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| - Food: Simply delicious. First time I've ever had a falafel sandwich served as a wrap, but it worked nicely, it was much less messier than when served in pita bread. The falafel were a bit dry but had a great, strong flavor to them. I was told the sandwich would come with a "salad", but that salad ended up being three or four pickled vegetables. The baba ghanouj was was cold which leads me to believe that it may have been frozen at some point, but it tasted great either way. The presentation of all the food was great too, it wasn't just tossed on a plate, they actually put some work into arranging it, which is an important detail that is often overlooked by most restaurants.
I didn't order anything to drink, but did notice a few beers in a cooler... It'd be awesome if they had some Mediterranean soft drinks or beers, like Maccabee or Goldstar. I realize it's probably expensive to import beers, but it's something to consider.
Service: The waitress we had was very attentive even though she was the only one there and seemed to be swamped with work... I think she was cooking and serving and bundling carryout orders all at the same time.
Ambiance - This is where the place loses stars:
The interior of this place needs some work, the retro booths accompanied by tables that have the tablecloth stapled on are a bit too tacky. The smallest table could barely fit one person, but the only other size table seats 6! I went on a Sunday evening and there was literally no one else there, but they were pretty busy with carryout orders. And for some reason the AC was cranked on to the 45°F setting (even though it was only 70 outside)...which took away from the mediterranean feel. Also, something needs to be done about the ridiculously bright fluorescent lights, it's like they were borrowed from the neighboring liquor store... gave the whole place a very industrial feel, no warmth.
Summary:
I don't make it to Champaign too often, but when I go to visit my sister at U of I (Go Illini !!), I will most likely head back here because the falafel sandwich was delicious and the portions were very filling. Hopefully by that time they've improved the interior and go for a more authentic feel. Meanwhile, I'll stick to Pita Inn in the Chicago area.
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