My experience was bad, luckily I had a groupon. The food was decent, but the service sucked there was no one else at all in the cafe and the waiter never even refilled my water. When we were ready to leave we had to go into the back and hunt the waiter down because he never came back out. I'm not going to waste my time going here again, and I'm going to tell my friends that live in the area to not bother going either. I will stick with pita inn ;)
(2)
Robert R.
Pros: On a Good day This place will serve descent Russian and Israeli food and the lunch specials are good portioned. Cons: inconsistent.. One day your food is fresh, the other day it's Not, and it lacks flavor. The owner/waiter serves your food and goes back in the kitchen for the next Half hour. I was almost late for work, didn't have time for desert or tea, and he didn't even ask how everything was or if I needed anything else. I won't be back. Maestro is a Much better option for Russian style lunches.
(3)
Shailesh J.
I went in there for a late lunch at around 1.00 pm on weekday and the restaurant was quite empty . It is my second time here...Earlier I had taken a carry out dinner. The ambiance is quite cosy and warm .. I ordered chicken shawarma lunch special .. Lunch special came with a soup named shurpa. It contained lamb and boiled vegetables.. You could feel the undercooked cold chunks of lamb in the soup . I ordered shawarma with a side of couscous. Service was excellent and food presentation was quite good. The quality of food is where it was a bit let down ..A typical flavour that comes with shawarma was missing. May be coz of the quality of the meat that is being used..Quantity of food was overwhelming for lunch.. Overall food was average with excellent service..Its 2.5 stars from me ...
(2)
Yvonne Y.
Really friendly service from our waiter (Victor?) and the food was quite delicious. Since my parents did the ordering, I don't know the exact dish names. Meat dumpling appetizer and I love how the wrapping is thin. Seafood salad and it's served slightly warm with a sweet dressing. I liked the salad ingredients and would prefer a less sweet dressing, but that's just my preference. My favorite dish was the combination kebab (chicken breast on a stick, a ground beef and ground lamb pattie). Delicious. Had the rice pilaf side dish to go with it. Really enjoyed their shrimp entree as the shrimp was FRESH and tasted like shrimp. Once again, served with a sweet dressing. Will try to save room for dessert in the future. All dishes were very reasonably priced and in the right portion. It may not look like a huge portion but the food is more filling that it appears. I'd call in advance for a reservation as they cater to lots of events and parties.
(4)
Becky R.
I must say that dining in here isn't the best experience. It is decorated nicely, but it is almost always empty. The wait staff is not very attentive, but the food is great. That is why...we order out! They sometimes have trouble getting our order over the phone, but in the end we always get it worked out and haven't had a mistake so far! I gave it 3 stars for the dine in experience and phone ordering, but if my review was solely based on taste it would be a 5 for sure!
(3)
Mike M.
First confession; I only come here for Russian friends parties. Fully catered with entertainment. Second confession, I have come here twice, but only because Babes tricked me, when I drove up, I recognized it from the first train wreck. There are only 6 or 7 locations where the Russians book up for their required type of multi-course, plus bottle service, plus DJ entertainment parties. This is the one on the budget side. The room is worn and not clean, for some reason they have slate/tile floors which make the place loud and dirty feeling. The food seem right out of a bad Russian buffet line. It is dreadful, and I was fantasizing about a double cheese quarter pounder the whole evening. If you have to go to Bait Cafe because it is a party you have been invited to, go, enjoy the hammy karaoke singers, eat before, eat after. But if you see it from afar, and think, hey, shall we try that place ... maybe not.
(1)
A R.
I have never been at this place for lunch. This place is opened till late on weekends . . Russian style potatoe salad is made out of recycled chicken. Dry and not chewable. Lamb chops were served dry ( warmed up in a microwave) . Nothing tasted good for the price we were charged Overall this place is not welcoming and warm, most of the time empty( how those guys survive?), it's one time to visit place. We were there once a year ago! didn't like it. Decided to give it a try but unfortunately.... I really liked a waitress. She was polite and helpful. The owner has bad attitude. People like him should not deal with public. I would recommend to hire better chef, who will be more professional and will make food from scratch . WILL NOT BE BACK! Sorry!
(1)
Akira S.
