Mina Mediterranean Restaurant
1724 W Golf Rd, Mount Prospect, IL, 60056
Mina Mediterranean Restaurant Menu
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Address :
1724 W Golf Rd
Mount Prospect, IL, 60056 - Phone (847) 364-9400
- Website https://www.minarestaurants.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 9:00pm
- Mon : 11:00 am - 9:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : Yes
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch, Dinner
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Quiet
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : Yes
Dogs Allowed : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : Yes
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Shugz F.
Great place to host a party! We book the whole restaurant for a baby shower. They were so accommodating with everything! We rearranged tables and wall art. Miriam was a pleasure to work with and Joseph was great too. The food was delicious. Everything is zabiha/halal allhumduillah. I will recommend this place to all.
(5)Jeschelle-Marc M.
The food is OK. The service, I wish I could say OK 'cause I never had a problem communicating with them in person. But the problem is on their online ordering. Once I tried to order online, I even received an order confirmation thru email but when I got there I was told they haven't got my order and they have never received anything (to think that I received an order confirmation on my email!). They need to work on their online ordering.
(3)Victoria W.
We were a little concerned about the stories of bad service, but I'm glad we came here anyway. Our waitress was kind of aloof, but there was also a waiter and a (I'm guessing) manager who helped bring out the food, and they were outstanding! Super friendly, hilarious, actually anticipating our needs. (Towards the end of our meal, my partner was looking at a menu from another table to make sure he could remember the name of the dish he ordered -- the waiter guessed this correctly and quickly brought over a paper menu, pointing at a picture of the lamb dish on the front :).) We also had a living social deal that was accepted without any problems. I ordered the lentil soup, which came with a delicious topping of baked pita chips, and small Veggie Mina Mezza platter. It was all very good, though everything seemed a bit lacking in the savory department. A little salt perked it right up. My partner's lamb was of a very good portion for the price, and came with an amazing tomato saffron sauce that I couldn't stop stealing spoonfuls of. The one thing I wish they wouldn't do is use the veggie mix that is clearly from frozen bags. Also, the Italian murals on the walls were hilariously distracting. Besides that though, the ambiance was nice. I'll definitely be back to try the Egyptian Eggplant.
(4)jay t.
Amazing food - ordered a small order of babganoush, small order of grape leaves, and a combo (kefta kabob and chicken kabob) for dinner. Everything was delicious. The service was very friendly and attentive. Knowing that this is a family owned restaurant makes me like it even more. Will definitely be back to try their other dinner combos and appetizers.
(5)Don Z.
This is a nice solid place for lunch, which is the only meal I have had at Mina. The decor is classy and clean... a little bit more upscale than other middle east places at which I have eaten. The service is prompt. I am always a little surprised at how dead this place is for lunch, but maybe that is why the server always has time for me. The lunch specials are very reasonably priced. I like the $7 kefta kabob. With the warm pitas and some rice
(3)Rhea P.
I give this place one star only because the owner was really nice. Otherwise, the service was terrible. Apparently, there ONE waiter didn't come in today so the lady was on her own. It took 10 minutes to get our water and another minute to get our menu. The lady didn't know much about the menu and didn't bother writing down our 3 orders. about 45 minutes later we got our order, which to no surprise, was the wrong one. We only had an hour lunch so I decided not to complain and just eat the food. It wasn't worth the 45 min wait let me tell you that. I wanted rice and got fries instead. I also ordered chicken shawerma and instead got what seemed like a chicken wrap?? I was craving Mediterranean food so bad and it did not satisfy my craving. In fact, it was a pretty big disappointment. I also over heard another customer complaining about not getting her soup that she ordered. Other people in the restaurant didn't order for about 20min or so. They definitely need to work on there service if they want people to come back.
(1)Roberto F.
All I have to say is that I wish the food was better. It wasn't bad but it wasn't anything to "Yelp" about either. Especially the lentil soup, which was extremely bland. Hence why this review comes three weeks after I visited this place. The biggest downside is the price for lunch and your not really getting what you pay for. I recommend heading over to Shish Kabob in Rosemont. Better quality and better prices. Other notes: Have they changed the decor yet? Last Time I went they still had some stuff from the previous restaurant , Vita Mia. I had the reverse of Mark H.'s experience. Our waitress was fantastic and on top things throughout the meal Sadly first experiences count a lot and I don't see my coworkers or myself coming here anytime soon.
(2)Mary N.
It's OK. They can't make a drink, so order beer. The staff seemed nice, but hard to talk to. Falafel was a bit dry, hummus was great, the meat didn't seem lean to me. Basically, I didn't care for the meat. It's one of those places that when you're really busy, go as you are or order pick-up. Not a big deal, but OK.
(2)Julie A.
Baba ghanouj,, falafel, chicken &kefta kabob. That's what I had..it was all delicious. Either this place goats act together since previous yelp reviews...or they are crazy. I can't say anything for service..I was the only person here. It was 3 pm, I didn't expect it to be busy. I think it was the manager who waited on me. He gave me a falafel to try..yummy. The dish also had a creamy jalapeno sauce that was yummy. Grilled pita with my Baba ghanouj- some of the best I have had in awhile! Grilled veggies with my combo. Delicious. Decor is very nice as well. Since I was the only one ther and sitting at a table in the bar area, the owner gave me control of the remote!! Bonus! Oh and don't forget your baklava!
(5)Nicole U.
Was excited to visit this restaurant after my dad told me they had great food. Came in for lunch, place was empty, staff was ok. Food came slow for having no patrons there. Overpriced as all heck for what you are getting. They were "out" of stuffed grape leaves on a Saturday afternoon...... hmmmm....... well I will definitely stick with Pita Inn, which is hands down my favourite "fast" mediterranean restaurant.
(2)J B.
We went here to meet family and talk and because they have a vegetarian selection. I was impressed w the layout and white tablecloths. We ordered apps of the Mezza Vegetarian which came very fresh well made $30. Our drinks came also which were nice and remember the waitress doesn't write them down. The food ordered was chick kifta, a couple of kabobs and I ordered the Moroccan Lamb Tergine which I thought was going to come in the ceramic teregine . I received the lower leg portion of lamb w the smallest portion of meat, about 4 bites, but well presented w veg and tasty rice. All in all we enjoyed our talk and our meal which everyone loved the spices and flavors and reminded us of homemade. The prices are reasonable but some portions are small compared to others you might have had such as the leg of lamb I mentioned. It's a shame that on a Saturday only 3 tables were occupied.
(4)Tony S.
Excellent experience this time around, the Mia platter was awesome, and thy did bring the pita bread. We ordered Moroccan chicken wings, but they were strangely identical to buffalo wings! Still good. Overall a good experience.
(4)Ruma T.
This is one of few lunch places that I've visited near work. They have great lunch specials - tons of food for less than 10$. When I went last week, I took my leftovers and had them the next day and was very very full both days..so that is pretty great in my book. I had the fried fish most recently and have had the other meats (chicken/lamb) before and all are consistently good. I've never been for dinner so can't speak for that. Service is fine - fast and efficient. Its a huge place that doesn't at all look Mediterranean..but who cares. The food is solid.
(4)Abraham V.
The food is Delicious. The service could use an upgrade, however one may not be able to justify it due to the lack of customers? Maybe it was an off night. We will return to this establishment and provide it an opportunity to dazzle us.
(4)Javid A.
Ordering online is how i got my food. recieved it in an hour or so later . Food was well cooked and smelled delicious. Heavy portion of meats and rice ( I should have weighed it was that heavy) . And finaly the desert it was 1 piece of baklava very sweet but only 1 piece. I was told it was halal but later found out they serve alcohol and the owners are Christian Egyptians. The woman on the phone said the food was halal except the deserts ie the cakes. I said salam to the person who brought me the food didnt return my walaykum so something was up. So eat halal . Even though the food was good and said it was halal the person who brought the food to me made everything seem questionable. Is it me or others have this kinda feeling ?
(3)Tanvir H.
Went there with a Groupon and definitely one of those places that treat groupon customers as a second class citizen. This was one of those placees I wanted to try and like, yet just kept on doing things wrong. In any other mood I would have probably walked out due to the service. The visit there started with such promise. My friend and I decided to pick this place because of Groupon, which I'm slowly beginning to think is being used by bad restaurants to bring in customers, and location. Was pretty impressed when we walked into the restaurant. Place looked pretty upscale for a Mediterranean restaurant in the suburbs when we walked in and saw the bar and the dining room. We were given a proper greeting and it pretty much went downhill from there. Was given a menu and asked about our Goupon and waitress pretty much frowned and tried to get us to not use it. The funny thing is I wouldn't have even gone here without it. If I was really in the mood I would have probably complained to the staff that we were not given the wine and that the groupon was essentially the meal deal we wanted to order. The only saving grace was that the food was pretty good. However, it's not much better than Pitta Inn and better establishments nearby exist (Detroit Kabob) which offer better service with better quality food at a better price. Quantity of food was skimmy for the price and type of establishment, usually when I go to Reza's or Orchid in the city, I'm beyond stuffed. I was hungry not too long after leaving here. Nowhere near the best, but not bad. Two other service issues I had with the establishment came into play after the main meal was served. The first being that I ordered a chocolate cake and they brought me a cream cake with coconut, I would have like to have been at least asked if I still wanted it as I would have foregone it since I am very picky about desert. The second was that they included a service fee in the bill and I am not ok with that unless I am told ahead of time, especially considering how poor the service was at the establishment. Considering the area has plenty of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern establishments, I doubt I would come back especially when you take into consideration of service.
(1)Johny T.
This place is horrible and the service is terrible the server basically threw me my credit card for no reason.
(1)Luna M.
If I lived closer to Chicago, Pita Inn & Reza would be my 1st & 2nd choices (respectively) for Middle Eastern restaurants. But Mina Restaurant is the closest to Lake county for good Middle Eastern food. Always good to get a combination plate to get familiar with the food (and the tastes & spices). If they have a Buffet, that would even be a better way to sample the ethnic food/dishes. My favorite dishes at Mina are their Falafil (great spicy sauce for dipping) and Kifta Kabob. Check it out.
(4)X X.
Mina's Mediterranean Restaurant, is unlike other Mediterranean Restaurant my Lady and I have been too. As soon as you walk in, the atmosphere looks awesome in my book, the painting on the walls were beautiful. The staff was helpful as well. Right away we were given a menu and my Lady and I wanted to keep things on a budget so we ordered one the meals where you basically pick 5 selections. My Lady got her self a glass of wine, which was good she stated. When picking our appetizer, I will note it is wise if the staff has knowledge on the different food items. I asked about one particular appetizer, and there was no knowledge as to what was in it, so instead we had Baba ghanoush, which tasted excellent. Second type of course, my Lady had the soup and I had the Arabic Salad, both tasted excellent as we shared with one another. For our meals, She had the Kifta Kabob and I had the Chicken Shawerma the food was excellent, we loved it all. For dessert they should have asked us what we wanted instead of just bringing us both baklava, as I have a real bad allergy to tree nuts. They brought a real small portion, which to be honest should of been bigger portion. After realizing I had an allergy they got me strawberry ice cream. Over all the food was great, the service was great as well, even little minor issues, but I am not one to make a big deal out of nothing. Note for the owner, and waiting staff, I would make sure your patrons do not have allergies to foods, as well I would make sure the server knows all the dishes, so when asked a question they know how to answer the patron. Also have cell phones on hand on silent, it is very unprofessional to have a cell phone ringing in the main room where patrons are eating. Over all not putting the restaurant down, just any place would need to know this, over all the food was excellent.
(5)Ryan K.
After looking for a falafel delivery restaurant I landed on this interesting place. I can't speak for the in house service because I never entered the building, but it took me over 15 minutes to place a $25 order over the phone that started as a $12 order. The woman on the other side of the line seemed confused with 90% of the words that came out of my mouth. Including the reading of my credit card, which we did over 5 times very slowly. Other than that the food was amazing!
(4)Mark M.
The really only thing you need to know is just don't go there. The number one reason: the service. The staff acts as if you are (greatly) inconveniencing them by being in their restaurant, spending YOUR money. They stand around and chat while you sit with empty drinks, dirty plates, or no menu. The food is self is underwhelming. The prices are decent.
(1)Lisa H.
This was my first & last time here.. As far as the food goes, I wasn't impressed at all, there was no flavor. I can't say anything about the service as I had a carry out order. I'm bummed since this is the closest Mediterranean restaurant to my work & I was looking forward to having this for lunch on occasion. I guess I'll keep making the farther drive to my favorite place in Schaumburg..
(2)Jennifer L.
This was my second time coming to this restaurant. My friend and I had a great experience the first time, but this time not so much. As far as the food, I would rate it a 4, but the service and the staff, I give it a 1. It's a family owned restaurant and the son was our waiter. He was in his 20's and would not leave my friend and I alone. He actually asked us twice if he could sit with us and then asked if he could just stand there and chat with us. We tried to be nice at the beginning and said we were having girl time, but he did not get the hint. He came back every 2 minutes and would just stand there and kept interrupting our conversation. He asked us where we worked, how old we were, if we were married, etc. It was the most unprofessional experience I've had at a restaurant. We will not go be back here just because of him, which is a shame, since the food is good.
(2)Ronak M.
From what I remember, the food was good but a little expensive. What I clearly remember is how rude the server was, this must be a husband and wife team. Because like others I did hear some yelling too. The server had a chip on her shoulder from the minute we walked in. It w a not busy at all but still it took her some tine to great us and get waters. My husband and I both ordered non - alcoholic bevs and she kept trying to push us to order wine, also my son is little so he only drinks water and she seemed very unhappy with that too. We ordered two apps and two entrees between the three of us. Service continued to be slow and rude. Would not return. Maybe try them for carryout.
(1)Peter G.
We had a large family gathering here and everyone enjoyed the meat platter (chicken, kofta, and meat shawarma), which was delicious. The hummus and baba ganoush appetizers were perfect, and there was no shortage of pita bread. The atmosphere is great for large groups and families. We'll definitely be headed back.
(5)Wolf R.
We were hesitant to come here based on the prior poor service reviews, but I'm glad we did. The Baba Ghanouj certainly among the best I've had. The Lebna is wonderful, and the Moroccan Lamb Tagine was delicious and what I'll be coming back for. All the dishes had featured tasteful presentation. The male staff was very warm, though our server seemed stand-offish. Perhaps it's just her personality, since she helpfully recommended the Moroccan Lamb Tagine when I was just going to get the boring ol' Lamb Kabobs.
(5)Freya O.
This place is absolutely delicious and the people are super friendly! I always get the Kifta Chicken and it's great! Awesome lunch specials and awesome people. What more could you want?
(5)Cory H.
I have eaten here a few times in the past couple weeks. They have the best chicken Kabobs in the area. I have tried multiple things on the menu and all were great. The business seems to be family owned and operated as well. The decor is very nice and the service was great
(5)Jr.k B.
