Aba
$$ • Mediterranean Restaurant
Most Recent Reviews
The food here was amazing!! I booked the reservation on Open Table and had noted one celiac and when I arrived they immediately gave me a GF menu. We got the whipped feta and they brought it with GF crackers and honestly they were more like a chip but really good with the feta. Then we split a chicken kebab and salmon kebab and both were phenomenal. Great service—they even asked about cross contamination and everything and I felt super taken care of. Top of the list to come back to!
Amazing food — and so accommodating for Celiac and DF! Delish and beautiful atmosphere. Brunch was fab and teenage daughter approved!!
My husband and I had a wonderful experience here! Loved that they had a separate GF menu with a great variety of options, the staff took great care and was very knowledgeable about Celiac and cross-contact—more restaurants could stand to learn from the staff at Aba. We even ordered some food to go so I would have something to eat after a wedding we were in town for, and it was just as good as our sit-down meal. It is a bit pricey but I would still recommend for a tasty meal of small plates made to share with great customer service and beautiful ambiance.
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More Reviews
ordered delivery with note that i was gluten free. put items in separate bag. did not get sick
Great experience for both celiacs and those with other allergies. Everything was brought out with a little allergy flag and staff took very seriously. Great meal with great options.
The restaurant is very pretty and they have a GF menu which is great, but this restaurant is pretty expensive and the food is not great. The potatoes were so salty I had to send them back, and the other food minus the hummus was mediocre. Overall I was pretty disappointed in my experience here.
The food was amazing! The waiter was amazing and made sure that everything was celiac-safe. Ordered several plates and shared with my family. Great atmosphere in the restaurant and overall great experience. Lettuce Entertain You restaurant so you need to make the reservation in advance.
I can’t say enough good things about this place! HUGE gf menu (almost entire menu can be done gf) and it is all so delicious! One of my fav spots in Chicago
Extremely attentive staff who made me feel so comfortable eating there! They weren’t, or at least didn’t appear to be, annoyed with any questions or clarifications I had. The menu really is super robust - and I also have a dairy allergy and it only cut out a couple of things beyond the celiac restriction. My husband also loved this place. So good and very knowledgeable. I can’t wait to go back whenever we are in Chicago next!!
Got the chicken kefta to go. So yummy!!
Outstanding food and service! They have an entire menu dedicated to Gluten Free options. Everything was amazing! We got hummus and it came with homemade GF crackers which were delicious! Also got falafel (amazing), grilled chicken skewers, and the steak frites. Everything was a 10/10! Can’t wait to go back and try more things!
Another Chicago staple restaurant! Great GF Mediterranean food with a separate menu and knowledgeable staff. Food also comes out marked with an allergy stick.
Had a fantastic meal at Aba last night.
We had a large group dinner and two of us in the group have celiac disease. Our server Chase was incredibly accommodating. He was well versed in cross contamination and what to watch out for.
There are lots of items that can be made for people with celiac. They also put little toothpick markers on the celiac dishes so that we were all aware of what was safe for us to eat. It was such an inclusive experience!
Highly recommend.
Well worth a visit!. Like its sister restaurant Ema, Aba has a separate gf menu and a very well trained staff who walked me through the menu and notified the chef. My plates came out with an allergy flag also for extra comfort. The food was tasty and reasonably healthy. 3 shared plates were enough for my party of 2. The restaurant is also beautifully decorated which created a lovely atmosphere.
They have a dedicated gf menu and we have been here multiple times with no issues. The food is amazing - kefta, grilled chicken, hummus w gf crackers, steak w/ frites, and seriously the most flavorful rice. Great location w/ outdoor dining all year round (covered/heated in winter).
Best mediterranean in Chicago! Lots of dairy free options too!
They are so knowledgeable about their gluten free options and were able to point out dairy free options as well. They have a gluten free menu with a lot of options. My friend who is celiac felt safe and we really enjoyed our food and mocktails.
Great place with a variety of gluten free items and they also have a separate menu. I’ve tried multiple dishes here and have never had a reaction. They have their own gluten free pita for the dips. One of my go to spots for a fancier night out or a celebration, beautiful restaurant!
Even the bartenders are knowledgeable about their gf options! They make their own gf crackers that are unreal.