Nothing special. The beef I ordered looks like was reheated had four grilling stripes and taste dry, usually fresh meat has nice pink color inside, mine was gray. Fifteen minutes after I ended up with diarrhea. The service was slow and not nice.
Pros: they deliver (no delivery fee/no minimum order), great food, friendly service when you call in and you can order online at grubhub Cons: I've ordered the same meal twice now... both times i got chicken but other than that they had nothing in common. still very good. delivery can take as long or a few minutes (under 10) longer to get there. big bonus: they were out of an appetizer I ordered so they gave me a free side dish- I didnt ask, they just offered! what a deal!
(4)
Jay B.
The service was not good. After being seated, it took quite some time before we got water and the waitress came to take our drink orders. Throughout our meal there, she was not very attentive, almost like she was avoiding eye contact when I was trying to get her attention. Settling our bill took forever took so long, I ended up walking over to the kitchen looking for our waitress. We ended up canceling our movie plans because the service took so long there. I'd say our waitress spent about 80% of her time back in the kitchen and 20% in the dining room. I used a living social coupon which was supposed to include 2 drinks, but she charged us for that anyway. Aside from that, she included a generous 20% service charge on the bill for just a party of 2. I brought both of these things to our waitress's attention, and she removed the drinks, but kept the service charge saying it is in their contract with living social to include a service charge. I have been using living social coupons at a lot of other restaurants and never had a service charge included in the bill. So basically I was forced to pay a generous tip for some of the worst restaurant service I have ever experienced. Aside from the awful service, the food was not terrible, but not great. I did think it was strange that they had club banger music videos playing (with vulgar language, girls in bikinis and all) while families were dining.
(1)
Elina S.
Came here on a Saturday night and it was pretty empty. I was kind of confused because they had several mediterranean dishes as well as several Russian delicacies so I wasn't sure which way to order, but we decided on the mediterranean route. The baba ghannoush, which is an eggplant dish was okay, definitely not the best I've had. The bread it was served with was warm but it wasn't made in one of those awesome middle eastern ovens that usually makes it taste so good, you can't put it down. (you can find that type of bread in Rezas in Chicago). Next we decided to try the calamari and it was a tad chewy, a little over breaded but still tasty, so can't really hate on it. Then for our main meal we got the chicken schwarma which was quite authentic served with pan fried potatoes. I actually liked the dish, the schwarma was a tad salty and I actually preferred the potatoes. Oooh, how can I forget my usually favorite falaffal that I get at most places that serve it. It wasn't horrible but it wasn't amazing either, it was very average, a tad grainy if that makes sense. So overall, unlike the other reviews, it wasn't the service that I had an issue with, but the lack of authenticity in the food. It was all tasty but not incredible which kind of doesn't make me want to go back anytime soon. However, the prices are very decent, the server was very sweet and they have restaurant.com coupons available so that definitely lowers the bill if you're looking to get your bang for your buck. Worth trying? Yes. A Friday BG staple? Not really.
(3)
Tanya M.
Best shwarma I've ever eaten in my life! Call in orders were always hot and fresh when I went to pick them up. This place is so cozy and cute inside too. Nothing less than 5 stars!
(5)
Beth G.
