Al Bawadi Grill: Best Halal Mediterranean Restaurant in Southern Cook County?

Restaurant: Al Bawadi Grill
Address: 7216 W 87th Street, Bridgeview, Illinois 60455
Buffet or a-la-carte: A-la-carte
Date of Visit: 9/3/16



Background:
Salam/hey guys! Welcome to my latest review! After visiting two places in Atlanta, I am reviewing the places that I visited Chicago. The first place is called Al Bawadi Grill, located in the suburb of Bridgeview. Normally halal food is Chicago is associated with Devon Avenue or Lombard, but in Bridgeview, the nickname of the place is Little Palestine. And there lies a cluster of Arab businesses and halal restaurants. Most of the halal restaurants in Chicago are concentrated in Cook and DuPage counties. To be fair, Cook county is really big. Anyways, we came to Al Bawadi because my mom was going to meet a childhood friend of hers from her schooldays in India. After they arrived, we went inside.



Let The Experience Begin!
The inside was just awesome. The atmosphere was really nice, and it meant to look as if you were in the Middle East. They also had a huge table that could seat 10 people under a tent inside the restaurant. Basically, the inside is like Cafe Mawal back in Houston (based on pictures that I have seen of it), but with the tent inside with large tables, a bunch of tables with a TV playing, and no hookah. Seems like the sort of place that I would love to visit frequently if it were to be in Houston. What immediately struck me was the uniforms. The uniform was the traditional dress from Syria/Palestine. An older gentleman with a thobe and kuffiyah was going around offering Arabic coffee (which I took) in the traditional jugs and in the small coffee cups that are traditionally served. I do not remember going to any restaurant in such a long time where it was like this. Definitely a refreshing experience compared to what is the norm at most halal places. After talking for a bit, we were ready to order.



Let's Eat!
We ordered the Mashawi platter, two actually. It basically had all the meat options (shish kabab, kufta kabab, chicken kufta, shish tawook, quail, lamb chops, and shawarma meat), grilled onions and tomatoes served over biryani (not Indian/Pakistani) and saffron rice garnished with parsley and roasted almonds. We got one with the quail and one without the quail. Along with that came baba ghanoush, garlic sauce, pita, picked vegetables with Arab salsa, salad, and hummus. Boy they do know how to feed us lol. There were so many things that I found it hard to put them all on my Instagram pic.



Menu: http://www.albawadigrill.com/menu
This place has a really large menu for a Mediterranean place. They have breakfast as well. They have the regular popular shawarmas and kebabs as well as quail and lamb chops.

Top: The Family Platter. Middle Row from left to right: baba ghanoush and garlic sauce. 3rd row from left to right: pita, Arabic coffee, pickled vegetables and Arab salsa, salad, and hummus

Menu:

Move over Sayad, I've found the best tasting Mediterranean restaurant in America right here! This also means that it's the best Mediterranean food that I have had outside Houston. The food was simply phenomenal. We all were huge fans of the food. The only blemish was that the salad had too much dressing on it. We all drank water and had a nice conversation. Overall, two thumbs up.

The service was good. No problems and the people were nice.

Conclusion:

I definitely see myself going back frequently whenever I visit Chicago. This is a great place to try if you want to try some Mediterranean food. I would definitely put this on top of one of the places that I would recommend to eat at in Chicago.

Grading:

Service: 9/10

Food: 10/10

Total: 19/20 = 95% (A)

Pricing: $$ out of $$$$

Restaurant Information:

Al Bawadi Grill

7216 W 87th Street, Bridgeview, Illinois 60455

Phone: (708) 599-1999

Website: http://www.albawadigrill.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/albawadigrill/

Timings: Mon- Thu & Sun: 10 AM - 11 PM; Fri and Sat: 10 M - 11:30 PM

Caters: Yes

Feel free to comment below, send me a message on Facebook, or send me an email!

Cheers!