Food is amazing and taste very fresh. I am a huge fan of their humans and other drips.
(5)Mital B.
The service is truly terrible and the food is just average. I think it's a completely family ran restaurant. I went on a Sunday and I'm pretty sure there was 1 person cooking in the back and 1 person out in the front taking orders, clearing tables, etc. We waited for about 10 minutes to get seated. After we were seated, we had to wait another 15 minutes for the server to come by and take our drink order. She came back 15 minutes later with our drinks and took off before we could place a food order. We were able to flag her down after another 20 minutes. About 45 minutes later we were given our food. We finished eating and waited another 20 minutes for our check and credit card back. All in all, we probably spent our entire Sunday there.
(2)Justin R.
I ordered Mina's for delivery (via GrubHub) and was entirely underwhelmed. The food wasn't horrible, but it wasn't the type of meal I'd want to repeat regularly.
(2)Christine O.
The food here was very good. The service could use some improvement. I thought the prices were good for the portions you get. We were quite full when we finished. The place was empty except for us so I guess they thought it was okay to start vacuuming while we were still eating, (it was lunch time - not late evening). Also, the music was on way too loud. Ethnic flute music blaring in my ear. I'd like to go back for the food, but I kept thinking of how badly the management and staff needed training the whole time I was there.
(3)John T.
We got to Mina on Saturday with a Groupon we had purchased last minuite. It took a little while for the server in the nearly empty restaurant to help us. She welcomed us with a nice smile then seated us in a corner next to stacks of chairs and remote control toy cars. Really?? My first thoughts were something out of an episode of Ramsey"s Kitchen Nightmares. We then waited for our menus which she brought us and never offered us a wine menu (which she offered other guests). We ordered our food, and then as we waited, the nice chef came by and said hello and brought us what he described as Arab salad,a bowl of diced cucumbers and tomatos with parsley in a light vinegrette, which was very nice. We ordered Falafel which were nice and crunchy on the outside, Bland tasting and gooey on the inside. Also they gave us a sauce with the falafel which we didnt know what the heck it was..a yogurt dill concoction that was awful!! Also the sauce with our entress was unrecognizable, I think it was a cross between wasabi and tatziki without tahini. Who knows what that was... it also looked weird. The shwarma was ok with the exception they never offered pita with it,and the grilled veg mess wasn't flavorful at all... The food was ok tasting, not the best overall. They should take lessons from some of the great medeteranian restaurants in the city. Overall, not horrible, but nothing to write home about. This place needs to step up their game,
(2)D'Arcy K.
Upon entering, one cannot help but notice the copious remnants of the Italian eatery this space formerly occupied. Tuscan wall murals; bottles of wine and jars of Parmesan cheese on the table; Fettuccine Alfredo and mozzarella sticks on the menu. A fledgling establishment; god bless 'em. And what a nice server. Wait, is that a plaque with a suburban newspaper article showcasing Mina's arrival - dated early 2010? Oh dear. Unfortunate lentil soup; bland and watery, with a bit of crouton for good measure. The veggie grape leaves, although a tad on the soft side, were offset nicely with lemon juice, olive oil, and stewed tomatoes. Then, the mina meza. Kraft Foodservice pita and falafel; last week's tabbouleh; labneh with unidentifiable garni; and giardiniera-topped hummus. Giardiniera-topped hummus?? The baba ghanoush, however, was surprisingly tasty. I wanted to like Mina, but it's an odd melange of middle eastern and Italian - two great tastes that don't taste great together, with neither one done particularly well. For fast food Mediterranean in the north Chicago burbs, I'll stick with Pita Inn.
(2)Xiaoxi L.
I've been here twice. Got the falafel plate both times. Bland, but the actual falafels are nice and crispy (and large). First time, lady put up her hand to signal that she saw me when I came in the door to pick up my lunch (6.99 special, nice price) and then took 10 minutes to dump my food in my hand. When she handed me my change, she had already turned around and it scattered on the counter. Second time, my party of three ate in and was only served 1 pita each with our meals and charged extra (though only 1 dollar) for extra pitas. The sauces we were given were barely enough for 1 person. Small amounts of cucumber sauce and hummus given. Waitress gave attitude when she didn't understand a request.
(1)Kristin D. W.
People need to remember where they are going. This isn't a "5 star" restaurant that is going have the greatest service of your life. That being said:: Okay, yes, the wait staff needs to spend some money on personality classes... but as far as the food, I say its great. I came for the food anyway, not to make friends. We've been there a few times now and the quality of service varies. If you're on lunch, let them know or you may end up asking for a box to go soon as you get your food (This happened to me once) but the food is always FRESH, good quality meat that isn't too fatty. For the price, I don't think you can beat it. Way better than Falafel Bistro down the street for about the same price. I'll keep going. My score card:: Service - 5/10 Food - 7/10 Atmosphere - 7/10
(4)Rabob M.
I'm a fan because I've been going to this place since it first opened. It is over-priced now since it has become more popular and the serving size has become smaller. Other than that, the staff is great and the food is amazing. Most Middle-eastern restaurants I have eaten in serve larger portions. If you are on a budget- this is not the place for you.
(4)Christina Z.
I called the manager following my review on Monday and explained to him our experience. He was phenomenal! Needless to say we did end up coming back and we actually had the same waitress, but let me tell you it was like day and night from our last experience. She was AMAZING and not just to us but the entire restaurant. Clearly her manager had spoken with her because she was polite, respectful, and caring. It simply was phenomenal to have her as our waitress. The food was beyond words. It was heavenly. I'd never had hummus but let me tell you it was so good. Oh and the Baklava, I'm Greek and you know how much we love it, but this was better than any kind I had before. It was the perfect way to end out lovely meal and great service.
(5)B D.
Got a Groupon in January to research the food type for a theme dinner we were having. We did have quick pleasant service and the appetizer was good it was a combination plate for 2 about $9. We shared an entree lamb chops, they were good but were missing the middle eastern spices could have been from any town USA. The MIna sauce requires a special palate to enjoy, hot but had no depth, do they serve this in Egypt ?
(2)Alex H.
Read some of the other reviews and it seemed pretty mixed so decided to find out for myself. Customer service is definitely an issue here. There was only one waitress on staff (understandable considering we were the only customers), however, the service was slow and extremely apathetic. The waitress was not necessarily rude, but definitely not friendly at all. It felt like during our entire meal, she just wanted our table of three to order and get the hell out. During our meal, the waitress decided to pick up her cell phone and chat away in the dining room. We first saw a glance of a smile from her as she sat at the bar watching tv while we waited for any type of service. Just a recommendation Mina's; please pick and choose which audio source you would like to expose to your customers. A blaring tv drama that is at the same loud level as your music is not a pleasant experience. We ordered some hummus, falafel, chicken/beef schwarma, and a chicken/beef kabob platter. The food was decent, but nothing to rave about. The only reason this got a 2 stars instead of a 1. If you enjoy the following, you should definitely visit Mina's 1. Slow service that will ruin the greatest of moods 2. I am in no way a water snob, but the tap water here tasted extremely metallic forcing the entire table to purchase beverages 3. Dinner + Music + a TV Drama 4. Average tasting food
(2)Yav A.
The food is Zabiha/Halal aka Muslim Kosher meat. It does serve alchohol but they did repeatedly say that they use zabiha halal meat. My wife ordered the beef and chicken kabobs and really liked them. My daughter loved the beef kifta kabob. I had the combo of chicken and beef kifta. The falafels were ridiculously good. They give very generous portions, great prices and service was good. Their dessert portions are really good too.I could have been spoiled by Lebanese, Afghani and Persian kabobs. . I will have to make one more trip to see if I can upgrade my rating
(3)Rachel J.
I went in to Mina for lunch today, and had another great experience. The service is good, non-intrusive, and the restaurant is clean and neat. The decor is a little mish-mashed, but you won't have time to notice, since your face will be soon buried in hot, fresh pitas, and whatever delicious entree you selected.
(5)Kathleen P.
I have only used their delivery service so I cannot speak for the restaurant dining experience, but I can say that I have never been disappointed with the food. We have tried the Mina Platter, Mina Mixed Grill, Mina Meza and Falafel. Everything has been excellent. I'm delighted to have a Mediterranean restaurant in the neighborhood. Next time I'd like to dine at the restaurant. The always have 20% off coupons!!
(4)Usman H.
Very nice place, one of the best places for middle eastern halal food in NW burbs. Quick and efficient service and extremely friendly staff and owner. My favorites are Chicken Shawarma platter, Lamb Shank, Chicken Tikka platter and Moroccan Wings. Also very nicely decorated which is usually a rarity with middle eastern restaurants.
(4)Mark H.
I wish I could give separate ratings for the service and the food. The food was 5 stars. I am not a connoisseur of Mediterranean food, but everything I tried was wonderful. The baklava for dessert was possibly the best I have had. Unfortunately, the staff couldn't seem to get out of their own way. The service was 2 star. They could really benefit from some professional service training. When ordering a bottle of wine, you should open it table side and offer a taste before pouring the full glasses... not bring the already opened bottle, which then turns out to be not the one that was ordered! We never got our water glasses re-filled. After we were finished eating, no one seemed particularly interested in bringing our check, even after clearing our dishes. Fortunately, we were not in a hurry and we had read similar reviews, so we were prepared for the worst... and it wasn't the worst, but it wasn't good either. I wouldn't go here if you are impatient or in a hurry. But if you can be laid back and are willing to offer some grace for the service, I would recommend it. Oh... and we also had a gift certificate from restaurant.com , but the owner said they were not accepting them any longer, due to problems with the company. Fair warning.
(3)Anthony N.
I love the fresh flavors of Mediterranean cuisine, and could only wish that Mina's ownership had brought them along for the ride. Look, all you need to know about this restaurant is symbolized in their pita bread. It's food service-issue (I'm fairly sure). Spongy, boring, and convertible into the open-inside sandwich style with such a uniform thickness that I've got to assume they're rolling off an ISO-certified production line. In other words, I wasn't feeling any soul in the joint. My falafel sandwich was full of blah, the hummus wasn't exceptional, and I wasn't all that interested by the lunch and dinner menus. This is a shame, too, as the 'burbs desperately need a decent Mediterranean joint of their own. I hope this joint gets better. I'm really not enthusiastically looking forward to giving them another shot, though.
(1)Rita B.
What a dump! Let me start by saying that I am Middle Eastern...meaning I know good/bad Middle Eastern/Mediterranean food. I'm not an expert but I know how things are supposed to taste. My husband and I were excited to try a new Mediterranean restaurant around the area. We purchased a groupon yesterday and were able to use it today. As soon as we walked in, the lady had no idea how to greet us. She pointed to a table and walked away. We seated ourselves at the table we assumed was for us. Not sure who our server was but I'm convinced the two other people working there were her children. One was the waiter/server the other was the person who brings out the food. We had to ask for a glass of coke three times. Our glasses of water sat empty for quite some time. OH and we had to ask for menus as we sat in silence for 15 minutes. During our silent period we overheard THREE tables ask where their food was. We had the Mina Mezza appetizer...which was ok but bland and not done right. The tabbouleh had no lemon or oil in it (which it's supposed to), the lebnah had dill in it (not supposed to), falafel is supposed to come with sauce (that was apparently missing), and who puts tomatoes on baba ganough? My husband and I both had the Mina Platter (combination platter in any other restaurant). Rice was pretty good but topped with tomatoes (yet again). Our food came with this greenish white sauce which was spicier than all hell. I'm not sure what that's supposed to be but I can promise you...it is NOT Middle Eastern maybe Far East because it tasted like wasabi and yogurt. This is the best part (please try to not throw up), my husband takes one bite out of his food and turns to me and gives me a weird look. He pulls out a LONG piece of hair from his mouth. How nice! Disgusting. We immediately called the hostess over. I whispered to her our grotesque finding when she snatched the hair out of his hand and said "I'm sorry" and walked away. I called her back over and asked for a fresh plate when she responded "oh, we don't do that here". Are you serious? Then she asked my husband "well, where is the hair?" He looked at me as if he was confused. I too did not understand this question. I said to her "you just took it and threw it on the floor". She said "how do you know it was in your food"? I can tell you for a fact that my husband's hair is pretty darn short and mine is medium brown and straight not black and wavy. So basically she accused us of putting hair in our food. She refused to replace the dish and started to argue with us. We asked for the check. She walked away and actually came back with a check and asked "Do you want any of this to go"? She has got to be out of her mind if she thinks we were going to take any of that crap home. I wouldn't feed it to my dog or ANY dog. Service is a ZERO. Overpriced Food is a big fat ZERO. Recommend this dump to my worst enemy: NO! If I could give this place zero stars I would! OH and just for kicks I am going to put this out there. My husband went to the restroom when he came back laughing. Whoever designed this bathroom and installed the urinals must have been really tall. My husband is 6'2" and he had to stand on his tippy toes at the urinal (according to him). Ha ha ha! What an experience and a waste of our time and money. If you are thinking about going here; don't bother. Go to Pita Inn (they make the food the right way and its half the price plus bigger portions).
(1)Sarah A.
I had dinner here last week just a few days after the place opened. Its a lovely little restaurant, comfortable and welcoming with a small bar/lounge area. Unfortunately it was evident from the moment we stepped in the door that the owner was new to the restaurant business.....the service was oh so lacking. The owner and the waitstaff were so very kind but the staff really seemed pretty clueless what was expected of them. We ordered the Mina mezza small appetizer with hummus, kubbah, falafel, baba ghanoush, grape leaves and lebna. However apparently they were out of grape leaves as there weren't any served to us. The hummus and falafel were pretty tasty to me however my husband who hails from the Middle East wasn't impressed the hummus. For our main entree we split the Mina platter: beef and chicken kabob, kufta kabob, and beef shawarma along with rice and grilled veggies. But.........they were out of rice. NO RICE! What Middle-Eastern/Mediterranean/Egyptian restaurant doesn't have rice??? Instead of rice they gave us a side of the bechamel pasta and a couple of baby lambchops. Overall the food was pretty tasty--I loved the kufta kabob as it was seasoned just right, not too much. My husband was also pretty satisfied with the meal. But the service was so horrible! No one knew when to bring the food or drink, when to refill our water, when to bring the check, when to clear our plates. The owner assured us they he had just hired two experienced servers and the service would not be a problem in the future. But first impressions are very important when it comes to restaurants...... The owner and his wife are wonderful, friendly individuals and I really want them to succeed at this restaurant but my first impression was so, so bad. The food was great but only time will tell if it was good enough to lure me back despite my memories of such lacking service from this visit!
(3)Ashwin B.
One of the best Mediterranean restaurants in the suburbs. Excellent food and ambiance. Recommend the Falafels and Mina Platter or Mixed Grill if you go for dinner. Great portions. Lunch specials are amazing at a great price. At the moment my favorite restaurant.