This should have been a wonderful experience but I'd like to point out all the reasons why it wasn't. Nice place, dirty floor. That was the first thing I noticed when walking in. The wood floors looked like they hadn't seen a mop in some time. I believe it was the cook who greeted us, if "greeted" is the word one would use. Personally, I wouldn't. He barked, "Yes? Can I help you?" like we were there to maybe buy tires instead of coming in to eat. Not exactly friendly or inviting. We were seated and ordered an iced tea and a Diet Coke. We were served two iced teas. Not a big deal really, but a) the iced tea was not listed as sweetened, and I am a diabetic and b) when my friend pointed out that a Diet Coke was ordered (I heard it being ordered), the man argued that we did in fact order TWO iced teas. Um. No, we didn't. I had to ask for water as it was not offered. Before I go any further, I would like to point out that we came with a restaurant.com certificate. I usually make it a habit of NOT presenting it until the end of the meal, unless the fine print stipulates that you have to present it before ordering. This one did not have that stipulation and I went against my own policy by presenting it to the man before we ordered. I do believe this affected our meals and our service. In looking at their website menu, and the pictures posted here on their reviews, I honestly believe we were given smaller portions than had we NOT had the certificate. We ordered the stuffed avocado appetizer. This was truly a delightful dish and something you don't see too often. It was beautifully presented and absolutely delicious, although it was more chopped guacamole than Mediterranean-inspired, the spices were lacking to give it a more Mediterranean taste but it was great nonetheless. The Greek salad was way too oily and tasted like a salad you might find at an all-you-can-eat buffet. I was really thinking a Greek salad at a Mediterranean restaurant would shine and while it too was beautifully presented, it was just an average salad when you dug into it. The lettuce and feta were less than fresh, too. I had the pan-fried tilapia and couscous. While the tilapia was outstanding, the couscous was mushy, lacked flavor and had the internal temperature thing of having been re-heated in the microwave. I could actually HEAR the microwave being used in the kitchen. The green beans and peppers were WAY overcooked and very soggy. My friend had the combo plate and the meat portions were tiny. I mean, TINY. The potatoes were good. All in all, $32 after a $25 coupon didn't seem like a value at all and we left - dare I say it - still a little hungry. It bears mentioning that one of the filtered reviews seems to be from either the owner or at least employee of this establishment. Mariana B. - if you're going to pretend to be a patron then maybe you shouldn't respond to a less-than-favorable review using the same name. Will not be back. Oh, and they were out of baklava, which was a huge disappointment to my friend, who picked Mediterranean specifically because of a baklava craving.
(2)
Sofiya C.
The food was soooo good and the service was great! Came here for lunch, the yelp deal is great!
(5)
Jen Z.
It always aggravating when you try a new place and the food is delicious and yet the service is beyond horrible. That was our experience today at Bait Cafe. We walked into the restaurant at 1:00 PM on a Saturday for lunch and it was so empty we weren't even sure we had walked into the right place. There was just one long table and one 4-top table in the otherwise empty room, and it looked set up for a party. There wasn't anyone in sight who worked there. After a few minutes, I went back to the kitchen and called out "hello? Are you open?". From the kitchen came "yes". But then no one came out! Finally, a few minutes later, a guy in a t-shirt comes out and says gruffly "can I help you?" -- like I interrupted him at the library. Everything we said to him, even a highchair request, was met with a tone and look of disdain. Yes, we were coming in with 2 young kids, but they eat off the menu too and result in a hefty check, so being treated like a valuable customer (especially since we were the only ones in there over lunch) might have been a nice touch. The hummus was terrific but tiiiiiny. It was delicious, but honestly I thought the portion was a mistake. The falafels were a "don't miss" and were absolutely incredible -- some of the best I'd ever had in my life. I was disappointed by the chicken shwarma, which everyone had raved about on Yelp. I found to be fatty and chewy and dry with no shwarma taste to it. However, my daughter got a chicken shish-ka-bob and it was terrific. Husband really enjoyed his meat dumplings too. So the food was great, but the service absolutely terrible and bordering on offensive. Not sure if we'll be back.
(2)
Maria C.
The place is teeny tiny, as soon as we walked in everyone was staring at us, maybe because not many Mexicans eat there. My 4 years old felt it too because she said "Mami why is everyone staring at us". I had the shrimp and yellow rice it was ok the lamb was supper dry. We will never eat their again. Their portions are tiny and the food over priced. The waitress was rude. If you're white, like dry lamb and burnt pita bread then this is the place for you.
(1)
Lisa K.
My first review and it is not good. Went for dinner at 715p on a Wednesday and we were the only people there. Even the waiter was hiding in the back. The meal started great with tasty hummus and warm pita. We should have left after the hummus. The first round of "chicken dumplings" came covered in ranch dressing, even after my husband mentioned that he can't have dairy. Who puts ranch dressing on a dumpling at a Mediterranean restaurant? Although I'm pretty sure the dumplings were something I've bought in the freezer section at the local grocery store. The entrees were paltry and dried out and covered in more ranch dressing. There was fairly loud music that failed to cover the sound of the microwave when they made a "fresh" batch of dumplings minus the ranch, or when they redid the rice without the ranch.
(1)
Joseph P.
