Grabbed a quick lunch here today. I wanted something quick and didn't want the stress of Roti (yes, I find ordering there a bit intimidating). I ordered the Fattoush and had them throw chicken on top.
The pluses: The falafel was really good. Perfectly seasoned, soft and the salad included four of them. Service was friendly and quick.
The minuses: Beyond the falafel, the salad was a bit bland. The pita chips were bland, the chicken was bland and the dressing was bland.
I am satisfied and probably will head back at some point to try another dish, but this isn't as good as Roti or I Dream of Falafel.
There are so many of these lunch Mediterranean restaurants opening up everywhere. I like some of them, but this particular one is my favorite. Â
Nesh's combination of flavoring is absolutely amazing. Â I could eat there everyday. Â The food tastes very fresh and it's just a very uplifting experience every time I go there.
I love that it's right around the corner from my office too.
Highly recommend to try them out. Â I'm a fan.
My first inkling this was likely to be a less than stellar Mediterranean dining experience was being able to walk in at 12:30 on a weekday and not wait in line. Handy, but a rarity at any of the solid lunch spots in the loop.
I ordered a falafel shrock* with hummus, cabbage, jerusalem salad and hot sauce on the side. The shrock is like a thin tortilla, maybe too thin as it did rip as I ate my wrap. The falafel balls were good, better than ones you'd find at a place like Roti, but not as good as ones you'd find at Benjyehuda or Taza. The hummus was good, but deceptively creamy. I was tempted to have them add more to my wrap and am glad I did not, its creaminess overpowered my meal a bit. And well, jerusalem salad and cabbage is...jerusalem salad and cabbage. The hot sauce was where it lost major points for me. I like some heat, but can't handle a ton of it, so I usually get my sauce on the side. This *hot sauce* may as well have been ketchup it was so unspicy. Boo! Overall, the combination was rather bland and unremarkable.
As Ryne D pointed out, there are no shortage of Mediterranean options in the loop; you could throw a rock and hit at least two. That said, there's not much point in wasting time on bad or average Mediterranean, this being the latter. Service was friendly and efficient, but then again there were only a handful of people in the store. I might give it another shot, but it's not likely with some of the other (better) options equidistant from my office.
* Out of curiosity, I Googled "shrock," the only things that came back were references to Nesh and people with the name shrock. It's neither here nor there, but I found it interesting.
Overpriced and mediocre-to-bad Middle Eastern.
The meat is seasoned inadequately and has an unappetizing texture, no matter what kind of meat you order. They make a point to fry the falafel fresh, but that just means it's hot (in a good way) and greasy (in a bad way) when it goes into your sandwich or onto your plate. The pita is adequate if bland, but the shrocks are thin, flavorless, and guaranteed to fall apart. Lentil soup is liquid salt.
Go to I Dream of Falafel or especially Benjyehuda instead.
I stopped in as an alternative to IDOF, but was underwhelmed. I got the turkey Shwarma on shrock. The only reason I got turkey was because I hadn't had it before. It was inedible. There was so much gristle in it that I couldn't go two bites without spitting it out. Gross! If you are going to offer something different than other similar restaurants, make it good!! The flat wrap was dry and tasteless. I did like the lentil soup so now I wished I had just gotten that instead. But at 3.50 a cup, it didn't seem worth it.
No need to go back....
I disagree with all these jaded Yelp reviews. I really like this place. It looks like half the reviews came from when this place first opened. Well I'd say they got over their opening jitters and now run a tight ship.
When I first came here, I was offered a free sample of lentil soup, which is apparently something they do often. I thought the soup was yummy. Their employees were friendly. I ordered the chicken shwafle. It was delicious. Now I'm not a connoisseur of all things Mediterranean, but I like things that taste good. Nesh tastes good. Â My coworker that I ate with has a more experienced palate when it comes to Mediterranean and he was very satisfied.
After going here for the first time, my coworker and I were surprised by how not crowded it was. Yes, there were people there, but I'd say it was at half capacity or less. We were surprised because it was delicious. I realized after the fact that it may be due to its poor Yelp reviews. PEOPLE, IT'S PRETTY GOOD.
I went here a second time. I ordered the lentil soup. Hey the free sample worked! I paid for the soup! It was yummy. I just wish their soup spoons were bigger so i could consume more soup per spoonful lol.
Finally, I'm going to compare this place to Roti because it's unavoidable. I've been a long time Roti fan. It's great. Nesh isnt really any different. And that's a good thing. I paid $8something for my lunch and received a bigger portion size than I would have at Roti and it was just as good imo. "I always come away from Roti sitill hungry but not here" -my coworker.
Give this place a chance and don't be so snooty about the falafel. Seriously people.. one star reviews should be reserved for when a restaurant seriously offends you, not because you've had better falafel.
If there's one thing lacking in the Chicago Loop dining department, it's Mediterranean. Sure, there are very few (if any) Filipino, Hawaiian, Vietnamese, Jamaican, Puerto Rican or African restaurants, but what we really need are more falafel places.