(5)Gregory B.
We liked it. We moved here from Michigan, where the huge and diverse middle-eastern community made for some fine eating. This would be an average place there, if you take away the WAY too loud bar TV that they reluctantly turned down (nobody was watching it and we couldn't think let alone be heard). Food was good--especially the babaganough.
(4)Diana P.
I was skeptical based in the other YELP reviews however this place wasn't so bad, yet was far from amazing. Service is slow, VERY slow so come when you have time. Skip the hummas, they had no idea how to make it. We ordered veggie plates so perhaps that's why er didn't mind our meal (we came here for a large party). Waiter forgot our falafals, otherwise I'd review those.
(3)Karen S.
I love this little restaurant. The owner is a nice lady and she always remembers me when I go there. Love the kefta kabob, rice and Mina's hummus! Yum
(5)Vesna N.
The food was so bland and blah...I had a few bites and lost interest in it completely. My husband ate a little more than be but also thought the food was too bland and boring...we will not be ordering from here again.
(1)Deanna S.
Their menu has a big selection. Love the baba ghanouj Nice and garlicky and hummus was nice and creamy. Ordered the kabobs. The Mina platter had a lil bit of different meats, grilled vegetables, Mina rice. The owner's treated us like family. While I'm here for training, I will definitely be going back. They also deliver to the training center if you don't want to go out.
(5)Kammie G.
I went there today for some early dinner with my parents. We got coupons for the place in the mail, so thought we should check it out since it's very close to us and we don't have Mediterranean food like ever. We got there very early. We're Polish and our dinner is eaten early compared to American people, and then we eat Supper when Americans eat dinner. It was about 3-4pm. The restaurant was empty. We waited a little bit and then the owner (I'm guessing?) sat us down. I had to grab the menus myself, he forgot to bring them over. He was very friendly and he had an accent. He was Egyptian. The place itself is very nice and with a lot of flavor. It has a nice atmosphere and very nice decor. Props for that. We ordered our food. I had the Kefta Kebob, which is beef and lamb with some rice and grilled veggies. The food was very good. It was nicely prepared and had a large pita chip thing in the middle of it, as with every other dish we ordered. It was pretty cool. My mom had the Lamb Chops which were really good too and it was my first time trying lamb so that was something else.. but I enjoyed it however I thought it was a little fatty. I don't know if that's just how lamb tastes or if that's the way they prepared it. -------------------- edit: They have Lunch Platters with Kefta Kebobs for 6.99, so me and my mom went for that today. They gave us some pita bread before the meal. We had the kefta kabobs, which came with rice, hummus (it was pretty good, i usually don't like hummus but this one was alright), lebna (reminded me of tzatziki sauce but a little different - very good!), and some lettuce and tomatoes. The food was very good and filling. Also, we tried the kibbeh, which is fried Bulqur stuffed with spicy ground beef, with the lebna sauce and some lettuce. It was very good as well. It had a nice texture to it which was nice. Definitely recommend the place. Sitting outside was awesome too, the weather was perfect today.
(4)David F.
I am not overeacting when I say that this was my least favorite meal I have had in recent memory. The service was poor, but my problem is the food. I had the lamb shank and it was inedible. It had a tomato sauce that tasted like campbell's...it make me queasy thinking about it. I was talked out of giving it back to the kitchen and demanding my meal for free by my wife, but I really wanted to complain...STAY AWAY!!!
(1)Nilesh K.
What are some of these negative reviews talking about??? I was expecting the place to a trash hole based on the reviews, so we pushed off going there 4 times! I am glad we finally tried this place out. I am vegetarian so may be the meat here is bad, but the vegetarian food is really good! The falafel here is actually better than Pita Inn's falafel and I love Pita Inn's falafel. Mina's falafel almost feels fresher and tastier. Everything else including couscous were good as well. Pita Inn does have better spicy sauce. I might have given the place 3 stars if the other reviews were not completely off base. 3 star or 4 start, the bottom line is, go try out this place. You will not regret. ------ Update - one of the reviews talked about low salt in some of the dishes. I do agree with that. I think we added a little bit of salt in both Hummus and Baba Gonoosh. I would take a little less salty than salty food anytime.
(4)Sri S.
I bought a Living Social Coupon so I decided to try this place. Here is the summary: 1. Waitress was unfriendly 2. My wife ordered her entree and on the menu it says it comes with pita bread AND rice. While eating, we realize that we were missing the pita bread. We asked the waitress and she sort of snapped that its either rice OR pita bread, and that if we wanted pita bread, we should have asked for it. We checked the menu again and it says rice AND pita bread. We didnt feel like arguing so we left it at that. Like i said, waitress appeared very unfriendly. 3. I overhear the waitress telling the people at the table next to us that the entree they ordered was $12.99 and not $10.99 as stated in the menu. The prices on the menu were old. (Seriously?) 4. Overall, food was better than average but quite bland, but the horrible experience with the waitress will not make us go back there again. I almost didnt feel like leaving her a tip, but I guess it was her lucky day. 5. There are better places for sure. Eat here if you are stranded. Ambiance was nice but restaurant was EMPTY on a weekend. I guess they dont get much business hence trying to get new clientele using Living Social.
(2)Joan D.
I wish I could give it more stars, but my experience was pretty uneven. The servers were friendly but seemed new and inexperienced. I went here when I saw a coupon in a mailer because it said they had fattoush, and I love fattoush. The menu description sounded good, but what I got for $5.99 was a small side salad with big pieces of romaine, 4 olives with pits in them, 5 slices of small cucumber and half of an unripe out of season tomato. No pita chips in it, no mint, no parsley and no radish, all of which are listed in the description. The dressing, however, was wonderful, lemony and perfectly seasoned and they brought a basket of pita on the side. I was so hungry I ordered an appetizer serving of falafel which was on the bland side, but 6 nicely cooked pieces. I brought 4 of them home with the rest of the pita, but it was expensive for what I got. I hope they can save this place, but there were only two other tables on a Sunday afternoon.
(2)Andy C.
I was REALLY excited to try Mina as soon as i heard about it. I love mediterranean food, and there are no places around Des Plaines at all. So i had high hopes going in, hoping that i would find my new shawarma sandwich place. Sadly i was wrong.....very wrong. The only reason i am giving this 2 stars is because the food was decent. Not authentic at ALL, but still sorta tasty. The service was pretty bad, and we were only one of 3 tables when we walked in ~7pm on a Friday night. Upon walking in we immediately liked the decor, while sort of generic looking, was at least appealing. We ordered the mini mezza appetizer platter, which is a combination of appetizers. I was so excited at this point as i love some good hummus. The platter had Tabbouleh, Hummus, Dolma, Falafel, Baba Ghanouj, and some sort of yogurt with herb dip. Things start to go south as soon as the platter arrives. The hummus is bland, the dolma are OK, but very small and kinda dry. The falafel are terrible, and we cannot even eat them. They were so bland it was pointless. The yogurt dip was my favorite, not sure what it is called though, as the others were forgettable. For dinner my wife got the chicken kabobs and i got he chicken shawarma platter. Both came with rice, which was cooked very well and had a good flavor. It was a bit on the oily side, but the rice flavor really came through. That was the best part of our dishes. Both platters came with grilled veggies, but the veggies were so small and it was a joke. Tiny slices of small squash and one mushroom the size of a marble does not constitute grilled vegetables imo. The chicken kabob was fairly good my wife said, but my shawarma was definately NOT a shawarma. The chicken was simply cut up/diced and sauteed, not from a spit at all. It is easy to tell meat from a spit, the cut and texture are very easy to spot. This was the opposite. I could have made the same at home with a non stick frying pan. Not only that, but the meat had no flavor at all. We both had to ask for some hot sauce because the food was just so bland. Overall a hue disappointment for us. If the food had been better(authentic) we would probably be there on a weekly basis, such is our love for good mediterranean food. Would not go back, even with a resaurtant.com coupon which we had. Thankfully we did not have to pay full price for this place, or i would have given it 0 stars as it is on the pricey side for a place like that.
(2)Matt S.
Food is good here. You can't go wrong with hummus and pita as an appetizer. Hummus is creamy and the seasoning and oil is just right. Falafel is crispy on the outside and bursting with flavor on the inside. My go-to at Mediterranean places is usually a kifta kabob entree and it didn't disappoint here. You get 4 tasty pieces around a bed of rice covered in roasted vegetables. There is an entree sampler where you can get each of the meat items they offer. Entrees cost about $12 each. One day I will try it and be in heaven. The inside decorations and ambiance is pleasant. I'll be back to stuff my face again for sure.
(3)Jen W.
Food was ok had better. Lady worker has a full on attitude and doesn't say thank you or ask if you need anything. Lady makes the Environment dead and makes the food dead...
(2)Somchai S.
I am pleasantly surprised by the food here. It is way better than Pita Inn! I stopped by today for a business lunch. They have a ridiculous lunch special starting at $6.99 for a generous amount of food. Everything was flavorful, came out quickly, friendly, and decor is nice. I will definitely try this place again.
(4)Andrew I.
Authentic food and super-friendly service. The baba ganouj is the best I have ever tasted. The Mina platter is great entree -- it offers a sample of many different types of meat. The restaurant is owned by a family, so it feels just like home.
(5)Luigi S.
Ok the problem is when you go to a restaurant and they have shrimp called jumbo but its only as big as your big toe, thats a problem. I must say minas has shrimp that look like baby lobster.
(5)Mariam S.
There food is Awesome. I have been to a tons of Mediterranean restaurant, and this was possibly the best tasting food for me. My server wasn't the most welcoming when we first walked in. But when I saw my food, I was pretty much not worried about her any more. And once I took the first bite of my chicken kabab, thats all I could think about up until now. The prices are killer for the serving and taste. I believe the two nice gentlemen who came to ask if our food was good were the owners. $37 for a great dinner for two. Can't get better ! Suggestion: Please add the Mediterranean style tea that's the only thing I missed out on in this place.
(5)Alex H.
Read some of the other reviews and it seemed pretty mixed so decided to find out for myself. Customer service is definitely an issue here. There was only one waitress on staff (understandable considering we were the only customers), however, the service was slow and extremely apathetic. The waitress was not necessarily rude, but definitely not friendly at all. It felt like during our entire meal, she just wanted our table of three to order and get the hell out. During our meal, the waitress decided to pick up her cell phone and chat away in the dining room. We first saw a glance of a smile from her as she sat at the bar watching tv while we waited for any type of service. Just a recommendation Mina's; please pick and choose which audio source you would like to expose to your customers. A blaring tv drama that is at the same loud level as your music is not a pleasant experience. We ordered some hummus, falafel, chicken/beef schwarma, and a chicken/beef kabob platter. The food was decent, but nothing to rave about. The only reason this got a 2 stars instead of a 1. If you enjoy the following, you should definitely visit Mina's 1. Slow service that will ruin the greatest of moods 2. I am in no way a water snob, but the tap water here tasted extremely metallic forcing the entire table to purchase beverages 3. Dinner + Music + a TV Drama 4. Average tasting food
(2)Kathleen P.
I have only used their delivery service so I cannot speak for the restaurant dining experience, but I can say that I have never been disappointed with the food. We have tried the Mina Platter, Mina Mixed Grill, Mina Meza and Falafel. Everything has been excellent. I'm delighted to have a Mediterranean restaurant in the neighborhood. Next time I'd like to dine at the restaurant. The always have 20% off coupons!!
(4)Usman H.
Very nice place, one of the best places for middle eastern halal food in NW burbs. Quick and efficient service and extremely friendly staff and owner. My favorites are Chicken Shawarma platter, Lamb Shank, Chicken Tikka platter and Moroccan Wings. Also very nicely decorated which is usually a rarity with middle eastern restaurants.
(4)Mark H.
I wish I could give separate ratings for the service and the food. The food was 5 stars. I am not a connoisseur of Mediterranean food, but everything I tried was wonderful. The baklava for dessert was possibly the best I have had. Unfortunately, the staff couldn't seem to get out of their own way. The service was 2 star. They could really benefit from some professional service training. When ordering a bottle of wine, you should open it table side and offer a taste before pouring the full glasses... not bring the already opened bottle, which then turns out to be not the one that was ordered! We never got our water glasses re-filled. After we were finished eating, no one seemed particularly interested in bringing our check, even after clearing our dishes. Fortunately, we were not in a hurry and we had read similar reviews, so we were prepared for the worst... and it wasn't the worst, but it wasn't good either. I wouldn't go here if you are impatient or in a hurry. But if you can be laid back and are willing to offer some grace for the service, I would recommend it. Oh... and we also had a gift certificate from restaurant.com , but the owner said they were not accepting them any longer, due to problems with the company. Fair warning.
(3)Anthony N.
I love the fresh flavors of Mediterranean cuisine, and could only wish that Mina's ownership had brought them along for the ride. Look, all you need to know about this restaurant is symbolized in their pita bread. It's food service-issue (I'm fairly sure). Spongy, boring, and convertible into the open-inside sandwich style with such a uniform thickness that I've got to assume they're rolling off an ISO-certified production line. In other words, I wasn't feeling any soul in the joint. My falafel sandwich was full of blah, the hummus wasn't exceptional, and I wasn't all that interested by the lunch and dinner menus. This is a shame, too, as the 'burbs desperately need a decent Mediterranean joint of their own. I hope this joint gets better. I'm really not enthusiastically looking forward to giving them another shot, though.
(1)Rhea P.
I give this place one star only because the owner was really nice. Otherwise, the service was terrible. Apparently, there ONE waiter didn't come in today so the lady was on her own. It took 10 minutes to get our water and another minute to get our menu. The lady didn't know much about the menu and didn't bother writing down our 3 orders. about 45 minutes later we got our order, which to no surprise, was the wrong one. We only had an hour lunch so I decided not to complain and just eat the food. It wasn't worth the 45 min wait let me tell you that. I wanted rice and got fries instead. I also ordered chicken shawerma and instead got what seemed like a chicken wrap?? I was craving Mediterranean food so bad and it did not satisfy my craving. In fact, it was a pretty big disappointment. I also over heard another customer complaining about not getting her soup that she ordered. Other people in the restaurant didn't order for about 20min or so. They definitely need to work on there service if they want people to come back.
(1)Roberto F.
All I have to say is that I wish the food was better. It wasn't bad but it wasn't anything to "Yelp" about either. Especially the lentil soup, which was extremely bland. Hence why this review comes three weeks after I visited this place. The biggest downside is the price for lunch and your not really getting what you pay for. I recommend heading over to Shish Kabob in Rosemont. Better quality and better prices. Other notes: Have they changed the decor yet? Last Time I went they still had some stuff from the previous restaurant , Vita Mia. I had the reverse of Mark H.'s experience. Our waitress was fantastic and on top things throughout the meal Sadly first experiences count a lot and I don't see my coworkers or myself coming here anytime soon.
