Bab Al Salam is located off of 90 at 5050 N. Cumberland in Norridge. I didn't want to go there at first because I was not in the mood for Arab food, but my husband convinced me that their beef shawerma sandwich was delicious (and he practically kidnapped me and took me), so we went.
It is tucked away inside a plaza and from the outside it didn't look fancy, but it looked clean. Seating was just regular tables and chairs as in any informal restaurant. There were paper menus already on the tables and a waiter came by right away to take our order. On the walls were geographical and artistic posters of Jerusalem ( I'm pretty sure the owners were Palestinian). The bathrooms, (yes, I'm going to even write about the bathrooms folks) were clean and although the women's restroom didn't have a changing table, it did have a lota and was pretty clean.
We brought our 2-year old with so once again it was important that the food come out quickly and it did. They had brought out olives and beets as soon as we arrived so my husband munched on those while we perused the menu. We ordered the hummos appetizer which was all right. I felt that it could have been a little more garlicky and the olive oil used was slightly inferior, almost watery. This was served with warm pita bread, which is a rarity these days as most bread served at Arab restaurants seems to be cold or only room temp. We both ordered the beef shawerma sandwiches, but I ordered mine with the tahini sauce on the side just in case this place had nasty tahini (which has happened before at other places).
To put it simply, the sandwich was THE BEST SHAWERMA SANDWICH I have ever had. I have eaten shawerma sandwiches at various Arab restaurants around Chicago, including the ever popular and mainstream Pita House. I have even eaten a few different shawerma sandwiches on our trip to Egypt, but this was the best I have ever had. The beef was moist and juicy, but the my favorite was the addicting seasoning/spices blend they used to marinate it with. I don't know what they put in that marinade, but it is fabulous! The sandwich also had fresh cut tomatoes and onions in it. For once, my husband and I didn't add any hot sauce to an Arab dish we ate because it was loaded with so much flavor (read-not spiciness)! Even my toddler thoroughly enjoyed it and kept asking for more. She also had plenty of the warm pita bread.
Overall, I thought the restaurant was a nice and simple place to go to for an informal lunch (even though they also serve dinner entrées). Price range for Bab Al Salam was also reasonable, none of their sandwiches are more than $5.25. The entrées are all less than $12 a plate. It's a good place to take kids to because the noise level they generate would not really bother the other patrons and they can get as messy as they want because the napkin dispenser is right at the table (which means not having to constantly bother the waiter with requests for "more napkins").
Spice Card
Atmosphere: B-
Staff/Waiter: A+
Food: A-
Ok, this confirms it. I definitely have to go try this place out just for the beef shawarma sandwich.
ReplyDelete-Sloffa