Al Bawadi Grill Review

Poor service and food was lousy, meat was tough, chewy and dry, never go back there again...

This restaurant was amazing! Great food and atmosphere!

Excellent food, amazing decor!! This place feels like you're not in Chicago, but in a foreign country since there's so much culture inside.

If u like Mediterranean food go eat at pita house, bawadi is very crowded and takes 20 minutes just to get a table , also the food takes about 40 minutes. The food is good tho

Delicious! Huge portions. Waiter was extremely attentive!

Omg I visited from Oklahoma and this place is unforgettable great food great service everything is great in there I highly recommend you to try this place you will not regret it!! I am definitely going there again anytime I visit this city again!! Try their juice you will never forget it!!!

First timer going in to the restaurant I called the server and offer me straight a $109.99 plate then he suggested that j go for a fish plate which was $24.99 then my son order a sausage plate cost $8.99 so by the end of everything bill came out to $230.31 which was awfully high and the food was not good good would not recommend the only thing on the menu good was bawadi wing order 4 or 5 plates each platter have 10 tiny wings but they were good in taste that's about it don't go for the $109.99 platter not recommended at all!!!!!

The food here, is AMAZING. My first exposure to good/great middle eastern food, my cousin didn't burn. Try one of their sample platter, like our group did. "A little bit of everything". Everything was "very fresh" and seasoned to taste. Only one negative.... Very long wait to get a Table on a Saturday night. Definately worth the wait.

Always great food, warm and bustling environment. Even with COVID now, they haven t dropped the quality of their meals. Highly recommend to anyone visiting the Chicago area to make the trip out to either location of Al Bawadi

Full of racism
I'm an Indian and you gotta be an Arab to get good service. Everytime I asked for something, the waiter face reaction changes as if I'm asking something wrong.
I left the restaurant without eating and waiting for my meal for 45 minutes.
The guy in front table (Arab) was served the food in no time.
When I asked about my food, the rude waiter said it'll be served in 2 minutes and he never turned to me till 20 minutes until I finally decided to leave the restaurant.
They ruined my dinner plans.

They had a really bad service if they have too many people they don t had to be so rude and especially Mharn he is so rude and they let you feel you are coming to the restaurant with them money not your money you are coming with your own money they don t had to be rude And Mharn is the rude person ever . hated al bawadi I think that it would be better if you don t visit Al bawadi grill I think Mharn should be Fired

Good food, sandwich was awesome. Kenfah was so very good!

I enjoyed my dining experience here. The service was great and they gave us a free hummus. The food itself was well cooked. Really enjoyed the lamb chops.

Simply, the best Mediterranean restaurant in Chicago.

Good food, well seasoned, meat very tender.... just a little unorganized

One of best restaurants in Chicago area. Arabic food is for once very authentic. Prices are reasonable. And the ambiance is very joyful. In a completely platonic sense, oddly the waiting staff is very good looking for some reason lol. Overall it brings back memories of the middle east.

Great food and experience! Garlic sauce is so good!

Updating review: I feel that their portion sizes have gotten significantly smaller and prices have stayed the same. In addition we really like their ground chicken skewers, but we were told that they would be discontinued soon.

Also, I ve noticed the pita they serve as appetizer is never fresh.

Cold food but very good and friendly service.
Try other days away from the weekend

The food is authentic and absolutely delicious! We usually get a big mixed grill platter. The customer service is wonderful, all of the workers there are so kind. This is my favorite place to take guests for authentic, tasty Mediterranean food.

As always, the food is spectacular. The meet is always perfectly cooked, the veggies well-grilled, and the rice flavorful. Their soup and apps are also very tasty, especially the hummus. Finish your meal with a nice cup of tea!

We went to ramzan buffet for a whopping cost of $24/person. The worst part was each table was provided with bread, hummus, etc that was unused and just went in trash. Additionally all the food left in plate was put in trash. More than 50% of food was getting in trash. It was very sad to see chicken, lamb, rice going in trash. Atleast they could offer to take it by paying a fee or charge extra for wasting food. You get a ticket by federal agencies in Germany for wasting food. According to Business Inside Report, 2014, 133 billion pounds of food is wasted each year in USA. I told them to talk a food bank to pickup the unused food to feed the hungry around Chicagoland.

My boyfriend and I went here for the first time a few days ago on Saturday for lunch. We loved it. The staff is friendly and the ambiance is amazing and unique. Servings are very generous, so order accordingly. The food was delicious and ingredients were fresh. We definitely plan to return.

Simply worth considering as u will get the most delicious and authentic food. Chicken shwerma sandwich, beef kifta kabob, matawama (garlic spread) are of the best quality in the area.

Probably one of the best middle eastern food in the Chicago area. Their chicken tawook is so good. Definitely recommend.