Yeah, that's sarcasm. I can see Mezza from Nesh's front door, and I Dream of Falafel is only a couple blocks away, not to mention the thousands of other options downtown.
So how does Nesh stack up in this sea of hummus? Well, I was pleasantly surprised to be offered a sample of lentil soup. Definitely welcome as winter is starting to make an appearance.
I went with the shrock, which Roti and Benjyehuda call a laffa wrap. Basically what I got was a steak and falafel Mediterranean burrito. Unfortunately, the steak was mostly flavorless, the falafel lacked a distinctive crunch and was mushy, and overall my shrock didn't even feel warm. Definitely disappointing as winter is starting to make an appearance.
With so many other options around, I can't see this one doing too well. Want an established favorite? Try Taza or Oasis. Something new? Well, Ba Le should be opening in the Loop soon. It's not falafel, and thank goodness for that.
Nothing offensive about this place, but no real reason to search it out. It's quick-service, ok space to sit (not as cramped as some). But the food is unremarkable, and in smaller portions than you would get from the competition. The wrap is super chewy and made it hard to eat. Roti or I Dream of Falafel are both significantly better and give you more, better food for the money. The lentil soup was offered as a sample, and was pretty good.
Review Source:"Meh" is pretty spot on rating here.
I just took my last bite of the Chicken Shawarma. Â Â It tasted and felt like pork. Â I know they don't have a pork option, so it was weird. Â It was stringy and tough and looked like pork. Â Seasoned ok -- but not right off the spit either - they had to reheat on the grill. Â Meh.
The pita was warm but didn't taste homemade -- I am a pita snob since my favorite Israeli restaurant makes them homemade. Â Their wraps looked homemade from afar but I could be wrong. Â I've seen wraps look all toasty and odd shaped right from the grocer, soo.... idk.
I don't think I like it enough to go back ... if in a hurry I would hit up Mezza first, and if I had time I would walk to Naf.
It would seem I have made it my own personal goal to eat every falafel within a 1 mile radius of my office...So today I decided to pay a visit to Nesh crappy Yelp reviews be damned!
Overall, Nesh was just unremarkable. Â It wasn't bad, but I've had better.
My initial plan was to get the falafel shrock, but upon actually seeing the flatbread, I opted for the pita instead. Â The flatbread looked like a giant tortilla, and I prefer my flatbread with a little more fluffiness and chewiness. Â From a texture stand point, I actually really enjoyed my food. Â The pita was soft and chewy. Â The hummus was creamy and smooth. Â The falafel was crisp on the outside, soft on the inside, and not too dry. Â From a flavor stand point though, everything was just kind of meh. Â Everything was bland and the flavors all seemed to meld together into nothingness. Â And either the girl forgot my onions or they were the weakest onions on the planet because I didn't taste them at all. Â
As for the restaurant itself, like every other Medi place I've been to in the Loop, this place is clean and modern with assembly line style ordering (aka the Chipotle food production model). Â
The first girl on the assembly line looked like she had no interest in being there. Â There was a guy standing behind her that I think was an owner or manager or someone in charge. Â He was kind of rude, yelling at the first girl to hand out lentil soup samples while also trying to get customer orders started and practically forcing said samples on the customer. Â I love a free sample as much as the next guy, but sometimes I'm just not interested. Â Everyone else I encountered was quite pleasant.
Service was kind of slow, but I actually think that had more to do with the people ahead of me in line than it did with the staff. Â And Nesh was still faster than the nearby IDOF.
Overall, I think there are better options in the loop, and with a BenjYehuda location opening in my office building and Mezza in the building next door, I don't seem much reason to return to Nesh except maybe the lentil soup becasue that sample I was forced to take was actually pretty outstanding.
One of the other yelpers said it best...this is just run of the mill Medi food. I'd take Taza, IDOF, or Roti over this any day.
The food was mediocre at best. The only redeeming factor was the warm, puffed pita. However, with only a measly dallop of hummus, I was not able to dip and chew as I normally do. The meat portion was paltry and kind of dry and overcooked. The heaping pile of rice overwhelmed my plate. If I wanted a plate of rice I'd have gone to some chinese joint.
I felt rushed through the line, and as a new place you'd think they'd be going above and beyond in the CS area. The only redeeming factor here was the nice girl helping ring me up asking if I wanted a soup sample, per my question of what the soup was (it was not listed anywhere on the menu).
Sorry, but I won't be back.
I'm surprised by all of the bad reviews. This place just opened up a few weeks ago, and is well organized, nicely decorated and squeaky clean with a friendly staff.
Great lentil soup! Best in the area actually. Their Mediterranean food is pretty good, but there are a lot of places in the area that offer the same things. I was a little disappointed that this place doesn't have fries like it's sister location. Their falafel is the same as most places around here: just ok. It's spicy too. I've had their steak shwarma and the tenderloin kebab, both were good.
It's the soup. My go-to for a cheap lunch out.
