Al Bawadi Grill Review

They have very good breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They have very nice places to sit and a large quantity of seats and tables. They also have a good place to sit if you are bringing over 30 people. They have a very good staff. The time it takes to good your food isn't long. Instead it take about 10 minutes to get your food and start eating.

This place never disappoints. They serve awesome dishes for convenient prices, there is no waiting time even when they are packed.

excellent service ambiance and food big portions 6 could eat with 4 orders the food was delicious served hot

Best Arabic food I've had in Chicago. I also highly recommend that you save space for the absolutely delicious fresh made-to-order Knafeh for dessert!

I love the decor in this place, you feel like you're in a Bedouin tent back in Palestine. The quail here was really good and had a suprising amount of meat for such a small bird. The complementary pickles with every meal was great, but that's mostly because I'm a sucker for pickles. The coolest part has to be the guy who comes around to all the tables pouring cups of coffee, super neat. Would recommend going here with a larger group due to the nature of middle eastern mezze.

If you are looking for some good middle eastern food this is the place, i think its because they cook the meat over charcoal.

terrific falafel, hummus; service is exceptional...stop In, you will be happy you did.

THE FOOD IS GREAT BUT THE SERVICE ISN T... We made a reservation a week ago to come in today Thursday may 24th at 6:30 because they don t take reservations fri-sun. We get here at 6:30 and they tell us they re closed? Confused at this, we tell them that we have a reservation and we made it online over a week ago. The girl at the hostesses stands looks over at the guy next to her and he tells her in Arabic I believe, that they are closed for Ramadan and they only offer a buffet at this time with a reservation. We again say we have a reservation, they just keep telling us they re closed for the buffet only. We drove over an hour to get here for this really good food, only to be told sorry were closed. When I asked why we didn t receive a phone call to let us know about all of this, the girl at the stand says well our system isn t really updated to get our online reservations . Angry and annoyed about the whole situation there is a bright side. We can order food to go. We placed our order but couldn t order any fried appetizers because the fryer hasn t been working. That to me says it hasn t been working for it least the last 24hrs so why not get it fixed by now? Over all I m very happy to be eating this really good food, but not happy with this costumer service at all. I d recommend you call ahead with any questions, don t bother with trying to make a reservation, if this system isn t working then I doubt the online ordering system is updated for you to that.

Beautiful place with amazing food and very friendly staff. Friday evening can get really busy here. The wait time was about 30 minutes for us.

We were a party of five and we ordered the big non veg platter. The meat was really well done. The portion sizes were enormous. The platter probably can easily serve 7 people.

Kanafeh and Muhallabi were also incredible. Will definitely go back again.

Quality and taste ain't the best. They don't allow any water purchased from outside, which we brought by accident. They will automatically add tips if your bill goes high; I ended up paying like $25 as tips on a $130+ bill... speechless!

delicious 5*****
We are waiting Al Bawadi in Naperville. please open one more chain in Naperville, IL Thanks

You want great middleeastern food in Chicago. You just found it.

Excellent service and food selection. Well cooked, authentic and delicious. Large portions. They make kunafa in front of the restaurant customers. Delicious to watch and consume. Will be back every time I am in the area.

Mom & I stopped in for lunch. Mom had never had Middle Eastern food before. Fast, friendly & attentive staff. We were made to feel welcome. Good tasty, nicely prepared food. Hummus was delicious. Mom ordered the beef, lamb & chicken kehbobs they were delicious. You can taste the spices and the smokiness from the grill. I ordered the beef & lamp casserole with tahini & tomato sauce. Delicious. A very enjoyable meal. We will be back to this neighborhood gem.

Excellent food and generous portions. The wait can be tedious since it can take more than an hour to get a table especially on weekends so plan ahead. It is family oriented middle eastern food. I would highly recommend it.

DELICIOUS FOOD!
IT'S VERY SWEET!

Everything was delicious, especially the chicken tikka!

Yamni atmosphere and great food.
Recommend.

It's okay because food was not grilled it was stored and pre heated maybe because it was so crowded but it was pre heated

Authentic Middle Eastern cuisine. Beautiful ambiance and friendly staff. Large portions and variety of selections from menu. Yummy!

An epitome of 'Great Mediterranean Food' in the Chicago land.

I loved the food and atmosphere. The staff was very helpful and the food was delicious, I had the best falafel here. I also ordered the Al Bawadi platter - the meat was perfect - juicy, soft, delicious. Will visit again.
They know how to make it 'well done'.

If going in summer I will avoid edge tables , AC directly on to you and cooling off your food.

Ordered lamb plate,found two pices not eatable,very dissatisfied :( used to like this place....

Exceptional food and service! I love the guy going around giving everyone "gahwa sada" (strong shot of coffee)!!! A true middle eastern dining experience! Food portions are middle eastern style! You may not finish the plate! Best Hummus outside the middle east.

This is the BEST PLACE. I ve been going to the place for years.. The food has always been fresh and authentic. The aroma of food from Al bawadi grill is indescribable. This place gets 5 stars

Moved here from Brooklyn which is heavily populated with middle Eastern cuisine. I was recommended this restaurant and decided to try it out. I was wowed from the moment I walked it. Traditional Palestinian ambiance. Everything was so detailed. From the menus design (tatreez trim) to the staff dressing. I absolutely loved the older man serving the coffee. And the sweet old man opening the doors. I already went twice this week. In ONE WEEK! Can't wait for my family to visit from NY & FL and take them here! Also food tasted just as good as it looked

Great food, nice experience, amazing service by Anas. He is really friendly guy treats customers as VIP. I would diffidently come back and ask about him.