Desert:
I have both a gluten allergy and a dairy allergy. I’m accustomed to not having a desert option available. However not only did my server, Juju, remember about my restrictions, Aba actually offers a desert, Halva, that covers BOTH allergies AND tastes amazing. That’s a rare combo! It’s hard to explain but sort of like a freeze-dried butterfingers with Marcona almonds, raw honey, pomegranates, dates, roasted grapes and editable flowers. I give it 5 stars.
Food is tasty but the service is even better! I had a great experience. I sat on the patio with nice views, very relaxing, but inside is equally as nice.
Wine: to my surprise, there were 4 white wines I had never heard of. Juju gave me a taste of each one so I could pick my favorite. 💛 I recommend the Assyriko or the Txakolina.
Dinner: I had the halibut entree. Fish, sauce and broccoli were delicious. I’ll be honest, the bruschetta was refrigerator cold unless it was under the warm fish. However, I think that was just a fluke and Julu handled it well. Thank you!
Aba did well on training their staff to know taste profiles for everything. Julu even warned me that the flowers were editable but might be bitter, so I paired them with dates and didn’t notice any bitterness!
I’d recommend Aba!
Amazing! For the love of gluten free, please order the date cake.
We had the whipped feta, olives and feta, gluten free crackers, chicken thighs (spicy good), lamb, and crispy potatoes and the date cake. It’s shareable little plates, but we had more than enough for two. I also had the tequila grapefruit cocktail. They have a separate gluten free menu upon request, and our waitress was very well informed on allergies. Beautiful space and vibe.
I cannot wait to visit again and try more of the menu.
Beautiful 2nd story space. Most of gf menu was same as regular menu, making it easy to share the small plates that this restaurant is known for. Big portions! They suggested 2 to 3 per person and our table of 3 hungry people was full after 5 shared plates. Dedicated fryer - don’t miss the fried broccoli! Home made crackers offered to me in place of the pita. Date cake dessert not to be missed and good coffee. Excellent, knowledgeable service.
WOW! Best meal I’ve had in a long time!!! Separate gf menu, knowledge staff, and absolutely incredible tasting food. Went with my friend and we shared all the plates which were amazing: spicy lamb ragu, whipped feta, grilled salmon kabob, leg of lamb wrapped in eggplant, and the Date Cake for dessert (unbelievably delicious)
They had a gluten-free menu, but I had a reaction to either the chicken or lamb/beef kefta kabobs. It could have been cross-contamination to gluten or another food sensitivity that we supposedly were avoiding (e.g., dairy, soy).
(The food was delicious otherwise.)
INCREDIBLE food! The gluten free menu has tons of options and every server i’ve had has been so knowledgeable and accommodating. I’ve never gotten sick here!
Great gluten free menu. It was small plates, and although my husband isn't gluten free we ordered off the gf menu to share and the food was so incredible he was very pleased as well. They specially make their own gluten free crackers and pita bread! It was the best gluten free bread I've ever had in my life, I had to verify it was GF for real. I just have an intolerance but they took it very seriously like an allergy. It didn't feel like a special GF meal or felt like I was just at a restaurant enjoying food as if I have no dietary restrictions. Bravo!
Good food, unfortunately I had a reaction from the gluten-free menu the night that I ate it and the next day when I ate the leftovers. So, I have no doubt that this is what caused my reaction. I ordered the beef/lamb with rice and the green falafel. They all came with tahini sauce, tziki sauce and a third sauce. One of the sauces might have had maltodextrin or another non-obvious gluten derivative.
This place was amazing. The cocktails weren’t super pricey, and they could be with this beautiful rooftop atmosphere. Loved the crispy braised short rib hummus with very good gluten free crackers, similar to a pita bread taste but a cracker, and I got eggplant wrapped lamb leg for my entree. All so amazing! Staff was very helpful
The staff is so knowledgeable and also very kind when talking to you about your allergy. If you let them know you are sensitive to cross-contamination, they will take extra care to let you know which items are unsafe.
There are a great amount of quality options to choose from- I feel like I can eat “normally” here and pick out the items on the menu that I would actually want to eat, not just because I’m limited.
Gluten free menu with many options! The food is outstanding and the place is beautiful!
Very large gf menu. Staff takes proper care to put in allergy ticket.
