Great Food, Service, & Atmosphere
The location of the Sphinx Cafe may make you miss it the first time you drive by. It is at the intersection of Dempster & Milwaukee in Niles, across from a cemetery.

Once you find it, however, you are in for a real treat. The food, quite simply, is outstanding. All aspects of the meal are freshly prepared and seasoned in the authentic Mediterrean style. My fiance and I enjoyed Hummus and Falafil to begin our meal, accented by a warm cup of tea with fresh mint.

As we enjoyed the starters, we marveled at the Egyptian themed paintings and frescoes throughout the interior. The restaurant is lit in stage lighting and black light, as it doubles as a multi-national nightclub in the evenings from 10 PM - 4 AM.

For dinner, we both enjoyed the Combination Plate at $13.95/ea. This is not a meal for a light eater. It includes a salad to begin with, and the main course is a plateful of shish kabob, beef, schwirma, and chicken. The entree is complemented by rice pilaf and grilled vegtables. Needless to say, we both took some food home.

The waitstaff is headed by Eva, one of the owners. She took some time to stop by our table and tell us a little bit about the establishment. On Wednesday and Saturday evenings, The Sphinx Cafe features a belly dancer during dinner, and Arabian club music during the clubbing hours. On Friday nights they feature Latin music of all kinds when the switchover to the club occurs.

We capped our evening by endulging in a popular Egyptian tobacco pronounced (Ar-gee-lah). The tobacco is not processed like it is in cigarettes. The natural leaves are soaked in a molasses and flavoring is added. They had Strawberry and Apple this evening, and we understand that the Apple is the most popular. For $10 a huge 3-foot tall water pipe with a hose is brought out to the table. You feel like Alice's catepillar, puffing on the monstrous hookah. The smoke is quite mild, even for someone who doesn't smoke cigarettes like me. And, oh yes, it's perfectly legal for anyone over 18.

Overall I recommend you come for dinner, and stay for the club atmosphere. I'm sure that most people who haven't been overseas will have never experienced anything like it!    [20 Sep 2003 14:54:43]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: Combination plate

     ­Dan D.   ddebartolo at comcast dot net