The best Mediterranean restaurants in Chicago are a mix of family-owned institutions and trendy hotspots. There are places for a quick bite or a romantic meal. This guide will help you pick the right restaurant for the occasion.
Chicago has seen a fresh emergence of Mediterranean restaurants in the past several years. Restaurants like Beatnik, Aba, Lyra, and Andros Taverna are all new trendsetting restaurants serving Mediterranean food. These restaurants have also helped to push the Mediterranean restaurants in Chicago closer to fine dining.
If you are looking specifically for Greek restaurants, you can find our list of best Greek restaurants here.
Last updated: March 2022
The Best Mediterranean Restaurants in Chicago:
Table of Contents
We have organized this list of best Mediterranean restaurants in Chicago by neighborhood and have indicated which restaurants serve breakfast/brunch and/or lunch in addition to dinner.
Andersonville:
Oda Mediterranean
Mediterranean
Oda celebrates Mediterranean cuisine from Turkey, Georgia, and Greece. You can find hummus, babaganoush, falafel, khachapuri, moussaka, and kebabs on the menu.
It’s Greek 2 U Grill
Greek
A BYOB counter-service restaurant with a back patio that serves Greek street food like sandwiches, yeeros (gyros), kabobs, and Greek fries.
Greek Town:
Greek Islands
Greek, Lunch
Most locals consider Greek Islands to be one of the best Greek restaurants in Chicago. The restaurant first opened in 1971 and is still operated by the same owners today. The large menu has all of the classics: flaming saganaki cheese, taramasalata, spinach and cheese pie, gyros, moussaka, roasted leg go lamb, grilled octopus, kabobs, and souvlaki. Family-style dining is available. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner daily.
Athena Greek Restaurant
Greek, Lunch
A chic rustic restaurant with a retractable rooftop and traditional Greek cuisine. The menu has lots of dips and appetizers plus salads, kebobs, seafood, and oven roasted entrees.
9 Muses Bar & Grill
Greek, Lunch
A casual restaurant that offers several burgers in addition to classic Greek food including pita sandwiches, pasta dishes, salads, and sharable entrees.
Zeus Restaurant
Greek, Lunch
A casual and very affordable counter service restaurant serving salads, gyros, kabobs, burgers, and larger dinners.
Artopolis Bakery, Cafe & Agora
Greek, Bakery, Breakfast, Lunch
A bakery, cafe, and market that sells sweet and savory Greek baked goods and imported Greek food products. An all day cafe menu features sandwiches and regional Greek cuisine.
Gold Coast:
La Storia
Italian, Mediterranean, Romantic
Located in a former Gold Coast home, La Storia opened as an Italian restaurant and over time the menu has embraced more Mediterranean influences. The menu has a variety of pastas including gnocchi genoese, lasagna all bolognese, tagliolini Neri frutti di mare, and goat cheese agnolotti plus meat and seafood dishes like swordfish in trapanese sauce and a rack of lamb. The courtyard patio with twinkle lights is one of most romantic places to dine in Chicago.
Hyde Park:
Cedars Mediterranean Kitchen
Mediterranean, Lunch
Cedars is currently serving a more limited menu that includes crispy falafels, chicken shawarma, lamb kebobs, lentil soup, and tacos plus several appetizers.
The Nile of Hyde Park
Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Lunch
The Nile of Hyde Park serves traditional Middle Eastern fare including hummos, baba ghannoj, baked spinach pie, falafel, shawarma, shish kabob, and kifta.
Lakeview:
Ella Elli
Global, Mediterranean, Romantic
Ella Elli’s global and Mediterranean inspired menu is broken into sections containing charcuterie and toasts, vegetables, pizza and pasta, and seafoods and meats. When compared to the cuisine at the other 4 Star restaurants, Ella Elli takes a big step towards fine dining while still remaining approachable. Grilled octopus with rice, Catalan aioli, and cilantro and Australian Wagyu with roasted turnips, leeks, butterball potatoes, and romesco are two current menu items. During the warmer months, Ella Elli has a beautiful sidewalk patio decorated with flowers and twinkle lights.
Lincoln Park:
Athenian Room
Greek
The Kalamata Chicken at this casual family-owned Greek restaurant is Tina Fey’s favorite meal in Chicago. Somehow, the chicken is crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. It comes on top of thick crunchy fries that are drowned in a vinegary sauce. It’s magic on a plate. Spanakopita, salads, and gyros help to round out the menu.
Avli Taverna
Greek, Kid friendly
This welcoming restaurant has additional locations in Lakeshore East and River North. The comprehensive Greek menu has spreads, salads, small plates, and traditional Greek entrees. In addition to dinner, all locations serve brunch on weekends.
Lincoln Square:
Barba Yianni Grecian Taverna
Greek, Lunch
Barba Yianni Grecian Taverna serves Greek specialties like charcoal broiled meats and seafood, dolmades, moussaka, pastitsio, souvlaki, and Greek wines.
Logan Square:
Andros Taverna
Greek
Andros Taverna serves traditional and contemporary Greek cuisine in a rustic casual setting. Start your meal by dipping fresh warm pita in traditional spreads like taramasalata, spicy whipped feta, and tzatziki. The crispy kataifi cheese pie can’t be missed. Then move on to wood fired meats and seafood, gyros, or entrees like eggplant moussaka. Pair it with sides like lemon potatoes or Greek fries topped with feta.
