Five steps, your rules
Your Mediterranean Bowl in Joliet, Your Way
A Mediterranean bowl in Joliet should taste like somebody’s family made it. At AMBA, four Lebanese brothers and our crew build every bowl in front of you, one scoop at a time, exactly how you ask.
What goes in a Mediterranean bowl?
Think of it as a full plate from a Lebanese table, stacked in one bowl. A base of rice, grains or greens. A creamy dip like hummus. A protein off the spit or the grill. Crunchy pickled and fresh toppings. Then a sauce to tie it together.
Every bite is a little different, which is the whole point. Our guests tell us they come for one bowl and end up trying every combination on the board.
Bowls also travel well. Everything sits in layers, so a bowl picked up for lunch at your desk holds up nicely. It’s also why we offer build-your-own bowl bars for catering, so a whole office or party can build their own.
How to build your bowl at AMBA
Bowls start at $15. Here’s the lineup on our in-store menu board (prices can change):
- Step 1, base: saffron turmeric rice, bulgur and tomato pilaf, fresh mixed greens, or half and half.
- Step 2, dip: classic hummus, baba ghanouj (smoky eggplant dip), spicy feta, or roasted red pepper hummus.
- Step 3, protein: chicken shawarma, steak shawarma (+$2), falafel, tawook grilled chicken, roasted veg, or gyro.
- Step 4, toppings: up to three, like sumac onions, pickled turnips, kalamata olives, red cabbage slaw, fire-roasted corn or crumbled feta. Extras are +$1.
- Step 5, drizzle: tahini, toum, tzatziki, harissa or amba mango sauce.
Bowls worth starting with
The Lebanese classic: half rice, half greens, classic hummus, chicken shawarma, pickled turnips, sumac onions, and toum. Toum is our whipped garlic sauce. It’s loud. You’ll love it.
The heat seeker: saffron rice, spicy feta, steak shawarma, fire-roasted corn, pickled onions, and harissa. The garden: greens, roasted red pepper hummus, falafel, tomato and cucumber salad, chickpeas, and tahini. That one is fully plant based. More ideas on our vegetarian and vegan page.
You may also spot a green drizzle on some of our bowls. That’s zhug, a bright herby hot sauce. It isn’t on the board, so ask at the counter.
Low carb, gluten free or meat free?
A bowl is the easiest way to eat how you want. Go all greens as your base for a lighter, lower-carb bowl. Most of the board is marked GF, including the saffron rice, all four dips, most proteins and every topping. The bulgur pilaf is the one base with wheat. For meat free, falafel and roasted veg are both marked V and GF.
Need to watch something specific? Tell us at the counter. Because we build it in front of you, it’s easy to leave things off or swap them.
Make it a meal, or feed the whole crew
Add the combo for +$6 and get fresh-cut fries and a house-made ginger mint lemonade. Throw in baklava or rice pudding for +$3 more. For four to six people, the Family Feast Meal is $49.99. Prices are from our in-store menu and can change.
We’re at 1522 Illinois Rte 59 in Joliet, open Monday to Saturday 10:30am to 8:30pm and Sunday 11:30am to 7:30pm. Order online for pickup, or find us on DoorDash and Uber Eats.
“All kinds of flavors going on in my bowl. The hot feta? I think if you put it on a shoe i would still eat it. It was that good.”
Good questions
Asked at the counter.
What is in a Mediterranean bowl?
Usually a base of rice, grains or greens, a dip like hummus, a protein, fresh and pickled vegetables, and a sauce. At AMBA you choose each one in five steps, and we build it in front of you.
Are Mediterranean bowls healthy?
That depends on how you build it, and we’re cooks, not doctors. You’re in control: pick greens or rice, load up on vegetable toppings and go light or heavy on sauce. We’ll make it however you like.
Can I make a keto or low-carb bowl?
Guests do it all the time. Choose fresh mixed greens as your base, pick a protein, and add toppings like olives, cucumbers and feta. Ask us at the counter if you’re unsure about anything.
How much is a bowl at AMBA?
Bowls start at $15. Steak shawarma is +$2, extra toppings are +$1 each, and the combo is +$6. Prices are from our in-store menu and can change.
Can I get bowls catered?
Yes. We do build-your-own bowl bars for office events, family parties and weddings. Visit our catering page or send an inquiry and we’ll help you plan it.
Come hungry. Leave family.
1522 Illinois Rte 59, Joliet. Mon to Sat 10:30am to 8:30pm, Sun 11:30am to 7:30pm.
