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Madison/Wabash (Orange, Brown, Purple Express, Green, Pink)
Monroe (Blue, Red)
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Seriously, this place is radicoooool. First of all, the location. It's kind of cool that you have to walk through a jewelery store to get there. Secondly, its awesome that the food is Middle Eastern, in the back of a jewelery store in the loop!
Prices are cheap. (My buddy got a falafel and lentil soup for $5.50.) I ordered the kefta kebob dinner which came with 4 swekers worth of meat on top of lentil rice, hummus, pita and veggies. It was so filling. And delicious.
A word to the wise - the line definitely picked up between 12:00 and 12:30. If you can, try to beat the rush so you can grab a seat. Then, look at all the cool vintage watches on your stroll back to work. I'm definitely gong back.
Woohoo! As good as it gets!!
That's right, yelp, your cheesy rating header took the words right outta my mouth. I LOVE HELLA RANDOM PLACES LIKE THIS!! First off, it's located at the back of a Jewerly Mart circa 1973 that is actually bussling and thriving and kinda reminds me of the Jefferson's, even though I never really watched that show, so that's awesome. You can get blasted by bling AND contemplate your future rings needs?! WIN! Of course, I'm far too socially-conscious and morally superior to wear those blood diamonds (boo! hiss!), but don't let such concerns weigh you down (gurl, is that a PINK diamond?!?! a la J Lo and Ben 2003? that's what i'm talkin' about!!).
Next, the food is actually DELICIOUS! what, what! no air, no light, no windows, no cross-ventilation, and your food is still the bomb?! YOU WIN, Oasis Cafe!! YOU WIN! I had the falafel sandwich and while not quite as tasty as Taza's, it's pretty damn close and that Tahini sauce is some kinda wonderful and that hot sauce is like whoa. so....GO! whatcha waitin' for willis?! (shit! i'm getting all my shows mixed up! is that the robot girl?!)
I love going on urban safaris! What i mean by that is I like trying to go explore for places I have never been to.
I decided that I was going to find some hummus and actually never knew of a Greek/Lebanese/Mediterranean restaurant in the Loop. So I began my journey. Under an EL and I find myself in a jewlers row jungle. Then I see a sign saying Oasis Cafe... Well I actually couldnt find it.... WHY?
The cafe is in the back of a jewelry mall... I thought that was rather unique. So I successfully completed my safari.
The hummus was quite good, but I wouldn't say it sticks out as a top 5 hummus. An ok price tag on the food, and it was quite packed around lunch time.
I will have to go back and get the gyro... So far so good on this urban safari.
I've been telling myself that I need to stop giving 5-star reviews. But I'm a stickler for value, and I just had one of the top 5 falafel sandwiches of my life (certainly of Chicago) for $4. This is as good as it gets.
The location of this place is hilarious - if it weren't for Yelp I would never have found it. Best way to find it is to go by address - go to 21 N Wabash and look in the window, and walk to the back of the creepy jewelery store, and there it is.
Staff was super friendly - what's more, they take credit cards, even for small purchases, which I don't find often for small places like this.
I've been to Taza, and my sandwich rivaled it. The falafel at Taza was better, but here the tahini, of all things, was what made the sandwich. I've never had tahini that was anything other than a moisture adding condiment - this stuff was rich and flavorful and you could taste the sesame seed flavor in it. This was an excellent sandwich - lots of fresh cucumber and plenty of falafel, good to the last bite, and stuffed to the brim. I'm veeery full right now.
I work on hourly wage in an office on Michigan, so if I take more than 15 minutes for lunch, I start losing money. I have sampled, therefore, every obvious restaurant around Madison and Wabash about 6 billion times. This place is cheaper than Quiznos, cheaper than Starbucks, cheaper than Chipotle, cheaper than Panda Express, cheaper than Jimmy Johns and is something actually tasty and special.
Go here. go here now.
This place is fantastic. The flavor in the hummus is out of this world, chicken has a ton of flavor, service is fast. I don't know what else you would ask for....well you might ask for a different location. Although, who doesn't like walking through a jewelery store to get to lunch?
It seems kind of shady that you have to walk to the back of a jewelery store to get to this place, but it's worth it. I would feel less comfortable buying jewelery in the back of a falafel stand.
The falafel was good, and made fresh as I waited. There were lots of veggie items on the menu as well as a few meat dishes.
There are a few tables next to the stand so you can watch people trying on pinkie rings or asking how much they can get for a slightly used engagement ring.