Zain Mohammed

Bento Hut: A Halal Pan-Asian Restaurant in Northern Georgia

Restaurant: Bento Hut
Address: 349 Decatur Street Southeast, Atlanta, Georgia
Buffet or a-la-carte: A-la-carte
Date of visit: 8/28/16



Background:
Salam/hey guys! Today  will be talking about a restaurant that is popular in downtown Atlanta, and has a huge variety of options available. This place is called Bento Hut. The name suggests that it is a Japanese place, but it offers a lot more than just Japanese food. I will explain in detail in the Menu section. I first heard about this place when they followed me on Instagram. I saw the menu and I was mind blown. Since it was planned that I was coming to Atlanta, I decided to give it a try when I get to hang out with a childhood friend. Fast forward to August, and I was in downtown Atlanta. I went to CNN Center after trying grits for the first time (they were NASTY, one of the worst things I've ever eaten in my life). It is basically where the global CNN headquarters are. I then went over to the World of Coca Cola after walking through Centennial Olympic Park. There, we overindulged on sodas (they have a place where you can try over 100 sodas), where they give you free Coke when you enter, and when you exit. The best memory I have of the trip was when my friend played a prank on me by telling me that the Beverly soda was the best one. It was literally the worst soda that I have ever tried in my entire life. Turns out it's a common dislike among many. We then walked to the car and then drove to Bento Hut.



Let The Experience Begin!
Bento Hut is located near the Downtown Connector. It was a while until we managed to successfully park. Inside, there was a TV playing, and there were tables. We decided to sit comfortably. After looking at the menu, it was time to order.



Let's Eat!
It took a while for me to decide what to get because there were so many choices that I had. I ended up ordering halal ramen- a first for me. I also ordered quail egg sashimi (yes I'm adventurous) and also chicken katsu. Think of it as a halal version of the ramen you get at Jinya. I never had quail egg before, so I wanted to give it a try. I also wanted to try the chicken katsu because chicken katsu is a rare thing (katsu is usually made with pork a.k.a. tonkatsu). My friend ordered a chicken bulgogi plate. I paid between $10-15 (tax included). The waiting time was 15 minutes and 4 seconds.



Menu: http://www.thebentohut.com/BentoHutmenu.pdf
Literally all I can say is WOW. SO MANY ASIAN OPTIONS TO CHOOSE FROM! Not even Houston, New York or Los Angeles has many options. It has from Japanese to Korean to Chinese to Malaysian to Thai options! They even have plenty of sushi and sashimi options available to choose from. I seriously believe that a halal Pan-Asian place that has so many options would succeed in Houston.

Clockwise from top left: Ramen, Chicken Bulgogi with Jasmine Rice, quail egg sashimi, and chicken katsu

The Verdict:

The food was actually good. To be more specific, everything was good except the ramen. The ramen was just ok. The first time trying quail egg was good, and I didn't fall sick from eating a raw egg lol B). The bulgogi was fantastic. Lots of flavor in the dish. We both had water.

The people were really nice, so no complaints about the service. They were also helpful when it came to giving us more time to decide what to get as well as giving out some recommendations.

Conclusion:

Bento Hut was a good way to end my Atlanta trip of trying places. They have items you don't see at halal places in Houston. I certainly wouldn't mind visiting here again and trying some more of their dishes as well as the chicken bulgogi.

Grading:

Service: 9/10

Food: 8/10

Total: 17/20 = 85% (B)

Pricing: $$ out of $$$$

Restaurant Information:

Bento Hut
349 Decatur Street Southeast, Atlanta, Georgia
Phone: (404) 614-6199
Website: http://thebentohut.com/
Facebook: none
Timings: Mon-Fri: 10:30 AM - 2:30 PM and 4 PM - 10 PM; Sat: 12 PM - 10 PM; Sun: 12 PM - 9:30 PM
Caters: Yes
Online ordering and delivery available

Feel free to comment below, send me a message on Facebook, or send me an email!

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed