Aba

Aba Chicago was amazing, beautiful restaurant, great menu, delicious food and JR's service impeccable, highly recommended!

Incredible food and beautiful atmosphere.

I have been wanting to try Aba since 2021 when I tried to book a reservation in Austin. Once I found out there was a Chicago location I was determined to eat there!

The time finally came this weekend after I was able to book a lunch reservation. Dinner seems impossible to book for unless you get lucky with a last minute cancellation. We were sat on the patio and it was THE place to be on a beautiful summer day.

We ordered some kebabs as mains and they were great but the real stars of the show were the brussel sprouts and short rib hummus. Wow wow wow. The flavors were bursting and I can't recommend enough.

Great location in the Fulton Market District too. After we ate, we strolled the multiple block pop-up market.

The food was outstanding and the aesthetic of the restaurant was beautiful. The service was wonderful, our waiter was very kind and took his time with us. The quality of the food, ambiance, and vibe was well worth the price.
One quick tip: If you order one of the spreads you can continue to ask for FREE pita bread.
One complaint: our first appetizer (our favorite spreads) did take a long time to come out.
Our overall experience was exceptional and I highly recommend. It was a great way to celebrate our 3 year anniversary.

So lucky to get a rooftop reservation last minute for an early dinner with family in the Fulton Market District. Aba means dad in Hebrew. Their sister restaurant, Ema, which means mom is also amazing.

Happy Hour is from 4-6 Sunday to Thursday. Ordered three of the four Happy Hour appetizers to start.

Definitely get the Our Favorite Spreads. Whipped Feta. Charred Eggplant. Classic Hummus. So good. Served with baskets of warm sesame pita, it was a delicious starter.

The Crispy Halloumi was so tasty. Warm halloumi perfectly crisp served with labneh and honey. Dip the fried cheese into the honey and labneh, yum!

The Dolma Tuna Rolls were so unique. They have a bit of a kick.

Halibut Ceviche? Yes!! Halibut cured with red plums, cucumbers, and corn with a passion fruit leche de Tigre. Served with a basket of gluten free crackers, amazing!!

Add a kabob. The beef and lamb kabob served with basmati rice and tzatziki is such a classic.

Save room for dessert. The crème brûlée pie served with a strawberry rhubarb compote was the most satisfying finish to an excellent dinner.

Loved the outdoor rooftop seating. Service was great. Food comes out as it is ready tapas style and is perfect for sharing. Sign up for their rewards program for specials. We walked there, but parking could be a challenge especially as roads were blocked due to the West End Arts Festival.

My friend and I visited Aba after a long time. This Mediterranean spot is stylish with a lounge-style rooftop. We managed to get a last-minute reservation, which is rare. Some friends joined us unexpectedly, and the staff was kind enough to move us to a larger table. Luckily, we got a spot on the outdoor rooftop, and the view was amazing.

We ordered falafel, crispy potatoes, and chicken kefta. The portion sizes were small, but the taste was excellent. For drinks, I absolutely loved the Aloe, It's Me, a mezcal-based cocktail. My friends tried the espresso martini and passion fruit G&T, but Aloe, It's Me was the clear winner.

I highly recommend this place. The service is fast and efficient.

Closer to 3.5. Came here for brunch when we visited Chicago. The interior is beautiful and general ambiance is great. The outdoor patio looked nice, but reservations on the patio were hard to come by. We had high expectations going in, as Aba was recommended by multiple people before our trip. We enjoyed our short rib hummus, but other than that, the food wasn't that impressive.

My partner got the short rib shakshuka, which we were super excited about, but it was a lot more watery/liquidy tomato than either of us would have liked. That diluted the flavor & made it bland. The server recommended the frittata, which definitely tasted fresh with the herbs on top, but was nothing special and also on the bland side. Perhaps we ordered the wrong items; if we're ever back, I'd go for one of the kebabs.

Our first server didn't seem really warm; he just did the bare minimum to get our order/drink, hence the lower rating. Our server did switch halfway through and the second guy was much more pleasant.

One of my absolutely favorite restaurants in Chicago that is consistently delicious and perfect to bring out of town visitors! The service is top notch and the ambience is gorgeous. They have a large variety of vegetarian options and rotate the menu often depending on the season!

