Taboun Grill

Excellent and open relatively late. They stop seating at 9. Try the dark chicken steak and fresh herb mint tea.

During early September, Anat, an owner of Taboun, helped me plan a dinner party for 40, through text messages as well as emails. (from 950 miles away) She was always accommodating and helpful with my menu, table arrangements including my bringing decorative placemats, napkins, and flowers. The tables were festive, ready for our celebration.
Anat and her «team» of three women were gracious to my guests. Each woman worked hard during those three hours to provide outstanding service.
The meal was delicious, each and every item. Hummus, baba ganoush, falafel, warm moist fluffy pita were appetizers. Abundant plattersful of tender beef kabobs, shwarma, chicken breast kabobs all flavorful and nicely presented. Serving bowlsful of scrumptious onion mashed potatoes, crunchy, cold Israeli salads, condiments, beautifully arranged platters of melons with pineapple. The restaurant prepared an over-​the-​top cream cake and other desserts.
The servers, always smiling, friendly, replenished coffees, fresh mint teas, sodas, without pause.
They carefully packaged any remaining food.
Anat has set a warm, welcoming atmosphere. The chef and cooking staff outdid themselves.
That Thursday evening was a PERFECT PARTY.
This is gratefully submitted.

Have always wanted to eat here and finally got a chance tonight!
Parking: a ton. It’s in a plaza so no worries about this.
Ambience: nicely lit, clean, spacious, open layout. Looks fancy on the outside but pretty laid back one you go in.
Recommendation: Moroccan cigars, it’s got a pretty good kick. It’s flavorful, highly recommend trying this.
I got the skirt steak special. This only comes with hummus, no Fehina or salad. This was not bad it was not what I was expecting. I was expecting for it to be more flavorful. Meat was a bit chewy, pita didn’t see as fresh.
My husband got the fish pita. Was not salty at all, flavor was just right. Thumbs up on this one.
Overall, I give it a three. I would probably come back again only to try the Shawarmas

We had the Shwarma, which was overcooked but better then alot of places so not bad. The salad was ok. The chicken nuggets were out of a box and disgusting, but they switched them for shnitzel without an issue. I did have to complain though. The pita was fresh and good. all around the food was ok/​almost good, and the service was ok/​almost great.
I would come here again, but don’t be prepared for an amazing experience. You will be underwhelmed.
In Israel it would have been a 2 but for United States it’s a 3.

I was here just the other day, and wow can they provide delicious middle eastern food. Taboun Grill provides a more Israeli take on middle eastern cuisines, so there are regional specialties that Taboun Grill provides that other «middle eastern» restaurants do not.
I have always loved middle eastern food, so when I was recommended this place by a friend, I simply just had to go. I ordered the chicken schwarma entrée and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Compared to the schwarma at Pita Inn, I found the chicken schwarma a tad more oily but it was still delicous. I also tried a family members falafel and it was a bit «oily» too, but it was still delicious. What many other Unilocalers have commented on is true-​the pita is divine. The pita here is by far the best pita I have ever had outside of Israel. It is served fluffy and warm, and honestly I could have just made pita my main course without anything else.
Taboun grill is a nice and quiet sit-​down restaurant providing Israeli food of a delicious caliber. I mark it down to 4-​stars due to the wee bit of extra oil and the higher price point. Nothing to fret or be turned away over, just something to be aware of.

I had the lunch special chicken sandwich. It took a while to prepare, but it’s worth the wait. You can taste the freshness.

Taboun Grill is just that: A grill place. Very high noise level. Wooden tables. The food is good, but nothing to rave about. Because they have a captive audience (People who only eat Kosher food), they charge almost twice what it’s worth. If you don’t have to eat Kosher, other places, such as Pita Inn, would be my suggestion. We went with a large group, and were served several appetizers which were serviceable. We expected an entrée, but soon realized that the appetizers were the entrée! Coffee or tea were never even offered. We left hungry and disappointed. Too bad.

I’ve been coming here at least every other month and the food is always delicious and fresh. My daughter said it is better than the same things in Israel. There is a level of quality that surpasses every other Mediterranean eatery.

Omg very delish!!! I’ve had delivery from here three times and every time they get the order right, its fresh and delicious!!! I always get the falafel pita with Jerusalem Salad, Humus and their homemade hot sauce, yummmmm!!! Must try!!!

