Reza’s Grill

Went for dinner on a Saturday night. Perhaps I shouldn’t trust restaurants that aren’t packed on the weekend. It might say something about the place.
Started off really good… very nice décor, big open windows, small patio, quiet Mediterranean music… and a great mojito.
They brought us out a big plate of warm pita topped with cheese, oil, and spices and a few pieces of feta. Try not to fill up on the bread.
Once our food came out the night just got worse. The food was eh… the chicken kabob is actually a long stick of chicken sausage and the lamb is a long turd of ground lamb. Tasted just ok. Comes with roasted tomatoes (no flavor) and «fresh basil» (wilted, browned, and tasteless). Our vegetarian platter came with tabbouleh, baba ganoush, eggplant, stuffed green pepper with mushrooms, and falafel. All of them pretty much failed. Even the music went from good to… disco. It was weird.
We ended up taking most of it home. Just made an omlet out of it… better… but still … eh.
The best thing about the place is the bread. Sad.
Thumbs down from myself and the boyfriend.

I usually go to Reza’s on Ontario, where I have been a loyal patron for 10 years! With all the places to dine in Chicago, the fact that I keep going back really speaks to the quality of food and service provided here. I love the exposed brick walls and floors in deep red colors, the huge glass enclosed brewery area, and long bar. There is something wonderfully inviting about this location.
However, On this particular occassion, we ended up at the Lincoln Park location. When I walked in, I wasn’t as impressed by it as the one in River North. There have the usual tables, and this one has large booths that are elevated, which the other location does not have. There was something missing and it was lacking the charm that the other location has. The biggest pitfall about this location is that it has TV’s! Had I known that, I would have never gone because my BF is a serious sports junkie and I knew that with the big game on TV, I was going to be invisible.
But the food and service saved the day. The dill rice and lamb koubideh (seasoned and grilled to perfection) have magical, resorative powers. They can take me out of my worst mood and instantly put me on cloud nine. That’s the only reason that I ate my dinner liesurely instead of inhaling it to avoid the TV’s. My bf who ordered the combination plate consisting of the chiken koubideh and chengeh (filet mignon) with white jasmine rice was also very happy with his meal. Our waitress was attentive and checked on how we were doing without being over bearing. Much like the other locations, the portions are more than generous allowing you to take enough home to have a great lunch the next day.
If you’re in the mood for a more romantic and inviting setting, make the drive to the Ontario St. location because it’s well worth it. However, if you’re looking to catch the game, partake in wonderful Persian cuisine with great service, then you won’t be disappointed stopping in here.

Hadn’t been to a Reza’s in ages and was craving the salmon kabobs with that tasty dill rice. Rice was great as usual but the salmon was way overcooked and charred.
Huge portions though and the service was solid and friendly.