Shokran Moroccan Restaurant

The Favorite Dining Companion and I had dinner here last night. As a matter of disclosure, I picked the spot while cruising Restaurant.com for ideas. I was looking for a spot on the north side before we headed to Lincoln Park for a play. About an hour before we headed for the restaurant, I picked up a copy of the Reader and it happened to have a nice review of the place.

We arrived at around 5:30. Easy parking in front on Irving Park. When we walked in, I thought this was a small storefront spot. The few tables that were in front all had reserved signs on them. Whoops. Then the host took us to one of the two adjacent rooms in the back, each had several tables.

Our meal started off with warm pita bread served with hot sauce and chopped olives on the side. I'm not an olive person. But FDC said they were quite good as she devoured all of it. I enjoyed the hot sauce.

We shared a Moroccan salad appetizer. It was large enough for two. FDC's allergic to lemon, So they made the dressing without it.

We ordered the Kefta Tagine and Mixed Grill Kebabs as our entrees. Both were very good. We splurged for baklava for dessert. FDC chose plain and I had one with chocolate. Yowza!

Service was good. Nice bathrooms. My only gripe is that the iced tea was rather weak. This place is definitely on our north side dining rotation. It's BYOB.

Shokran Moroccan Restaurant
4027 W Irving Park
(between Pulaski Rd & Keystone Ave)
Chicago, IL 60641
(773) 427-9130
http://shokranchicago.com/

I ate here when it was still called Blue Line Moroccan something. The food was uneven and the service was terrible. I remember a few really tasty dips (zaalouk maybe?) and some good grilled items, but recall being very disappointed by a bland tagine.

From your post, it seems like things are looking up. I still haven't eaten a decent tagine in Chicago, so I'm willing to give this place another shot.

Habibi wrote:I ate here when it was still called Blue Line Moroccan something.

Blue Line Grill

Habibi wrote:I ate here when it was still called Blue Line Moroccan something

Me too, which is why I hadn't been back. I'm happy to report that Shokran is an entirely different place, and much better on all fronts. Fluffy couscous that's flavored with lamb stock and fat, the creamiest possible hummus, tasty merguez, fresh-brewed mint tea, and a downright swanky interior space that's warm, comfortable and romantic. Take a date.

had another great meal at Shokran about a week ago - quaint, warm atmosphere with attentive service and the best couscous & merguez sausage I've enjoyed in Chicago. If you're new to Moroccan cuisine or looking for a solid couscous, I think Shokran is an equally good fit - approachable and tasty. the online menu is up-to-date and there is a nice write-up on Moroccan cuisine on the last page of the online menu. http://www.shokranchicago.com/

meal details:
cold starters were okay - a nice way to begin, but not memorable. this time we had the carrot salad ($5 dressed, cooked carrot slices) and the zaalouk ($5 eggplant, tomatoes, spices) along with the complimentary pita, chopped mild olives and harissa. harissa wasn't as good as usual but hoping this was a fluke. cold starters we ordered were not over-sized but still felt like a fair value. of note, the zaalouk was listed in timeout magazine's 100 best things eaten this year (2012) - maybe it was an off night, maybe I don't have a good frame of reference for zaalouk - it just seemed kind of bland but I'd be willing to give it another try maybe during the summer when eggplants and tomatoes are more likely to shine.

couscous royale ($19) was delicious as usual - rich, hearty and satisfying (and a very generous serving). merguez (made in-house), lamb, vegetables (turnip, carrot and cabbage all flavorful & each well-cooked) and the savory broth, along with the couscous, were the standouts. essentially, the whole dish, except the chicken, was excellent - chicken was fine, just not as enjoyable as the other components.

mint tea is the perfect finish to the meal - lightly honeyed, hot, refreshing.

always hope to try something new but get happily snagged on couscous royale - maybe next time....

other highlights:
friendly mom & pop establishment (never been there when the chef/owner was not there)
warm, capable staff
charming atmosphere, conversation-friendly
reasonable prices (substantial entrees fall between $13 & $19)
easy street parking
friendly byob (glassware isn't the greatest & we didn't have two glasses the same - so if this matters to you - best to bring your own)
there were private parties in the back the night were were there - occurs to me it would be a good group dining experience.

low-points:
cash only with an atm on-site
some of the cushions could use some re-stuffing
it can be cold next to the windows

Just a quick bump to confirm that Shokran is still doing a great job of making your evening very pleasant. The positive points in the posts above are still there: easy parking, pleasant dining spaces, very attentive and helpful service, lots of interesting choices on the menu and they are well executed.

We had all of the hot appetizers and the carrot salad. Each was enjoyable. The shrimp and the carrots had a peppery kick. The Chicken Bastilla was unique; almost a dessert with its almond paste and powdered sugar dusting. Very interesting. Kefta and Merguez were very tasty. All worthy of ordering again. As was the Harira, one of those addictive lentil-and-vegetable soups that African and Mid-East restaurants do so well.

Two of us had the Mixed Grill and thoroughly enjoyed the way that all of the meats were cooked: charred on the outside while moist and tender on the inside. The Chicken Couscous also was a hit.

We had not planned to try desserts, as we had thoroughly stuffed ourselves by ordering so many dishes and scarfing down the warm pita (two of us were first-timers and this is LTH, after all). However, the restaurant forced us to try some of their excellent sweets, comped as a way of making amends for what they perceived as overly-long service times but we did not mind at all.

All in all, a terrific introduction for two of us and a happy return for the other two. We will all be back.

Will second that Shokran is an excellent place. My office sits right across the street and sometimes I order from there if I'm staying late at work. It's not hard to justify staying late with a place like Shokran only as far away as I could throw a baseball.

I enjoy the kebobs quite a bit. I have found the owner and staff to be extremely accommodating and hospitable. Actually struck up a fantastic conversation with the owner about the restaurant business and found him to be a really insightful person.

Highly recommended.

Have to chime in after eating there last night. They've got a well deserved Michigan Recommended rating, and the staff was great. Definitely the best b'stilla I've ever had, their couscous is excellent, and it's a gem up in Irving/Old Irving. After eating there, I shocked it wasn't a GNR. Think I've got my nomination for next year.

Agree. We stopped by a few weeks ago (thanks for the bump, jimd) and thoroughly enjoyed our dinner. Wonderful hospitality and delicious b'stilla, chicken tagine with potatoes and preserved lemon and vegetable couscous that reminded me of my first non-instant, properly prepared couscous at a Moroccan restaurant in Paris many years ago. Which led to the purchase of Paula Wolfert's Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco and an appreciation of this flavorful cuisine (and Paula!). Looking forward to many more meals at Shokran.

Add me as another happy customer. Went to Shokran last night for my first time as a party of four. We shared nine dishes and really enjoyed everything. My personal favorites were the chicken pastilla and the merguez, but my wife raved about the lamb tagine. The couscous dish was also popular at our table. Our server was friendly and did a nice job coursing out our order so that it was a relaxed, leisurely pace. For $35 per/person (including tax and tip) we had a real feast.

This sounds like a place just begging for an LTH outing.

I would agree with that entirely.

I also dined at Shokran this weekend. The boyfriend and I are heading to Morocco in less than two weeks (his first trip) and I wanted to give him a taste of what he can expect. The only downside: He loved the bastilla, which in my experience you don't often see on the menu at restaurants in the country because it's a special-occasion dish. Fortunately, he really enjoyed everything else we tried, so I'm sure he'll be fine while we're there!