Really unimpressive food. Â Fallafel wasn't the worst I have ever had (that belongs to Roti actually), but it wasn't good either. Â I enjoyed the fresh pita bread, but the rest of the ingredients were sort of bland, and the meat followed suit. Â I am not sure why all of these middle eastern/mediteranean restaurants are opening in the loop, but most of them are pathetically average at best.
Save your money, go to Taza on Franklin.
Next!
I love Nesh and have been eagerly anticipating the opening of the Loop location all summer! Â I love that it is so large with a lot of seating and a nice patio outside. Â They have a very friendly staff and involved manager that you can tell is invested in seeing the restaurant succeed. Â Saying all that, the food I had was not nearly as good as the original Nesh location. I got the veggie shrock, which I always get, and was disappointed that it was chock full of bell peppers instead of filling vegetables like zucchini and squash (although there were bits of that in there). Â Bell pepper should never be the base of any dish so I only ate about a third of my shrock and left hungry and disappointed. Â I know this location is new though and I have very high hopes so I will be back a couple more times and hope for a better and consistently good experience. Â At least they are super friendly so you want to go back to support them and I like eating at smaller establishments like Nesh as opposed to Roti. Â If they can get the food up to the standard of the original Nesh, I will definitely be eating here for lunch once a week!
Review Source:I had a coupon and thought I would try it. Being a veggie I thought I would try the falafel.It was horrible. Dry and almost unedible. Even if it was free I wont go back. Roti is doing a much better job. I saw a manager yell at one of the employees while I was there. This place really doesnt get it in any way!
Review Source:I witnessed this place from being a vacant storefront to this nicely decorated Mediterranean lunch spot because I walk by it every morning when I go to work. I soooo wanted to be the first person to review it! Dam Yelpers, you guys are too fast!
Anyways, it's a typical Mediterranean fast food place, VERY similar to Roti. You can choose wrap, plate, salad, etc, then choose meat or falafel or vegetables. I got the taste of Nesh because I wanted to try everything--the beef Shawarma was a little chewy, but nicely seasoned. The chicken kabob was definitely wayyyy better than the chicken kabobs at Roti. My favorite was actually their falafel--it was soooo moist in the center and with great flavors. I tried falafels at numerous Mediterranean places, and 9 out of 10, they were very dry. Nesh, on the other hand, knows how to cook its falafels.
On the flip side, their hummus was not that good. It's just kind of meh, no flavors, nothing special... With that said, given how long Roti's lunch line is and how yummy Nesh's falafels are, I will definitely be back!
The food was ok. Nothing to write home about. Some of the worst falafel I have had.
I was eating there when it was not too busy and heard one of the managers yelling orders at her employees. Not very professional for a new restaurant opening up.
Best Mediterranean food I have had is in wicker park. It was 4 dollars for a pita and they have sriracha.
It's OK so far. Â It's not horrible...Just needs some fine tuning. Â The chicken shwrama (sp?) was a bit on the dry side. Â They have a few more toppings to their sandwiches (feta, olives, and other sauces) and I like their wrap a little more than Roti or IDOF. Â It's better equipped to handle all the fillings but I'll agree with one yelper, it seems to have a somewhat "rubbery" texture.
The hummus is too runny for my preference but the tzatziki sauce is super good.
I'll be back to try it in a bit. Â It's still super new to the area so I'm sure it's working out kinks. Â In the meantime, I'll satisfy my cravings with IDOF.
The sample of lentil soup I had was really, really good.
Before this place goes broke, they might want to fix this. Today, I ordered a fetoush salad (south Wells Street). I got a dry, tasteless salad. No Sumac, no dry pita, no lemon juice, no olive oil. Nothing.
I know what the salad should be....this isnt even close. These guys have a lot of competition in the area. Just a heads-up. I hope they're not mangling other Mediterranean foods.
I left them a Facebook entry to try and tell the management. Their website gave me an error when i tried to leave a message.
Good luck to them. They will need it. Back to Roti and Mezza!
This place opened near my office and they were handing out coupons so I decided to try it out. The meat they give you is very odd in appearance and taste, not that I had a lot to try as the quantity was quite small. The entire wrap when it was done being rolled was very small and the wrap bread itself tasted mushy and almost fake. Its essentially they same concept as Roti, except Roti is much better and has better options. Â
I think without my coupon it would have cost the same if not more than Roti.
As a final note, the cash register is set up on this massively wide counter that makes it difficult to reach across to hand a credit card or cash. I'm 6' tall and I thought it was awkward, I can see it being very difficult for shorter customers to pay for their food.
This place just opened near my work. Â I was excited to try it out but after one trip, I can assure you, I will not be going back.
The falafel was not good. Â The other stuff was ok, but there's always Roti, Meza, or I Dream of Falafel if you want a good lunch. Â
The service was a joke. Â They put the wrong food on my plate to start. Â I asked for hot sauce and got a tiny squirt, told them more and they told me, "it's really hot, that's all you need" and closed the lid.
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,608 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,970 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,309 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,906 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,985 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