My friend and I came across this place by accident last night. Our hotel manager had sent us to another restaurant, but when we got there it was closed. We kept driving down the road and saw the Panda Express and had to turn around to get to it. When we did, we saw Taboun and figured we would try it out.
We are sure glad we did. There was a very large party in the front celebrating a wedding. It was a really neat cultural experience to see and the people were very friendly.
Our food was outstanding! I got the mixed meat platter with Israeli salad and the rice of the day. All of the flavors were great. The wedding party had some dessert sent to us. I don’t know what the items were called, but they were great too.
Our waitress was very helpful and friendly.
We plan to dine here again the next time travel brings us to the area.

We already love the food at Taboun, so we were excited to see they do catering too.
This review is for Taboun’s amazing catering.
The owner, Anat, took a tremendous amount of time and effort with us, and our menu.
We had a lot of vegetarians coming, so she tried several versions of what are normally meat dishes at Taboun, using meat substitutes, so we could see what they’d taste like. Now THAT is effort. She made us feel iike family, as we nibbled our way through her offerings in two different impromptu tasting sessions.
She took good notes, made thoughtful suggestions, and the food turned out to be the easiest (and probably will be the best-​remembered) part of our celebration. She willingly worked with our desire to cook and add to our menu a family soup recipe – no ego about it.
Every dish arrived exactly as planned and promised (a day early, wrapped to be prepared or served the next day under Sabbath restrictions – MORE work, also done perfectly).
The food was as tasty as it is at Taboun’s tables, and she kept our budge on track, too («No, you don’t need that much bread…»)
We wish we had more family occasions that merited Taboun’s talents, but we’ll keep returning to her restaurant as customers in any case.

Love this place. They have two locations, skokie (original) and Northbrook. We work in Skokie so order out from here for lunch and are obsessed with their falafel sandwiches. Soo fresh, soft and great ingredients. A little more pricey than local similar establishments such as Pita Inn, however the quality is much higher.
We catered for a party from here and they provided so much food we couldn’t finish it all!

Falafel and shawarma as they should be. Yemenite soup and kubeh. The food comes quickly, the place can get noisy, and I enjoy every meal here.

The Morocco cigars are to die for!
My father and i come here pretty frequently for dinner. Its not very busy if you go before 7pm. The women are very nice and attentive.
The only reason i did not give them 5 stars is because of the last time we went. You could see they were setting up for a small party. Once the party arrived they started adding more table. They completely closed us in and rushed us to finish so they could have our table. I understand you didn’t set up enough tables, but we are paying customers too.
Needless to say we felt disrespected and will look for a new dinner spot.

I am very picky about middle eastern food, there are very little places that I can say that they are very good. However, I have been eating at Tabun for many years now and I was not disappointed even once. The food is delicious and fresh, the staff is great! Definitely one of the best places in the city to eat middle eastern. Wish they could come down town :-) Highly recommended!

I was really impressed with this place. I’ve always driven by on the way to ⁹⁰⁄₉₄ and it turns out they serve very high quality, kosher Israeli food and it is pretty good!
WOW… THEIR PITA:
is amazing! So I’m dedicating a little section to highlight such a simple yet blows-​you-​away kinda bread. They are made fresh, are so fluffy, soft and arriving piping hot at your table. For those who have tried Naf Naf Grill’s pita, I thought they had reached the top of the pita ranks, but the ceiling has just been busted by the ones from Taboun Grill. So good.
Can you imagine if there was a pita contest in Skokie, or maybe Chicagoland? I bet this place would win. Their pita really does make «breaking bread» the best part of your day. But anyways, since not everything is a contest…
I recommend the hummus (a small is more than enough to share between 3) to go with the pita… instead of getting a pita sandwich so that you can avoid getting a soppy pita pocket half-​way through. Nevertheless, you can’t go wrong with their pita, in any form, period. Next time I might try it with their baba ganoush.
THE 4-​STAR LOW-​DOWN:
This place is missing a star because it is a little pricey… and I won’t be able to come here as regularly as a daily morning coffee joint. But it’s worth it to visit this gem in Skokie. You will spend around $ 10+ for a pita sandwich, or around $ 20/​25+ for an entrée, but the quality and the flavors are there without a doubt. They also don’t skimp on the portions. My dad got the lamb chops entrée and they gave him FOUR chops, which were cooked perfectly to a medium and very tender.
For me, this place is like a fancier Pita Inn. It’s a place to enjoy a Middle Eastern «fine dining» atmosphere compared to the hustle-​bustle of Pita Inn. We came here with a «buy 2 for the price of 1» deal through a WBEZ 91.5 Membership. For a party of 3, (after our discount and including tax & gratuity) our bill came out to be around $ 80 [appetizer, drink order, 2 entrees and a pita sandwich]. Btw if you dine in, you get a complimentary little plate of pickles and seasoned beets.
VAST MENU:
Their menu is pretty extensive. Without hesitation, I would enjoy coming back here to try other items, like the Yemenite soup, their Schnitzel, «cigars», the beef/​chicken shawarmas, taboule, and their Turkish coffee… the list goes on.
HIGHLIGHTS:
1) Mint tea– you get a large glassful of fresh mint leaves to steep with the tea. The glass was filled maybe ¾ of the way with mint, which made the strong tea very fragrant… ahh the way mint works in its aromatherapy.
2) Pita bread– It’s explained in about 33% of this review, and it would win «Chicagoland’s Best Pita» contest, should that contest or title ever exist.
3) Side dishes– When you order an entrée, it comes with two side dishes. I was able to try the onion-​mashed potatoes, the grilled onions and the purple cabbage salad. Other sides that I hope to try in the future include the Israeli salad and roasted tomatoes.
4) Customer Service– We were greeted warmly, were asked if we had any questions about the menu and were even given a sample of their chicken shawarma before we placed any orders. Service throughout the night was effortless… and there is even a huge basket of lollipops for kiddies by the register. Overall, they’re pretty good for kids. The management has thought this through!

