwood Heights as well as the surrounding area are opening up to a larger variety of ethnic tastes.
Most notably food that is not only delicious but healthy for you to eat.
The place is filled with all kinds of Middle Eastern food, snacks and staples for any kind of Middle Eastern dining and food preparation.
People who work there have always been friendly and customer service has always been terrific.
Food is quite good, with falafel, Kibe, Tabouli and pita bread always fresh. The deli case is overflowing with all kinds of tasty olives, salads, puddings and special Middle Eastern deserts. Prices can be a little bit high. But definitely not a dealbreaker
So, if you're in the area, give this place a try. Your body will thank you next time you're in the bathroom trying to push out your Tuesday night double dog and cheese fries.
I stopped in a couple of days ago not sure what to expect. Â I was walking by when I seen the place and since I seen there was a deli i figured there was bound to be some hot food. Â If anything it was worth just checking out. Â The food is amazing and wonderfully priced and ultra freindly service. Â I would go out of my way just to come back.
Review Source:It was terrible... I usually go to Pita Inn but I just moved into the neighborhood and I thought I would give it a try... it was terrible... I ordered a falafel sandwich and it was very dry... I asked for some white and red sauce (Pita Inn always gives your sauce) and even thought I could see that he had some in the back he wouldn't give it to me, I told him I would pay for it and he still wouldn't give me any...I ordered a baba and they didn't even give me pita to go with it... I saw pita on a rack so I thought I would buy it and I asked him if they were fresh and he said no, I asked if I can get fresh ones and he said no... by the way the baba was not good... I will never go back.
Review Source:This is MY FAVORITE PLACE TO EAT TAKE OUT IN CHICAGO. Â The food is OUTSTANDING, the service/ info/ friendliness is OUTSTANDING. Â I live in Logan Square, and we drive up to MEF all the time for food to bring home. The Imsekhan is SO AMAZING and the Ouzie rice is mouthwatering. I hope I spelled those right. I also get a sour cherry drink from the cooler every time. This place blows Sultan's Market out of the water (sorry SM!) Everyone I've talked to who works there has always been SUPER nice. Â The mom of this family owned business makes the food and the yogurt, and everything else I think, and man, it is made with LOVE- at least it tastes that way. Â I want this place to be around forever. Â Come here, bring friends, try something new. Â You WON'T be disappointed. Â It's amazing. Â Have I mentioned that it's amazing?!
Review Source:I feel like this place deserves an update so I can give them the 5-star rating for sure this time.
I've bought food many more times since, so I can say that things here are consistently great. One thing in particular is the delicious rotisserie chicken. It's so full of flavor and lemony goodness that the zancoo plate has become my go-to lunch of choice when I'm craving their food. Their rice pudding is also a tasty, unique treat with a light floral flavor from the orange blossom water in it.
Great homemade food at very reasonable prices, with an excellent little market to boot. We've had lunch and dinner from there several times. Each time we try to get something new. We have yet to have anything that wasn't simply delicious. The falafel are amazing, the hummus very good, the tabouleh as good as I've ever had. And the pastries and sweets! So fresh and yummy!
The owners are quite friendly. If you don't know what something is, just ask and they'll quite happily explain and often give a taste if that's practical.
The meat from the butcher counter is of great quality. Count me amongst those who can't wait for a reason to order a whole roasted lamb. Party anyone?
Who would of  thought that Norridge would get something this good?
The falafel is delicious, the grocery part of the store is always well stocked and full of really interesting/tasty food items, and the owners are about the nicest people I've ever met.
The free falafel when you walk in isn't too bad either. I really hope this place stays around for a long time.
Great little Market, very well kept, clean inside with a nice selection of products. Smells amazing as soon as you walk in the door! Everyone that works there is so pleasant and friendly. I keep going back for the hummus and the whole wheat pita's they carry. Â I love to serve them for entertaining and always buy extra for my own personal stash! Â The shawarma sandwich and baklava are really good too! I can't wait to try more things. Oh and also love the complimentary falafel they offer warm and crispy!
Review Source:Wow! Authentic, hand-made pastries (baklava like from heaven), and you'll probably come in to a comp falafel, too. A good little butcher shop, fresh veggies and fresh today pita. Ever have fresh almonds? An experience! Â Really cheap and good lunches and dinners. I'm not middle eastern, I'm as whitebread as ya get, but this little, friendly gem is what a great little grocer should be. Everyone who's a fan should arrange a night here to all gather and try EVERYthing!
Review Source:I have driven past Middle Eastern Flair several times on my way to somewhere else and finally was able to go in today. I've missed having convenient access to this type of store and was excited to breathe in the fresh and flavorful fare. I loved reading labels that listed few ingredients and no preservatives. I enjoyed checking out the merchandise as well. This, alone would have been a joy. But being fed with falafel and dessert samples while I browsed the store made me feel as if I were  a welcome guest in someone's home. When I got home, I felt compelled to double check my receipt because I brought home so much for so little - a great feeling in this recession. I will definitely be back for more!
Review Source:I'm so happy this place opened! There is no other middle eastern restaurant around for miles. They have great falafel and shawarma sandwiches. They are super friendly in there and always give you samples to try. I also had their hummus and baklava, both great. I will go back for the halal meat now that grilling season is here. I also noticed they had some interesting spice mixes for marinating meats. The only slight negative is it might take awhile to get your food but it is worth it.
Review Source:There has been an influx of middle eastern markets and bakeries open in the northwest side of the city, and that is alright by me! 10 soft pita's for a dollar. The baker and attendant were so very nice and helpful, not to mention the baker insisted that I taste the falafel he just made. Yum!
Thank you to my fellow yelpers who posted and rated Middle Eastern Flair, it was your posts that encouraged me to stop by this little treasure.
Seriously, I would like to just give a huge "thank you" to the owners of Middle Eastern Flair for opening their market in my 'hood. It is awesome to finally have authentic, inexpensive Middle Eastern food in this area. $2 falafel and $3.50 shawarma sandwiches, both of which are very tasty and worth every penny. They've also got many other cheap staples to bring home with you: pickled radishes, 10 for $1 pitas, homemade baklava galore, etc. To top it all off, everyone there is SO freaking nice, funny and generous. Some of the best customer service I've ever seen. (Props to them for acting totally normal when I came in one day wearing extremely tranny-esque makeup... on only one side of my face. I forgot that I couldn't take my sunglasses off!) Needless to say, I have been here several times already and will keep coming back!
Review Source:So I got hooked on middle eastern food from my boyfriend's grandma who is Armenian. And while not as good as Nana's food (because really, what could be?), it's a damn close second. They offer daily specials of prepared meals and falafel sandwiches and sides. I especially love the homemade yogurt spread (their grandma's special recipe according to the owner). Great selection of spices and ingredients to cook all of our favorite middle eastern dishes. The prices are fantastic too- I don't know if it's just the grand opening prices but 99 cents for a bag of pitas beats the Jewel price of like 3.99 any day!
I am already a repeat customer because of the free samples everytime I go in, the great tasting home-cooked food, the specialized selection of groceries, the prices, and just as importantly the family that runs this business is so friendly and nice when we go in there! The service and conversation is such a nice surprise on top of it all!
Worth a try to stop in for a home-cooked lunch or dinner to go!
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