A little delayed, but the Dawali location at 1625 N. Halsted is finally open. We tried it last night, food and service were both very good. They don't serve alcohol but the waitress said that they are BYOB if anyone wants an adult beverage with their meal.

Got takeout from Dawali on Halsted last night. I thought everything we got was good to very good, and beats just about anything else in the neighborhood (which may be viewed as damning with faint praise, but Old Jerusalem does some things very well). I have not eaten at the Albany Park location, so have no basis of comparison, but I thought the falafel were outstanding and the beef shish kabob, village salad (but for the styrofoamatoes), and baklava very good. My wife's chicken shawerma, while well spiced, was way too dry. Rice was also somewhat dry, but very well flavored. French fries, on a what-the-hell lark (as they are not much seen in my experience with this type of cuisine outside of Israeli restaurants), were actually quite good (seemed to be fresh cut and were dusted with an interesting mix of spices). Definitely will be back to further explore the menu, and will look to eat in next time to see how the food compares fresh from the kitchen.

Note that, with the more expensive real estate comes more expensive pricing; many menu items appear to be about $1.00 more expensive than the menu I had seen for the original location. Still seems like good value to me.

A large group of us ate at the Albany Park location last night. Though I've eaten there before the restaurant was a new experience for most of our group. They were particularly thrilled with the freshly fried falafel, & beautifully grilled kebabs, but everything was delicious. Several in our group are vegetarians/vegans & they were very happy with the variety of options available for them. We had a lovely relaxed meal & were well taken care of (the staff wasn't slightly phased our group of 10), this really is one of my favorite spots on Kedzie.

I've ordered take-out from the Halsted location and was sort of disappointed. I ordered a Falafel Sandwich & side of Hummus. I thought the falafel were good, but the tahini sauce was not very flavorful. Also the veggies in the sandwich were of mediocre quality. Tomatoes = no flavor. I felt that the hummus was less than desirable. No discernable garlic taste...almost tasted exactly like the tahini sauce. I may go back for falafel, but not for hummus.

jewel4352 wrote:I've ordered take-out from the Halsted location and was sort of disappointed. I ordered a Falafel Sandwich & side of Hummus. I thought the falafel were good, but the tahini sauce was not very flavorful. Also the veggies in the sandwich were of mediocre quality. Tomatoes = no flavor. I felt that the hummus was less than desirable. No discernable garlic taste...almost tasted exactly like the tahini sauce. I may go back for falafel, but not for hummus.

I don't know if this is a recurring problem, but it seems lately that every time we get hummus at the AP location, the recipe is decidedly different. Last time it was heavy on the tahini and a lot of lemon juice in the center.

Had a show at Steppenwolf last night, was lucky to have a table available shortly after we arrived at Dawali. REALLY really nice staff, service was very good. Unfortunately I thought the shawerma was REALLY dry. Flavor was ok but the texture was quite disappointing. I didn't think the rice was terribly flavorful either. Daughter enjoyed the falafel, didn't find the hummus spicy at all (as they said it was) and the falafel were crunchy good. Good fries too. May go back and try something else, but was disappointed.

Dawali on Kedzie has been up, down, up, down . . . since first opening. Based upon my last couple of visits, I'm thinking it's in a pretty solid down phase. Yesterday's lunch featured overly dense falafel fried at too high a temperature, leaving the outside slightly burnt and the inside slightly under-cooked. Also, the vegetables in the classic falafel sandwich were all chopped way too large. Shawarma was also a letdown - lots of crispy edges, but all crisp and the sandwich was so dry. Baba ghanoush also underwhelmed - very little of the desired charred, smokey flavor. At least the pita was fresh. I suggest that this is a down phase because I took out dinner from there just a few weeks ago and encountered most of these same issues.

Another thumbs down on the Dawali Halsted location. Foul mudammas was quite good but babagannouj, cucumber yogurt, fattoush salad, grape leaves and lentil soup were all lackluster - short on flavor and freshness. Beef schawarma was among the worst in memory - somehow dry, greasy and nearly tasteless at once. Many far superior options within a few miles (eg, Semiramis). Hard to believe this once came recommended.

My standard order at the Kedzie Avenue location is the Classic Falafel sandwich, which has a few roasted veggies along with the falafels. In addition to the roasted cauliflower and eggplant, they throw in some potatoes-- in the form of french fries. I can't tell if this is laziness, creativity, or what, but it's really tasty.

The falafel were well-cooked and the veggies were a good size to eat in the sandwich. (Just another data point).

Cheers, Jen

Chef Nasser by Man_of Steel, on Flickr


Look at this picture.
Now- look closely.........
What do you see?
A warm smile?
(yes)
A Chef who's so proud of his cuisine-
he pours his heart and soul into in?
(that too)
Do you see Shawarma- golden charred bits of ever so tasty meat?
(OK- so your not so blind after all.....)
Then- you can start to understand why- this is ONE OF MY FAVORITE places to eat in this City.