I liked the little pre-​dish with the beets and the pickles as they were delicious. I enjoyed their kibbeh as it had a great flavorful filling with a hint of mint and cinnamon. The Combination Plate for our appetizers came with Moroccan Cigars, kibbeh, and pastels served with hummus. The Moroccan Cigars were similar to Filipino eggrolls. The pastels were like fried pierogis in a pastry puff shell with a mashed potato paste — that was okay, too. I wasn’t much of a fan of their hummus. The Chicken Schwarma and the Beef Special, I was also not a fan of, as they were both bland and quite underseasoned. I’m curious about their other entrees, but I would come back for their kibbeh.
+beets & pickles
+kibbeh

For all you people who like middle eastern food here is a real gem.
Yes it is Kosher.
I know it’s in Skokie but at least if you live in the burbs or the North Side this could prove to be a trek that is worth it.
When you get there ask for the Morrocan Cigars which is a awesome combination of some spices, beef and hummus. Yes there is a spicy kick to it but not too spicy that you will go call an ambulance or anything like that. It is on a moderate level.
If one finds themselves ordering the schwarma platter you will get a choice of twi sides. The side that I reccomend the most is the grilled tomatos.
Yes they have hot dogs but you did not come this far just to have a hot dog …
One of the best things on the menu is the chicken thigh steak.
It is succulent and juicy.
Nothing here wil be dried out which is aproblem I have with other middle eastern places. I just wont name names now. I will just focus on the positive.
The wait staff is fast and effective. You will not wait more than 12 – 15 minutes for anything.
For those of you that dont keep kosher which is 99% of you, when ordering the Turkish Coffee understand that they will give you non dairy creamer because they cant serve milk and meat together. I’m afraid the milk shake will have to wait a few hours :)

I think it’s a little on the pricey (and odd) side, but I guess that’s what you get for kosher meats. I can’t really tell the difference though, but their onion/​mashed potatoes are really good, moist and flavorful with the onions being there but not overpowering the potatoes.
Their menu consists of traditional middle eastern food… and schnitzel. Weird, I know, but their kefta is really good, if a little lean so maybe not as tasty as some other places and the beef shwarma is also a pretty good go to. Their soup choices are a little limited but their Yemenite is really good.
They have a pretty good lunch special deal but it’s only dine-​in. Which again, is a little odd. Why have people dine in for basically a sandwich and fries deal? Especially when all your drinks are in cans? Well, honestly though the food is pretty good. The service is nice and the price well, it’s what you get for kosher, I guess.

Authentic kosher Israeli cuisine, I thoroughly enjoyed my falafel pita sandwich experience here. I scored rock star parking right out front in the corner mall private lot during lunchtime and got seated right away. Excellent service, my food arrived in no time at all.
I ordered a falafel sandwich and a side of french fries. I was a bit taken back by the falafel balls at first because they were very green in color – not something I’m used to. Perhaps it was because of the herbs. The falafel was extremely flavorful, light and crispy. A bit heavy on the garlic for my taste, but still super yummy. Fries were very long and crispy and old school thick. My hubby insisted I order a size of BBQ for the fries, and I’m glad I did, otherwise they would have been a bit on the plain and simple side. As far as portion sizes, the sandwich was a bit small to split or share, but definitely more than enough for one person. Fries were also generous in portion size.
A little pricey for my daily sandwich stop, $ 12 including tip for one person (and I had water). If I come back I’ll most likely try a different dish with a little less garlic.