I invited few of my excutives colleges to try an authentic M.E food, everyone was excited and looking forward to a nice healthy meal.
Got there at 12pm and ordered appetizers, waitreses brought the appetizers at 12:30, at 12:45 pm we ordered lunch and it arrived at 2pm. Excatly more than ONE HOUR LATER, waitresses brough the food and it was cold, hostess and waitress apologized. Keep in mind customers that walked in way after us got their food in 10 to 15 minutes.
No one offered anything such as free desert or some type of discount for the one hour+ wait and the cold food. It was a real embarrassment for me, paid a large bill and left. Will never go back there again and will never recommend this place to anyone again. Rating less than zero. Enjoy!

the food was so delicious and the service was very good

Food was delicious and service was great! I tried the sampler and the chicken and lamb were my favorite. The rice also had good flavor. I was most impressed with the service; fast, friendly, and checked on us often. And the dessert... Omg it was good! Hope to go back again!

This is one of best Mediterranean restaurants on the planet!! The lamb chops are often the chain, always perfectly cooked, seasoned and fresh!! Why is it called grill too? Because there hot wings are better than any American restaurant I know if you believe hot wings are an American appetizer only. Man, they do some stuff with the wings in some wood chipped smoke and the wings aren t on steroids looking like something on the Flintstones. There small, succulent, seasoned with flavorful herbs and spices. Dip those babies in some of that barbecue sauce and it will Gabe licking your fingers for more!!

The servers are the Best!! The Owner is the greatest restaurant operator!! After lamb chops, wings, rice, delicious soup, you can wash it down with some mint lemonade!!! Yeah I said it!!!

Always have an awesome time here. Delicious food and friendly service. Party atmosphere. Be sure to get a reservation when you go. Highly recommended for all occasions!

Only would recommend if u have all the time in the world and if u don't mind eating next to a lot of people. PS: don't come on weekends because its packed.

Great food. Staff very friendly with minor exceptions. Sometimes when you arrive late or the place is too busy, quality may suffer a little...

Excellent middle eastern food! Highly recommend the mixed platter!

Falafel sandwiches are amazing, kunafa fantastic, customer service awesome. I will go back for sure

Best foood around reminds of home very dear to my heart

Best food ..great service , the breakfast menu is very authentic with foul and hummus and fatteh.. Grill is one of the best in the region..love this place

When someone asks you where they should go to eat, Al Bawadi is the one place that should top the list. The atmosphere is warm and friendly, the staff are prompt and courteous, and the food exceeds all expectations.

Their rib-eye steak was very tasty and tender! The pita bread was soft and warm overall really good!

Excellent taste and efficient service. Highly recommended!

I completely recommend the traditional hummus and the red snapper. Expect a 30 minute wait on a Friday evening.

Great food and friendly staff sometimes a little slow on the service side but over all one of the best middle eastern food restaurants in the south suburbs

The lamb chops are awesome. The service is great. We will be back.

Definitely 5 stars. One of the best restaurants certainly. Food is just so delicious and done right. Great service

Great atmosphere and food but the wait on Saturday nights is horrendous

Spent 45 minutes waiting for chicken shawarma sandwich while the restaurant was empty at night
Then she ended up telling me your food will not be ready till 15 minutes later
They missed replacing the order
Service was awful at night ... no manager on duty
Every one having funny with his phone device while the costumers waiting for their orders

They got great food!!! It s pretty much a very authentic Middle Eastern restaurant!! There deserts are very tasty and fresh. Highly recommended!! They have the family combination plate (see picture below) that got different types of meat, as well as a couple of sides. The plate is enough for 4 - 7 people

Middle Eastern food and the setting at this spot is very good. i often meet people here to talk. i look forward to a return trip. the place has a nice feel to it. food is like a restaurant in louisville i loved.

The food was great. I usually to Al Bawadi Grill very often but this time I felt unwelcomed. My waiter came to the table after 10 mintes of being seated even though the resturant was not busy at all. Five mintes after my food arrived to the table my waiter(Worood) came and asked me of I wanted a to-go box. My plate was full and I have just started eating. Every few minutes she will come and ask me if I wanted boxes or desserts. She even handed me my bill when I was still not ready to leave. I felt like she was in a rush to get me out of the resturant. Maybe I should consider going to a resturant that is more welcoming.

This restaurant should be closed around 3 during Ramadan.
This is my suggestion it least you guys take good point .

One of the best Lebanese restaurants with authentic foods

I went with my kids and wife yesterday for lunch , the food was lukewarm, we ordered hummus as an appetizer, the server got it with no bread. We have to ask for it.
The server did not check back with us after we ordered main dishes .

The server was very cold in her attitude and did not made us feel that they care about customers.

Bad management with too many unwanted customers, average food

Best Mediterranean restaurant but be prepared because it is really expensive

Great food, great people, and great service! Always a great experience! Aisha was an amazing server!

Very Poor take away service. Although food is delicious but they mess up with food orders over the phone. I was travelling out of town and ordered takeaway but they gave something else.

Very nice place you can have feelings that you are in different country
Good food. friendly staff

Food: 5 stars
Service: 1 star

Racist,over priced,worst service, worst food and it takes forever to come.
I must say avoid this place.
They deserve no stars.