Noble Square's Nini's looks like any number of neighborhood delis at first glance.

After all, it has a handful of grocery racks and a deli case stocked with cold cuts and Saran-wrap-covered plates of sides.

Look closer, and you'll notice olive-oil-packed labne (Middle Eastern yogurt cheese) and bottles of La Lechonera mojo criollo on the shelves. On the menu, house-made falafel is served alongside ropa vieja and Cuban steak sandwiches.

Owner Jose Riesco is part-Cuban and part-Lebanese; he and his wife, Julie, provided ropa vieja sandwiches for the neighborhood for 18 years at their first market, Candy's. Their new space has a handful of tables, halal meats, organic groceries and Lebanese snacks, plus a menu of Cuban, Middle Eastern and American sandwiches ($5.50).

Ropa vieja is tender and richly spiced, braised for hours before it's piled on a baguette with lettuce, tomato and sport peppers. Because the meat selection is halal, the griddled media noche is made with turkey ham in lieu of pork, its garnish of roasted plantains adding a welcome sweetness.

Balls of falafel are well spiced, but do as we did and order hummus and tabbouleh to tuck into the pita for an extra punch of flavor.

Nini's Deli, 543 N. Noble St.; 312-666-7767