The Loop:
Beatnik on the River
Global, Mediterranean, Lunch
Vibrantly decorated with Moroccan and Indonesian furnishings, Beatnik serves weekday lunch, weekend brunch, and nightly dinner. The year-round patio overlooking the river is one of Chicago’s most stunning outdoor dining spaces. The menu emphasizes bold flavors and includes octopus tika masala noodles, chicken bao, arepa, and a burger. This is one of the trendiest and most popular restaurants in the Loop.
Old Town:
Old Jerusalem Restaurant
Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Vegetarian
A casual cafe specializing in traditional Middle Eastern food including shawarma, kabobs, and hommos. The menu has large section of vegetarian entrees.
River North:
avec
Spanish, Mediterranean
Avec’s newer and much larger second location ditched the communal tables but still serves the classics avec is loved for including the chorizo-stuffed medjool dates and the slow roasted pork shoulder. New additions to the menu include pizzas and pastas. The restaurant serves weekend brunch in addition to dinner.
Ema
Mediterranean, Lunch
Ema combines a lighter California style of cooking and Mediterranean small plates. Signature dishes include spicy hummus and lamb Kefta kebabs and the menu features a variety of grilled seafood.
Roscoe Village:
Sinya Mediterranean
Mediterranean, Vegan/Vegetarian, Lunch
Sinya serves Mediterranean classics like hummus, falafel, baba ghanoush, grape leaves, shawarma, gyros, and kabobs. The restaurant is open daily from 11 am until 9 pm.
Le Sud
Mediterranean, French, Kid-friendly
A Mediterranean French restaurant with a rooftop patio serving seafood and chorizo stew, French herb roasted chicken, duck confit, pork chops, and a burger. The restaurant also hosts monthly wine tasting events.
Turquoise Cafe and Restaurant
Turkish, Mediterranean, Lunch
A cafe serving Mediterranean classics like hummus, falafel, and feta salads plus a wide variety of kebabs. Turquoise Cafe and Restaurant serves lunch and dinner daily.
South Loop:
Apolonia
Global, Mediterranean
A airy sunlit restaurant that serves beautifully uncomplicated yet sophisticated meals like housemade pasta with roasted eggplant and sausage, grilled branzino with marinated olives, and chicken “saltimbocca” with fontina polenta.
Sociale Chicago
American, Lunch
Sociale serves a variety of small plate starters like charred octopus, crispy polenta fries, and crab cakes plus sandwiches, flatbreads, and meat mains. The cuisine is American with Mediterranean influences.
Streeterville:
The Purple Pig
Mediterranean, Lunch
A James Beard Award winning restaurant serving small plate Mediterranean cuisine. The menu celebrates cheese, swine, and wine. In addition to grilled meats, seafood, and vegetables, the menu features house made pastas. Reservations are recommended since this is one of the most popular restaurants in Streeterville.
West Loop:
Aba
Mediterranean
A restaurant with a menu that explores the cuisines of Israel, Lebanon, Turkey, and Greece. This rooftop restaurant is one of Chicago’s prettiest outdoor spaces. It’s tempting to add this to the list of most romantic restaurants in Chicago, but is very lively and the ambiance is more social than romantic. The menu staples include short rib hummus, char-grilled lamb chops, and skirt steak shawarma.
Lyra
Greek
Freshly opened in at the end of January 2022, Lyra pairs contemporary Greek cuisine with a spirited atmosphere. The menu includes a pretty even mix of seafood, meat, and vegetable forward dips and sides.
Cira
Mediterranean, Breakfast/Brunch, Lunch
Located within the Hoxton hotel, Cira has a small plate menu highlighting fresh coastal ingredients. The All Day menu has a nice mix of snacks, dips, salads, small plates, pastas, and large plates. The restaurant is open seven days a week for breakfast/brunch, lunch, and dinner.
avec location in River North and the West Loop. See the full write up listed under River North.
West Town:
Beatnik
West Town
Mediterranean, Global
Beatnik also has a location on the Chicago River, but the West Town restaurant has a quieter more romantic atmosphere. The menu includes a ceviche bar, spreads like smoked baba ghanoush, and mezze such as feta stuffed dates, pistachio tzatziki beets, and chicken kabobs. Plus there are larger sharable entrees which include Lebanese-style roasted lamb and dry-aged ribeye.
Greek Corner
Greek, American
Greek Corner is a counter service restaurant serving a mix of Greek and American foods like gyros, pita wrap, and burgers. Larger plates with lamb chops, pork chops, kabobs, and roasted chicken are also available. There is a small area to eat inside and a patio.
Koko’s Mediterranean Grille
Greek, Breakfast/Brunch, Lunch
Koko’s is open from 8 am until 9 pm seven days a week. Breakfast is served all day and a mix of Greek and American egg dishes can be found on the breakfast menu. The lunch and dinner menus have salads, wraps, gyros, kabob sandwiches, shawarma sandwiches, rice bowls, and burgers.
Wicker Park:
Taxim
Greek
An upscale modern Green restaurant with a heated rooftop patio. The menu has entrees like oven-roasted half chicken with roasted fingerling potatoes seasoned with wild Greek oregano and ouzo preserved lemon, spit-roasted sea bream with red cabbage salad and Cypriot tahini sauce and fried colocasi, and skewered wood-grilled pork shoulder with grilled tomatoes and mint sauce served with Kappadokia fries.
Falafel and Grill
Mediterranean, Lunch
Falafel and Grill has a cult following because it’s fast, affordable, delicious, and the staff is so nice. The menu has shawarma, kabobs, gyro, and, of course, falafel. The restaurant serves lunch and dinner and it is one of the best Mediterranean restaurants in Chicago for a quick bite.