This unusual place suffers from an odd name that must mean something else in a language I don't recognize. In truth it is a curious combination of eastern european and middle east cuisine that sort of works. We came at lunch on a rainy day when we were the only customers, and found it to be truly unique. We had the lunch special, which starts automatically with an order of hummus and pita (first rate!). We each had the soup - I had the Shurpa (lots of ingredients, but very mild), she had the "Ukranian Borsch" - simply great). The Chicken Shawarma and the Beef Lula-Kebob are unlike that served at the usual "Pita-Whatever" places - they came with cous-cous (our choice) and some vegetable garnishes. Both were very good, though the cous-cous was quite bland. The decor is very unusual - somewhat like I imagine a small night club in Odessa might be - very different than the average storefront in BG. Be aware that soft drinks are not refilled free and "Another Hummus and Pita?" is at a modest charge. A definite try it again place.
(4)
Max T.
We went here tonight on a Groupon. Upon walking in at 7:20 the place was absolutely empty. The waitress was kind enough to turn the lights on for us and turn off the TV show she was watching. We were served complimentary pita and hummus. Although the hummus was superb the pita bread had been sitting in the warming oven too long and was a bit chewy. The water was server with no ice and was so lemony bitter you couldn't drink it. We ordered Falafal, which was very good, some of the best I have had. I ordered the Chicken Schwarma with potato wedges. The chicken was good, however i have had better schwarma at Pita Inn and Pita House. The potatoes on the other hand were quite delicious. My wife ordered the Lamb Kabob with Rice Pilaf. The lamb was way overcooked and chewy. The rice was just OK. For dessert we had Baklava, although it was good it was lacking in nuts. The waitress was nice friendly and attentive, but i will most likely not go back here and stick to Pita Inn for good Mediterranean food.
(2)
Lauren S.
Second time I am trying to write this review, not sue if it was removed or what, but, re-writing it to share my disappointment and warn others of the lack of services I received. Ordered delivery, they were timely and while I wasnt given a credit card receipt when I asked for it, the delivery portion of the experience was fine, actually ten minutes earlier than promised. The food however, anther story......most of the items I felt either lacked something, or had an off flavoring, reminded me more of indian food than medeterrain. Two of the items were missing componants, chick kabob, while tasty enough, was missing hummas as described, and the falaffal was missing everything I expected, pita, salad, etc. When I phoned Bait Cafe I was greeted (well not really greeted) but phone was answered by a rather rude young lady, who informed me that their falaffals dont come with pita, or anything for that matter, in a tone that made me feel like she was thinking "how stupid are you lady", and when I was next going to ask about the lack of hummas on the other item, she had alreday hung up. TO be honest, I wouldnt have asked them to drive back out with the missing items, but an offer to do so would have been nice. To extend zero customer service when a customer calls with a concern, is wrong! I will be sticking with Pita Inn moving forward to meet my medetterain cravings, their food is always consistant and delicious, and while I have seen Bait Cafe ask not to be compared to them. Bait, you have a lot to learn about customer service and client retention, you may think you are better than them, but they always greet me with a smile, and again, their food is amazing and consistant. Thanks but no thanks to Bait Cafe. And oh yeah, past reviews claiming that the chicken shwarma is the best around, not sure if were talking about the same place, but mine was the absolute worst I have ever had, dry, chewy, and lacking any flavor!
(1)
Jane B.
Fantastic place! Great food, affordable prices ($6.95 for a lunch which includes a soup or a salad plus main dish), good service, nice ambience...I'm so glad this place opened up in my neighborhood! It's now our "go to" place. There must be a secret that makes their fresh pita so good....You will be greeted so warmly, and welcomed with such generosity, it will make you want to go there over and over again!
(5)
Sorry, we don't have Q&A for this restaurant.
Sorry, No Coupons available for this restaurant.
Address :706 S Buffalo Grove Rd
Buffalo Grove, IL, 60089
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : Yes Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch, Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Krista B.
My experience was bad, luckily I had a groupon. The food was decent, but the service sucked there was no one else at all in the cafe and the waiter never even refilled my water. When we were ready to leave we had to go into the back and hunt the waiter down because he never came back out. I'm not going to waste my time going here again, and I'm going to tell my friends that live in the area to not bother going either. I will stick with pita inn ;)
(2)Robert R.