(2)Julie A.
Baba ghanouj,, falafel, chicken &kefta kabob. That's what I had..it was all delicious. Either this place goats act together since previous yelp reviews...or they are crazy. I can't say anything for service..I was the only person here. It was 3 pm, I didn't expect it to be busy. I think it was the manager who waited on me. He gave me a falafel to try..yummy. The dish also had a creamy jalapeno sauce that was yummy. Grilled pita with my Baba ghanouj- some of the best I have had in awhile! Grilled veggies with my combo. Delicious. Decor is very nice as well. Since I was the only one ther and sitting at a table in the bar area, the owner gave me control of the remote!! Bonus! Oh and don't forget your baklava!
(5)Christine O.
The food here was very good. The service could use some improvement. I thought the prices were good for the portions you get. We were quite full when we finished. The place was empty except for us so I guess they thought it was okay to start vacuuming while we were still eating, (it was lunch time - not late evening). Also, the music was on way too loud. Ethnic flute music blaring in my ear. I'd like to go back for the food, but I kept thinking of how badly the management and staff needed training the whole time I was there.
(3)Mary N.
It's OK. They can't make a drink, so order beer. The staff seemed nice, but hard to talk to. Falafel was a bit dry, hummus was great, the meat didn't seem lean to me. Basically, I didn't care for the meat. It's one of those places that when you're really busy, go as you are or order pick-up. Not a big deal, but OK.
(2)Nicole U.
Was excited to visit this restaurant after my dad told me they had great food. Came in for lunch, place was empty, staff was ok. Food came slow for having no patrons there. Overpriced as all heck for what you are getting. They were "out" of stuffed grape leaves on a Saturday afternoon...... hmmmm....... well I will definitely stick with Pita Inn, which is hands down my favourite "fast" mediterranean restaurant.
(2)Vesna N.
The food was so bland and blah...I had a few bites and lost interest in it completely. My husband ate a little more than be but also thought the food was too bland and boring...we will not be ordering from here again.
(1)Deanna S.
Their menu has a big selection. Love the baba ghanouj Nice and garlicky and hummus was nice and creamy. Ordered the kabobs. The Mina platter had a lil bit of different meats, grilled vegetables, Mina rice. The owner's treated us like family. While I'm here for training, I will definitely be going back. They also deliver to the training center if you don't want to go out.
(5)Sri S.
I bought a Living Social Coupon so I decided to try this place. Here is the summary: 1. Waitress was unfriendly 2. My wife ordered her entree and on the menu it says it comes with pita bread AND rice. While eating, we realize that we were missing the pita bread. We asked the waitress and she sort of snapped that its either rice OR pita bread, and that if we wanted pita bread, we should have asked for it. We checked the menu again and it says rice AND pita bread. We didnt feel like arguing so we left it at that. Like i said, waitress appeared very unfriendly. 3. I overhear the waitress telling the people at the table next to us that the entree they ordered was $12.99 and not $10.99 as stated in the menu. The prices on the menu were old. (Seriously?) 4. Overall, food was better than average but quite bland, but the horrible experience with the waitress will not make us go back there again. I almost didnt feel like leaving her a tip, but I guess it was her lucky day. 5. There are better places for sure. Eat here if you are stranded. Ambiance was nice but restaurant was EMPTY on a weekend. I guess they dont get much business hence trying to get new clientele using Living Social.
(2)Joan D.
I wish I could give it more stars, but my experience was pretty uneven. The servers were friendly but seemed new and inexperienced. I went here when I saw a coupon in a mailer because it said they had fattoush, and I love fattoush. The menu description sounded good, but what I got for $5.99 was a small side salad with big pieces of romaine, 4 olives with pits in them, 5 slices of small cucumber and half of an unripe out of season tomato. No pita chips in it, no mint, no parsley and no radish, all of which are listed in the description. The dressing, however, was wonderful, lemony and perfectly seasoned and they brought a basket of pita on the side. I was so hungry I ordered an appetizer serving of falafel which was on the bland side, but 6 nicely cooked pieces. I brought 4 of them home with the rest of the pita, but it was expensive for what I got. I hope they can save this place, but there were only two other tables on a Sunday afternoon.
(2)Rita B.
What a dump! Let me start by saying that I am Middle Eastern...meaning I know good/bad Middle Eastern/Mediterranean food. I'm not an expert but I know how things are supposed to taste. My husband and I were excited to try a new Mediterranean restaurant around the area. We purchased a groupon yesterday and were able to use it today. As soon as we walked in, the lady had no idea how to greet us. She pointed to a table and walked away. We seated ourselves at the table we assumed was for us. Not sure who our server was but I'm convinced the two other people working there were her children. One was the waiter/server the other was the person who brings out the food. We had to ask for a glass of coke three times. Our glasses of water sat empty for quite some time. OH and we had to ask for menus as we sat in silence for 15 minutes. During our silent period we overheard THREE tables ask where their food was. We had the Mina Mezza appetizer...which was ok but bland and not done right. The tabbouleh had no lemon or oil in it (which it's supposed to), the lebnah had dill in it (not supposed to), falafel is supposed to come with sauce (that was apparently missing), and who puts tomatoes on baba ganough? My husband and I both had the Mina Platter (combination platter in any other restaurant). Rice was pretty good but topped with tomatoes (yet again). Our food came with this greenish white sauce which was spicier than all hell. I'm not sure what that's supposed to be but I can promise you...it is NOT Middle Eastern maybe Far East because it tasted like wasabi and yogurt. This is the best part (please try to not throw up), my husband takes one bite out of his food and turns to me and gives me a weird look. He pulls out a LONG piece of hair from his mouth. How nice! Disgusting. We immediately called the hostess over. I whispered to her our grotesque finding when she snatched the hair out of his hand and said "I'm sorry" and walked away. I called her back over and asked for a fresh plate when she responded "oh, we don't do that here". Are you serious? Then she asked my husband "well, where is the hair?" He looked at me as if he was confused. I too did not understand this question. I said to her "you just took it and threw it on the floor". She said "how do you know it was in your food"? I can tell you for a fact that my husband's hair is pretty darn short and mine is medium brown and straight not black and wavy. So basically she accused us of putting hair in our food. She refused to replace the dish and started to argue with us. We asked for the check. She walked away and actually came back with a check and asked "Do you want any of this to go"? She has got to be out of her mind if she thinks we were going to take any of that crap home. I wouldn't feed it to my dog or ANY dog. Service is a ZERO. Overpriced Food is a big fat ZERO. Recommend this dump to my worst enemy: NO! If I could give this place zero stars I would! OH and just for kicks I am going to put this out there. My husband went to the restroom when he came back laughing. Whoever designed this bathroom and installed the urinals must have been really tall. My husband is 6'2" and he had to stand on his tippy toes at the urinal (according to him). Ha ha ha! What an experience and a waste of our time and money. If you are thinking about going here; don't bother. Go to Pita Inn (they make the food the right way and its half the price plus bigger portions).
(1)Sarah A.
I had dinner here last week just a few days after the place opened. Its a lovely little restaurant, comfortable and welcoming with a small bar/lounge area. Unfortunately it was evident from the moment we stepped in the door that the owner was new to the restaurant business.....the service was oh so lacking. The owner and the waitstaff were so very kind but the staff really seemed pretty clueless what was expected of them. We ordered the Mina mezza small appetizer with hummus, kubbah, falafel, baba ghanoush, grape leaves and lebna. However apparently they were out of grape leaves as there weren't any served to us. The hummus and falafel were pretty tasty to me however my husband who hails from the Middle East wasn't impressed the hummus. For our main entree we split the Mina platter: beef and chicken kabob, kufta kabob, and beef shawarma along with rice and grilled veggies. But.........they were out of rice. NO RICE! What Middle-Eastern/Mediterranean/Egyptian restaurant doesn't have rice??? Instead of rice they gave us a side of the bechamel pasta and a couple of baby lambchops. Overall the food was pretty tasty--I loved the kufta kabob as it was seasoned just right, not too much. My husband was also pretty satisfied with the meal. But the service was so horrible! No one knew when to bring the food or drink, when to refill our water, when to bring the check, when to clear our plates. The owner assured us they he had just hired two experienced servers and the service would not be a problem in the future. But first impressions are very important when it comes to restaurants...... The owner and his wife are wonderful, friendly individuals and I really want them to succeed at this restaurant but my first impression was so, so bad. The food was great but only time will tell if it was good enough to lure me back despite my memories of such lacking service from this visit!
(3)Ashwin B.
One of the best Mediterranean restaurants in the suburbs. Excellent food and ambiance. Recommend the Falafels and Mina Platter or Mixed Grill if you go for dinner. Great portions. Lunch specials are amazing at a great price. At the moment my favorite restaurant.
(5)Gregory B.
We liked it. We moved here from Michigan, where the huge and diverse middle-eastern community made for some fine eating. This would be an average place there, if you take away the WAY too loud bar TV that they reluctantly turned down (nobody was watching it and we couldn't think let alone be heard). Food was good--especially the babaganough.
(4)Diana P.
I was skeptical based in the other YELP reviews however this place wasn't so bad, yet was far from amazing. Service is slow, VERY slow so come when you have time. Skip the hummas, they had no idea how to make it. We ordered veggie plates so perhaps that's why er didn't mind our meal (we came here for a large party). Waiter forgot our falafals, otherwise I'd review those.
(3)Karen S.
I love this little restaurant. The owner is a nice lady and she always remembers me when I go there. Love the kefta kabob, rice and Mina's hummus! Yum
(5)Kammie G.
I went there today for some early dinner with my parents. We got coupons for the place in the mail, so thought we should check it out since it's very close to us and we don't have Mediterranean food like ever. We got there very early. We're Polish and our dinner is eaten early compared to American people, and then we eat Supper when Americans eat dinner. It was about 3-4pm. The restaurant was empty. We waited a little bit and then the owner (I'm guessing?) sat us down. I had to grab the menus myself, he forgot to bring them over. He was very friendly and he had an accent. He was Egyptian. The place itself is very nice and with a lot of flavor. It has a nice atmosphere and very nice decor. Props for that. We ordered our food. I had the Kefta Kebob, which is beef and lamb with some rice and grilled veggies. The food was very good. It was nicely prepared and had a large pita chip thing in the middle of it, as with every other dish we ordered. It was pretty cool. My mom had the Lamb Chops which were really good too and it was my first time trying lamb so that was something else.. but I enjoyed it however I thought it was a little fatty. I don't know if that's just how lamb tastes or if that's the way they prepared it. -------------------- edit: They have Lunch Platters with Kefta Kebobs for 6.99, so me and my mom went for that today. They gave us some pita bread before the meal. We had the kefta kabobs, which came with rice, hummus (it was pretty good, i usually don't like hummus but this one was alright), lebna (reminded me of tzatziki sauce but a little different - very good!), and some lettuce and tomatoes. The food was very good and filling. Also, we tried the kibbeh, which is fried Bulqur stuffed with spicy ground beef, with the lebna sauce and some lettuce. It was very good as well. It had a nice texture to it which was nice. Definitely recommend the place. Sitting outside was awesome too, the weather was perfect today.
(4)Nilesh K.
What are some of these negative reviews talking about??? I was expecting the place to a trash hole based on the reviews, so we pushed off going there 4 times! I am glad we finally tried this place out. I am vegetarian so may be the meat here is bad, but the vegetarian food is really good! The falafel here is actually better than Pita Inn's falafel and I love Pita Inn's falafel. Mina's falafel almost feels fresher and tastier. Everything else including couscous were good as well. Pita Inn does have better spicy sauce. I might have given the place 3 stars if the other reviews were not completely off base. 3 star or 4 start, the bottom line is, go try out this place. You will not regret. ------ Update - one of the reviews talked about low salt in some of the dishes. I do agree with that. I think we added a little bit of salt in both Hummus and Baba Gonoosh. I would take a little less salty than salty food anytime.
(4)David F.
I am not overeacting when I say that this was my least favorite meal I have had in recent memory. The service was poor, but my problem is the food. I had the lamb shank and it was inedible. It had a tomato sauce that tasted like campbell's...it make me queasy thinking about it. I was talked out of giving it back to the kitchen and demanding my meal for free by my wife, but I really wanted to complain...STAY AWAY!!!
(1)Andy C.
I was REALLY excited to try Mina as soon as i heard about it. I love mediterranean food, and there are no places around Des Plaines at all. So i had high hopes going in, hoping that i would find my new shawarma sandwich place. Sadly i was wrong.....very wrong. The only reason i am giving this 2 stars is because the food was decent. Not authentic at ALL, but still sorta tasty. The service was pretty bad, and we were only one of 3 tables when we walked in ~7pm on a Friday night. Upon walking in we immediately liked the decor, while sort of generic looking, was at least appealing. We ordered the mini mezza appetizer platter, which is a combination of appetizers. I was so excited at this point as i love some good hummus. The platter had Tabbouleh, Hummus, Dolma, Falafel, Baba Ghanouj, and some sort of yogurt with herb dip. Things start to go south as soon as the platter arrives. The hummus is bland, the dolma are OK, but very small and kinda dry. The falafel are terrible, and we cannot even eat them. They were so bland it was pointless. The yogurt dip was my favorite, not sure what it is called though, as the others were forgettable. For dinner my wife got the chicken kabobs and i got he chicken shawarma platter. Both came with rice, which was cooked very well and had a good flavor. It was a bit on the oily side, but the rice flavor really came through. That was the best part of our dishes. Both platters came with grilled veggies, but the veggies were so small and it was a joke. Tiny slices of small squash and one mushroom the size of a marble does not constitute grilled vegetables imo. The chicken kabob was fairly good my wife said, but my shawarma was definately NOT a shawarma. The chicken was simply cut up/diced and sauteed, not from a spit at all. It is easy to tell meat from a spit, the cut and texture are very easy to spot. This was the opposite. I could have made the same at home with a non stick frying pan. Not only that, but the meat had no flavor at all. We both had to ask for some hot sauce because the food was just so bland. Overall a hue disappointment for us. If the food had been better(authentic) we would probably be there on a weekly basis, such is our love for good mediterranean food. Would not go back, even with a resaurtant.com coupon which we had. Thankfully we did not have to pay full price for this place, or i would have given it 0 stars as it is on the pricey side for a place like that.
(2)Don Z.
This is a nice solid place for lunch, which is the only meal I have had at Mina. The decor is classy and clean... a little bit more upscale than other middle east places at which I have eaten. The service is prompt. I am always a little surprised at how dead this place is for lunch, but maybe that is why the server always has time for me. The lunch specials are very reasonably priced. I like the $7 kefta kabob. With the warm pitas and some rice
(3)Luna M.