Random, random, RANDOM restaurant! I almost didn't believe my friend when she said there was a Medi cafe at the back of the Wabash Jewelers...SO strange...like what was the business plan there? Has it always been in the Jewelers or is that like a side business for them?? Anyways, we went for lunch today and it was alright. I got a falafel sammie, which is my standard comparison for Medi food, and it was good enough, but hard to eat. The falafel was not mashed up, the cucumbers and tomatoes were cut in whole chunks, and you can't order what you like on the sammie...it comes out pre-prepared before you even finish paying. At every other Medi lunch spot, i can see them making my sammie and ask for extra sauce, a little of this, a little of that, etc. Not at Oasis - only got tahini sauce on it and not very much (even w/the extra side of sauce it was still not enough). I tried lentil soup for the first time (it was only $1 extra) and it was ok i suppose although it came out SCALDING hot and burnt my tongue (in a styrofoam cup) and it didn't have much flavor. Seriously needed some salt and pepper. So all this plus a diet Coke for $6.44 - quite the bargain - but nonetheless, there are several other Medi lunch spots with 10xs better atmosphere that i like a lot more than this one.
Wow, stilll can't get over the weird location.
So of course when I heard about this place I had to check it out. Good thing they had a sign in front of the building, otherwise I wouldn't been walking around confused longer.
The place is pretty hot, since it's kinda located in an alcove.
I ordered the chicken schwarma plate over hummus. Bad idea; I dont' like the hummus touching the chicken. I personally don't think they go too well together. The chicken was pretty good as was the hummus.
The best thing in my eyes was the hot sauce. Y'know that red hot sauce all the Middle Eastern places serve? This place had the best by far. Better than Pita Express and Tazas. It was a rich red color, and very thick comparatively. Had a nice deep, full flavor.
With a drink, the meal came out to 9 bucks. A little pricey ~$1-2 more than the average place, I would say.
They have free pieces of crisped/burnt pita ends chililng on the counter. Considering how much hummus they give you, not a bad idea to grab a few pretty tasty.
For all you water drinkers, they have small cups next to the pop machine. *gaaaah* I almost said 'soda,' gotta stop hanging out with east coast people. In summary:
Ambience: very weird and interesting
Food: Good, but not stellar; hot sauce stands out
Value: a little pricey
Overall: cool place to check out...I mean c'mon...the location!
Yum, Yum, YUM.
I don't know about the rest of you, but most days I'd much rather pack some leftovers or a tasty sammie for lunch than spend $10 at one of the Loop's poor excuses for a lunch place. With a few exceptions.
Enter Oasis Cafe.
Located at the back of the Jewelry Mart on Wabash, you'd hardly know it existed (unless, like moi, your husband-to-be loves watches and works across the street). We popped in yesterday to get some food to-go and dine in Millenium Park since it was such a gorgeous day. For $17 we got a TON of food. I had the veggie combo, which included: hummus, baba ganoush, 3 generous sized falafel balls, pita, stuffed grape leaves and salad. I'd venture to say one of the best falafel in the city. Nick got the shish kebab combo, which also came with hummus and baba ganoush and pita. The meat was well seasoned and tasty, and the accompanying rice had a nice cinnamon-spice taste to it. Wash it down with a diet Coke and some baklava and you have yourself a fantastic lunch for 2, all for $17.
I will definitely return to Oasis Cafe for more Middle-Eastern goodness in the Loop. Spice up your lunch hour a little and check it out!
Apparently this place likes to play "musical locations" because they're now back in the jewelry store. Yeah it's award to walk through the jewelery section to get there -- just make sure not to bring your girlfriend with so that she doesn't come up with things for you to buy her ;)! So anyway, this place is small but we had no problem finding seating (during the busy lunch hour on a weekday). I really liked my falafel sandwich! In order to make it Vegan, simply ask them to not use the white sauce (which contains yogurt) and have them put hummus on it instead (YUM!). My bf got the vegetarian combo and that was very delish as well! Overall I think this is a great lunch option for those that work in the loop (including Vegans).
I lovvvved the falafel and the pricing was just right!
Weird location made it even better. It's how "real" restaurants should be.
Awesome food. Mmmm I love thier grape leaves. I never liked them until I had them here. They have great vegatable soup, I wish mine would turn out as good when I make it at home. The baba Ganouj is also great. I think its WAY better than Sultans Market & less mayonaisey then Tabouns. Theres lots of meat selections, the kaftka looked good but I haven't tried it.