Pros: On a Good day This place will serve descent Russian and Israeli food and the lunch specials are good portioned. Cons: inconsistent.. One day your food is fresh, the other day it's Not, and it lacks flavor. The owner/waiter serves your food and goes back in the kitchen for the next Half hour. I was almost late for work, didn't have time for desert or tea, and he didn't even ask how everything was or if I needed anything else. I won't be back. Maestro is a Much better option for Russian style lunches.
(3)Shailesh J.
I went in there for a late lunch at around 1.00 pm on weekday and the restaurant was quite empty . It is my second time here...Earlier I had taken a carry out dinner. The ambiance is quite cosy and warm .. I ordered chicken shawarma lunch special .. Lunch special came with a soup named shurpa. It contained lamb and boiled vegetables.. You could feel the undercooked cold chunks of lamb in the soup . I ordered shawarma with a side of couscous. Service was excellent and food presentation was quite good. The quality of food is where it was a bit let down ..A typical flavour that comes with shawarma was missing. May be coz of the quality of the meat that is being used..Quantity of food was overwhelming for lunch.. Overall food was average with excellent service..Its 2.5 stars from me ...
(2)Yvonne Y.
Really friendly service from our waiter (Victor?) and the food was quite delicious. Since my parents did the ordering, I don't know the exact dish names. Meat dumpling appetizer and I love how the wrapping is thin. Seafood salad and it's served slightly warm with a sweet dressing. I liked the salad ingredients and would prefer a less sweet dressing, but that's just my preference. My favorite dish was the combination kebab (chicken breast on a stick, a ground beef and ground lamb pattie). Delicious. Had the rice pilaf side dish to go with it. Really enjoyed their shrimp entree as the shrimp was FRESH and tasted like shrimp. Once again, served with a sweet dressing. Will try to save room for dessert in the future. All dishes were very reasonably priced and in the right portion. It may not look like a huge portion but the food is more filling that it appears. I'd call in advance for a reservation as they cater to lots of events and parties.
(4)Becky R.
I must say that dining in here isn't the best experience. It is decorated nicely, but it is almost always empty. The wait staff is not very attentive, but the food is great. That is why...we order out! They sometimes have trouble getting our order over the phone, but in the end we always get it worked out and haven't had a mistake so far! I gave it 3 stars for the dine in experience and phone ordering, but if my review was solely based on taste it would be a 5 for sure!
(3)Mike M.
First confession; I only come here for Russian friends parties. Fully catered with entertainment. Second confession, I have come here twice, but only because Babes tricked me, when I drove up, I recognized it from the first train wreck. There are only 6 or 7 locations where the Russians book up for their required type of multi-course, plus bottle service, plus DJ entertainment parties. This is the one on the budget side. The room is worn and not clean, for some reason they have slate/tile floors which make the place loud and dirty feeling. The food seem right out of a bad Russian buffet line. It is dreadful, and I was fantasizing about a double cheese quarter pounder the whole evening. If you have to go to Bait Cafe because it is a party you have been invited to, go, enjoy the hammy karaoke singers, eat before, eat after. But if you see it from afar, and think, hey, shall we try that place ... maybe not.
(1)A R.
I have never been at this place for lunch. This place is opened till late on weekends . . Russian style potatoe salad is made out of recycled chicken. Dry and not chewable. Lamb chops were served dry ( warmed up in a microwave) . Nothing tasted good for the price we were charged Overall this place is not welcoming and warm, most of the time empty( how those guys survive?), it's one time to visit place. We were there once a year ago! didn't like it. Decided to give it a try but unfortunately.... I really liked a waitress. She was polite and helpful. The owner has bad attitude. People like him should not deal with public. I would recommend to hire better chef, who will be more professional and will make food from scratch . WILL NOT BE BACK! Sorry!
(1)Akira S.
Nothing special. The beef I ordered looks like was reheated had four grilling stripes and taste dry, usually fresh meat has nice pink color inside, mine was gray. Fifteen minutes after I ended up with diarrhea. The service was slow and not nice.
(1)Jessica Y.
