Al Mawal Restaurant

Did this place change hands? My receipt did not say Al Mawal.
The food was great. Crazy huge portions. Very fresh food. Nice salads, hummus, meats and veggies. Pretty fast. The folks running the place are very nice and very hospitable.
Free parking.

They make the best Mediterranean food ever!!! Their lemonade is awesome too!

I love good food and this place is great!
Ordered mixed grill plate, got big plate with different grilled meats, two types of rice, grilled onion, grilled tomato, chopped salad plate, hummus plate and fresh pittas on a side.
Everything was amazing and cost only $ 18 inc tax.
Great food and great price.
I like.

The food is sooo Delicious!!! Grilled meats, two different kinds of rice, hummus, baba ganoush, pita, shawarma, pickled turnips and olives, tabouli,…And Huge portions! Enough for another meal to take home. Reasonable prices! Around 10 – 20 dollars a plate. The atmosphere is very ethnic yet not fancy. Very plain. Feels like your going to an Arabic friends house. The music sounds like the call to prayers we heard while traveling in Dubai. Love it! Not Americanized, real down home Arabic cooking! The service is good and being typical white folks we never felt unwelcome or out of place. We have been there on Saturday night for dinner a few times and we were the only ones there, however plenty were picking up carryout. Don’t be afraid to eat here. It is truly an authentic experience!

The restaurant has one of the best shawarma sandwiches in the area. The restaurant is clean and does have a nice middle eastern vibe to it. Their is a long wait during some days, but I suggest to call ahead just in case. They offer some pita chips and sides while waiting for the food. Their seafood isn’t the best that you could but at a restaurant, I don’t recommend it. However their sharwarma plater is great. Their appetizers are normal, they are good as side dishes. The service is average, but the waiters are kind and patient for the most part; however they always seem to be busy.

Ramadan Mubarak! Buffet for Iftar. Expected some more selection but it was pretty good. 20 bucks a head. I guess I can appreciate being forced to try dishes I wouldn’t normally order. I liked everything very much.

First time here. The chicken shawarma sandwich and entrée were excellent. The humus was also very good.

Food was fantastic, atmosphere was lacking.
I recommend the mixed grill plate. Great flavors and tons of food. The falafel was really good too.
No boose at all. Just soft drinks.
Atmosphere was pretty weak. They should put some music on. Doesn’t help that there was a pretty funky smell from sewer gas or something. A little attention to detail would go a long way.

It’s was exceptional, I don’t know what it is about middle eastern restaurants here in America but I never seem to find the perfect shwarmah sandwichnlike the ones I tasted in Jordan.
I’m on a hunt and so far every sandwich I’ve tried is either over spiced or dry! It’s supposed to be juicy and full of flavor that leaves your mouth watering and coming back for more :/​I liked the grape leaves although I wish they were a little bigger (stuffed) :D
The mixed platter of rice and a verity of kabobs was good and so was the hummus and baba ganoush, It would’ve been nice if they served the baba ganoush, hummus salad and pita bread before the actual meal (they are appetizers after all) but they were served together and we didn’t know what to eat first it was overwhelming. I know most middle eastern places serves these small appetizers before the big meal.
Nonetheless I’d come here if I was starving but not for any occasion.

The food was great! The restaurant… DEAD! I feel really bad for places like this. With the high ratings on Unilocal you would think it would drive more business. I got the kabab combo and all the meats were very tasty. The pilaf were perfectly flavored. Hummus and babajanoush (sp?) were well oiled… lol and fresh. Great meal for your buck!

Seriously! There isn’t anything bad we can say about the food at this place! It was our first visit and it will definitely not be our last. The food was seasoned perfectly, the falafels totally delish! The dips and bread… AWESOME!, The food was sooooooo fresh and so good! The staff SOOOOOO friendly! If you have a craving for some awesome Mediterranean food, check this place out! I think you’ll love it as much as we did! Yummmmmmmm yummy!!!

Excellent baba ghanoush and falafel. Also tried the beef schwarma sandwich, which was awesome. Lots of fresh, bright flavors and great service. Try the stuffed falafel, too.