Al Bawadi is amazing we always order platters of food from here when we have large family gatherings and they even catered my baby shower! As with most Arab restaurants they will probably give you more than you can eat at one sitting but that's okay hummus is good cold too

I must confess that I hesitated on trying this place because I am normally not an adventurous eater. I am pretty picky with what I eat and normally just stick to what I know. I am so glad I tried Al Bawadi I loved it. Our waiter was very helpful in explaining what everything consisted of.

Very good customer service! Food portions are big! kanafeh is delicious! Came with a group of friends on the weekend with no reservation and they took us in.

My go-to place to dine in on any occasion. Whether it's a birthday or just a casual family gathering, their food and the restaurant atmosphere makes this the perfect setting! Love love love

Great food. The place is always full. You should ask for all the sauces to get a sense of what you may like if this is your first time. If you have a large group, order the grill platters. There is plenty of room to accommodate all party sizes. The staff is helpful and explain all the foods. Try the fresh fruit and veggie bar for a drink.

This is one of the best arabic reasturant. Amazing food, great welcoming, friendly staff. I should eat here each time I visit Chicago.

This place is Alhamddulillah Great...food service everything ....

Mashallah Laquwatah ela bellah... It'
s the greatest

Frankly, I thank the owner of the restaurant because it is clear that he tired of this restaurant means this restaurant level is higher than the level of ordinary people in the sense of Deir Balak Dear citizen to go to this edifice great and Aladmh God less than an official suit and left luxury until you feel some respect I mean if possible The reception staff Istfrgo to see you and possible mislead Tesna eating hour and blecher Baiji one from afar Bhakiklk Heh I saw you not Nasik on the basis that I am the rest of the same sheep I and Huh and after all this Bjibouli one account second Mo account and thank you

Warm and friendly, the food was great and the service was awesome. The wait staff was there when you needed something but didn't hover over you.
I will definitely go back.

Had a party of 11 guests. We had a great time. Food was delicious and the service was top notch. Looking forward to another visit with my wife for a lunch date.

For it being a roll of the dice cause I never had Arabian food, it was so good! The service was great they brought pickled veggies, asked if I would like hummus. Which was amazing. And served it with some warm pita bread. The appetizers that I ordered oh my I can't describe it's too much, just put it this way I ate the lettuce decoration it came on for the flavor it held mmmmmmmm. Don't get me started on my entree I can go on, and the mango drink tasted like what I can imagine ripe sweet mango fresh off the tree would taste like!!!

I will not visit again they add tips mandatory without asking.

My family and I went to have dinner there this week. We ordered combination plates. First, the rice was old and reheated, and most of it was lumpy and, hardly any roasted almonds on it. Second, the lamb kabobs were stringy and every one had gristle and chewy. Third, The kifta kabob was extremely over cooked. This is not the first time it is over cooked. It is over cooked everytime I went there. The only thing was good was the chicken kabob. We told the owner and he made us feel like we are liars. Definitely the quality is going down. I will not go there again until I hear that the quality had improved. Also, the service was not as good as it was before.

Good food. Ordered the owner pakora which had less salt. Gobhi manchurian was decent but the quantity was less for a small group of people. Recommend the mixed veg curry, it was rich and thick, full of flavors. The garlic chili naan was really spicy. Overall I give it 4 on 5. The service was good too.

Amazing food, best restaurant in town.
We will be back soon

Great food and better service! They make you feel at home. One of the best drinks I have every had was their personally made lemonade. It is a must!

So I pay extra for a side salad and for all the rice to be removed? Waited 2 hours for a plastic carton with 8 pieces of chicken. Paid extra x4 for tahini, 1 carton for 2 meals and I was charged. Falafel burnt, shish dry as a bone, don't know where to start. Place has gone down hill.

Update. Received a call, though I was called Michelle quite a bit I can get over that. I'll for now be middle of road with my review here. I definitely know how good this place can be, the prices reflect so consistency and accuracy would be nice. As of now the refund will be arranged, I was not refunded like response states as of now.

I asked them on Facebook (private message) to change the plastic harmful containers, they ignored my demand. Be aware. these containers can not hold hot food items, it is very toxic and full of chemicals when filled with hot food.

Loved the "khaima- like" decor, with ethnic clothing for all the servers. The complimentary appetizers alone could fill one up. Fragrant Kahva is offered like water. Delicious food. Nominally priced.

Tasty food for decent prices. I always get the combo plate.

Very fresh, and exquisitely delicious. The meat was absolutely scrumptious. We got the boneless chicken and it was phenomenal.

Quality of Food is hit or miss it seems like, and lately It feels it went off Target...which means it is not as impressive as it was few years back...the kobeh,tabooleh, all kind of kebabs is not as good as it used to be, service is still great but food is not.

Chicago's finest middle eastern Resturant, offers a variety of Arabic dishes. Gets extremely busy during the weekend, waiting could be up to 1 hour during dinner time over the weekend ! Doesn't take reservation, offers take-out

Some of the best Mediterranean food I've ever had. Great environment too.

As much as I love the food and I don t want to give a bad review but Albawadi has been deteriorating significantly lately!!! they have messed up my order 3 times in a row!
First time was a knafa order that I explicitly told them to add extra syrup(qater) just to find out once I got home they didn t and didn t even put any on the knafa itself !! I had people over and was very disappointed. I ended up throwing it away.

Second time I placed an order online so I can save time!! Got there 20 mins later just to find out they haven t even started it and didn t even know it came in!!!
Today the meal should include hummus or salad it had neither!! And the mocktail should have fruit chunks and honey it barely had any!!

I m have been a big fan of Albawadi for years but I m very disappointed of such mistakes you won t expect from such an established restaurant.. I hope you guys improve!!