The décor/layout is very interesting because it feels like you are walking into someone's basement. The walls are copper colored and there are brown fire looking swirls painted as trim. There is a karaoke system in the corner with a makeshift stage. It seems they cater/host events and regular service hours is just a thing on the side. Come in and pick a table to sit down at. The waitress will come out from the back shortly after she hears the door chime from you opening it. Having tried shrimp, chicken, and beef dishes - while all tasty I have narrowed my favorites down to Shakshuka appetizer - eggs over easy with tomatoes, onions, and traditional seasoning which tasted like cumin and paprika ($9) + Chicken Shawarma Entrée which comes with a choice of side - couscous with vegetables, potatoes, fries, or vegetables. The Shakshuka was very flavorful & mildly spicy. It was fun to mop up the bottom of the dish with pita - YUM! Come for a casual & homey meal if you have some time.
(3)Ashley M.
Pros: they deliver (no delivery fee/no minimum order), great food, friendly service when you call in and you can order online at grubhub Cons: I've ordered the same meal twice now... both times i got chicken but other than that they had nothing in common. still very good. delivery can take as long or a few minutes (under 10) longer to get there. big bonus: they were out of an appetizer I ordered so they gave me a free side dish- I didnt ask, they just offered! what a deal!
(4)Jay B.
The service was not good. After being seated, it took quite some time before we got water and the waitress came to take our drink orders. Throughout our meal there, she was not very attentive, almost like she was avoiding eye contact when I was trying to get her attention. Settling our bill took forever took so long, I ended up walking over to the kitchen looking for our waitress. We ended up canceling our movie plans because the service took so long there. I'd say our waitress spent about 80% of her time back in the kitchen and 20% in the dining room. I used a living social coupon which was supposed to include 2 drinks, but she charged us for that anyway. Aside from that, she included a generous 20% service charge on the bill for just a party of 2. I brought both of these things to our waitress's attention, and she removed the drinks, but kept the service charge saying it is in their contract with living social to include a service charge. I have been using living social coupons at a lot of other restaurants and never had a service charge included in the bill. So basically I was forced to pay a generous tip for some of the worst restaurant service I have ever experienced. Aside from the awful service, the food was not terrible, but not great. I did think it was strange that they had club banger music videos playing (with vulgar language, girls in bikinis and all) while families were dining.
(1)Elina S.
Came here on a Saturday night and it was pretty empty. I was kind of confused because they had several mediterranean dishes as well as several Russian delicacies so I wasn't sure which way to order, but we decided on the mediterranean route. The baba ghannoush, which is an eggplant dish was okay, definitely not the best I've had. The bread it was served with was warm but it wasn't made in one of those awesome middle eastern ovens that usually makes it taste so good, you can't put it down. (you can find that type of bread in Rezas in Chicago). Next we decided to try the calamari and it was a tad chewy, a little over breaded but still tasty, so can't really hate on it. Then for our main meal we got the chicken schwarma which was quite authentic served with pan fried potatoes. I actually liked the dish, the schwarma was a tad salty and I actually preferred the potatoes. Oooh, how can I forget my usually favorite falaffal that I get at most places that serve it. It wasn't horrible but it wasn't amazing either, it was very average, a tad grainy if that makes sense. So overall, unlike the other reviews, it wasn't the service that I had an issue with, but the lack of authenticity in the food. It was all tasty but not incredible which kind of doesn't make me want to go back anytime soon. However, the prices are very decent, the server was very sweet and they have restaurant.com coupons available so that definitely lowers the bill if you're looking to get your bang for your buck. Worth trying? Yes. A Friday BG staple? Not really.
(3)Tanya M.
Best shwarma I've ever eaten in my life! Call in orders were always hot and fresh when I went to pick them up. This place is so cozy and cute inside too. Nothing less than 5 stars!
(5)Beth G.