If I lived closer to Chicago, Pita Inn & Reza would be my 1st & 2nd choices (respectively) for Middle Eastern restaurants. But Mina Restaurant is the closest to Lake county for good Middle Eastern food. Always good to get a combination plate to get familiar with the food (and the tastes & spices). If they have a Buffet, that would even be a better way to sample the ethnic food/dishes. My favorite dishes at Mina are their Falafil (great spicy sauce for dipping) and Kifta Kabob. Check it out.
(4)Rachel J.
I went in to Mina for lunch today, and had another great experience. The service is good, non-intrusive, and the restaurant is clean and neat. The decor is a little mish-mashed, but you won't have time to notice, since your face will be soon buried in hot, fresh pitas, and whatever delicious entree you selected.
(5)Mital B.
The service is truly terrible and the food is just average. I think it's a completely family ran restaurant. I went on a Sunday and I'm pretty sure there was 1 person cooking in the back and 1 person out in the front taking orders, clearing tables, etc. We waited for about 10 minutes to get seated. After we were seated, we had to wait another 15 minutes for the server to come by and take our drink order. She came back 15 minutes later with our drinks and took off before we could place a food order. We were able to flag her down after another 20 minutes. About 45 minutes later we were given our food. We finished eating and waited another 20 minutes for our check and credit card back. All in all, we probably spent our entire Sunday there.
(2)Justin R.
I ordered Mina's for delivery (via GrubHub) and was entirely underwhelmed. The food wasn't horrible, but it wasn't the type of meal I'd want to repeat regularly.
(2)John T.
We got to Mina on Saturday with a Groupon we had purchased last minuite. It took a little while for the server in the nearly empty restaurant to help us. She welcomed us with a nice smile then seated us in a corner next to stacks of chairs and remote control toy cars. Really?? My first thoughts were something out of an episode of Ramsey"s Kitchen Nightmares. We then waited for our menus which she brought us and never offered us a wine menu (which she offered other guests). We ordered our food, and then as we waited, the nice chef came by and said hello and brought us what he described as Arab salad,a bowl of diced cucumbers and tomatos with parsley in a light vinegrette, which was very nice. We ordered Falafel which were nice and crunchy on the outside, Bland tasting and gooey on the inside. Also they gave us a sauce with the falafel which we didnt know what the heck it was..a yogurt dill concoction that was awful!! Also the sauce with our entress was unrecognizable, I think it was a cross between wasabi and tatziki without tahini. Who knows what that was... it also looked weird. The shwarma was ok with the exception they never offered pita with it,and the grilled veg mess wasn't flavorful at all... The food was ok tasting, not the best overall. They should take lessons from some of the great medeteranian restaurants in the city. Overall, not horrible, but nothing to write home about. This place needs to step up their game,
(2)Yav A.
The food is Zabiha/Halal aka Muslim Kosher meat. It does serve alchohol but they did repeatedly say that they use zabiha halal meat. My wife ordered the beef and chicken kabobs and really liked them. My daughter loved the beef kifta kabob. I had the combo of chicken and beef kifta. The falafels were ridiculously good. They give very generous portions, great prices and service was good. Their dessert portions are really good too.I could have been spoiled by Lebanese, Afghani and Persian kabobs. . I will have to make one more trip to see if I can upgrade my rating
(3)D'Arcy K.
Upon entering, one cannot help but notice the copious remnants of the Italian eatery this space formerly occupied. Tuscan wall murals; bottles of wine and jars of Parmesan cheese on the table; Fettuccine Alfredo and mozzarella sticks on the menu. A fledgling establishment; god bless 'em. And what a nice server. Wait, is that a plaque with a suburban newspaper article showcasing Mina's arrival - dated early 2010? Oh dear. Unfortunate lentil soup; bland and watery, with a bit of crouton for good measure. The veggie grape leaves, although a tad on the soft side, were offset nicely with lemon juice, olive oil, and stewed tomatoes. Then, the mina meza. Kraft Foodservice pita and falafel; last week's tabbouleh; labneh with unidentifiable garni; and giardiniera-topped hummus. Giardiniera-topped hummus?? The baba ghanoush, however, was surprisingly tasty. I wanted to like Mina, but it's an odd melange of middle eastern and Italian - two great tastes that don't taste great together, with neither one done particularly well. For fast food Mediterranean in the north Chicago burbs, I'll stick with Pita Inn.
(2)Xiaoxi L.
I've been here twice. Got the falafel plate both times. Bland, but the actual falafels are nice and crispy (and large). First time, lady put up her hand to signal that she saw me when I came in the door to pick up my lunch (6.99 special, nice price) and then took 10 minutes to dump my food in my hand. When she handed me my change, she had already turned around and it scattered on the counter. Second time, my party of three ate in and was only served 1 pita each with our meals and charged extra (though only 1 dollar) for extra pitas. The sauces we were given were barely enough for 1 person. Small amounts of cucumber sauce and hummus given. Waitress gave attitude when she didn't understand a request.
(1)Kristin D. W.
People need to remember where they are going. This isn't a "5 star" restaurant that is going have the greatest service of your life. That being said:: Okay, yes, the wait staff needs to spend some money on personality classes... but as far as the food, I say its great. I came for the food anyway, not to make friends. We've been there a few times now and the quality of service varies. If you're on lunch, let them know or you may end up asking for a box to go soon as you get your food (This happened to me once) but the food is always FRESH, good quality meat that isn't too fatty. For the price, I don't think you can beat it. Way better than Falafel Bistro down the street for about the same price. I'll keep going. My score card:: Service - 5/10 Food - 7/10 Atmosphere - 7/10
(4)Rabob M.
I'm a fan because I've been going to this place since it first opened. It is over-priced now since it has become more popular and the serving size has become smaller. Other than that, the staff is great and the food is amazing. Most Middle-eastern restaurants I have eaten in serve larger portions. If you are on a budget- this is not the place for you.
(4)Christina Z.
I called the manager following my review on Monday and explained to him our experience. He was phenomenal! Needless to say we did end up coming back and we actually had the same waitress, but let me tell you it was like day and night from our last experience. She was AMAZING and not just to us but the entire restaurant. Clearly her manager had spoken with her because she was polite, respectful, and caring. It simply was phenomenal to have her as our waitress. The food was beyond words. It was heavenly. I'd never had hummus but let me tell you it was so good. Oh and the Baklava, I'm Greek and you know how much we love it, but this was better than any kind I had before. It was the perfect way to end out lovely meal and great service.
(5)B D.
Got a Groupon in January to research the food type for a theme dinner we were having. We did have quick pleasant service and the appetizer was good it was a combination plate for 2 about $9. We shared an entree lamb chops, they were good but were missing the middle eastern spices could have been from any town USA. The MIna sauce requires a special palate to enjoy, hot but had no depth, do they serve this in Egypt ?
(2)Jennifer L.
This was my second time coming to this restaurant. My friend and I had a great experience the first time, but this time not so much. As far as the food, I would rate it a 4, but the service and the staff, I give it a 1. It's a family owned restaurant and the son was our waiter. He was in his 20's and would not leave my friend and I alone. He actually asked us twice if he could sit with us and then asked if he could just stand there and chat with us. We tried to be nice at the beginning and said we were having girl time, but he did not get the hint. He came back every 2 minutes and would just stand there and kept interrupting our conversation. He asked us where we worked, how old we were, if we were married, etc. It was the most unprofessional experience I've had at a restaurant. We will not go be back here just because of him, which is a shame, since the food is good.
(2)Ronak M.
From what I remember, the food was good but a little expensive. What I clearly remember is how rude the server was, this must be a husband and wife team. Because like others I did hear some yelling too. The server had a chip on her shoulder from the minute we walked in. It w a not busy at all but still it took her some tine to great us and get waters. My husband and I both ordered non - alcoholic bevs and she kept trying to push us to order wine, also my son is little so he only drinks water and she seemed very unhappy with that too. We ordered two apps and two entrees between the three of us. Service continued to be slow and rude. Would not return. Maybe try them for carryout.
(1)Peter G.
We had a large family gathering here and everyone enjoyed the meat platter (chicken, kofta, and meat shawarma), which was delicious. The hummus and baba ganoush appetizers were perfect, and there was no shortage of pita bread. The atmosphere is great for large groups and families. We'll definitely be headed back.
(5)Wolf R.
We were hesitant to come here based on the prior poor service reviews, but I'm glad we did. The Baba Ghanouj certainly among the best I've had. The Lebna is wonderful, and the Moroccan Lamb Tagine was delicious and what I'll be coming back for. All the dishes had featured tasteful presentation. The male staff was very warm, though our server seemed stand-offish. Perhaps it's just her personality, since she helpfully recommended the Moroccan Lamb Tagine when I was just going to get the boring ol' Lamb Kabobs.
(5)Freya O.
This place is absolutely delicious and the people are super friendly! I always get the Kifta Chicken and it's great! Awesome lunch specials and awesome people. What more could you want?
(5)Cory H.
I have eaten here a few times in the past couple weeks. They have the best chicken Kabobs in the area. I have tried multiple things on the menu and all were great. The business seems to be family owned and operated as well. The decor is very nice and the service was great
(5)Jr.k B.
Food is amazing and taste very fresh. I am a huge fan of their humans and other drips.
(5)Jen W.
Food was ok had better. Lady worker has a full on attitude and doesn't say thank you or ask if you need anything. Lady makes the Environment dead and makes the food dead...
(2)Matt S.
Food is good here. You can't go wrong with hummus and pita as an appetizer. Hummus is creamy and the seasoning and oil is just right. Falafel is crispy on the outside and bursting with flavor on the inside. My go-to at Mediterranean places is usually a kifta kabob entree and it didn't disappoint here. You get 4 tasty pieces around a bed of rice covered in roasted vegetables. There is an entree sampler where you can get each of the meat items they offer. Entrees cost about $12 each. One day I will try it and be in heaven. The inside decorations and ambiance is pleasant. I'll be back to stuff my face again for sure.
(3)Andrew I.
Authentic food and super-friendly service. The baba ganouj is the best I have ever tasted. The Mina platter is great entree -- it offers a sample of many different types of meat. The restaurant is owned by a family, so it feels just like home.
(5)Luigi S.
Ok the problem is when you go to a restaurant and they have shrimp called jumbo but its only as big as your big toe, thats a problem. I must say minas has shrimp that look like baby lobster.
(5)Shugz F.
Great place to host a party! We book the whole restaurant for a baby shower. They were so accommodating with everything! We rearranged tables and wall art. Miriam was a pleasure to work with and Joseph was great too. The food was delicious. Everything is zabiha/halal allhumduillah. I will recommend this place to all.
(5)Jeschelle-Marc M.
The food is OK. The service, I wish I could say OK 'cause I never had a problem communicating with them in person. But the problem is on their online ordering. Once I tried to order online, I even received an order confirmation thru email but when I got there I was told they haven't got my order and they have never received anything (to think that I received an order confirmation on my email!). They need to work on their online ordering.
(3)Victoria W.
We were a little concerned about the stories of bad service, but I'm glad we came here anyway. Our waitress was kind of aloof, but there was also a waiter and a (I'm guessing) manager who helped bring out the food, and they were outstanding! Super friendly, hilarious, actually anticipating our needs. (Towards the end of our meal, my partner was looking at a menu from another table to make sure he could remember the name of the dish he ordered -- the waiter guessed this correctly and quickly brought over a paper menu, pointing at a picture of the lamb dish on the front :).) We also had a living social deal that was accepted without any problems. I ordered the lentil soup, which came with a delicious topping of baked pita chips, and small Veggie Mina Mezza platter. It was all very good, though everything seemed a bit lacking in the savory department. A little salt perked it right up. My partner's lamb was of a very good portion for the price, and came with an amazing tomato saffron sauce that I couldn't stop stealing spoonfuls of. The one thing I wish they wouldn't do is use the veggie mix that is clearly from frozen bags. Also, the Italian murals on the walls were hilariously distracting. Besides that though, the ambiance was nice. I'll definitely be back to try the Egyptian Eggplant.
(4)jay t.
Amazing food - ordered a small order of babganoush, small order of grape leaves, and a combo (kefta kabob and chicken kabob) for dinner. Everything was delicious. The service was very friendly and attentive. Knowing that this is a family owned restaurant makes me like it even more. Will definitely be back to try their other dinner combos and appetizers.
(5)J B.
We went here to meet family and talk and because they have a vegetarian selection. I was impressed w the layout and white tablecloths. We ordered apps of the Mezza Vegetarian which came very fresh well made $30. Our drinks came also which were nice and remember the waitress doesn't write them down. The food ordered was chick kifta, a couple of kabobs and I ordered the Moroccan Lamb Tergine which I thought was going to come in the ceramic teregine . I received the lower leg portion of lamb w the smallest portion of meat, about 4 bites, but well presented w veg and tasty rice. All in all we enjoyed our talk and our meal which everyone loved the spices and flavors and reminded us of homemade. The prices are reasonable but some portions are small compared to others you might have had such as the leg of lamb I mentioned. It's a shame that on a Saturday only 3 tables were occupied.
(4)Edward R.
I read alotta bad reviews here. Had to see for myself. I am giving 5 stars: one for warm welcoming & elegant dining areas/overall ambience, one for extensive menu that offered a wide range of authentic middle eastern items to choose from. One more because their suggestions were dead on perfect. Portions matched price -and- we had a small leftover to go. yet another star: Clean Bathroom Final star-had a nice wine list. we didn't want any-but it was nice that it was available. THANK YOU for the lovely evening! PS. we had Lamb tagine-as good as anything I ever had in greektown & Eggplant egyptian style-again excellently prepared/goodly sized portion & less fattening than Parmagiana! We also had Mezza platter. Initially looked kinda small, but once we started working on it, it was a perfect accompaniment. Big FLAVORS.......not your typical falafel, Big Flavor! There may have been a learning curve here....try them again-it might be different this time around.
(5)Tony S.
Excellent experience this time around, the Mia platter was awesome, and thy did bring the pita bread. We ordered Moroccan chicken wings, but they were strangely identical to buffalo wings! Still good. Overall a good experience.
(4)Ruma T.
This is one of few lunch places that I've visited near work. They have great lunch specials - tons of food for less than 10$. When I went last week, I took my leftovers and had them the next day and was very very full both days..so that is pretty great in my book. I had the fried fish most recently and have had the other meats (chicken/lamb) before and all are consistently good. I've never been for dinner so can't speak for that. Service is fine - fast and efficient. Its a huge place that doesn't at all look Mediterranean..but who cares. The food is solid.
(4)Abraham V.
The food is Delicious. The service could use an upgrade, however one may not be able to justify it due to the lack of customers? Maybe it was an off night. We will return to this establishment and provide it an opportunity to dazzle us.
(4)Javid A.
