we talk about chicago desi restaurants every so often, and with the amount of ppl who visit chicago, I thought we can compile a list of the places, recommendations from the menu and reviews.
I will start with Khan’s BarBq
small place, okay service
more of a diner atmosphere than a restaurant
food quality is okay and consistent
items to try: kebab rolls, which are really good
recommendation: weekend mornings, this place makes kick ass desi omelette and parathas.
omelette & paratha yummy
Excellent topic of discussion Fraudia...will be very helpful when I visit there.
Hope this thread covers all of them :)
Re: chicago desi restaurant reviews and recommendations
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Fraudz: *
we talk about chicago desi restaurants every so often, and with the amount of ppl who visit chicago, I thought we can compile a list of the places, recommendations from the menu and reviews.
I will start with Khan's BarBq
small place, okay service
more of a diner atmosphere than a restaurant
food quality is okay and consistent
items to try: kebab rolls, which are really good
recommendation: weekend mornings, this place makes kick ass desi omelette and parathas.
[/QUOTE]
wheres khan's bbq in chicago..:O downtown??havent heard of it on devon
JK Kabab House in Chicago
On Rockwell off of Devon. It's right smack in the center of it all. Across from the main public parking lot. Hours are for Lunch and Dinner only. One of the best grilled delicacies from Pakistan. Chicken corn soup is served complimentary. Excellent bihari and chapli kababs. Also good karrahi dishes. The food is not greasy at all.
‘The Sonargaon’ restaurant on Devon and Oakley.
Great place, service & fresh food. :k:
Try both Pakistani and Bengali dishes. I won’t list any food recommendations because everything I’ve tried there tastes really good! 
teeni meeni, i think teh full name is khan's bbq tonite, its across teh street from osmania approximately.
Hidden place...but it rocks
Pepper and salt in schaumburg..
although if you look it up on directory assistance its salt and pepper.
This place has some of the best biryani you will find at a restaurant. tasy, not greasy, not clumpy etc.
other good items are frankie rolls, which are basically kebab rolls, chicken is good but beef is amazing.
Ghareeb Nawaz!
This dhaba / fast food joint started with a loud bang bringing all other competition to its knees. The main attraction was their super cheap rotis, chapaatis, paraathas etc. The mantra of the owner is more like the canadian grocery chain NoFrills. Less overheads, less nakhray, less angrezpana and the savings you pass down to the customer.
They started off so cheap they didnt give much attention to hygeine. And the competition used that to bring them down and tipped off the health depts at the city of chicago. Ghareeb Nawaz was shut down but soon reopened with a total reformation.
Now the place boasts low prices as well as hygeinic conditions. There is regular public area (chaRay) and then theres a family area. There is also a small musalla with area to perform wudu.
One of their secrets of keeping costs down is that their menu changes during the day. They make a select amount of food just enough to last the day. When a selected item runs out, they just rub it off the whiteboard menu. That way you cant have someone show up at 10 pm asking for qorma when there isn't any. If its gone, its gone. You want more come another day.
Everytime im at chicago i feel compelled to visit that place atleast three times before i leave the city.
The last time i was there the owner told me they've opened up a branch in Markham but thats a bit too far from where i am (like going to vilmette from the south side) so i havent been able to test drive it yet.
[QUOTE]
Originally posted by funguy: *
**JK Kabab House in Chicago*
On Rockwell off of Devon. It's right smack in the center of it all. Across from the main public parking lot. Hours are for Lunch and Dinner only. One of the best grilled delicacies from Pakistan. Chicken corn soup is served complimentary. Excellent bihari and chapli kababs. Also good karrahi dishes. The food is not greasy at all.
[/QUOTE]
Yep been there more than a coupla times! :)
No mention of Sabri, Mr. Fraudz 
I know you go there…
Cheegum,
they've done the same in Toronto... the Scarb. branch always has a line-up... a very filling Chicken Biryani costs $2.99 and from what I know their branch in Gerrard caused uproars from other resturant owners. I generally pre-order on the phone, and that saves me from standing outside their door.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by cHEeGUm: *
Ghareeb Nawaz!
This dhaba / fast food joint started with a loud bang bringing all other competition to its knees. The main attraction was their super cheap rotis, chapaatis, paraathas etc. The mantra of the owner is more like the canadian grocery chain NoFrills. Less overheads, less nakhray, less angrezpana and the savings you pass down to the customer.
[/QUOTE]
Ravi Kabob House
next to Kababish makes pretty good paratha rolls.. have been there couple of times...
Devon
Kababish -- not a big fan
Sabri -- Ok .. too spicy
Usmania -- greasy but good, try their Matka Gosht
JK Kabab House -- Good, less greasy
Bindoo Khan -- stay away
Mysoor -- Vegeterian.. OK
Schaumburg
Pepper & Salt -- OK .. haven't tried the Biryani but I will next time
India House -- Stay away -- food not so good - got food poising once
Gay Lords -- not a big fan
Udupi Palace - (South Indian) -- OK .. expensive
Ruchi India - (South Indian) -- Excelent (management recently changed)
Hot Wok -- Good (Desi Chinese)
Banda Nawaz -- Lombard -- disappointing !
ok now I am hungry...
spock, yaar many ppl know sabri, i was picking out the more hidden places
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by ChaChoo: *
Ravi Kabob House
next to Kababish makes pretty good paratha rolls.. have been there couple of times...
[/QUOTE]
I have posted my experience with ravi kebab house before but lemme repost it
used to go there often, catered from there too..then quality went down
one time took some guests there
service was horrible, they had multiple waiters and brought out duplicates which were sent back
asked for naan, dinn get them asked another guy for naan, finally got them but were recorded by both
asked for chicken biryani, which they did not have so I cancleed that order, they put chicken in mutton biryani and brought it out ..and then we found pieces of mutton there so theyowned up to what they did. my guests did not eat mutton so that was not only a waste but made them upset.
manager/owner argued that we had one more entree than we actually had..forgetting that they brought out duplicates which were sent back
he argued with me until I asked him to count the seving platters and asked him if that one additionla entree that he wants to charge me for..if i ate the platter as well. Then he was sheepish..until then he had an attitude.
I told him I am not stepping in his restaurant again.
That was in 2000 i think.
that is the thing with Desi resturants... service suck... dunno why but it does... best service I have seen is at Gay Lords in Schaumburg/Downtown and at Ruchi India...
Everytime, I am in Chicago, the only desi restaurant I go to is Sabri. The service is always better than the last time. There is always a long wait but its well worth the wait. I just can't get enough of it. Their seekh fry is one dish that I wll eat every day.
For Halwa puri nashta, tahoora rocks but too crowded. Sabri has now opened up Sabri Sweets where they serve halwa puri as well and its not bad either. Their mithai sucks tho.
For chat/snack places, I like viceroy of India. Anyone has been to it? An indian buddy of mine dragged me their once long time ago for some snacks even though he is a big fan of pakistani food and surprisingly the snacks were really good.
Lahori Chargha @ Sabri is yummy delicious !
ghaseeta khan for haleem.
I have never actually been to teh place, but had food catered by them at a party, it was pretty good.
o bhai go and check yerself
Ghaseeta Khan Restaurant. 6334 North Western Avenue, Chicago, IL 60659
(773) 338-1020
look up Ali Bakhteri, the owner
give him feedback on what u thought of the name of the place :)