This should have been a wonderful experience but I'd like to point out all the reasons why it wasn't. Nice place, dirty floor. That was the first thing I noticed when walking in. The wood floors looked like they hadn't seen a mop in some time. I believe it was the cook who greeted us, if "greeted" is the word one would use. Personally, I wouldn't. He barked, "Yes? Can I help you?" like we were there to maybe buy tires instead of coming in to eat. Not exactly friendly or inviting. We were seated and ordered an iced tea and a Diet Coke. We were served two iced teas. Not a big deal really, but a) the iced tea was not listed as sweetened, and I am a diabetic and b) when my friend pointed out that a Diet Coke was ordered (I heard it being ordered), the man argued that we did in fact order TWO iced teas. Um. No, we didn't. I had to ask for water as it was not offered. Before I go any further, I would like to point out that we came with a restaurant.com certificate. I usually make it a habit of NOT presenting it until the end of the meal, unless the fine print stipulates that you have to present it before ordering. This one did not have that stipulation and I went against my own policy by presenting it to the man before we ordered. I do believe this affected our meals and our service. In looking at their website menu, and the pictures posted here on their reviews, I honestly believe we were given smaller portions than had we NOT had the certificate. We ordered the stuffed avocado appetizer. This was truly a delightful dish and something you don't see too often. It was beautifully presented and absolutely delicious, although it was more chopped guacamole than Mediterranean-inspired, the spices were lacking to give it a more Mediterranean taste but it was great nonetheless. The Greek salad was way too oily and tasted like a salad you might find at an all-you-can-eat buffet. I was really thinking a Greek salad at a Mediterranean restaurant would shine and while it too was beautifully presented, it was just an average salad when you dug into it. The lettuce and feta were less than fresh, too. I had the pan-fried tilapia and couscous. While the tilapia was outstanding, the couscous was mushy, lacked flavor and had the internal temperature thing of having been re-heated in the microwave. I could actually HEAR the microwave being used in the kitchen. The green beans and peppers were WAY overcooked and very soggy. My friend had the combo plate and the meat portions were tiny. I mean, TINY. The potatoes were good. All in all, $32 after a $25 coupon didn't seem like a value at all and we left - dare I say it - still a little hungry. It bears mentioning that one of the filtered reviews seems to be from either the owner or at least employee of this establishment. Mariana B. - if you're going to pretend to be a patron then maybe you shouldn't respond to a less-than-favorable review using the same name. Will not be back. Oh, and they were out of baklava, which was a huge disappointment to my friend, who picked Mediterranean specifically because of a baklava craving.
(2)Sofiya C.
The food was soooo good and the service was great! Came here for lunch, the yelp deal is great!
(5)Jen Z.
It always aggravating when you try a new place and the food is delicious and yet the service is beyond horrible. That was our experience today at Bait Cafe. We walked into the restaurant at 1:00 PM on a Saturday for lunch and it was so empty we weren't even sure we had walked into the right place. There was just one long table and one 4-top table in the otherwise empty room, and it looked set up for a party. There wasn't anyone in sight who worked there. After a few minutes, I went back to the kitchen and called out "hello? Are you open?". From the kitchen came "yes". But then no one came out! Finally, a few minutes later, a guy in a t-shirt comes out and says gruffly "can I help you?" -- like I interrupted him at the library. Everything we said to him, even a highchair request, was met with a tone and look of disdain. Yes, we were coming in with 2 young kids, but they eat off the menu too and result in a hefty check, so being treated like a valuable customer (especially since we were the only ones in there over lunch) might have been a nice touch. The hummus was terrific but tiiiiiny. It was delicious, but honestly I thought the portion was a mistake. The falafels were a "don't miss" and were absolutely incredible -- some of the best I'd ever had in my life. I was disappointed by the chicken shwarma, which everyone had raved about on Yelp. I found to be fatty and chewy and dry with no shwarma taste to it. However, my daughter got a chicken shish-ka-bob and it was terrific. Husband really enjoyed his meat dumplings too. So the food was great, but the service absolutely terrible and bordering on offensive. Not sure if we'll be back.
(2)Maria C.
The place is teeny tiny, as soon as we walked in everyone was staring at us, maybe because not many Mexicans eat there. My 4 years old felt it too because she said "Mami why is everyone staring at us". I had the shrimp and yellow rice it was ok the lamb was supper dry. We will never eat their again. Their portions are tiny and the food over priced. The waitress was rude. If you're white, like dry lamb and burnt pita bread then this is the place for you.
(1)Lisa K.
