Babylon Kebab

Great little place that I just happened to drive by when I was hungry. It was dead during the middle of the day on a Wednesday but the falafel, hummus, and baklava were great.
The guy being the counter was very friendly but he had to make everything from scratch so my wait was a little long — but it was worth it.

Mmm, falafel, shwarma, hummus, oh my! The food here is very tasty & we haven’t had anything that has disappointed. This place is easy to miss, just a little place in a tiny shopping center by the Jewel on Summit.
The one downside is since it’s a newer business the owner doesn’t appear to have hired any help yet. It’s just him cooking up his one-​man-​show of yum. Because of this it might take a bit longer to get your food so if you’re in a hurry I recommend ordering ahead. But talk about dedication, this guy is here during all hours they are open… I have no idea when he sleeps. He’s very friendly & is happy to keep up a lively conversation with you while you wait & watch him prepare your meal. The last time we were in he gave us something to snack on while we waited.
We love supporting local independent business & I hope more people discover this place so he can stay in business.

I’ve been a frequent return customer and have built a rapport with the owner.
The man is a maestro with his food. The flavors «pop»!
Yes, you will sit & wait. He cooks to order. Only thing i do not like is that his
salad is wilted because its pre-​dressed ahead of time, other than that
enjoy it while it last.

Great food! Just go and try it! We’ve traveled & dined all over the world and you learn décor isn’t evrything. World’s best food is on streetcorners in Sicily, shrimp trucks in Hawaii and the Caribbean. The owner really cares about food and it shows. Tables and floor were spotless. Hummus best I’ve ever had, kabobs great!

I’ve been meaning to review this place for awhile, and after eating there again tonight I decided I should.
Middle Eastern food isn’t so easy to find in this area without going into the city, I found this place as soon as we moved to Elgin. and it is definitely my favorite of all the Middle Eastern places I have tried around here.
Yes, it’s just one guy, and it does take a bit of time for him to prepare the food. But in my opinion it’s worth it. We usually call in our order before we head over there. Everything is always made fresh and the falafel and hummus are fantastic. The owner has been nothing but nice every time we’ve been in there, and he seems seems very enthusiastic about his food, which I’m sure is part of the reason why it’s so good.
My boyfriend and I have been here several times and we are always very happy with what we get. Definitely worth a try if you like Middle Eastern food.

John and I stopped in for some Arabian food after the gym. We were the only customers there, and the owner made sure to make a great first impression, he even let us sample some things.
I went to college in an area that had several Middle Eastern food places and one of my roommates was Arabian, so I was just craving some good Arab food at the time and so thankful that this place opened off Summit in Elgin. I don’t love Arabian food enough to drive all the way to Burbank or Chicago, but I was bummed that I used to have to drive to Pita House in Roselle. I don’t know if the location of this place is ideal for the type of community that Elgin is, thus I don’t think it’s going to be appreciated. I’m just glad that there’s a place closer to home now that has decent Middle Eastern food.
Bottom line: Food was good, owner was nice, but price was high for street food, portions were small, and place was lacking in décor.

We tried this for the first time tonight after passing it all the time. Service is very slow so definitely call ahead for pick up. Guess the benefit is that the food is fresh. Food is good and has different spices from Pita House but is pricier too. The pita bread isn’t homemade and definitely not worth paying extra for. No pita bread comes with the plate entrees so negative in my mind. The hummus was okay but not worth the $ 3. I can do better with the prepackaged stuff. The falafel was also expensive, $ 3 for 4 pieces. I personnally didn’t like the flavor of it either. The beef sharwarma and chicken sharwarma plates were good. The chicken does have a spiced kick too it. The beef keftab was okay but I would’t get it again. The only benefit of this place compared to Pita House is location since there isn’t one similar in Elgin.

Great food, great prices. The owner was there by himself when I came in and he made my food fresh.
The food took a while because it was grilled fresh, but the owner was very friendly. I told him I was an accountant and we commiserated about the tyranny of over-​taxation.
Definitely an asset to Elgin!

