Lemon Tree Mediterranean Grill

I would give this restaurant 5 stars when they opened up. The food was great and plenty of it. Staff was polite and friendly. We couldn’t get enough of this place! Now, few years later, everything is going down south. Portions are so small that if you order small bowl of rice and steak and two sides you can easily fit it all in one measuring cup. I don’t think this little food should cost 10 bucks. People say that this is happening because of portion inconsistency– depends on who is serving you. Well, not a good excuse.
They are trying to cut corners everywhere and it shows.
They also have a punch card with a free bowl when you buy so many meals. Something similar to DQ. Well, when you get to your free meal they punch it but don’t give you the free bowl– you have to wait until your next visit to the restaurant.
Meaning you have to hold on to your card and if you lose it — too bad.
Two sides are not offered although you pay for it. When you bring it to servers attention they say that most people don’t like 2 sides. Really?! I am paying for it so I would like to have it.
If I would describe this restaurant in one word it would be — disappointing.

This place is amazing! Great portions, amazing service and the taste is very good.

The food isn’t very good. I’ve had definitely better Mediterranean food. And the portion are too small for the cost. I had a salad and ask for olive oil, I was informed they didn’t have it!!! WHAT Mediterranean restaurant doesn’t have olive oil???
Do yourself a favor & go elsewhere.

Lemon Tree has turned into one of my favorite spots to grab lunch when I’m in the area. I know I am getting a healthier option for a to-​go lunch.
I usually get a bowl with chicken shwarma, hummus and tabouleh. I like to get the spicy yogurt on the side. There have also been days when I just went to get a snack and grabbed some hummus. Very tasty.
My only complaint is that their portion sizes aren’t consistent. It really depends on who makes your bowl.

so good, even my kids love it! So fortunate to be able to get fresh hummus!

Was here on a Friday afternoon for lunch. Ordered a small rice bowl with chicken for my protein. Portion was ideal in fact I was stuffed after I finished. All ingredients were definitely fresh and appealing in appearance. However, taste was just ok… not bad but not real good. My total came to $ 13.00 without a drink. Staff wasn’t the friendliest either. An hour or so after eating I had a terrible upset/​sour stomach which lasted all day :(I drive by Lemontree everyday and it’s never packed with customers (guess that’s a hint) Overall I wouldn’t recommend this place to a friend but if one offered to buy me lunch and chose here I suppose I wouldn’t refuse.

As a regular, I’m always happy with the great mediterranean at Lemon Tree. It’s such a gem among the boring and unhealthy fast food restaurants. It’s definitely worth the extra 2 dollars for a healthy meal.

Amidst a sea of fast food this place provides a delicious alternative. Fresh, flavorful ingredients including (gasp) vegetables and meat, warm pita and lavash breads, homemade potato chips. I had the chicken kabob sandwich with Lavash bread, hummus, carrot salad, veggie additions and spicy yogurt sauce. Great! Wish we had a Lemon Tree where I live in Seattle. Would definitely recommend.

Although I’ve driven past Lemon Tree countless times, it was only recently that I found myself there for a meal. On this occasion it was an office lunch on a weekday afternoon that brought me here. I wonder now why I never tried it before because it was magnificent. The Lemon Tree is all you would want in casual Mediterranean cuisine — quality meats, fresh vegetables and toppings, and delicious sauces. The Chicken Schwarma was excellent and I was impressed with the quality and flavor of all of the ingredients. The only thing that was somewhat disappointing was the pita bread that came with the meal which was dry and bland tasting like cardboard.
On the whole the dining experience wasn’t necessarily anything to write home about. The facility and atmosphere was clean but character-​less which is not surprising being located in a strip mall. And it would have been nice to dine on something other than paper plates. I did though appreciate the Chipotle-​style ordering where you proceeded through steps adding types of ingredients as you go. It kept the options diverse but simple. I wavered between giving 4 and 5 stars, but it ultimately lost a bit due to the so-​so experience. Regardless, Lemon Tree is definitely on my short list of regular local restaurants.

First of all, the food is good but way overpriced. Lastnight my boyfriend and I went to Lemon Tree to get some food to-​go. I had a coupon on the Entertainment book app for $ 5 off an entrée with the purchase of another and a drink. I told the girl about it at the register and showed it to her and she asked if I could print it out. So confused by her question, I looked around and said «No???» She proceeded to say that they cannot take mobile coupons because they need a printed one for their records (or something ridiculous like that). So not only are they over priced but they won’t accept coupons either. Don’t make coupons available via mobile phones if you’re not going to accept them. That just irritates people. We also sat there for 10+ minutes waiting for our food. To top it all off… quite literally in this case, they forgot to add our sauces at the end.

Driving from Michigan to Chicago and decided to drop by for fresh food instead of a regular drive thru. They had great food, freshly made and cooked, amazing service, no frills but quaint ambience.
Loved the value priced food tremendously! Bowls were the best deals! Hummus was well made while the chicken kabob was excellent.
Highly recommend this place anytime!

