Al Bawadi Grill

Absolutely loved it! Came here with a friend to do a cultural assignment for our Sociology class when we were on the topic of foods and this place was recommended by our teacher and the food sounded amazing! I got the grilled salmon and by far one of the best salmon I’ve ever had in my life. My friend got a skewer of beef which he let me try and it was freaking amazing! The quality of the food is fantastic and the environment is great! Everyone is so nice and the service was fantastic. This place is by far the best Arabian food restaurant in the south side! Its not crazy expensive, food is fantastic, service is great, and the restaurant has such a great vibe and feel from it that you just want to go again. I honestly recommend this place to anyone, especially if they love Mediterranean and Arabian food! Definitely will be coming back here. Our teacher hyped us up for this restaurant and it surely went above and beyond the hype.

The food is always amazing. We have ordered platters for parties which are always a hit. I did not find dining there very pleasurable, though.

This has been one of my favorite Arabic Restaurants on the south side due to the environment music, quality of food and how delicious the food is. Although it is a hike for many of you Chicagoans I assure you it is worth the hike. Service is great food is exceptional and it is very clean. If you want good middle eastern food this is the place to go.

Really authentic in both taste and atmosphere. Meals starts w a few good starters like bread, pickled veg, olives and a spread. We got one of the platters which was plenty for two. Finally we enjoyed their native mint lemonade which was delicious. This will certainly be one of our new spot

Great vegetarian food, great ambience. Service can maybe use some help, but either way its 5 stars…

Had this place bookmarked like FOREVER. I knew I’d make it in EVENTUALLY someday. Someday finally came when one of my Unilocal buddies recommended it to me. I eat out every single day at least twice a day and this place was only 15 minutes from my house so I decided IM EATING MIDDLE EASTERN today. I was literally their first customer of the day coming in at around 9:10am.Restaurant opens at 9am. Its a nice looking place. Theres a really nice Middle East décor going on playing music that really sets the tone. I really enjoyed it. Food was fantastic as well. Had some really good hummus and a mixed plate with 4 different kinds of meat and 2 types of rice. Everything was just delicious. Ordered some Arabian coffee to go with it. Be careful with that if youre not familiar because that stuff is POTENT. I would say its an acquired taste. I personally enjoy it as Im a serious coffee drinker and prefer it on the strong side. I’ll definitely recommend and look forward to my next visit!!!

I am right now at the restaurant. The front girl told me initially that it will only take 15 min. Its been over 45 min and I am still here.
Finally they seat me. The food is really average. It does not worth waiting for ling. you can easily find similar food with even better quality in most kabab places and you should not wait for long
Be careful about other people review. I was misled and thats why ended up wasting two hours + money here!

The mixed grill platter is delicious. Very moist meats, yummy rice and the garlic sauce is amazing.
Chicken shawarma didn’t seem traditional… The bread was different and the fries were heavily seasoned. Still decent.
Service is atrocious. We were a party of 7 and we only got three glasses of water and utensils. Had to beg several times to get waters and utensils for everyone. The wait time for food is long as well. Water refills were slow/​non-​existent.

You can’t lose ordering to go or sitting down for dinner at this place. Excellent service with amazing food. If you like Mediterranean food you will love this place. Only down side food takes time to prepare other then that I can’t complain food comes large portions and not over priced.

Although the wait is ridiculously long (2 – 3 hours) a group of friends and I waited just to see what this place is all about. We visited on a Friday which also landed on Christmas day, so it was jam packed but it was all worth it. Luckily the special was mansaf for that day and ⁴⁄₅ of us ordered that with a few sides and another entrée. Being very hectic, the service was acceptable considering how busy it was. We ordered 2 soups and they came out one at a time but we didn’t even mind. The mansaf and mixed tray of meats was great. The lentil soup was phenomenal and their french fries are great (seasoned)! The table we sat at was located under a little hut that was Palestinian themed just like the rest of the place. Very nice people and good food, I would highly recommend it no matter what part of Chicago you’re in.

I have stopped in at Al Bawadi Grill a number of times now and I can say it is one of the top Middle Eastern restaurants in the area. The food is delicious and the portions are very sizable. I have had the kufta kabob, chicken shawerma and kufta casserole (with tahini) and all were outstanding. My favorite appetizers are the labanah and hummus with handmade pita… so fresh and flavorful (not to mention great for the vegetarians)! They offer the best hummus I have ever had! The ambiance is very authentic with lots of wonderful décor and music which makes for a very upbeat experience. Additionally, the staff is friendly and always super accommodating. If you are looking for a stand out place near Midway to stop for some great Middle Eastern fare, make sure to head to Al Bawadi Grill!

Food is authentic and it all tasted good. Five stars for service. The décor is pretty festive and true to culture. Overall I liked this place and look forward to coming back. I had the humus, falafel and samosas along with a side of mixed rice. Everything tasted good, no complaints.

Excellent service, great décor, and delicious food. I can’t wait to return and sample some more entrees. We tried so many items there wasnt enough room on the table, and they were all good. Especially liked the sausage, mixed grill, samosas, and mint tea.