I love all the food here but some is my favorites are the cauliflower kebab, halloumi, stracciatella, and muhammara eggplant. The complimentary bread is warm and so delicious with all the dips!

They also have delicious cocktails! I got the passion fruit gin and tonic and loved it!

Whether it's a date night or a place to bring a large group, this place is absolutely perfect! Just make sure to make a reservation in advance!

Everyone and their mothers were hyping up Aba being the best Mediterranean restaurant when I visited Chicago this time around. Even though it's been open for several years, getting a reservation at a reasonable time is still pretty difficult. I was here with five others last Sunday for dinner. Even though the reservation was made over a month in advance, we were only able to snag the 4:15 PM slot.

Wanted to make the note -- the complementary pita bread was absolutely phenomenal. It was so soft and fluffy and well seasoned. Very yummy and definitely ask for more!

CRISPY SHORT RIB HUMMUS - 18.95
This came with a large pita that I thought was fluffier and tastier than the complementary pita bread. The hummus was super smooth and the beef jus on top gave it more of a "mashed potatoes" appearance. This hummus has got to be the best thing we got the entire dinner. It was so creamy and flavorful, and the shredded and tender beef mixed with sherry was a wonderful combination. I would highly recommend.

MUHAMMARA - 15.95
This dip was slightly spicy due to the roasted pepper and isot chili. The walnuts gave it a nutty and crunchy flavor that was great. The pomegranate molasses made it a bit sweet, so it was sweet and spicy. Delicious dip that all of us enjoyed, we'd definitely recommend.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS - 14.95
Crispy and crunchy without being too oily. These were topped with nuts and some harissa honey which added more to the flavor. They're not too crunchy on its own, but the nuts help. This was good but nothing mind-blowing.

GREEN CHILI SHRIMP - 18.95
Each order comes with 6 jumbo shrimps inside an escargot plate and topped with garlic, parmesan, and breadcrumbs. Pretty good toppings, and the shrimp was juicy. We liked it, but it's a bit pricy for sure.

PORK BELLY - 24.95
Each order comes with two small strips of pork belly and decorated with some nectarine and drizzled in vinaigrette. The nectarine was pretty sweet and enhanced the flavor of the pork. One of our pork belly was super fatty and the other was pretty lean. I ate a bite from the lean pork belly and it was OK. I want to bet that the fatty one was a lot tastier and denser in flavor.

PRIME SHORT RIB KALBI - 33.95
These were charred pretty well and had a sweet flavor, but expensive for one and half pieces of kalbi. I think we each got one small bite and tendon from the bone. Flavor was great, but I don't think it's worth the price point.

The ambiance and interior is beautiful. The bathroom was fancy. Service was also speedy and helpful with recommendations. Aba was definitely the best meal I had during this trip! Their dips are a must and what they're known for. The pork belly and kalbi was good, too, but too expensive for the portion size. This 5/5 review is definitely for the dips.

Was able to snatch a reservation for lunch a few weeks ahead of time. Immediately coming into the restaurant, the ambiance was eye popping, so beautiful!

The service was quite good, with the only complaint being having to wait a while past our reservation time, but understandable since they were busy.

The best dishes of the meal were definitely the hummus, both the garlic and short rib hummus were extremely delicious; I honestly recommend just ordering a bunch of the hummus since the entrees were good but just not as outstanding.

Get a reservation ahead of time!

You must get the hummus here! Came here with three other people for dinner and ordered an assortment of dishes. Everything was pretty good but the hummus was amazing. We ordered two kinds, the smoky garlic and the crispy short rib hummus. Both were really good. I actually kind of wished I had just ordered all the hummus options available and had a hummus tasting. The pita was also some of the best I've had.

We also ordered the crispy potatoes, crispy chicken thigh, the lamb & beef kefta and two other dishes I can no longer remember the names of. Everything was tasty but the hummus was definitely the stand out.

We also got the frozen Greek yogurt for dessert. I personally do not like Greek yogurt but my dining companions enjoyed it

The restaurant was nicely decorated and we sat at a kind of couch/chair combo table. Sitting on the couch, I felt like i sank into the couch a little too much for eating a meal but it was acceptable.