Best Mediterranean Restaurants in Des Plaines

I was so happy we were able to get in last minute. We looked at reservations for tonight around 11 am, the only thing available was 9:15. Maybe 45 minutes later a 6:45 pops up and we were able to snag it. We had the short rib humus, whipped feta, hamachi, pork belly, steak & frites, fried halloumi and two kabobs. Perfect for all 4 of us hungry eaters. 100% will be back- if you can get in I highly recommend trying anything and everything on the menu. Service was impeccable. Food was courses perfectly and everything came out hot right out of the oven. If you have been to Bavel in LA you will love this “sister” in Chicago

Delicious food ! I had the crispy potatoes and they were the best potatoes I have had. Also great drink selection to go with all the great food choices .

Everything was wonderful! The food, the cocktails, appetizers, the ambiance and we even got limoncello as a treat at the end of the evening. Just lovely My favorite part of all: the name of the restaurant!!! ELIA ❤️

As fans of Rose Mary we were eager to try El Carciofi and willing to take a 4:45 reservation. This is as fun and as delicious as Rose Mary and shares the same approach to dining—shareable small plates. Interesting craft cocktails, sufficient wines by the glass, exceptionally well trained wait staff and very flavorful food. Gus menu was all Rome inspired so it was a little less diverse than Rose Mary. The artichokes were spectacular crisply Rome style. Every inch was edible. Two to an order but they bring you a serrated knife if you want to have them. We had one other appetizer (calamari), one pasta and one seafood main. The portions are great for two to share but if three or four order another something or two and expect to get just a couple bites not full servings. They have $8 servings of gelato and sorbet and a couple amazing deserts they offered to checkout coats.a nice touch in Chicago’s winter. It’s easy to spend $100 per person if you gave two drinks each and desert. We found street parking but forgot to feed the meter since the sign wasn’t obvious so double check

We went for the Thanksgiving buffet and it was a lovely afternoon. The servers were quick with anything we needed and were always friendly. They were also helpful - my husband asked for Turkish coffee and the server responded that black coffee was included but there would be an extra charge for Turkish. Totally reasonable and I appreciated not getting a surprise added charge later. The food was solid, especially the cold apps/salads, cig kofte, lentil soup, bread basket, and the two meats made from ground meat. It's tough to prepare food for such a large group, so not surprising that the chicken kebabs were drier than I'd like. I was sad not to see any lamachun available, as it was listed. But that's okay as that's also something that's better when it's piping hot. At no point did anyone indicate that they needed our table, which can be a concern both at buffets and on holidays. We were able to relax between courses and enjoy the holiday as a family. I'd happily return!