Fabulous every time I’ve been. It’s always crowded so prepare to wait especially later in the evening

My favorite restaurant hands down. Everything is so fresh, flavorful, and remarkably executed. Usually we order muthwuma, which is a garlic potato spread. Perfectly garlicky, and you can put it on everything! Their baba ghanouj is so smoky and unique. I’ve never had better. Their bread! Their bread! So fresh and spongy. Their wraps are the best sandwich I’ve ever had. Honestly. It even heats up ok the day after, just pop it in the over for 5 minutes. So delicious.
The service is excellent as well.
It’s definitely a family place, so don’t feel weird about bringing your kids.

Introduction
A middle eastern place located in Bridgeview, IL. A great festive place where you get your moneys worth.
Décor/​Place:
A very decorative place where modern meets traditional. All the employee dressed up traditionally which is fantastic. It sets a great tone for the place. Every one from the waitresses, the hostess and doorman were dressed up. You can literally smell the beautiful aroma of grilled food in the parking lot.
Service:
This was a very good aspect to this restaurant. Right away when you sit down a traditionally dressed employee comes in and offers you chai/​coffee blend. Taste very refreshing. It comes in a small shot mug. The waitress was very helpful and informative about the menu.
Food:
Hands down… AMAZING! Chicken tikka was fresh and very well done. Melted in your mouth and the seasoning of the rice complimented the chicken very well. The grilled tomato and onion went nicely with the meat and rice. The kufta kebab entrée was on a totally different level. The meat was the best. The flavor was indescribably delicious. Also melted in your mouth and went with the rice very well. A very nice gentleman will come out and serve you a shot of tea/​coffee. Helped me cleansed the palate. They also serve you free pita bread with pickles, some little
baked bread sticks and this grilled melon appetizer. Amazingly delicious.
Price:
Very good based on what we ordered. Quality was amazing for the price we paid.
Overall experience:
Can’t complain about this place at all. It was a clean atmosphere with great food and great service. Everyone is friendly including the other customers. Must try this place if you’re looking for a true middle eastern food experience.

I had high expectations from this place. We live in skokie, and have driven there multiple times, however the last time was not as pleasant as I was hoping for. We made a reservation for Sep 14^th for group on 10 people. When we arrived, we were seated at the big table. Our server brought some menu but there was no introduction or greetings. We ordered some drinks and started to look on the menu. We waited for about 10 – 12 minuted for out server to come and ask what we wanted to ordered. We ordered for 2 family platter which can serve up to 10 people according to their menu. However, it can feed up to 15. All of their entrees come with hummus, baba ganoush and pita bread. Meat was well cooked and their rice was flavorful. However, their customer service was way to bad. I understand that they are busy and it was dinner time but when you pay $ 280 for dinner, you do expect to receive proper service. Our server only came twice to our table which I didn’t appreciate.
Tips:
Make a reservation
Do not take any cake for birthdays or etc (they do not allow outside cake)

Have you ever felt out of place?
Well, Al Bawadi is the place for your, but in a very good way!!! Our waitress really embrace us and took the time to explain our menu and what to expect! Not going to lie about the culture shock, but an experience that I would explore again!!!

Must have: hummus, mixed grill platter
Oh, I dream of Al Bawadi’s mixed grill. The mixed grill (which also had a fish option) is a multi-​course meal that the menu says could feed five, but would really feed at least eight people for $ 74.
The mixed platter come with a huge side salad, and sides of hummus, baba ganoujh (a puréed eggplant dip), and this glorious whipped garlicky glory dip (maybe thoom? Didn’t remember the name). The mixed grill itself is a huge platter with two types of rice, lamb chops, quail, chicken, kebabs, and roasted tomatoes. The meat is all halal and it perfectly spiced and cooked, with a great smokiness to it. There is no need to order supplementary dishes if you go with a group because it is plentiful and is worlds above what Americans think of kebabs and hummus.
Al Bawadi is worth the trek to Bridgeview, and it great for a group dinner. It is always packed, so I recommend getting a reservation, especial for groups. Service is great, parking plentiful.

Zabiha halal! :)
We drove alllll the way down from Skokie… and wow, blew us away. The food, ambiance… everything was perfect. The décor is meant to make it look like a desert oasis… my fav part was the dresses. One of the men was serving coffee with a sash holding fake bullets lol awesome.
We went in Friday night @ 8PM. The place was JAM-PACKED…we didn’t have reservations but the hostess told us a 15 min wait and we’d have our table. Once seated, we had a complimentary dish of these crisoy pita strips with an eggplant dip and olives/​pickles. The eggplant dip was delish! It was tangy and the pita crisps were sooo yummy. We ordered 3 appetizers — muthawama, 6 pcs falafel, and fries… entrees were 2 mixed grill plates.
Muthawama — garlicky, sour, potatoey dip… omggggg. it was something i’d never tried before and it was to die for! I wish i’d brought some home :(
Falafel — I was put off falafel after trying some at my loval Pita Inn… those were gross. These, however, have made me a believer once again. Crispy, perfectly seasoned… and the steam that rises out of them when u crack one in half, beauty i tell u! We were regretting not getting the 12 pc… i’m still regretting it.
The mixed grill — Juicy, succulent, perfectly marinated… the 2 types of rice are wonderfully done. Also the portions are huge… love it! I also had the non-​alcoholic ‘beer’… it was apple flavored lol. So delicious.
We drove here from quite a way… it was defo worth it, can’t wait for next time.