This is a very healthy place to eat. No processed meats or nitrates, tons of whole vegatables, no high fructose corn syrup or preservatives and LOTS of all natural flavor.
We both had the mixed lamb plate - absolutely amazing but so much food. Kind of hilarious that it's instead of a jewelry store.
I'd give them 4.5 stars if I could.
I called in my order (Falafel Plate) and I was able to bypass the long line, and pay for it.
The whole transaction was maybe 75 seconds - and that's because I bought a drink.
I'm not a heavy falafel eater, so I can't tell if this is great or average... but it satisfied my omnivorous taste buds.
Reasonably priced, good food, fast, and courteous service.
I'd have preferred the falafel plate to come on a bed of rice with a bit of lettuce, as opposed to an entire bed of shredded lettuce/cabbage.
Yummers!
The shwarma sammich is nice and tasty, and there was a ton of chicken. And it dips nicely into my ginormous side of hummus.
It was a teensy bit pricey at $9, but i have enough hummus for a snack later, so I'm ok with that.
Oh, and I called in my order and they had it waiting for me and rang me up super quick...in and out and scoping out ugly gold earrings in less than a minute!
Outstanding choice! I've been to several Mediterranean places downtown, but this one seems to be at the top of my list now. I went with a group of 5 others and we ordered a variety of dishes: lentil soup, chicken shawarma (with rice and with hummus), hummus plate and the Wabash special. It was the first time there for all 6 of us, and each of us loved our dishes. The hummus was just right - not too much tahini or oil, the lentil soup was perfect, and within 15 minutes, the plates were clean. I ate till I was full and still took home a good amount of hummus that I'll eat for lunch tomorrow. The falafel were just right - not too dry or greasy. Although the owner at Taza is super friendly and always has samples, this place is just as great. Reasonable prices for great food. This is a "cafe" we'll come back to frequently.
Falafel was excellent, but the shish kabob meat was full of gristle. Chicken was tasty. Would go back but probably will stick to falafel.
Apparently this place has moved around a bit. BUt just so you know it is at the back of the hilarious Wabash Jewelers Mall. And it is 21 N. Wabash not 17 S. Wabash or whatever Yelp has it listed as.
I got the shis kebab platter and it was super awesome! Great job! The meat was tender and not too chewy. The rice, beans and humus were all great enhancers. The pita bread was light and fluffy. I got tons of food for about $6.50. MMMMmmmm!
I will definitely be back! I want to go Thursday fir the Wabash Combo platter...
How to serve good hummos to your guests at home: 1) Go to the Oasis Cafe and buy a large order of hummos to go. 2) Take it home. 3 )Remove the pita and raw vegetables and eat them; call it lunch. 4) Add a bit of garlic if you like your hummos really garlicky. 5) Refrigerate until guests arrive and try not to eat it before they show up. You will have about a pint of the most buttery smooth hummos you ever tasted.
Falafel is so so so sooooooo good. Awesome prices too! So glad I found this place on Yelp and finally got to try it out. Looking forward to going back and trying out their specials. I really wanted the stuffed chicken breast they had on special the day I went but by 12:45pm they were all out of it! Bummer.
I agree with everyone who enjoyed the Falafel. It was priced just right and very well made. I wasn't able to finish the entire sandwich so I took it home. Reheated very well! always a good thing in my book. I love that you walk through the jewelry to get to the restaurant. Such a find! I can't wait to try some of their daily specials. The Lamb special on Wed looked very good.
This place is great! I'm gonna keep this short and sweet:
PROS: Great food, and lots of it! If you like Lebanese, Moroccan, Greek, or basically any other kind of Mediterranean food, you're going to like this place. If you're new to this kind of food, be prepared to enjoy! The falafel is superb and the spinach stuffed chicken Napoli is amazing!
CONS: This place is really hard to find if you don't know what you're looking for. Hint: It's IN the Jewelry Mall NORTH of Madison (this is important because there's like 4 of these "malls"). Also, bring some cash, it's a little more than a normal lunch. BUSY!
Overall: Great food (for lunch), this hidden treasure is definitely worth checking out!
Well, this review is more for the vegetarian food (didn't even try the falafels) so not sure how representative of the full menu it is...
Had the Greek Salad, which was 80% lettuce and 20% combo of cucumber-tomato-feta. Not really what I was hoping for!
My friend had the grapeleaves and didn't enjoy them much either...
Maybe it's just more of a meat place and do a much better job there? Not good-tasting for vegetarians though, even though the menu is vegetarian-friendly!