The Good: Middle eastern food in Elgin! My beef shwarma and baklava were tasty.
The Bad: Owners who are trying to open a restaurant on the cheap. The place looks dilapidated and it just opened. The woman who served our food couldn’t make change. One of her kids was playing mop-​the-​floor with a rag mop, which is fine but not professional. All of these factors result in there being very few customers. Also, the prices were a little high — this is middle eastern street food — not fancy. I suspect they raised their prices to compensate for the low turnover.
Conclusion: (Please see «The Good» above.)

I love Middle Eastern food and have long wished there was a place in Elgin, so I was excited to hear about Babylon Kebab opening. So excited, in fact, that I suggested it as our monthly outing to a group of neighbors.
There were 8 or 9 of us when we went for an early Saturday dinner. The menu is impressive, including most of the Middle Eastern classics. We ordered a wide variety of things so we could sample. The one-​man-​show running the place didn’t write anything down, which made us nervous.
The food came out in several shifts, and most of the orders were wrong. We ordered pretty much off the menu — no odd substitutions. While we waited for our food, several other people came in for takeout and got their food while we sat and waited. All told, we waited about 45 minutes before we got any food, and an additional 25 – 30 minutes beyond that before the last of us were served. Luckily, we had plenty to chat about, so while we were annoyed, we had no where else to be.
As the food came out, we sampled it, and it was fantastic. The chicken shwarma was terrific, the beef kebabs were great, the falafel was perfectly seasoned. The fattoush and Jerusalem salad were also excellent. Even those who had never had Middle Eastern were very pleased with the food. Portions were good: enough that you were comfortably full, but not giant.
I’m hoping this place gets their service act together and can survive, as it’s nice having great, made-​to-​order, fresh options so close to home. I wouldn’t go back with a big group, though, as it definitely overwhelmed the kitchen. But for a quick (ish) lunch for myself, I’ll definitely go back.

I’m a falafal lover. Normally we go to Pita House when we need our fix. So I was really surprised and intrigued when this place opened up near where I live. A Middle Eastern restaurant in a highly Mexican populated area? Really? Obviously I went in with low expectations.
Service wise, yes it is painfully slow. Only one person working who takes the orders and prepares them. So of course since it’s a one man show, he takes one order at a time… and doesn’t write anything down… even phone orders. Of course that always makes me nervous becase whenever a waiter refuses to write down my order, it always comes out wrong… and that’s when I order right off the menu with ZERO substitutions. We kept things simple here, ordering a falafal sandwich and kebab sandwich. According to the owner/​one man show, he says that he and his wife prepares all the seasonings and marinations at home. Twenty minutes later, our sandwiches were done and we were ready to dig in… hoping for the best.
The sandwiches were actually falafals/​kebabs, onions, lettuce, tomato, parsley, tahini, and pickles in the falafal sandwich rolled up in a pita that was cooked on the grill. Yes, you read correctly, pickles were in the falafel sandwich. If I hadn’t experienced this before then I would have been like WTH? Taste-​wise, the sandwich was actually decent. The falafal sandwich was a bit on the dry side and It could have used more tahini sauce, but overall, I was impressed… that’s what having low expectations does for you. My spouse said the kebab sandwich was definitely ok as well.
If it weren’t for the slooooooooooooow service, I’d probably go here more often. But if I’m ever in the mood for a falafal and can’t make it out to Pita House, I may consider stopping in… if there’s not already a line of people inside. :)

This was my first foray into middle eastern cuisine and Babylon Kebab did not disappoint. I had a beef shwarma sandwich with tomato, onion parsley and a drizzle of tahini sauce wrapped in a thin pita bread. I also ordered a chicken kebab, which was recommended by the chef/​owner Abe who talked me up the whole time I was there. Very nice man. The chicken was cooked perfectly and served on a plate of saffron (I think) rice with a delicious and refreshing salad of lettuce, tomato, onion in a lemon and oregano dressing. It cleansed the palate nicely as the chicken had a mild kick. I also ordered a baba ganoush plate that came with falafel and tahini sauce. For desert I ordered a wonderfully sweet baklawa drizzled with honey and packed with almonds and pistachios. All this food was for myself and my wife and cost $ 25!
The only negative to the whole experience was the time. It took a while for the food to be prepared for Abe is the only employee in the joint. I also happened in shortly after he had opened (around 11), so grills and fryers needed to be heated up. However, I have to say it was worth the wait. Left me completely satisfied; full, but not uncomfortably so and the food wasn’t heavy, just right. One other small disappointment was the fact that I was going in hoping to try a kefta kebab (which he didn’t have) and a man’ooshe/ manaeesh that sounded yummy in another review (see Zhong Y.) which was also not available. So I guess I’ll just have to go back soon.
I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who craves something other than Mexican or Chinese in the Elgin area. Very different and very delicious.