Ordering online is how i got my food. recieved it in an hour or so later . Food was well cooked and smelled delicious. Heavy portion of meats and rice ( I should have weighed it was that heavy) . And finaly the desert it was 1 piece of baklava very sweet but only 1 piece. I was told it was halal but later found out they serve alcohol and the owners are Christian Egyptians. The woman on the phone said the food was halal except the deserts ie the cakes. I said salam to the person who brought me the food didnt return my walaykum so something was up. So eat halal . Even though the food was good and said it was halal the person who brought the food to me made everything seem questionable. Is it me or others have this kinda feeling ?
(3)Tanvir H.
Went there with a Groupon and definitely one of those places that treat groupon customers as a second class citizen. This was one of those placees I wanted to try and like, yet just kept on doing things wrong. In any other mood I would have probably walked out due to the service. The visit there started with such promise. My friend and I decided to pick this place because of Groupon, which I'm slowly beginning to think is being used by bad restaurants to bring in customers, and location. Was pretty impressed when we walked into the restaurant. Place looked pretty upscale for a Mediterranean restaurant in the suburbs when we walked in and saw the bar and the dining room. We were given a proper greeting and it pretty much went downhill from there. Was given a menu and asked about our Goupon and waitress pretty much frowned and tried to get us to not use it. The funny thing is I wouldn't have even gone here without it. If I was really in the mood I would have probably complained to the staff that we were not given the wine and that the groupon was essentially the meal deal we wanted to order. The only saving grace was that the food was pretty good. However, it's not much better than Pitta Inn and better establishments nearby exist (Detroit Kabob) which offer better service with better quality food at a better price. Quantity of food was skimmy for the price and type of establishment, usually when I go to Reza's or Orchid in the city, I'm beyond stuffed. I was hungry not too long after leaving here. Nowhere near the best, but not bad. Two other service issues I had with the establishment came into play after the main meal was served. The first being that I ordered a chocolate cake and they brought me a cream cake with coconut, I would have like to have been at least asked if I still wanted it as I would have foregone it since I am very picky about desert. The second was that they included a service fee in the bill and I am not ok with that unless I am told ahead of time, especially considering how poor the service was at the establishment. Considering the area has plenty of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern establishments, I doubt I would come back especially when you take into consideration of service.
(1)Johny T.
This place is horrible and the service is terrible the server basically threw me my credit card for no reason.
(1)X X.
Mina's Mediterranean Restaurant, is unlike other Mediterranean Restaurant my Lady and I have been too. As soon as you walk in, the atmosphere looks awesome in my book, the painting on the walls were beautiful. The staff was helpful as well. Right away we were given a menu and my Lady and I wanted to keep things on a budget so we ordered one the meals where you basically pick 5 selections. My Lady got her self a glass of wine, which was good she stated. When picking our appetizer, I will note it is wise if the staff has knowledge on the different food items. I asked about one particular appetizer, and there was no knowledge as to what was in it, so instead we had Baba ghanoush, which tasted excellent. Second type of course, my Lady had the soup and I had the Arabic Salad, both tasted excellent as we shared with one another. For our meals, She had the Kifta Kabob and I had the Chicken Shawerma the food was excellent, we loved it all. For dessert they should have asked us what we wanted instead of just bringing us both baklava, as I have a real bad allergy to tree nuts. They brought a real small portion, which to be honest should of been bigger portion. After realizing I had an allergy they got me strawberry ice cream. Over all the food was great, the service was great as well, even little minor issues, but I am not one to make a big deal out of nothing. Note for the owner, and waiting staff, I would make sure your patrons do not have allergies to foods, as well I would make sure the server knows all the dishes, so when asked a question they know how to answer the patron. Also have cell phones on hand on silent, it is very unprofessional to have a cell phone ringing in the main room where patrons are eating. Over all not putting the restaurant down, just any place would need to know this, over all the food was excellent.
(5)Ryan K.
After looking for a falafel delivery restaurant I landed on this interesting place. I can't speak for the in house service because I never entered the building, but it took me over 15 minutes to place a $25 order over the phone that started as a $12 order. The woman on the other side of the line seemed confused with 90% of the words that came out of my mouth. Including the reading of my credit card, which we did over 5 times very slowly. Other than that the food was amazing!
(4)Mark M.
The really only thing you need to know is just don't go there. The number one reason: the service. The staff acts as if you are (greatly) inconveniencing them by being in their restaurant, spending YOUR money. They stand around and chat while you sit with empty drinks, dirty plates, or no menu. The food is self is underwhelming. The prices are decent.
(1)Lisa H.
This was my first & last time here.. As far as the food goes, I wasn't impressed at all, there was no flavor. I can't say anything about the service as I had a carry out order. I'm bummed since this is the closest Mediterranean restaurant to my work & I was looking forward to having this for lunch on occasion. I guess I'll keep making the farther drive to my favorite place in Schaumburg..
(2)Somchai S.
I am pleasantly surprised by the food here. It is way better than Pita Inn! I stopped by today for a business lunch. They have a ridiculous lunch special starting at $6.99 for a generous amount of food. Everything was flavorful, came out quickly, friendly, and decor is nice. I will definitely try this place again.
(4)Mariam S.
There food is Awesome. I have been to a tons of Mediterranean restaurant, and this was possibly the best tasting food for me. My server wasn't the most welcoming when we first walked in. But when I saw my food, I was pretty much not worried about her any more. And once I took the first bite of my chicken kabab, thats all I could think about up until now. The prices are killer for the serving and taste. I believe the two nice gentlemen who came to ask if our food was good were the owners. $37 for a great dinner for two. Can't get better ! Suggestion: Please add the Mediterranean style tea that's the only thing I missed out on in this place.
(5)Andy C.
I was REALLY excited to try Mina as soon as i heard about it. I love mediterranean food, and there are no places around Des Plaines at all. So i had high hopes going in, hoping that i would find my new shawarma sandwich place. Sadly i was wrong.....very wrong. The only reason i am giving this 2 stars is because the food was decent. Not authentic at ALL, but still sorta tasty. The service was pretty bad, and we were only one of 3 tables when we walked in ~7pm on a Friday night. Upon walking in we immediately liked the decor, while sort of generic looking, was at least appealing. We ordered the mini mezza appetizer platter, which is a combination of appetizers. I was so excited at this point as i love some good hummus. The platter had Tabbouleh, Hummus, Dolma, Falafel, Baba Ghanouj, and some sort of yogurt with herb dip. Things start to go south as soon as the platter arrives. The hummus is bland, the dolma are OK, but very small and kinda dry. The falafel are terrible, and we cannot even eat them. They were so bland it was pointless. The yogurt dip was my favorite, not sure what it is called though, as the others were forgettable. For dinner my wife got the chicken kabobs and i got he chicken shawarma platter. Both came with rice, which was cooked very well and had a good flavor. It was a bit on the oily side, but the rice flavor really came through. That was the best part of our dishes. Both platters came with grilled veggies, but the veggies were so small and it was a joke. Tiny slices of small squash and one mushroom the size of a marble does not constitute grilled vegetables imo. The chicken kabob was fairly good my wife said, but my shawarma was definately NOT a shawarma. The chicken was simply cut up/diced and sauteed, not from a spit at all. It is easy to tell meat from a spit, the cut and texture are very easy to spot. This was the opposite. I could have made the same at home with a non stick frying pan. Not only that, but the meat had no flavor at all. We both had to ask for some hot sauce because the food was just so bland. Overall a hue disappointment for us. If the food had been better(authentic) we would probably be there on a weekly basis, such is our love for good mediterranean food. Would not go back, even with a resaurtant.com coupon which we had. Thankfully we did not have to pay full price for this place, or i would have given it 0 stars as it is on the pricey side for a place like that.
(2)Ruma T.
This is one of few lunch places that I've visited near work. They have great lunch specials - tons of food for less than 10$. When I went last week, I took my leftovers and had them the next day and was very very full both days..so that is pretty great in my book. I had the fried fish most recently and have had the other meats (chicken/lamb) before and all are consistently good. I've never been for dinner so can't speak for that. Service is fine - fast and efficient. Its a huge place that doesn't at all look Mediterranean..but who cares. The food is solid.
(4)Luna M.
If I lived closer to Chicago, Pita Inn & Reza would be my 1st & 2nd choices (respectively) for Middle Eastern restaurants. But Mina Restaurant is the closest to Lake county for good Middle Eastern food. Always good to get a combination plate to get familiar with the food (and the tastes & spices). If they have a Buffet, that would even be a better way to sample the ethnic food/dishes. My favorite dishes at Mina are their Falafil (great spicy sauce for dipping) and Kifta Kabob. Check it out.
(4)X X.
Mina's Mediterranean Restaurant, is unlike other Mediterranean Restaurant my Lady and I have been too. As soon as you walk in, the atmosphere looks awesome in my book, the painting on the walls were beautiful. The staff was helpful as well. Right away we were given a menu and my Lady and I wanted to keep things on a budget so we ordered one the meals where you basically pick 5 selections. My Lady got her self a glass of wine, which was good she stated. When picking our appetizer, I will note it is wise if the staff has knowledge on the different food items. I asked about one particular appetizer, and there was no knowledge as to what was in it, so instead we had Baba ghanoush, which tasted excellent. Second type of course, my Lady had the soup and I had the Arabic Salad, both tasted excellent as we shared with one another. For our meals, She had the Kifta Kabob and I had the Chicken Shawerma the food was excellent, we loved it all. For dessert they should have asked us what we wanted instead of just bringing us both baklava, as I have a real bad allergy to tree nuts. They brought a real small portion, which to be honest should of been bigger portion. After realizing I had an allergy they got me strawberry ice cream. Over all the food was great, the service was great as well, even little minor issues, but I am not one to make a big deal out of nothing. Note for the owner, and waiting staff, I would make sure your patrons do not have allergies to foods, as well I would make sure the server knows all the dishes, so when asked a question they know how to answer the patron. Also have cell phones on hand on silent, it is very unprofessional to have a cell phone ringing in the main room where patrons are eating. Over all not putting the restaurant down, just any place would need to know this, over all the food was excellent.
(5)Ryan K.
After looking for a falafel delivery restaurant I landed on this interesting place. I can't speak for the in house service because I never entered the building, but it took me over 15 minutes to place a $25 order over the phone that started as a $12 order. The woman on the other side of the line seemed confused with 90% of the words that came out of my mouth. Including the reading of my credit card, which we did over 5 times very slowly. Other than that the food was amazing!
(4)Mark M.
The really only thing you need to know is just don't go there. The number one reason: the service. The staff acts as if you are (greatly) inconveniencing them by being in their restaurant, spending YOUR money. They stand around and chat while you sit with empty drinks, dirty plates, or no menu. The food is self is underwhelming. The prices are decent.
(1)Wolf R.
We were hesitant to come here based on the prior poor service reviews, but I'm glad we did. The Baba Ghanouj certainly among the best I've had. The Lebna is wonderful, and the Moroccan Lamb Tagine was delicious and what I'll be coming back for. All the dishes had featured tasteful presentation. The male staff was very warm, though our server seemed stand-offish. Perhaps it's just her personality, since she helpfully recommended the Moroccan Lamb Tagine when I was just going to get the boring ol' Lamb Kabobs.
(5)Freya O.
This place is absolutely delicious and the people are super friendly! I always get the Kifta Chicken and it's great! Awesome lunch specials and awesome people. What more could you want?
(5)Jen W.
Food was ok had better. Lady worker has a full on attitude and doesn't say thank you or ask if you need anything. Lady makes the Environment dead and makes the food dead...
(2)Abraham V.
The food is Delicious. The service could use an upgrade, however one may not be able to justify it due to the lack of customers? Maybe it was an off night. We will return to this establishment and provide it an opportunity to dazzle us.
(4)Javid A.
Ordering online is how i got my food. recieved it in an hour or so later . Food was well cooked and smelled delicious. Heavy portion of meats and rice ( I should have weighed it was that heavy) . And finaly the desert it was 1 piece of baklava very sweet but only 1 piece. I was told it was halal but later found out they serve alcohol and the owners are Christian Egyptians. The woman on the phone said the food was halal except the deserts ie the cakes. I said salam to the person who brought me the food didnt return my walaykum so something was up. So eat halal . Even though the food was good and said it was halal the person who brought the food to me made everything seem questionable. Is it me or others have this kinda feeling ?
(3)Tanvir H.
Went there with a Groupon and definitely one of those places that treat groupon customers as a second class citizen. This was one of those placees I wanted to try and like, yet just kept on doing things wrong. In any other mood I would have probably walked out due to the service. The visit there started with such promise. My friend and I decided to pick this place because of Groupon, which I'm slowly beginning to think is being used by bad restaurants to bring in customers, and location. Was pretty impressed when we walked into the restaurant. Place looked pretty upscale for a Mediterranean restaurant in the suburbs when we walked in and saw the bar and the dining room. We were given a proper greeting and it pretty much went downhill from there. Was given a menu and asked about our Goupon and waitress pretty much frowned and tried to get us to not use it. The funny thing is I wouldn't have even gone here without it. If I was really in the mood I would have probably complained to the staff that we were not given the wine and that the groupon was essentially the meal deal we wanted to order. The only saving grace was that the food was pretty good. However, it's not much better than Pitta Inn and better establishments nearby exist (Detroit Kabob) which offer better service with better quality food at a better price. Quantity of food was skimmy for the price and type of establishment, usually when I go to Reza's or Orchid in the city, I'm beyond stuffed. I was hungry not too long after leaving here. Nowhere near the best, but not bad. Two other service issues I had with the establishment came into play after the main meal was served. The first being that I ordered a chocolate cake and they brought me a cream cake with coconut, I would have like to have been at least asked if I still wanted it as I would have foregone it since I am very picky about desert. The second was that they included a service fee in the bill and I am not ok with that unless I am told ahead of time, especially considering how poor the service was at the establishment. Considering the area has plenty of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern establishments, I doubt I would come back especially when you take into consideration of service.
(1)Johny T.
This place is horrible and the service is terrible the server basically threw me my credit card for no reason.
(1)Andrew I.
Authentic food and super-friendly service. The baba ganouj is the best I have ever tasted. The Mina platter is great entree -- it offers a sample of many different types of meat. The restaurant is owned by a family, so it feels just like home.
(5)Luigi S.
Ok the problem is when you go to a restaurant and they have shrimp called jumbo but its only as big as your big toe, thats a problem. I must say minas has shrimp that look like baby lobster.
(5)Matt S.
Food is good here. You can't go wrong with hummus and pita as an appetizer. Hummus is creamy and the seasoning and oil is just right. Falafel is crispy on the outside and bursting with flavor on the inside. My go-to at Mediterranean places is usually a kifta kabob entree and it didn't disappoint here. You get 4 tasty pieces around a bed of rice covered in roasted vegetables. There is an entree sampler where you can get each of the meat items they offer. Entrees cost about $12 each. One day I will try it and be in heaven. The inside decorations and ambiance is pleasant. I'll be back to stuff my face again for sure.
(3)Somchai S.
