Al Bawadi Grill

See the "tents" in the background

Pickled Vegetables & Pita Chips

Pita Bread

We went to eat dinner at Al Bawadi Grill in Bridgeview, after hearing about it a while ago on Check Please. It serves Mediterranean/Middle Eastern Food in a very interesting setting.  We were seated at a booth that was surrounded by blankets with Arabic designs to evoke a feeling of sitting in Bedouin tent.  Most of the employees were dressed in Bedouin style clothing.  At first we thought this might be a little kitschy and meant to tailor to an American stereotype of the Middle East (i.e. the Middle Eastern restaurant equivalent of an Olive Garden).  But this was a fleeting thought because the food was so authentic.

They brought out a plate of complimentary appetizers which included some hot pickled vegetables and pita chips. It was a good way to start the meal as we perused the large menu. Also as we were choosing what to order the head waiter wanted to give us some Arabic coffee but we politely declined since we are not coffee drinkers.

Hummus

Stuffed Grape Leaves

Falafel

For appetizers we ordered hummus and stuffed grape leaves. The hummus was garnished with whole chickpeas and olive oil and was served with pita bread. The hummus was nice and smooth, better than our attempts at home.  The grape leaves were stuffed with rice, garlic, tomato, parsley and other spices.  They tasted good, but Nick was disappointed that they were not served warm.
For entrees we ordered falafel and the Al Bawadi Mixed grill plate. The falafel was served warm with a tahini dip.  They were not dried out and the crust was still pliable.  But the real winner of what we ate was the mixed grill items.  The dinner included 3 meat kabobs - a lamb shish kabob, a kafta (lamb/beef) kabob and a chicken shish tawook - a grilled tomato and onions, rice and a side of babaganouj.  The kabobs were mesquite grilled which gave them all a great flavor. They were even moist and tender the next day as leftovers. Surprisingly our favorite was the kafta kabob.  Since it was made from ground meats they were able to incorporate more spices into the mixture before cooking. We also both loved the babaganouj - a similar dish to hummus, but the base is grilled eggplant instead of chickpeas.  The eggplant is pureed with olive oil, garlic, tahini and lemon juice.  It was so good, it may become our new favorite Middle Eastern appetizer.

Mixed Grill Plate with 3 kabobs and rice

Final thoughts on Al Bawadi Grill:

Babaganouj in the middle

Food - definitely exceeded our expectations. It reminded us of our favorite Middle Eastern places in Dearborn, Michigan.  Right across the street was an entire strip mall of Arabic restaurants and grocery stores, so this is definitely the authentic area to be in for this type of food.

Service - excellent! They held the door open as we entered the restaurant.  They were very attentive to our needs and explained the dishes.  The food was served very quickly and it was a great value for the amount of food.  It looked like they had a large take out business so we might try that next time as well.

Atmosphere - once we were seated we felt like there would be good food because most of the other customers were of Middle Eastern descent.  The decore and attire of the staff enhanced the experience and made it feel like you weren't in a suburb of Chicago.  Because this place is relatively easy for us to get to from home or work we will return.