The Loop Lunch Saga continues with...
Oasis Cafe!
This little gem is indeed hidden in the back of a jewelry store. I personally love both shiny things and yummy food, so you know where this is going!
I had the Moroccan chicken special and an IBC rootbeer. It seemed a little pricey when the girl rang up $10, but when I picked up my to go box and my arm involuntarily sank under it's weight, I knew every thing was going to be all right.
I sat on a blanket in the park feasting on juicy chicken (4 pieces! I only ate 2), savory rice, and an eclectic mix of veggies. It was totally delicious and provide two whole meals (I finished off the leftovers just hours ago.)
I will definitely be going back when it's nice again and the picnic bug bites.
I have eaten here twice in as many weeks. They are fast, fresh, and tasty. I had the Falafel platter first, then the sandwich. The Sandwich is negligibly less food than the platter, yet it's assembled by a pro, so that helps, and it's a dollar cheaper. It's at the back of the Jeweler's mall. A great little place in a weird location. I'll definitely be back to try a meat dish.
The best part about this place is walking through the half-empty jewelry store before you can order your food at the counter. Then as you are sitting down to eat your food you get to listen to the sounds of drills and sanders as a variety of jewelry is being repaired.
I ordered the Monday Special or Wabash Mixed Combo - it is
Moroccan chicken Pastilla*(*fillo dough stuffed with chicken, carrot, green pepper, and onions) served with Hummus and Falafel for only $6.99. It was was pretty good and a lot cheaper then a burger I had a few days later. The Moroccan chicken Pastilla which is almost like a mini burrito was great. If was something I hadn't had before so it was a nice change of pace. The falafel was ok... but I think Jaffa Bagels makes some better ones. If you're just looking for Falafels in the loop check out Jaffa Bagels. But if you're looking for some other Middle Eastern eats they Oasis Cafe is a perfect stop in the loop.
first off: if you're looking for falafel, i think the falafel here is just ok. not many great falafel options in this part of the loop, as far as i know, so maybe try taza or brian's juice bar? (EDIT: 8/4/2009. I've reconsidered, the falafel here can be pretty good.)
lentil soup is very tasty. service is friendly.
i most highly want to recommend the specials on tues, wed and fri. if i hit oasis on a friday i always get the vegetarian cous cous. i haven't been there on a tuesday for awhile, but i used to regularly enjoy the moroccan chicken plate. wednesday is my favorite special, kushari w/grilled lamb.
why not take your lunch tray upstairs for a bit of privacy and birds-eye view of the jewelry gallery?
been coming here for about 5 years now, which i guess says it all. this place is rad. and yes, the fact that it is in the back of the wabash jewelers mall makes it even more rad. why? because if you own and break as much jewelry as i do (can't stop throwing it in the bottom of my enormous purse), you can not only get lunch, you can also take your earrings and necklaces to get fixed at the jewelry repair stall in the back.
my favorites are the harissa soup, the falafel sandwich with hummus and the chicken schwarma plate. if you like a bit of spice, don't forget to ask for a container of homemade hot sauce. if they sold it in tubs, i would buy it for home.
The fact that it's in the back of a legit jewelry store gives this place an automatic three stars. The food is legit as well. Started with the stuffed grape leaves which were nice and served with some well marinated veggies. Next up was the chicken kebab sandwich, filled with TONS of perfectly marinated chicken and just enough veggies and sauce. The place was also packed, so the secret is out, good for them, but not so good if you are in a hurry...
Love Oasis! I work in the Jeweler's Row and there is a whole lot of chain type places so Oasis is a gem (ahaaa..get it?? doh)! I dont get crazy about Subway, Chipotle, Panda Express...so Oasis is a nice change. The hummus is soooo good and extra pita is only a quarter! I can never finish my food, they pile it on. The falafel is really tasty, too.
The staff is really fast and super nice. And forget about the jewelry in the same space..if you need some baubles you can call me! ;)
Lordy. Oasis. You can't stop moving. Probably the best middle eastern option downtown. At least the food was consistently mediocre. Hummus was pas mal- not bad. It ain't spectacular, if you find yourself in Skokieland, go to Pita Inn on Dempster Ave. Their food is divine.
Oasis was always around and when you wanted something other than 'merican fat foods or french soup- Oasis was always around the corner.
It was a staple of my time at the institute. Tried and true.
