Papa Marcos Restaurant — Restaurant in Waukegan

Absolutely Impressed at the taste, friendliness, & cleanliness of this restaurant. This was my first time trying mediterranean food but have to say Im absolutely impressed at the balance of all the ingredients and spices coming together to form such a beautiful pallet of light but flavorful aroma and taste NOT led by salt as many restaurants do, but then again Im not sure if that is exclusive to mediterranean. Entering the restaurant and being GENUINELY greeted so kindly was refreshing in this day & age. The lemon water with ice was such a tasteful touch to the experience that made me GLAD to dine in instead of take out that night, & influenced me to dine in after I came back the day after. Yes, It was that good I had to come back the day after. I ordered the chicken & beef shawarma not knowing what to expect. Im hispanic so when it arrived, seeing the pita cut up into triangle pieces, seeing the seasoned rice, juicy beef, chicken and grilled vegetables, I knew what had to be done and did exactly that by instinct. There is no understatement and even less exaggeration when I state that I will quite literally never forget my first bite of that pita with grilled vegetables, beef, chicken, rice, tajini & gyro sauce. The following sip of that lemon infused water quite literally cleansed my pallet and let me savor the following forkful of that yellow rice and grilled vegetables I just HAD to try on its own. The 3 sauces given to me during my time there gave the restaurant and its food a sense of solidarity, like It was almost a sin to eat without them. The server then gave me a small square of baklava to try near the end of my meal and I fell in love with this spot even more. Restaurants really don't do it like this anymore, and Im glad to have found a spot that still cares & provides to their customers at this caliber. Will be returning with the family for sure, fan of this place at first bite. Oh, I forgot to mention, I paid $15.01 for this experience, that should be more than enough convincing if you are on the fence about...

I'm in charge of picking lunch for my company on Wednesdays, and I always like to pick someplace new and exciting. Because who wants to eat at a chain restaurant every week? I am so glad I picked this place. All the positive reviews are legit! We ordered for 7 instead of our usual 14 because we have some people gone this week, but they got all 7 orders completely correct and done quickly, within about 30 minutes at lunch time. The person who picked up the food said the people there were so nice and had a really nice ambiance. None of us had ever been to the restaurant before, and after tasting it it was nearly unanimous rave reviews. We had lamb & beef shawerma, baba ghanouj, a gyro, a lamb kebob wrap, shrimp scampi, a buffalo chicken salad, and a turkey club. The person with the club had some kind of complaint but I didn't hear what it was, but everyone else said we will definitely eat here again. Personally I had the beef shawerma & baba ghanouj and I thought both were fantastic, loved the bread and sauces also. The rice was perfectly done, and everything was super flavorful. I also wanted to say thanks for the free Baklava, it was probably one of the best I've had, if my coworkers don't eat it I'm...

Authentic, fresh and plentiful are only a few words to describe the food at this dining spot. This restaurant is literally in a nook located next to a Quick Mart. It could easily be missed, as there is zero curb appeal but that's okay. The interior of the restaurant is very comfortable and clean and the service is both friendly and attentive. All of the food ordered was great! If you are familiar with and like the food at Pita Inn, this place will easily be your new go-to. Papa Marcos not only offers generous portions but the food is well-seasoned, moist and fresh which is not always the case at other Middle Eastern fast food dining spots. In fact, I would go so far as to not classify this as "fast-food" because of the care, execution, and attention to detail in the preparation of the dishes. Service is just right...not too fast nor too slow. Eating at Papa Marcos is akin to dining at one of the many relaxing Mediterranean cafes. Come for the food, great service and transport your taste buds while falling in love with this little gem.

Food Ordered: (ALL ITEMS DELICIOUS) -Chickpea Salad -Black Bean Salad -3 pc. Falafel -Chicken & Gyros...