First impressions: Named after the ancient city in Jordan, Petra Cafe specializes in Middle Eastern food for the Loop lunch rush, trading-floor runners and stylish high-heeled businesswomen alike. Tables and chairs are basic, as is the decor, with bright lemon-yellow walls and a few travel posters providing the only interest. The focus is the food and getting it dished up quickly.
On the plate: A mix of Middle Eastern influences, including Lebanese and Egyptian, predominate with a sprinkling of Moroccan thrown in. Tabbouleh and yogurt salad are here, but so is an Egyptian offering of lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, feta, black olives and onions. Sandwiches of chicken shawarma, falafel, eggplant, hummus and baba ghanoush–as well as beef, chicken and kefta kebabs–are served inside pita, with tahini and/or hot sauce. Hummus, baba ghanoush and falafel are available as appetizer portions, larger plates or combos.
Entrees include variations on the sandwiches but are served with salad, loads of rice as well as meaty, delicious fava beans–called foul–which are cooked with tomato, onions and spices that owner Yusuf Taha won’t reveal. Portions are large, and ingredients are fresh.
At your service: Step up to the counter and place your order at the cash register, where the friendly server helps you puzzle through any questions. The counterman is listening and somehow puts proper orders with faces even in the heavy press of lunch. Grab a table and wait, if you like, but the order will be ready nearly as quickly as you sit down.
Second helpings: Falafel (ground chickpeas formed into balls with onions and spices, then deep-fried) is crisp outside, moist and well-spiced inside. Eaten in a sandwich topped with Jerusalem salad–a tangy blend of tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, tahini sauce and lemon juice–it’s a crunchy, then refreshing, gooey joy. The Thursday special of Napolie stuffed chicken breast (tender meat filled with a savory blend of spinach, dill, green onions, feta and spices) was also a winner, the rich, salty cheese playing off the vibrant spinach.
Chicken shawarma (marinated strips of rotisserie meat doused with 25 seasonings that Taha gets in Israel because he couldn’t find everything here) was well-spiced and packed into a bulging pita before being topped with a refreshing mix of tomatoes, onions and tahini sauce.
Take a pass: It might be the house special on Fridays, but the Moroccan couscous was a letdown, with vegetables cooked to a mushy texture. The grains of couscous themselves, however, had a perfect resistant-yet-yielding bite.
Extras: Daily specials include Moroccan dishes such as chicken pastilla (Mondays), roast chicken (Tuesdays) and Petra lamb (Wednesdays). Crisp fried pita bread strips with zatar spices and sumac, piled on a platter at the counter, are free for the taking. One dessert: baklava. Wash it down with Arab coffee.
Thirst quenchers: Freshly squeezed orange or carrot juice, the usual assortment of canned and fountain sodas, plus aranciata (an Italian orange soda) and Turkish coffee.
Price range: Appetizers, $3-$3.25; salads, $3.25-$6.40; sandwiches, $3.25-$4.50; main courses, $4-$7.50; side dishes, $1.95-$3; dessert, $1.42; drinks, 90 cents-$2.75.
Petra Cafe
(2 forks)
331 S. Franklin St. 312-913-9660 312-913-9661 www.eatatpetra.com
Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri.
Credit cards: A, DS, M, V
Delivery: Yes
Noise: Conversation friendly
Other: Wheelchair accessible, no smoking, no parking
NEARBY
Look up: With the Sears Tower so close (233 S. Wacker Drive, 312-875-9696), take a long lunch on a clear day and play the tourist. The Skydeck is open 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; you can save time by buying tickets online at the-skydeck.com; $11.95 for adults (plus handling fees).
Stock up: Buy vegetables, fruit, flowers and other fresh products from area growers at one of the Loop’s farmers markets: Federal Plaza (Tuesdays) and Daley Plaza and The Park at Jackson & Wacker (Thursdays). Go to chicagotribune.com/farmers for specifics until markets close in fall.
Ratings key: 4 forks, don’t miss it; 3 forks, one of the best; 2 forks, very good; 1 fork, good
Reviews are based on anonymous visits by Tribune staff members; meals are paid for by the Tribune.
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jxgray@tribune.com
