Al Bawadi Grill - Bridgeview

Al Bawadi in Bridgeview is a restaurant that is constantly on my mind when the discussion of lunch comes up. It is one of my favorite places to eat in Chicagoland. I dont claim to be an expert on Middle Eastern food, but I know what I like, and I really like what Al Bawadi is doing. Great service, and better food. I love that they grill their meats ove lump charcoal as well. My favorite items in no order are the motawama - a garlic packed potato paste that is incredible. I enjoy the hummus, and babaganouj as well. The grilled meats imho opinion are excellent. I enjoy the beef kabob, always cooked to order, the kafta, and the shwarma.

In an area of the city i have found lacking in food options Al Bawadi really stands tall. Hopefully there is enough of a track record for Al Bawadi to garner GNR status

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http://www.albawadigrill.com

Al Bawadi Grill
7216 W. 87th
Bridgeview, IL.

I would happily second this nomination. Haven't been there as often as I would like, since it's not that easy to get to. However, have recommended it to many folks...and will continue to do so. Good food. Nice people. Great GNR candidate

thanks for seconding Al Bawadi, I just had lunch there again on Friday, and it was excellent.

I was going to plan a lunch or dinner there but I dont know if I will have time, or if there is enough interest.

Jim I might be interested in checking the place out--aren't there also middle eastern groceries/bakeries/sweet shops right in that area? Since my family recently moved from an area near Albany Park (and I was at the Pita House bakery quite often) to the south suburbs, I'd be interested in seeing a new option for us that is a heck of a lot closer than driving way up to the north side again. I'm not sure when the deadline is and I am relatively busy in the near future but maybe a quick weekday evening dinner would be doable (if I can talk the family into it).

JimTheBeerGuy wrote:Jim I might be interested in checking the place out--aren't there also middle eastern groceries/bakeries/sweet shops right in that area? Since my family recently moved from an area near Albany Park (and I was at the Pita House bakery quite often) to the south suburbs, I'd be interested in seeing a new option for us that is a heck of a lot closer than driving way up to the north side again. I'm not sure when the deadline is and I am relatively busy in the near future but maybe a quick weekday evening dinner would be doable (if I can talk the family into it).

I believe so, I think some of the other area spots are highlighted on the thread I referenced. I have only been to AL Bawadi butr plan to explore the area further.

A dinner, or meal would be fun, but I like you am have a schedule that is pretty full for the next few weeks.

This place is up for renewal of its GNR. Please post your comments here until 10/10/11.

HI,

For my birthday, this where we celebrated with my family. There was considerable reluctance, especially considering the distance from Highland Park. After a magnificient dinner under a tent, which made all feel like dessert people. My family was thoroughly pleased with my choice.

If people could get over the fact of having a party with no alcohol, there would be an LTH holiday party there.

This is a Great Neighborhood Restaurant, even for those who travel far to be there.

Regards,

Even though I am related to the owners; yet not close enough to get free meals here , this is no doubt the BEST middle eastern restaurant! I have eaten at many Middle eastern restaurant and none come close to the food, service, hospitality, or even the middle eastern experience. The decor alone sets the standard of being in a middle eastern oasis. The is definitally a Great Neighborhood Restaurant.

Cathy2 wrote:which made all feel like dessert people

So, what'd you all have for dessert?

A couple of weeks ago, I declared a big victory in the Bridgeview courthouse, no live testimony, video only, and my client was acquitted in less than 30 minutes!

Victory could only mean one thing, lunch at Al Bawadi. Seriously, my friend can't stop ordering (2,please on every visit) the banana milk with berry ripples and I can't leave without the mutwamah, potato and egg white dip loaded with garlic.

The falafel is fantastic. The baba is smoky. The folks are nice, even during Ramadan when they aren't eating food but still serving it.

This is a GNR that should be renewed.

I was at an Al Bawadi dinner a couple of nights ago and found it to be still hitting on all cylinders. This was not my first visit, but it was the first time I the ordered the humus with meat and slivered almonds, it was a standout for me and put a new dish in my rotation. The toshka, cheese with minced beef and lamb was the best riff on a grilled cheese I've had. The tabouleh was refreshing and a good counterpoint to the grilled meats. We ordered the mixed shawerma platter and the chicken was as good as the beef and lamb which is not often the case. The large mixed meat platter contained among other goodies, crispy quail I sucked off the bone, the charcoal grilled items here really shine and the pickles are just outstanding. We also had a mixed seafood platter which was good, but I really think the grilled meats and vegetarian dishes are the reason to come here. Someone else will have to chime in on which casserole we had, it was okay, but too bland tasting for me.

The service was well intentioned, but a little off the night we visited. They were probably distracted by a large party seated near us with 7 or 8 small children who were allowed to scream and run around the restaurant to a degree that was pretty annoying. Luckily they left about halfway thought our evening and thing settled down.

This is still a definate GNR in my opinion, I just wish it were closer so I could get here more often.

I enjoyed the meal as well, though I think they were just slightly off their game compared to my other visits. Maybe serving a large party on an otherwise very quiet Wed. night of a holiday week or even distractions from the world beyond Chicago had an impact. In any case, a number of things were just a little bit off--grilled items that were a tad overcooked, a few things a bit saltier than I recall, bread a bit less than fresh and a noticeably small offering of the complimentary pickles and tomato/eggplant dip for a table our size--I recall being served a larger portion dining there alone.

But the hummos with meat was fantastic (also my first time trying it there), the muthumwa, tabbouli and babaganoush all delicious, the falafel flavorful and the right consistency--and those are always my favorites there anyway. To me, Al Bawadi is both a great option in that neighborhood AND worth traveling for when the craving hits. They also deserve props for the food we ordered from them for the GNR dinner at Half Acre--everything was completely delicious and well-prepared. Still seems like a GNR to me!

I agree with pretty much everything said about our meal here this week. I hope to get some pictures and some additional comments posted before the end of the weekend.

Here are some pictures of the gigantic throwdown we had last night at Al Bawadi. To reiterate, I thought everything was quite good. The only general observation about the food was that in general, the poultry items (with the possible exception of the chicken shawerma) were overcooked and a little dry, although I've found that to be the case in many Middle Eastern places leading me to wonder if that's simply the style for this type of food. The red meat items were generally perfectly cooked. Service was a little haphazard as others have pointed out, but some of that could be due to the haphazard way we ordered. Dishes were being shouted out to the waiter as fast as anyone could think to order them. Still, it would have been nice to get the extra pickles we asked for which never materialized. Additional bread was slow to arrive as well.

Having said that, the meal was great overall and I'm happy to say that Al Bawadi hasn't missed a beat in terms of the quality of the food (dry chicken aside). I still support Al Bawadi as a GNR and would be there much more often if it were more conveniently located.

Here's most of what we had (I missed getting a shot of the excellent Muthawama).

Welcome Coffee


Pickles, Eggplant Salad & Pita Strips


Baba Ghanouj


Humus With Meat


Falafel


Tabouleh Salad


Fatoush Salad


Toshka With Meat


Mixed Chicken & Meat Shawerma


Kufta Casserole W/Tahini & Tomato Mix


Seafood Mixed Grill


Large Mixed Meat Platter

I still love the baba, falafel, and mutwama(sp) served here. This is one of my favorite Middle Eastern restaurants and whenever I have a court appearance at Bridgeview courthouse I do my darnedest to get over. This is still a gem of a GNR.

It's taken me a while to post my comments on the group dinner at Al Bawadi since I've been mulling it over but honestly I'm not 100% convinced it should remain a GNR. It was good, but not great, IMO. The whole meal I was more or less thinking how everything was better at nearby Almawal.