So I got the falafel sandwich (urged by my bf and fellow yelpers) and a soda for $6.00! I couldn't believe how cheap it was, especially since I've been paying close to $10 for lunch here in the loop. I liked the sandwich and the hot sauce that came with it. I'm really interested in trying their other sandwiches since I'm not a HUGE falafel fan. I'm giving it three stars for now since the sandwich was good, but not my favorite. I will change it once I taste something else if necessary :)
If you're looking for something filling, healthy (at least that's what I'm telling myself), and cheap-Oasis Cafe just be a perfect fit! Oh, and my sandwich was ready just as I was finished putting my money into my wallet. It's fast and cheap-who could ask for more?
**UPDATE: I added the Hummos to my sandwich and it was delicious! It was way more filling and tender this way. The only downside is that my pita started falling apart towards the end of the sandwich. Bummer.
Took me 2 days to find it but I did, thanks to saleem!
I ordered the Monday - Wabash Special - some kinda of chicken in phyllo dough. Even though it was Thursday they recommended it and said I would love it. I substituted the Foul for Tabbouleh in the combo with no problems.
Everything was GREAT except the tabbouleh, which was a bit too salty for me. Total was about $7 and some change so not too bad.
I like it and I will be back!
I want to give thisd place 5 stars bases on the Chicken and hummous plate, but since nothing else I eat here satisfies me as much as that one item I had to knock off a star. Order the chicken shawarma w/hummous and dump their hot sauce all over it. If you are a vegetarian or you dont enjoy hot sauce then bummer, you will never enjoy this delicious combination of foodstuffs.
I miss the good Mediterranean food that I used to get in the East Loop because my work 'hood has crap. Good thing we all go to drs over there or I'd be totally deprived. Whenever one of us heads to this part of downtown, it's either here or Brian's. I choose Brian's, my counterpart chooses Oasis. Either one rocks, but I think that Brian's has better hummus and grape leaves and a better selection of foods. HOWEVER, the food here is REALLY good and their falafel is incredibly fresh. I definitely won't knock this place for anything other than the fact that it's not as good as Brian's in comparison.
Absolutely no pretense, absolutely fantastic food.
I got their special of the day and loved everything on my plate. The portions were perfect and the price was pretty good for the location.
Go get yourself a nice guido pinky ring and then treat yourself to falafel.
Okay, this places is so cool! I wasn't sure if I was in the right place having stepped into a Jewelry store and wandering towards the back of the place, but there it was! Right there in the very back, a tiny little quaint Falafel shop! I was watering at the mouth. There were about six little tables or so set up in front of the food 'stand' with people chowing down quietly on the yummy good stuff which led me to believe, this place has got to have some tasty food if people would wander into a Jewelry store for some food!
So, I ordered the Falafel sandwich and a side of hummus and pita for the folks back at my office and was in and out in a matter of minutes. Those guys are fast! I got back to my desk and started to stuff my face. OMGOSH, YUMMY! I love Falafel and this was some good stuff. So fresh and tasty and authentic. Plus, the hummus was a hit with everyone else at my office so it's definitely a winner! I will be headed back REGULARLY, for sure! YEA. You must go.
I found say that this is my favorite lunch place in the entire loop. The owner is great and he often will give out free dessert. The falafel sandwich is great and with a cup of soup only comes to $5.50 how can you say no to that... I sure can't.
Well, the word "oasis" certainly isn't the first thing that comes to mind when walking into a semi-unkempt food court area.
That being said, Oasis Cafe is pretty good. Plus, the guy who owns the place is really nice. (It's just too bad that going there [to the O.C.] gets that damn t.v. show song in my head...)
Anyway, their falafel & hummus = surprisingly filling. I can never manage to finish my food, even though it really doesn't really look like much.
I love it when that happens.
While I miss the old dump of a food court and it's confusing mural celebrating our city, I am happy to be able to get my over-priced lunch from the back of a half-empty jewelery store. This place never fails to disappoint me, by dumping hummus and tahini sauce, which I asked to not have, all over everything that I order, However, their lentil soup is so good that I am forced to return there weekly, and give this place four whole stars.
UPDATE: Fuck this place. When I ask for no hummus, for the love of "God" will you please keep the damn hummus away from my food? I'm so fed up with you, Oasis Cafe guy. You're a real sack of shit!
West Chicago, IL
Category: Mediterranean
Neighborhood: The Loop
Category: Middle Eastern
Neighborhood: The Loop
Category: Middle Eastern
Neighborhood: The Loop
Category: Korean
Neighborhood: The Loop
Category: Restaurants
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