I am pleasantly surprised by the food here. It is way better than Pita Inn! I stopped by today for a business lunch. They have a ridiculous lunch special starting at $6.99 for a generous amount of food. Everything was flavorful, came out quickly, friendly, and decor is nice. I will definitely try this place again.
(4)Mariam S.
There food is Awesome. I have been to a tons of Mediterranean restaurant, and this was possibly the best tasting food for me. My server wasn't the most welcoming when we first walked in. But when I saw my food, I was pretty much not worried about her any more. And once I took the first bite of my chicken kabab, thats all I could think about up until now. The prices are killer for the serving and taste. I believe the two nice gentlemen who came to ask if our food was good were the owners. $37 for a great dinner for two. Can't get better ! Suggestion: Please add the Mediterranean style tea that's the only thing I missed out on in this place.
(5)Victoria W.
We were a little concerned about the stories of bad service, but I'm glad we came here anyway. Our waitress was kind of aloof, but there was also a waiter and a (I'm guessing) manager who helped bring out the food, and they were outstanding! Super friendly, hilarious, actually anticipating our needs. (Towards the end of our meal, my partner was looking at a menu from another table to make sure he could remember the name of the dish he ordered -- the waiter guessed this correctly and quickly brought over a paper menu, pointing at a picture of the lamb dish on the front :).) We also had a living social deal that was accepted without any problems. I ordered the lentil soup, which came with a delicious topping of baked pita chips, and small Veggie Mina Mezza platter. It was all very good, though everything seemed a bit lacking in the savory department. A little salt perked it right up. My partner's lamb was of a very good portion for the price, and came with an amazing tomato saffron sauce that I couldn't stop stealing spoonfuls of. The one thing I wish they wouldn't do is use the veggie mix that is clearly from frozen bags. Also, the Italian murals on the walls were hilariously distracting. Besides that though, the ambiance was nice. I'll definitely be back to try the Egyptian Eggplant.
(4)jay t.
Amazing food - ordered a small order of babganoush, small order of grape leaves, and a combo (kefta kabob and chicken kabob) for dinner. Everything was delicious. The service was very friendly and attentive. Knowing that this is a family owned restaurant makes me like it even more. Will definitely be back to try their other dinner combos and appetizers.
(5)Don Z.
This is a nice solid place for lunch, which is the only meal I have had at Mina. The decor is classy and clean... a little bit more upscale than other middle east places at which I have eaten. The service is prompt. I am always a little surprised at how dead this place is for lunch, but maybe that is why the server always has time for me. The lunch specials are very reasonably priced. I like the $7 kefta kabob. With the warm pitas and some rice
(3)J B.
We went here to meet family and talk and because they have a vegetarian selection. I was impressed w the layout and white tablecloths. We ordered apps of the Mezza Vegetarian which came very fresh well made $30. Our drinks came also which were nice and remember the waitress doesn't write them down. The food ordered was chick kifta, a couple of kabobs and I ordered the Moroccan Lamb Tergine which I thought was going to come in the ceramic teregine . I received the lower leg portion of lamb w the smallest portion of meat, about 4 bites, but well presented w veg and tasty rice. All in all we enjoyed our talk and our meal which everyone loved the spices and flavors and reminded us of homemade. The prices are reasonable but some portions are small compared to others you might have had such as the leg of lamb I mentioned. It's a shame that on a Saturday only 3 tables were occupied.
(4)Tony S.
Excellent experience this time around, the Mia platter was awesome, and thy did bring the pita bread. We ordered Moroccan chicken wings, but they were strangely identical to buffalo wings! Still good. Overall a good experience.
(4)Shugz F.
Great place to host a party! We book the whole restaurant for a baby shower. They were so accommodating with everything! We rearranged tables and wall art. Miriam was a pleasure to work with and Joseph was great too. The food was delicious. Everything is zabiha/halal allhumduillah. I will recommend this place to all.
(5)Jeschelle-Marc M.
The food is OK. The service, I wish I could say OK 'cause I never had a problem communicating with them in person. But the problem is on their online ordering. Once I tried to order online, I even received an order confirmation thru email but when I got there I was told they haven't got my order and they have never received anything (to think that I received an order confirmation on my email!). They need to work on their online ordering.
(3)Lisa H.
This was my first & last time here.. As far as the food goes, I wasn't impressed at all, there was no flavor. I can't say anything about the service as I had a carry out order. I'm bummed since this is the closest Mediterranean restaurant to my work & I was looking forward to having this for lunch on occasion. I guess I'll keep making the farther drive to my favorite place in Schaumburg..
(2)Jennifer L.
This was my second time coming to this restaurant. My friend and I had a great experience the first time, but this time not so much. As far as the food, I would rate it a 4, but the service and the staff, I give it a 1. It's a family owned restaurant and the son was our waiter. He was in his 20's and would not leave my friend and I alone. He actually asked us twice if he could sit with us and then asked if he could just stand there and chat with us. We tried to be nice at the beginning and said we were having girl time, but he did not get the hint. He came back every 2 minutes and would just stand there and kept interrupting our conversation. He asked us where we worked, how old we were, if we were married, etc. It was the most unprofessional experience I've had at a restaurant. We will not go be back here just because of him, which is a shame, since the food is good.
(2)Ronak M.
From what I remember, the food was good but a little expensive. What I clearly remember is how rude the server was, this must be a husband and wife team. Because like others I did hear some yelling too. The server had a chip on her shoulder from the minute we walked in. It w a not busy at all but still it took her some tine to great us and get waters. My husband and I both ordered non - alcoholic bevs and she kept trying to push us to order wine, also my son is little so he only drinks water and she seemed very unhappy with that too. We ordered two apps and two entrees between the three of us. Service continued to be slow and rude. Would not return. Maybe try them for carryout.
(1)Peter G.
We had a large family gathering here and everyone enjoyed the meat platter (chicken, kofta, and meat shawarma), which was delicious. The hummus and baba ganoush appetizers were perfect, and there was no shortage of pita bread. The atmosphere is great for large groups and families. We'll definitely be headed back.
(5)Cory H.
I have eaten here a few times in the past couple weeks. They have the best chicken Kabobs in the area. I have tried multiple things on the menu and all were great. The business seems to be family owned and operated as well. The decor is very nice and the service was great
(5)Jr.k B.
Food is amazing and taste very fresh. I am a huge fan of their humans and other drips.
(5)Mital B.
The service is truly terrible and the food is just average. I think it's a completely family ran restaurant. I went on a Sunday and I'm pretty sure there was 1 person cooking in the back and 1 person out in the front taking orders, clearing tables, etc. We waited for about 10 minutes to get seated. After we were seated, we had to wait another 15 minutes for the server to come by and take our drink order. She came back 15 minutes later with our drinks and took off before we could place a food order. We were able to flag her down after another 20 minutes. About 45 minutes later we were given our food. We finished eating and waited another 20 minutes for our check and credit card back. All in all, we probably spent our entire Sunday there.
(2)Justin R.
I ordered Mina's for delivery (via GrubHub) and was entirely underwhelmed. The food wasn't horrible, but it wasn't the type of meal I'd want to repeat regularly.
(2)Christine O.
The food here was very good. The service could use some improvement. I thought the prices were good for the portions you get. We were quite full when we finished. The place was empty except for us so I guess they thought it was okay to start vacuuming while we were still eating, (it was lunch time - not late evening). Also, the music was on way too loud. Ethnic flute music blaring in my ear. I'd like to go back for the food, but I kept thinking of how badly the management and staff needed training the whole time I was there.
(3)John T.
We got to Mina on Saturday with a Groupon we had purchased last minuite. It took a little while for the server in the nearly empty restaurant to help us. She welcomed us with a nice smile then seated us in a corner next to stacks of chairs and remote control toy cars. Really?? My first thoughts were something out of an episode of Ramsey"s Kitchen Nightmares. We then waited for our menus which she brought us and never offered us a wine menu (which she offered other guests). We ordered our food, and then as we waited, the nice chef came by and said hello and brought us what he described as Arab salad,a bowl of diced cucumbers and tomatos with parsley in a light vinegrette, which was very nice. We ordered Falafel which were nice and crunchy on the outside, Bland tasting and gooey on the inside. Also they gave us a sauce with the falafel which we didnt know what the heck it was..a yogurt dill concoction that was awful!! Also the sauce with our entress was unrecognizable, I think it was a cross between wasabi and tatziki without tahini. Who knows what that was... it also looked weird. The shwarma was ok with the exception they never offered pita with it,and the grilled veg mess wasn't flavorful at all... The food was ok tasting, not the best overall. They should take lessons from some of the great medeteranian restaurants in the city. Overall, not horrible, but nothing to write home about. This place needs to step up their game,
(2)D'Arcy K.
Upon entering, one cannot help but notice the copious remnants of the Italian eatery this space formerly occupied. Tuscan wall murals; bottles of wine and jars of Parmesan cheese on the table; Fettuccine Alfredo and mozzarella sticks on the menu. A fledgling establishment; god bless 'em. And what a nice server. Wait, is that a plaque with a suburban newspaper article showcasing Mina's arrival - dated early 2010? Oh dear. Unfortunate lentil soup; bland and watery, with a bit of crouton for good measure. The veggie grape leaves, although a tad on the soft side, were offset nicely with lemon juice, olive oil, and stewed tomatoes. Then, the mina meza. Kraft Foodservice pita and falafel; last week's tabbouleh; labneh with unidentifiable garni; and giardiniera-topped hummus. Giardiniera-topped hummus?? The baba ghanoush, however, was surprisingly tasty. I wanted to like Mina, but it's an odd melange of middle eastern and Italian - two great tastes that don't taste great together, with neither one done particularly well. For fast food Mediterranean in the north Chicago burbs, I'll stick with Pita Inn.
(2)Xiaoxi L.
I've been here twice. Got the falafel plate both times. Bland, but the actual falafels are nice and crispy (and large). First time, lady put up her hand to signal that she saw me when I came in the door to pick up my lunch (6.99 special, nice price) and then took 10 minutes to dump my food in my hand. When she handed me my change, she had already turned around and it scattered on the counter. Second time, my party of three ate in and was only served 1 pita each with our meals and charged extra (though only 1 dollar) for extra pitas. The sauces we were given were barely enough for 1 person. Small amounts of cucumber sauce and hummus given. Waitress gave attitude when she didn't understand a request.
(1)Kristin D. W.
People need to remember where they are going. This isn't a "5 star" restaurant that is going have the greatest service of your life. That being said:: Okay, yes, the wait staff needs to spend some money on personality classes... but as far as the food, I say its great. I came for the food anyway, not to make friends. We've been there a few times now and the quality of service varies. If you're on lunch, let them know or you may end up asking for a box to go soon as you get your food (This happened to me once) but the food is always FRESH, good quality meat that isn't too fatty. For the price, I don't think you can beat it. Way better than Falafel Bistro down the street for about the same price. I'll keep going. My score card:: Service - 5/10 Food - 7/10 Atmosphere - 7/10
(4)Rabob M.
I'm a fan because I've been going to this place since it first opened. It is over-priced now since it has become more popular and the serving size has become smaller. Other than that, the staff is great and the food is amazing. Most Middle-eastern restaurants I have eaten in serve larger portions. If you are on a budget- this is not the place for you.
(4)Christina Z.
I called the manager following my review on Monday and explained to him our experience. He was phenomenal! Needless to say we did end up coming back and we actually had the same waitress, but let me tell you it was like day and night from our last experience. She was AMAZING and not just to us but the entire restaurant. Clearly her manager had spoken with her because she was polite, respectful, and caring. It simply was phenomenal to have her as our waitress. The food was beyond words. It was heavenly. I'd never had hummus but let me tell you it was so good. Oh and the Baklava, I'm Greek and you know how much we love it, but this was better than any kind I had before. It was the perfect way to end out lovely meal and great service.
(5)B D.
Got a Groupon in January to research the food type for a theme dinner we were having. We did have quick pleasant service and the appetizer was good it was a combination plate for 2 about $9. We shared an entree lamb chops, they were good but were missing the middle eastern spices could have been from any town USA. The MIna sauce requires a special palate to enjoy, hot but had no depth, do they serve this in Egypt ?
(2)Vesna N.
The food was so bland and blah...I had a few bites and lost interest in it completely. My husband ate a little more than be but also thought the food was too bland and boring...we will not be ordering from here again.
(1)Deanna S.
Their menu has a big selection. Love the baba ghanouj Nice and garlicky and hummus was nice and creamy. Ordered the kabobs. The Mina platter had a lil bit of different meats, grilled vegetables, Mina rice. The owner's treated us like family. While I'm here for training, I will definitely be going back. They also deliver to the training center if you don't want to go out.
(5)Alex H.
Read some of the other reviews and it seemed pretty mixed so decided to find out for myself. Customer service is definitely an issue here. There was only one waitress on staff (understandable considering we were the only customers), however, the service was slow and extremely apathetic. The waitress was not necessarily rude, but definitely not friendly at all. It felt like during our entire meal, she just wanted our table of three to order and get the hell out. During our meal, the waitress decided to pick up her cell phone and chat away in the dining room. We first saw a glance of a smile from her as she sat at the bar watching tv while we waited for any type of service. Just a recommendation Mina's; please pick and choose which audio source you would like to expose to your customers. A blaring tv drama that is at the same loud level as your music is not a pleasant experience. We ordered some hummus, falafel, chicken/beef schwarma, and a chicken/beef kabob platter. The food was decent, but nothing to rave about. The only reason this got a 2 stars instead of a 1. If you enjoy the following, you should definitely visit Mina's 1. Slow service that will ruin the greatest of moods 2. I am in no way a water snob, but the tap water here tasted extremely metallic forcing the entire table to purchase beverages 3. Dinner + Music + a TV Drama 4. Average tasting food
(2)Yav A.
The food is Zabiha/Halal aka Muslim Kosher meat. It does serve alchohol but they did repeatedly say that they use zabiha halal meat. My wife ordered the beef and chicken kabobs and really liked them. My daughter loved the beef kifta kabob. I had the combo of chicken and beef kifta. The falafels were ridiculously good. They give very generous portions, great prices and service was good. Their dessert portions are really good too.I could have been spoiled by Lebanese, Afghani and Persian kabobs. . I will have to make one more trip to see if I can upgrade my rating
(3)Rachel J.
I went in to Mina for lunch today, and had another great experience. The service is good, non-intrusive, and the restaurant is clean and neat. The decor is a little mish-mashed, but you won't have time to notice, since your face will be soon buried in hot, fresh pitas, and whatever delicious entree you selected.
(5)Kathleen P.
I have only used their delivery service so I cannot speak for the restaurant dining experience, but I can say that I have never been disappointed with the food. We have tried the Mina Platter, Mina Mixed Grill, Mina Meza and Falafel. Everything has been excellent. I'm delighted to have a Mediterranean restaurant in the neighborhood. Next time I'd like to dine at the restaurant. The always have 20% off coupons!!