My first review and it is not good. Went for dinner at 715p on a Wednesday and we were the only people there. Even the waiter was hiding in the back. The meal started great with tasty hummus and warm pita. We should have left after the hummus. The first round of "chicken dumplings" came covered in ranch dressing, even after my husband mentioned that he can't have dairy. Who puts ranch dressing on a dumpling at a Mediterranean restaurant? Although I'm pretty sure the dumplings were something I've bought in the freezer section at the local grocery store. The entrees were paltry and dried out and covered in more ranch dressing. There was fairly loud music that failed to cover the sound of the microwave when they made a "fresh" batch of dumplings minus the ranch, or when they redid the rice without the ranch.
(1)Joseph P.
This unusual place suffers from an odd name that must mean something else in a language I don't recognize. In truth it is a curious combination of eastern european and middle east cuisine that sort of works. We came at lunch on a rainy day when we were the only customers, and found it to be truly unique. We had the lunch special, which starts automatically with an order of hummus and pita (first rate!). We each had the soup - I had the Shurpa (lots of ingredients, but very mild), she had the "Ukranian Borsch" - simply great). The Chicken Shawarma and the Beef Lula-Kebob are unlike that served at the usual "Pita-Whatever" places - they came with cous-cous (our choice) and some vegetable garnishes. Both were very good, though the cous-cous was quite bland. The decor is very unusual - somewhat like I imagine a small night club in Odessa might be - very different than the average storefront in BG. Be aware that soft drinks are not refilled free and "Another Hummus and Pita?" is at a modest charge. A definite try it again place.
(4)Max T.
We went here tonight on a Groupon. Upon walking in at 7:20 the place was absolutely empty. The waitress was kind enough to turn the lights on for us and turn off the TV show she was watching. We were served complimentary pita and hummus. Although the hummus was superb the pita bread had been sitting in the warming oven too long and was a bit chewy. The water was server with no ice and was so lemony bitter you couldn't drink it. We ordered Falafal, which was very good, some of the best I have had. I ordered the Chicken Schwarma with potato wedges. The chicken was good, however i have had better schwarma at Pita Inn and Pita House. The potatoes on the other hand were quite delicious. My wife ordered the Lamb Kabob with Rice Pilaf. The lamb was way overcooked and chewy. The rice was just OK. For dessert we had Baklava, although it was good it was lacking in nuts. The waitress was nice friendly and attentive, but i will most likely not go back here and stick to Pita Inn for good Mediterranean food.
(2)Lauren S.
Second time I am trying to write this review, not sue if it was removed or what, but, re-writing it to share my disappointment and warn others of the lack of services I received. Ordered delivery, they were timely and while I wasnt given a credit card receipt when I asked for it, the delivery portion of the experience was fine, actually ten minutes earlier than promised. The food however, anther story......most of the items I felt either lacked something, or had an off flavoring, reminded me more of indian food than medeterrain. Two of the items were missing componants, chick kabob, while tasty enough, was missing hummas as described, and the falaffal was missing everything I expected, pita, salad, etc. When I phoned Bait Cafe I was greeted (well not really greeted) but phone was answered by a rather rude young lady, who informed me that their falaffals dont come with pita, or anything for that matter, in a tone that made me feel like she was thinking "how stupid are you lady", and when I was next going to ask about the lack of hummas on the other item, she had alreday hung up. TO be honest, I wouldnt have asked them to drive back out with the missing items, but an offer to do so would have been nice. To extend zero customer service when a customer calls with a concern, is wrong! I will be sticking with Pita Inn moving forward to meet my medetterain cravings, their food is always consistant and delicious, and while I have seen Bait Cafe ask not to be compared to them. Bait, you have a lot to learn about customer service and client retention, you may think you are better than them, but they always greet me with a smile, and again, their food is amazing and consistant. Thanks but no thanks to Bait Cafe. And oh yeah, past reviews claiming that the chicken shwarma is the best around, not sure if were talking about the same place, but mine was the absolute worst I have ever had, dry, chewy, and lacking any flavor!
(1)Jane B.
Fantastic place! Great food, affordable prices ($6.95 for a lunch which includes a soup or a salad plus main dish), good service, nice ambience...I'm so glad this place opened up in my neighborhood! It's now our "go to" place. There must be a secret that makes their fresh pita so good....You will be greeted so warmly, and welcomed with such generosity, it will make you want to go there over and over again!
(5)