Very fresh med. but not as authentic as middle eastern food ought to be. But don’t let that keep you. The food is flavorful and fresh, the chips are the best potato chips i have had in a while. The pita sandwiches are loaded up nicely.

Nestled in a sea of fast food joints, this was a very nice alternative to the standard road fare. The comparisons to Chipotle and Subway are appropriate. You can choose a bowl, pita/​wrap or salad, protein (beef, chicken, falafel, or grilled veggies) and then top it with a nice selection of fresh options. The spicy yogurt sauce was quite tasty,
I had falafel, hubby had the chicken kabob. His sandwich was light on the meat, but mine was great. I also had the lemon chicken rice soup — very nice with bright lemon flavor and chunks of chicken. The home fries were the only real disappointment; that style of chips is best when they’re hot and fresh and these most definitely were not.
Nice staff, lovely establishment and a pleasant change from run of the mill burgers.

It seems like this place is going downhill. I’ve been coming here since it opened and at first, was super impressed. Now it’s just meh.
Came in for lunch at 12:30, there was no chicken shawarma ready. Why is that?
The salads are now served on paper plates? They used to be served in some sort of bowl which was much better.
They also used to have chopped olives and this past time they were whole kalamata. Not as good on the salad in my opinion.
It seems like your staff needs to be better trained. Last few times I’ve been in the girls seem like they don’t really know what’s going on.
But here’s what really bothered me: girl took our money with the gloves she used to make our food, got us change with same gloves on, then proceeded to go back to the next customer and start making their food. WITH THE DIRTY GLOVES STILL ON.
Unsanitary practice. Health code violation.
I think this place could be much better, hopefully they read this and take notice.

On our drive home from Michigan back to Chicago yesterday we needed to stop for lunch somewhere close to the highway that was vegetarian friendly. This is not as easy as it sounds. A lot of fast food are out.
This was a great choice. The service was good, and the food was great tasting and healthy.
As others have stated, It’s like Mediterranean style Chipotle but — pick your style (rice, pita, or salad), your protein, your sides, and your condiments.
I had a large salad with 2 chicken skewers, carrot salad, hummus, tomatoes, and cucumbers for $ 11. It was very tasty. I love the spicy yogurt sauce I put on top. My husband had the chicken swharma bowl, and that was also very good. He got a side of the lentil soup, and I was really impressed with that.
My sister had a wrap, and it looked delicious. He boyfriend had a large falafel salad, and I was amazed at how many falafels were on top!
Oh, and I was really surprised that they sell beer here. That’s a nice touch!
We sat inside which looked like a normal fast food place, but there was a patio set up with really nice comfortable looking patio furniture. That would be a nice place to sit on a decent day!
I would happily return here!

I am so happy to see decent falafel in North West Indiana! I had the large, create-​your-​own bowl with falafel, tabouleh, carrot salad, tomatoes, feta, onions, and tahini sauce. It was delicious and reminded me of Middle Eastern Chipolte. The falafel was fried to order and spiced perfectly. The jasmin rice and fixins were declicious as well. All the veggies were fresh and tasty.
My husband had the large bowl with chicken shawarma, garickly garlic sauce, and the same sides. The shawarma was well spiced and juicy. There are several things we definitely want to try on the menu. We will definitely be going back.

In an area where fast food is synonymous with grease, Lemon Tree is a welcome change. It’s set up like chipotle but Mediterranean style– pick your style (rice, pita, or salad), your protein, your sides, and your condiments. My husband and I picked up food to go and were very happy with everything we got! I got the Fruitful life falafel and hubs got the chicken shawarma dish. Both were huge and delicious. Service was quick and efficient. Will definitely be back.

We visited Lemon Tree on a drive up from Chicago to Michigan. Here’s the breakdown:
— We decided to try this place out because we wanted something different than the normal McDonald’s or Burger King for our road trip pit stop. It’s right across the street from the A&W/KFC building.
— The food was good! We’d give that 3 – 4 stars. For a fast food Mediterranean place, it didn’t disappoint. We shared a big bowl of chicken shawarma. They were out of the lemon chicken soup, so that was disappointing, but we had the hummus and tabouli for our sides. Hummus was very good!
— The service was a 2 star rating, which is why this review evens out to 3 stars. The staff wasn’t rude, but the customer service wasn’t great. We stopped on a Saturday afternoon, and the service was pretty slow. For a place competing with national chains all around them, it would do them good to beef up their service. If that part improved, they could be a great place.
Overall, we will stop here again on another trip and give them another try. The food was a refreshing choice that you normally don’t see on road trips.

My wife wanted to stop here after a day in Chesterton. She has many Mediterranean options while working in downtown Chicago. Even though I work close by, I’ve never really thought to try the place.
She really like it and compared it to some of the places in The Loop. I also enjoyed it and have been back three times since. Its a clean and fast environment to get food that isn’t full of grease or fat.
Glad I can find another place to put on my lunch rotation.

Bland and tasteless.
Mediterranean food is supposed to be full of flavor — but I had a hard time choking down dry, dry falafel and plain white rice. Overpriced for the amount of food that you get. This is the third restaurant incarnation in the same building in two years, and it is the worst. I will not go back.