From the delicious specialty Hummus he prepares w/ grilled Portabello Mushrooms- with chickpeas so smooth
and rich- you can't believe that you'e never tasted hummus like this before....
to soups- the soul of any Chef/Restaurant-
like his special soup-made from cooked carrots and ginger- so rich and creamy-
and of course lentil soup- that takes the chill off any Chicago Winter Day!

Drop in and say hello to Chef Nasser- and tell him-better yet- ask him- about what
he "thinks about Food" -one of his-
and my- favorite subjects!
Chef Nasser- one of Chicago's VERY OWN (Thanks WGN-TV!)

Hombre de Acero, which location was that? My problem with the Kedzie location is that when he's in the house, the food is usually excellent (even if he's not cooking) . . . but when he's not there, quality and service often suffers. If I knew when he was there, I would go more often.

This was taken @ 4911 N. Kedzie- his original location.

I find him there quite often- like many Chef/ Owners- he's married twice- once to a wife/kids-
and once to his "baby"- but- maybe, if you like the food better when he's in da house- call first and
inquire if Nasser's around?
(and- being one who cares about his QUALITY/Consistency )-
mention this to him- next time you stop by-
he's always open to compliments,comments, critiques and other thoughts about his-
and others food!

I've been to the Kedzie location and was kind of underwhelmed. Without sounding like a snob, I'm spoiled with Pita Inn - it's my regular spot for med/mid food as I call it and it's been hard to beat.

The pita was stale. If you're not making them in house, ya gotta buy them daily from somewhere local. Good pita is 1/2 of what a place like this is. Mediterranean or Middle Eastern food is nothing without good, fresh made pita. The chicken in my shawarma sandwich was not "hot" just "warm" in it's temperature. The hummus was cold..straight out of the refrigerator. To me, hummus is more of a room-temperature thing.

Anyways, perhaps I'll return if the man is in the house, or try the Halsted location sometime.

Stopped by today- while in da hood- on to find a "Closed for Renovation" sign
in the door.

Two woman inside said they were closed to "paint" and "change some things"- and would
be dark for 2 weeks.
I commented- "2 weeks-to-Paint!!.....wow= they sure paint slowly!"

So- I cheated on Nasser and went to Salaam for a "Business-Man's Lunch Special"....it
was good- but I don't care for the "pita" they serve- more of a flat bread-
that changes to hard- very quickly.....and their "toum" is very acidic, to my palate.

Royal Lichter wrote:I've been to the Kedzie location and was kind of underwhelmed. Without sounding like a snob, I'm spoiled with Pita Inn - it's my regular spot for med/mid food as I call it and it's been hard to beat.

The pita was stale. If you're not making them in house, ya gotta buy them daily from somewhere local. Good pita is 1/2 of what a place like this is. Mediterranean or Middle Eastern food is nothing without good, fresh made pita. The chicken in my shawarma sandwich was not "hot" just "warm" in it's temperature. The hummus was cold..straight out of the refrigerator. To me, hummus is more of a room-temperature thing.

Anyways, perhaps I'll return if the man is in the house, or try the Halsted location sometime.

You are spot-on with stressing the importance of fresh bread at Middle Eastern/Arab restaurants. Ideally, they should function like utensils, allowing you to delicately lift creamy hummus or baba, cradle tender grilled meats, mop hot pepper sauces, and even scoop up flavored rice (preferably with some yogurt or hot pepper sauce). You should be able to do all of this without even getting your fingers dirty, not that anyone would frown on that (Muslims consider eating with the right hand to comport with the traditions of the Prophet (pbuh)).

Pita Inn makes great bread; but I don't love their food. It is, at best, a lousy substitute for the better food you can get in Albany Park or in the South Suburbs. For example - after extolling the virtues of Chicago's Arab food to my fiance for years, I finally took her to Pita Inn on a recent trip. She was nonplussed. A later trip to Salam brought her around.

And I agreed with her. I used to think that Pita Inn was the bee's knees. If only because its distance from my home in the city made it seem exotic somehow. But it sucked. Grainy hummus, carelessly formed chewy kofta, styrafoam shawerma. I'll take either Dawali over Pita Inn any day. On reflection, that's how Pita Inn's food has always been. I would argue that the only thing it has going for it is location and price point. Still, it sounds like your experience at Dawali was less than appealing. But maybe give Salam (or George's, or Bawadi, or Mawal) a shot. I just can't imagine that Pita Inn is the standard bearer for Middle Eastern in Chicago. That would make me sad. It'd make me feel like I'm living in NYC.

*Forgot to add: I started this post with only one point to make; if you want your Pita heated/griddled, just ask!!!!

Dawali on Kedzie is gone, replaced by something called Pita Puff II. I just drove by - didn't stop in, but I am sad! I loved the roasted veggies at Diwali. No idea whether it's the same ownership, but there seems to be a Pita Puff in Elgin - maybe this is their second outpost?

ETA: yep, looks like they're related: http://pitapuff.com/