About Galit
When Galit received its Michelin star in 2022, it became one of the first Middle Eastern restaurants in America to earn the distinction. That fact alone would be notable. What makes Galit genuinely essential is that it earned the star on merit — on the quality of its cooking — without a single element of fine-dining pretension or category-inflating theatre. Chef Zachary Engel won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Great Lakes in 2022. His restaurant on North Lincoln Avenue is why.
Galit — the Hebrew word for "wave" — is built around the cuisines of the Middle East and North Africa: Israeli, Lebanese, Moroccan, Yemeni, Persian. But Engel's approach is not a survey course or a greatest-hits anthology. He has spent years eating, cooking, and studying across the region, and what arrives at your table is a personal, deeply informed vision of these cuisines as they intersect with Midwestern ingredients and a contemporary American sensibility. The result is food that feels both rooted and alive.
The room on Lincoln Avenue is relaxed and warm, with exposed brick, wooden tables, and an energy that reads as neighbourhood convivial rather than destination formal. The contrast with the Michelin star on the door is intentional. Engel and his partner Andrés Clavero have built a restaurant that insists the best meals are also the most welcoming — and the room proves the theory nightly.
The Experience
Galit's menu is structured around sharing. Mezze plates arrive first — hummus (exceptional, always), a rotating selection of seasonal dips and spreads, and small plates that build into a conversation before the larger dishes arrive. The format is naturally generative: you order, something arrives, someone tries it, the whole table reorganises around what was better than expected. This is how the best Middle Eastern meals work, and Galit honours that structure while elevating every component within it.
The beverage program is forward-thinking and well-matched to the food: natural wines, Israeli bottles, and cocktails that complement rather than compete. Budget $60 to $90 per person for food; add $30 to $50 for beverages. Reservations on OpenTable open two weeks in advance and fill quickly, particularly on weekends.
Why Galit for a First Date
Sharing plates are the most effective first-date dining structure in existence — they give both people agency, require collaborative decision-making from the first minute, and produce natural moments of mutual discovery. At Galit, those plates are exceptional enough to create genuine enthusiasm. The exposed brick room is handsome and relaxed. The noise level is animated without being exhausting. And at $70 to $80 per person, you can have a remarkable meal without the implicit pressure that a tasting-menu format sometimes carries.
Why Galit for a Team Dinner
Galit handles groups with real grace. The sharing format is engineered for communal dining, the private room can accommodate up to twenty guests for team events, and the combination of a Michelin star and approachable price point makes it a choice that reads as thoughtful rather than extravagant. The menu is accessible enough that dietary diversity within a team — vegetarians, pescatarians, various food preferences — is handled with ease. This is the Chicago team dinner that everyone will actually talk about the following morning.
Must-Order Dishes
The hummus — made fresh each day, silky and warm, served with a drizzle of olive oil and the current garnish — is a benchmark for the form. The falafel, stuffed with a harissa-inflected filling, sets a new standard for what the dish can be. Any lamb preparation, whether slow-cooked or grilled, demonstrates Engel's command of the region's central protein. Seasonal vegetable dishes routinely outperform the proteins. Order more than you think you need — the mezze format rewards generosity.