Personal service with a side of delicious hummus! :)

I have to be honest my expectations weren’t high from this place but my mom wanted to go, so I went with the flow. Doesn’t look like much on outside but don’t let that fool you. The food is out of this world. There were 3 people in our group and we ordered 2 mixed grill plates and some falafel as an appetizer. They brought out sides of hummus, salad and baba ghannouj. Everything was on point, falafel came out next and falafel were crispy on outside and flavorful on inside. They asked if we wanted our combos plated together on a platter and we agreed. Food came out and was very presentable. Cuts of various roasted meats, grilled tomatoes and onions. Everything was very flavorful and abundant. The only suggestion would be ask to cook meat medium temp. We had left overs and took them home. Our waitress was quiet but very attentive and did a good job. If you are going alone you will have enough extras for your next meal.

Only good things to say about Mawal. Generous portions, fresh, well-​done food. Rice with toasted almonds. Mmm, that’s worth it alone. Great hummus and kibbeh. And grape leaves. Loved the grape leaves! Along with the fruit cocktail! Yum! It was pretty too. See the pics! Lol. Also, service was great! The server was very friendly and polite.
Only downside was the décor. It’s pretty plain. But go there for the food!

Hopefully I caught them on a bad day b/​c this was the total opposite of the reviews that prompted me to visit Al Mawal. I ordered the Chicken Shawerma plate. The chicken was dry and waaayyyy overdone. The hummus was just okay. I’m wondering if I would have gotten a better meal at the other Middle Eastern restaurant a few doors down.
I try to avoid leaving negative reviews, but I am disappointed I may a special 20 minute drive out of the way to eat here. I will stick to The Nile.
The positives:
No customers so I was seated immediately.
The server was very attentive.
The chocolate covered mint that they give you with your check :-)

This place in located in a small strip mall and very unnoticeable from the street so keep an eye out for it.
Our table cloth was sticky and the chairs were really dirty with plastic coverings ripped and falling off. Our table only had one water glass on it and missing silverware… not a good first impression.
We ordered quickly and waited and waited. The server kept apologizing that the food was taking a long time and she said it was because they were so busy but the restaurant was maybe ¹⁄₃ full. Strange.
Finally, our food came. But it came out one plate at a time with about 5 minutes in between plates. Ugh. Portions are ridiculously big. My plate probably had 5 cups of cooked rice on it (2 kinds), about 5 ounces of chicken and one tomato and one onion. Food also comes with hummus, baba ganoush, pitas and pickled veggies. You do get a lot for your money and everything was very tasty.
So, when we got home we noticed the tip was included on the bill and we had already left her a cash tip! We only had 4 people and the server never mentioned that! We called and they said their policy is adding the tip for over 3 people (which wasn’t stated on the menu). I think that’s ridiculous. He did, however agree to put our tip money towards another visit but I think this is a shady practice.
I dont think I’ll be back.

Fantastic. Seriously good.
My Android phone was not very cooperative in GPS mode as I tried to navigate here. Searching for «almawal» instead of «al mawal» may help, but I ended up having to enter the freakin’ address directly into the search box. Another tip — this place is not in Dearborn, MI, regardless of what Google Maps may suggest. Don’t let these details dissuade you from checking this restaurant out. It’s really awesome.
Al Bawadi used to be my go-​to spot for delicious middle eastern food, but Al Mawal just took the crown. The décor is not as nice to be sure, but the food is every bit as good. Low prices and large portions give Al Mawal the nod, though it is certainly not a rout.
Service was extremely friendly and I got zero vibe that as a non-​Muslim I was unwelcome. Quite the contrary, really. And even if the Adhaan was playing on the loudspeakers in the restaurant (it was not), I’d definitely not begrudge them their right to celebrate their beliefs with décor and acoustical ambiance.
I ordered six pieces of falafil and a shish kebab sandwich with fries for lunch, The falafil came out first, and they even included one of the stuffed falafil’s for me to try. They were piping hot and delicious. The sandwich came out a few minutes later. The lamb inside had a nice char, and the sandwich as a whole (a wrap finished on the grill) was great.
The location is great — just a few minutes away from I-​294. Easier access from the interstate gives it bonus points over The Nile and Al Bawadi. Unless I have to get my fix of roasted snacks from The Nut House in Bridgeview, I’ll bypass The Nile and Al Bawadi in favor of this suburban gem. That’s saying a lot, because each of those restaurants is exceptional in its own way. You can’t go wrong with any of the three, really.

