Oasis Cafe

Returning here for lunch, I realized I hadn't been here since my last gig in the Loop in 2001. Through much of the 80's and 90's I frequented the Oasis Cafe because it was convenient, a great value, and just pleasingly odd in its location in the back end of a long jewelry mall. I suppose a restaurant in a mall is not odd, but winding your way back to this delicious, friendly and bright spot is something like a weird dream.

The set up is really like a fast food joint, and their food is really fast, unless as I discovered in my last visit, if you order hot tea. That turned into kind of an ordeal, and a good "Big Gulp" serving of hot tea which practically lasted me all afternoon. But I digress from my love of Oasis.The menu is a wonderful combination of, well, combinations, as in plates of deliciously fresh Middle Eastern treats like falafel plates, shawarma, and couscous. Sandwiches, too. Salads like Greek and Lebanese, and many excellent vegetarian offerings. Over the years, I have sampled most of the menu offerings and I was never disappointed.

You could eat here everyday, never spend more than ten schmackers, and get enough food for your main meal of the day. I had the Chicken Shawarma ($5.49) today. It was filled with tender chicken, chopped cucumbers and tomatoes and a tasty sauce. Very good tongue shui, I must say. This is truly a little hidden gem and one of my top five favorite Loop lunch spots. Rarely crowded and always a good deal.

This place is so unassuming but so delicious. Its in the back of a jewelry mart, but they serve up some excellent, inexpensive (but quality) food. There are a ton of vegetarian options, which I prefer, so I ordered the grape leaves and lentil soup with some cucumbers on the side. The lentil soup was pureed soup, and it tasted amazing. The flavors were perfect, and I love how it was blended. I got, I think, 8 grape leaves on a bed of cucumbers and tomatoes when I ordered the grape leaf plate. Delicious...not greasy at all....and very filling.

My dining partner got the chicken kebab plate, which came with plenty of chicken, rice, beans (??) and hummus. The beans were a bit unusual, but everything else was delicious. We could have easily shared and still been full. The chicken was high quality and flavored nicely, but not too strong. The bill for all this food was $18...which is a nice change of pace in downtown Chicago!

I will definitely be back!

I love falafel, but when I heard that this place was inside a jewelry store, I had to walk the extra couple blocks and get it. I am so glad I did - best falafel in downtown Chicago and worth the extra walk everytime.

The falafel balls are perfect -- seasoned right, cooked right. And the prices are the lowest you will get for a lunch that good. Very good hummus. Baba ganoush was just OK, but then I've never loved baba ganoush. I've always hated Jersusalem salad so they let me swap that out in the platter for more hummus. The service is also incredibly fast - a line forms during lunch time but it moves very quickly.

And it's not in a jewelry store -- technically it's in a jewelry mall, which consists of lots of various jeweler stands. Either way, the first time you walk in, it's HILARIOUS.