(4)Usman H.
Very nice place, one of the best places for middle eastern halal food in NW burbs. Quick and efficient service and extremely friendly staff and owner. My favorites are Chicken Shawarma platter, Lamb Shank, Chicken Tikka platter and Moroccan Wings. Also very nicely decorated which is usually a rarity with middle eastern restaurants.
(4)Mark H.
I wish I could give separate ratings for the service and the food. The food was 5 stars. I am not a connoisseur of Mediterranean food, but everything I tried was wonderful. The baklava for dessert was possibly the best I have had. Unfortunately, the staff couldn't seem to get out of their own way. The service was 2 star. They could really benefit from some professional service training. When ordering a bottle of wine, you should open it table side and offer a taste before pouring the full glasses... not bring the already opened bottle, which then turns out to be not the one that was ordered! We never got our water glasses re-filled. After we were finished eating, no one seemed particularly interested in bringing our check, even after clearing our dishes. Fortunately, we were not in a hurry and we had read similar reviews, so we were prepared for the worst... and it wasn't the worst, but it wasn't good either. I wouldn't go here if you are impatient or in a hurry. But if you can be laid back and are willing to offer some grace for the service, I would recommend it. Oh... and we also had a gift certificate from restaurant.com , but the owner said they were not accepting them any longer, due to problems with the company. Fair warning.
(3)Anthony N.
I love the fresh flavors of Mediterranean cuisine, and could only wish that Mina's ownership had brought them along for the ride. Look, all you need to know about this restaurant is symbolized in their pita bread. It's food service-issue (I'm fairly sure). Spongy, boring, and convertible into the open-inside sandwich style with such a uniform thickness that I've got to assume they're rolling off an ISO-certified production line. In other words, I wasn't feeling any soul in the joint. My falafel sandwich was full of blah, the hummus wasn't exceptional, and I wasn't all that interested by the lunch and dinner menus. This is a shame, too, as the 'burbs desperately need a decent Mediterranean joint of their own. I hope this joint gets better. I'm really not enthusiastically looking forward to giving them another shot, though.
(1)Rhea P.
I give this place one star only because the owner was really nice. Otherwise, the service was terrible. Apparently, there ONE waiter didn't come in today so the lady was on her own. It took 10 minutes to get our water and another minute to get our menu. The lady didn't know much about the menu and didn't bother writing down our 3 orders. about 45 minutes later we got our order, which to no surprise, was the wrong one. We only had an hour lunch so I decided not to complain and just eat the food. It wasn't worth the 45 min wait let me tell you that. I wanted rice and got fries instead. I also ordered chicken shawerma and instead got what seemed like a chicken wrap?? I was craving Mediterranean food so bad and it did not satisfy my craving. In fact, it was a pretty big disappointment. I also over heard another customer complaining about not getting her soup that she ordered. Other people in the restaurant didn't order for about 20min or so. They definitely need to work on there service if they want people to come back.
(1)Roberto F.
All I have to say is that I wish the food was better. It wasn't bad but it wasn't anything to "Yelp" about either. Especially the lentil soup, which was extremely bland. Hence why this review comes three weeks after I visited this place. The biggest downside is the price for lunch and your not really getting what you pay for. I recommend heading over to Shish Kabob in Rosemont. Better quality and better prices. Other notes: Have they changed the decor yet? Last Time I went they still had some stuff from the previous restaurant , Vita Mia. I had the reverse of Mark H.'s experience. Our waitress was fantastic and on top things throughout the meal Sadly first experiences count a lot and I don't see my coworkers or myself coming here anytime soon.
(2)Mary N.
It's OK. They can't make a drink, so order beer. The staff seemed nice, but hard to talk to. Falafel was a bit dry, hummus was great, the meat didn't seem lean to me. Basically, I didn't care for the meat. It's one of those places that when you're really busy, go as you are or order pick-up. Not a big deal, but OK.
(2)Julie A.
Baba ghanouj,, falafel, chicken &kefta kabob. That's what I had..it was all delicious. Either this place goats act together since previous yelp reviews...or they are crazy. I can't say anything for service..I was the only person here. It was 3 pm, I didn't expect it to be busy. I think it was the manager who waited on me. He gave me a falafel to try..yummy. The dish also had a creamy jalapeno sauce that was yummy. Grilled pita with my Baba ghanouj- some of the best I have had in awhile! Grilled veggies with my combo. Delicious. Decor is very nice as well. Since I was the only one ther and sitting at a table in the bar area, the owner gave me control of the remote!! Bonus! Oh and don't forget your baklava!
(5)Nicole U.
Was excited to visit this restaurant after my dad told me they had great food. Came in for lunch, place was empty, staff was ok. Food came slow for having no patrons there. Overpriced as all heck for what you are getting. They were "out" of stuffed grape leaves on a Saturday afternoon...... hmmmm....... well I will definitely stick with Pita Inn, which is hands down my favourite "fast" mediterranean restaurant.
(2)Rita B.
What a dump! Let me start by saying that I am Middle Eastern...meaning I know good/bad Middle Eastern/Mediterranean food. I'm not an expert but I know how things are supposed to taste. My husband and I were excited to try a new Mediterranean restaurant around the area. We purchased a groupon yesterday and were able to use it today. As soon as we walked in, the lady had no idea how to greet us. She pointed to a table and walked away. We seated ourselves at the table we assumed was for us. Not sure who our server was but I'm convinced the two other people working there were her children. One was the waiter/server the other was the person who brings out the food. We had to ask for a glass of coke three times. Our glasses of water sat empty for quite some time. OH and we had to ask for menus as we sat in silence for 15 minutes. During our silent period we overheard THREE tables ask where their food was. We had the Mina Mezza appetizer...which was ok but bland and not done right. The tabbouleh had no lemon or oil in it (which it's supposed to), the lebnah had dill in it (not supposed to), falafel is supposed to come with sauce (that was apparently missing), and who puts tomatoes on baba ganough? My husband and I both had the Mina Platter (combination platter in any other restaurant). Rice was pretty good but topped with tomatoes (yet again). Our food came with this greenish white sauce which was spicier than all hell. I'm not sure what that's supposed to be but I can promise you...it is NOT Middle Eastern maybe Far East because it tasted like wasabi and yogurt. This is the best part (please try to not throw up), my husband takes one bite out of his food and turns to me and gives me a weird look. He pulls out a LONG piece of hair from his mouth. How nice! Disgusting. We immediately called the hostess over. I whispered to her our grotesque finding when she snatched the hair out of his hand and said "I'm sorry" and walked away. I called her back over and asked for a fresh plate when she responded "oh, we don't do that here". Are you serious? Then she asked my husband "well, where is the hair?" He looked at me as if he was confused. I too did not understand this question. I said to her "you just took it and threw it on the floor". She said "how do you know it was in your food"? I can tell you for a fact that my husband's hair is pretty darn short and mine is medium brown and straight not black and wavy. So basically she accused us of putting hair in our food. She refused to replace the dish and started to argue with us. We asked for the check. She walked away and actually came back with a check and asked "Do you want any of this to go"? She has got to be out of her mind if she thinks we were going to take any of that crap home. I wouldn't feed it to my dog or ANY dog. Service is a ZERO. Overpriced Food is a big fat ZERO. Recommend this dump to my worst enemy: NO! If I could give this place zero stars I would! OH and just for kicks I am going to put this out there. My husband went to the restroom when he came back laughing. Whoever designed this bathroom and installed the urinals must have been really tall. My husband is 6'2" and he had to stand on his tippy toes at the urinal (according to him). Ha ha ha! What an experience and a waste of our time and money. If you are thinking about going here; don't bother. Go to Pita Inn (they make the food the right way and its half the price plus bigger portions).
(1)Sarah A.
I had dinner here last week just a few days after the place opened. Its a lovely little restaurant, comfortable and welcoming with a small bar/lounge area. Unfortunately it was evident from the moment we stepped in the door that the owner was new to the restaurant business.....the service was oh so lacking. The owner and the waitstaff were so very kind but the staff really seemed pretty clueless what was expected of them. We ordered the Mina mezza small appetizer with hummus, kubbah, falafel, baba ghanoush, grape leaves and lebna. However apparently they were out of grape leaves as there weren't any served to us. The hummus and falafel were pretty tasty to me however my husband who hails from the Middle East wasn't impressed the hummus. For our main entree we split the Mina platter: beef and chicken kabob, kufta kabob, and beef shawarma along with rice and grilled veggies. But.........they were out of rice. NO RICE! What Middle-Eastern/Mediterranean/Egyptian restaurant doesn't have rice??? Instead of rice they gave us a side of the bechamel pasta and a couple of baby lambchops. Overall the food was pretty tasty--I loved the kufta kabob as it was seasoned just right, not too much. My husband was also pretty satisfied with the meal. But the service was so horrible! No one knew when to bring the food or drink, when to refill our water, when to bring the check, when to clear our plates. The owner assured us they he had just hired two experienced servers and the service would not be a problem in the future. But first impressions are very important when it comes to restaurants...... The owner and his wife are wonderful, friendly individuals and I really want them to succeed at this restaurant but my first impression was so, so bad. The food was great but only time will tell if it was good enough to lure me back despite my memories of such lacking service from this visit!
(3)Ashwin B.
One of the best Mediterranean restaurants in the suburbs. Excellent food and ambiance. Recommend the Falafels and Mina Platter or Mixed Grill if you go for dinner. Great portions. Lunch specials are amazing at a great price. At the moment my favorite restaurant.
(5)Gregory B.
We liked it. We moved here from Michigan, where the huge and diverse middle-eastern community made for some fine eating. This would be an average place there, if you take away the WAY too loud bar TV that they reluctantly turned down (nobody was watching it and we couldn't think let alone be heard). Food was good--especially the babaganough.
(4)Diana P.
I was skeptical based in the other YELP reviews however this place wasn't so bad, yet was far from amazing. Service is slow, VERY slow so come when you have time. Skip the hummas, they had no idea how to make it. We ordered veggie plates so perhaps that's why er didn't mind our meal (we came here for a large party). Waiter forgot our falafals, otherwise I'd review those.
(3)Karen S.
I love this little restaurant. The owner is a nice lady and she always remembers me when I go there. Love the kefta kabob, rice and Mina's hummus! Yum
(5)Kammie G.
I went there today for some early dinner with my parents. We got coupons for the place in the mail, so thought we should check it out since it's very close to us and we don't have Mediterranean food like ever. We got there very early. We're Polish and our dinner is eaten early compared to American people, and then we eat Supper when Americans eat dinner. It was about 3-4pm. The restaurant was empty. We waited a little bit and then the owner (I'm guessing?) sat us down. I had to grab the menus myself, he forgot to bring them over. He was very friendly and he had an accent. He was Egyptian. The place itself is very nice and with a lot of flavor. It has a nice atmosphere and very nice decor. Props for that. We ordered our food. I had the Kefta Kebob, which is beef and lamb with some rice and grilled veggies. The food was very good. It was nicely prepared and had a large pita chip thing in the middle of it, as with every other dish we ordered. It was pretty cool. My mom had the Lamb Chops which were really good too and it was my first time trying lamb so that was something else.. but I enjoyed it however I thought it was a little fatty. I don't know if that's just how lamb tastes or if that's the way they prepared it. -------------------- edit: They have Lunch Platters with Kefta Kebobs for 6.99, so me and my mom went for that today. They gave us some pita bread before the meal. We had the kefta kabobs, which came with rice, hummus (it was pretty good, i usually don't like hummus but this one was alright), lebna (reminded me of tzatziki sauce but a little different - very good!), and some lettuce and tomatoes. The food was very good and filling. Also, we tried the kibbeh, which is fried Bulqur stuffed with spicy ground beef, with the lebna sauce and some lettuce. It was very good as well. It had a nice texture to it which was nice. Definitely recommend the place. Sitting outside was awesome too, the weather was perfect today.
(4)David F.
I am not overeacting when I say that this was my least favorite meal I have had in recent memory. The service was poor, but my problem is the food. I had the lamb shank and it was inedible. It had a tomato sauce that tasted like campbell's...it make me queasy thinking about it. I was talked out of giving it back to the kitchen and demanding my meal for free by my wife, but I really wanted to complain...STAY AWAY!!!
(1)Nilesh K.
What are some of these negative reviews talking about??? I was expecting the place to a trash hole based on the reviews, so we pushed off going there 4 times! I am glad we finally tried this place out. I am vegetarian so may be the meat here is bad, but the vegetarian food is really good! The falafel here is actually better than Pita Inn's falafel and I love Pita Inn's falafel. Mina's falafel almost feels fresher and tastier. Everything else including couscous were good as well. Pita Inn does have better spicy sauce. I might have given the place 3 stars if the other reviews were not completely off base. 3 star or 4 start, the bottom line is, go try out this place. You will not regret. ------ Update - one of the reviews talked about low salt in some of the dishes. I do agree with that. I think we added a little bit of salt in both Hummus and Baba Gonoosh. I would take a little less salty than salty food anytime.
(4)Sri S.
I bought a Living Social Coupon so I decided to try this place. Here is the summary: 1. Waitress was unfriendly 2. My wife ordered her entree and on the menu it says it comes with pita bread AND rice. While eating, we realize that we were missing the pita bread. We asked the waitress and she sort of snapped that its either rice OR pita bread, and that if we wanted pita bread, we should have asked for it. We checked the menu again and it says rice AND pita bread. We didnt feel like arguing so we left it at that. Like i said, waitress appeared very unfriendly. 3. I overhear the waitress telling the people at the table next to us that the entree they ordered was $12.99 and not $10.99 as stated in the menu. The prices on the menu were old. (Seriously?) 4. Overall, food was better than average but quite bland, but the horrible experience with the waitress will not make us go back there again. I almost didnt feel like leaving her a tip, but I guess it was her lucky day. 5. There are better places for sure. Eat here if you are stranded. Ambiance was nice but restaurant was EMPTY on a weekend. I guess they dont get much business hence trying to get new clientele using Living Social.
(2)Joan D.
I wish I could give it more stars, but my experience was pretty uneven. The servers were friendly but seemed new and inexperienced. I went here when I saw a coupon in a mailer because it said they had fattoush, and I love fattoush. The menu description sounded good, but what I got for $5.99 was a small side salad with big pieces of romaine, 4 olives with pits in them, 5 slices of small cucumber and half of an unripe out of season tomato. No pita chips in it, no mint, no parsley and no radish, all of which are listed in the description. The dressing, however, was wonderful, lemony and perfectly seasoned and they brought a basket of pita on the side. I was so hungry I ordered an appetizer serving of falafel which was on the bland side, but 6 nicely cooked pieces. I brought 4 of them home with the rest of the pita, but it was expensive for what I got. I hope they can save this place, but there were only two other tables on a Sunday afternoon.
(2)