This is not a «Middle Eastern restaurant». This is a Muslim restaurant. If you are not a practicing Muslim, prepare for a substandard experience.
The food here was okay. We had the hummus and sandwiches, which, as another reviewer pointed out, are more like wraps. Portions are huge. Patrons also get a relish tray with generous amounts of items.
Prices on the menu are slightly on the high side for some dinners, but the buffet – which we did not stay for – is a rip-​off. The idea of a buffet is to give a variety of food at a really reasonable price, because light eaters offset those who gorge themselves: the restaurant makes money and the patron feels like he got a deal, so it’s win-​win. Al Mawal’s buffet prices reflect the mentality that every diner would have normally ordered the most expensive items on the menu.
The service was average. The waiter – possibly the same guy as the cook, as we were the only two people in the place at 1 pm – was friendly and attentive, but unfortunately did not have a great command of the English language. He said the chicken was not ready, then offered steak, then the steak turned out to be chicken. Later he brought out more chicken and told us it was chicken. Hmm.
Now, this is the disturbing part of our visit: a lot of Arabian restaurants in this area cater to a mostly Muslim crowd and state that they serve halal food. No problem. That’s what patrons understand, just like the designations gluten-​free, vegetarian or kosher. And it’s also no big deal to see a picture of Mecca, just like if you go into a Mexican restaurant and see a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Al Mawal definitely takes this to the next level. The wall art is, of course, all religious – with the obligatory photo of the Qaaba and plaques of verses from the Qur’an.
But the first thing we were informed of, when we were seated, was that some menu items were not available because it is Ramadan and «everyone is fasting.»
«Not everyone!» my companion told the waiter.
This is why we chose to come here for lunch: we knew it wouldn’t be crowded during Ramadan, having had uncomfortable experiences at other local Muslim restaurants when, as two women, we’ve found ourselves subject to glares and unfriendly murmurings.
Imagine an Italian restaurant that takes everything off the menu except fish during Lent because «no one is eating meat.»
But the most annoying – actually offensive – feature was that the loudspeaker was broadcasting a sung recitation of the Qur’an. Again, imagine an Italian restaurant that broadcasts a continuous loop of chaplets.
I also have to point out, this is yet another Muslim restaurant that advertises «cocktails» but serves no alcohol-​based products. Another owner once contacted me and said that what they MEAN is non-​alcoholic cocktails. Which was exactly my point: if they mean non-​alcoholic cocktails, then say «non-​alcoholic cocktails.» Implying that a person can order a margarita and then saying that no – you only serve fruit smoothies – is false advertising. Cocktails, to Americans, MEAN beverages that are mixes involving alcohol. Like the bumper sticker says, «Welcome to the US, now learn English.»
Middle Eastern restaurants in this area come and go quickly, and that’s because if their target audience is ONLY other Muslims, they just won’t have a customer base. They have to attract people who enjoy different cuisines, no matter what their religion or the religion of the owners. In fact, Al Mawal shares a block with another Middle Eastern restaurant – I popped in to grab a menu, and they were NOT playing the FM-Qur’an station.
But I guess we were lucky that Al Mawal wasn’t more hardcore. If we’d been in Saudi and tried to order food, we would have been smacked around a little. Because, you know, «everyone is (supposed to be) fasting.»

We read about this place in the Reader (thanks Mike Sula!) and immediately drove down to the south side to sample their goods. Even though we live near well-​known Middle Eastern restaurants in Albany Park, I would happily drive down again. There’s a lot to like about Al Mawal, not the least of which is friendly service and some honest-​to-​goodness TLC in the kitchen.
You, too, will be rewarded if you make a trip to Al Mawal. They serve HUGE portions of really tasty food at very reasonable prices. The mixed grill plate is a «sampler» of sorts, or you could opt for the stuffed chicken (half or whole) which looked awesome. Don’t miss the stuffed falafel and potato-​garlic dip.