Mizrahi Grill, Highland Park’s Israeli restaurant, could not have found a better spot to lay its stake. You need not even walk in the doors to see the packed status of this Middle Eastern grill. The patio and dining room are full of people eagerly awaiting their kabobs and falafel. Prayers for Middle Eastern cuisine in Highland Park have been answered.

Mizrahi Grill has that jovial family-run-affair feel. In this casual restaurant servers bring out your food quickly after you order, even during the mid-week dinner rush. The staff regularly checks on tables to see if you are in dire need of more Baba Ganoush or Tahini.

Diners order from the counter and take their pick of Middle Eastern cuisine: elaborate appetizers and salad menus boast traditional dishes like hummus and pita ($6), Israeli salad ($5), with cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and lemon juice, or matbucha ($6), which is a salad of tomatoes and roasted peppers cooked in oil and garlic. You can order main dishes as a sandwich or as an entree, which is twice as expensive and comes with two choices of side dishes or salads. Some of the choices include falafel ($6), chicken kabobs ($9 for the sandwich or $18 as an entree), steak ($12/$25), or shawarma ($8/$16)—which is shaved, marinated meat, usually served in a sandwich or pita. Mizrahi also serves imported ($5) and domestic beers ($4), in addition to other traditional beverages like Turkish coffee—which is ridiculously strong – or sodas and juices.

The food is tasty and prepared quickly. While the entree portions are generous, the prices are hardly justified. Luckily the restaurant is located in Highland Park so most customers will hardly bat an eye. In fact, the utter absence of any competition guarantees that Mizrahi Grill cornered the Middle Eastern cuisine market.

Centerstage Reviewer: Katie Chelminski