Jerusalem Middle Eastern Cuisine — Restaurant in Champaign

I have been a regular at his place for the bulk of my grad school duration here (5 years). You get fresh, healthy food at a very reasonable price here. I'm a vegetarian and my go-to meal is the 202 veggie with yoghurt instead of pita-bread.

This review would be incomplete if I didn't mention Hamid! He's not going to give you 5-star service or smile at you before he knows you well. But, try talking to him and you'll meet a genuinely sweet, humble and hard-working person. The guy has friends all over the US and feeds homeless people many times. I stopped having pita bread and he started giving me yoghurt himself, without asking for it. Sometimes, he also shares tomatoes from his garden and cheeses he buys. We were once chatting about jackfruits and I just casually mentioned how I used to love having it back home in India. Next week, he got us a jackfruit he found on his visit to a distant market. Please don't judge a book...

One of my favorite spots on campus. The vegetarian #202 is my usual go to. A bargain at $7.09, it includes seasoned rice, a pita, and a daily varying sampler platter which usually includes servings of about 4 of the following: outstanding lentil soup, falafel, mixed bean soup, fresh vegetable soup, amazing salad, spinach with chickpeas, hummus, and sometimes other delicious foods. Oh and a drink too!

The #201 Falafel sandwich is also very tasty!

Always fresh, tasty, and tons of food for the money. Maybe not the place to choose if it's busy and you're in a rush, but at all other times well worth it. They also play NPR and assorted classical and international music for an interesting auditory experience you won't get at any other restaurant I can think of.

Give it a try you...

Wow—just as other reviews suggest, this place is truly a one-man show. The owner takes orders, handles payments, and does all the cooking himself. I ordered the fish platter, while other members of my group tried different platters, and we shared baba ganoush, hummus, and a spinach "empanada" (I do not remember its proper name).

Everything tasted homemade—fresh, healthy, and delicately prepared. I deeply respect the dedication it takes to run a restaurant single-handedly, and he does it with grace. The place is also filled with thriving plants, which says a lot about the care and positive energy in the space.

From the outside, it may not look like much, but what truly matters is the experience inside—both in terms of the concept and the exceptional quality...