There is not much «ethnic diversity» in the restaurant selection in Elgin.
There is a whole lot of Mexican and not a whole lot of other choices.
I was extremely excited when I saw that a middle eastern restaurant replaced a former Mexican joint. I could eat middle eastern food weekly. Maybe my hopes were too high, but this place was very disappointing.
I ordered a chicken kebab sandwich and hummus and chatted with the owner. He started off on a bad note by slamming Pita Inn, one of my favorite middle eastern places. He said that wasn’t «real» middle eastern food, it was «Indian style.» His food was authentic, etc etc.
SO, with much anticipation I tried the food. They do not make their own bread so the pita wasn’t super fresh. There is a problem when you can taste the method of cooking over the meat itself. The chicken tasted like charcoal and a hint of gas. The hummus was decent but I was not a fan of the parsley that was sprinkled in it. I also thought the portion of hummus was pretty skimpy.
In conclusion, I guess i prefer «Indian style» middle eastern food because Pita Inn has way better food.

First of all, to answer the question from Sharon P., why yes, I am totally looking for a real middle eastern place. Babylon Kebab is said to be owned by Assyrians, so this is quite promising, if the Assyrian restaurants I have eaten at in the past, like the famous Larsa’s in Skokie, is any indication. Everything is indeed prepared to order, so you do have to wait a bit or phone in advance. But once you do, you have a fabulous meal. I am having the combination plate now, which has a minty and lemony green salad with lettuce and diced tomatoes, a bit soggy but full of flavor, and three kebabs/​kabobs/​kababs: one of kefta, which is ground lamb and beef I think; beef, clearly; one of beef cube, and one of chicken, skewered with pepper and onion, chargrilled, over yellow rice. Fabulous. And also there is manakish, sometimes called manaeesh, which is a kind of Lebanese pizza with an oregano/​thyme spice mix called za’atar, a mild white cheese variety, or half and half. Worth getting since it beats driving down to Kedzie Ave to visit the al-​Khayyam Bakery — which is worth doing, don’t get me wrong! — but again, this is Elgin, and gas is $ 4.50 a gallon now. Will see what wife thinks about the vegetarian falafel plate with the hummus (tasty chickpea dip). Love that the falafel are donut shaped with a hole in the middle: very unusual. Seems they are still getting their rhythm. Homeless guy outside seems to be constantly wandering in and out begging from the different stores in the strip mall but seems harmless. I want this place to stick around! One of my favorite cuisines and very happy it is here in el-​Jinn!

Caveat Emptor — Let the Buyer Beware. This is the worst customer service and only mediocre Middle Eastern food. I have gone two times to this location. The first time was around noon I was told that they had an «equipment malfunction» so it would be over 30 minutes to prepare. Not wanting to blow my entire lunch period, I decided to get a burrito from the Mexican Restaurant.
I decided to head back to give them a new try. Again, I was highly disappointed. This time it was about 4pm and the grill was off and the hot oil was also turned over. I was told my food would be ready in about 10 minutes. About 25 minutes later, I was given the wrong order even though I was the only person in the place. I questioned the owner about it and he told me I was wrong and that I did not order the three items. I asked to see my order and he said he never writes it down. During the entire time I was there, he sat and talked to three men that appeared to have nothing better to do except sit and talk to the owner and make my wait even longer. I grabbed the food (which was mediocre at best as far as flavor) that was paid for at the time of ordering and left… Never to return. T
Other negatives about this business (as if this was not enough) include: their credit card machine was not working, they look unprofessional because it looks like they slapped a ½ full cooler of drinks, a fryer that they bought at a flea market, a television that repeated a loop about the proper way to hook up a DVR, and a cheap cash register. I understand you don’t want to be extravagant when first starting but this looked like they should have had this business started out of their garage.
I would run away from this place… Don’t walk, RUN AWAY before you are sadly disappointed as I was on two occasions!