Best Kept Secret of Devon Avenue

Ravi Kabob House
2447 W. Devon Ave.
Chicago, IL 60659
773-381-2400

Have been a reader. First time poster.
I read so much on Sabri Nehari and Usmaniya, both of which are very overhyped. Sabri's food doesn't have much taste and Usmaniya is a chain. Usmaniya is OK, but not in the summer when you have to hope or wait to get a table by a fan because there is no A/C. I want to be comfortable when I eat, not sweating.

Ravi Kabob is delicious and the best Paki food that my husband (a Paki) and myself have ate on Devon. The food all has its own taste and you can actually watch them cook it. The breads are made fresh, no leftovers or sitting in a warmer. The paratha's are awesome and have their own flavor. There are different naan's including a sesame one which I prefer. The eating area has been re-done within the last couple of years, and is now warm and inviting. Taufique, the manager and head cook is very pleasant and knows us by name and visits with us. We live in South Bend and travel to Devon just for Ravi Kabob once a month, we always get extras to take home and eat for the next day.

You always feel most welcome here and the waitstaff is very cordial and there is no language barrier. They will always recomend what may be the best dish for the day. The menus fully explain what you are eating and what is used in preparing the food.

I highly reccommend this restaurant. Another plus is that the bathrooms are clean and always have TP and soap. I have found that at some restaurants on Devon the bathrooms need a good cleaning and stocking.

Also the best window shopping on Devon. That ENORMOUS tub of ghee next to the windowfront griddle is a bold admission.

Food's great too.

I read so much on Sabri Nehari and Usmaniya, both of which are very overhyped. Sabri's food doesn't have much taste....

Gotta strongly agree with you on Sabri Nehari. I've never been able to figure out what appeals to people about this place. Everything I've had there has been almost completely forgettable, though I have not, admittedly, tasted what is apparently the house specialty, the Chicken Charga. I do recall, though, that the much praised frontier chicken struck me as something that might've come out of a can, and the bread just made me sleepy.

Thanks for the tip on Ravi Kabob House. Sounds like a very interesting place.

My favorite category of post. Can't wait to try. Our son's daycare is in the neighborhood, so it shouldn't be too hard. We have Sabri-addicted friends who live up on Talman. Hope we can induce them to come along. Thanks.

I welcome any new Devon Ave. recommendations, so thanks. However, I did get a chuckle out of the comment about Sabri Nehari and Usmaniya being "very overhyped." I hadn't heard about Sabri Nehari until a few months ago (and recently tried it for the first time) and don't recall every hearing about Usmaniya, and I've been to Devon dozens of times and read these boards regularly. What's overhyped to some can be completely unknown to many others!

Have been a reader. First time poster.

Welcome!

I read so much on Sabri Nehari and Usmaniya, both of which are very overhyped. Sabri's food doesn't have much taste and Usmaniya is a chain. One time while dining at Sabri, the table next to me had "somthing" in their food, this is not a lie. Usmaniya is OK, but not in the summer when you have to hope or wait to get a table by a fan because there is no A/C. I want to be comfortable when I eat, not sweating.

I agree on Sabri, mostly - though I still think their Nehari is very good (picked it
up a couple days ago from there, still the best in town for Nehari IMHO). I
think Sabri used to be very good, but isnt quite as good or consistent
anymore.

*Is* Usmaniya a chain, BTW? Didnt realize they had more outposts. Either
way, chain or not, I think their food is very good - for its type, IMHO,
maybe the best around (ie including biryanis, nehari, haleem etc, not just
a kabab house). In the summer Ive ended up picking up a lot, so didnt
really notice the lack of an AC before

Ravi Kabob is delicious and the best Paki food that my husband (a Paki) and myself have ate on Devon. The food all has its own taste and you can actually watch them cook it. The breads are made fresh, no leftovers or sitting in a warmer. The paratha's are awesome and have their own flavor. There are different naan's including a sesame one which I prefer. The eating area has been re-done within the last couple of years, and is now warm and inviting.

Hm. Its been a while since Ive been to Ravi - a couple years or more. Maybe
its improved along with the re-doing of the decor - at least a couple years
ago I wasnt *that* impressed by it. (Its ironic that you say Sabri and Usmaniya
is overhyped - because thats what I thought about Ravi at the time,
actually A few friends had repeatedly mentioned Ravi to me, claiming it
was very good - I tried it a few times as a result, and I saw no reason to
move away from my old fave JK Kabab House at the time, which was far
less "hyped" but which I much preferred... and now its been a good 2+ years
since Ive even been to Ravi and its seen as under-hyped

Thanks for the rec, will try it again soon. BTW, does it compare with a
restaurant like Usmaniya in type, nowadays? As in, do they do things
besides kababs regularly, and well? Ie Haleem, Nehari, Biryani etc?
(When I go to Usmaniya, I like their kabab platter, better than many
others - but its not a speciality of the place IMHO. Go there more for
the combination of "wet" dishes, the biryanis etc, rather than the
kababs).

c8w

Gotta strongly agree with you on Sabri Nehari. I've never been able to figure out what appeals to people about this place. Everything I've had there has been almost completely forgettable, though I have not, admittedly, tasted what is apparently the house specialty, the Chicken Charga. I do recall, though, that the much praised frontier chicken struck me as something that might've come out of a can, and the bread just made me sleepy.

Dont disagree on Sabri - but I still go back for their nehari, if nothing else. A lot
of things there might make you sleepy nowadays, as theyre overloading on
the oil But the nehari still tastes pretty good - not too many places in the
city do a really good nehari anyway. Other than that Usmaniya has basically
the same menu as Sabri, and is better all-around IMHO and has been for quite
a while, so has always been my fall-back.

Thanks for the tip on Ravi Kabob House. Sounds like a very interesting place.

Ravi has been around for a long time - at least 3/4 years or more I think? Again,
at least in the old days I didnt think that much of it, but its been so long that
opinion is really disqualified, will have to try it again soon.

c8w

Aren't a lot of the Devon places actually chains, in the sense that they share a name and general business plan with restaurants operated by other family members in other cities? That's not quite the same as being a T.G.I. Friday's.

Ravi Kabob has more than just kabobs. They make a great haleem and nihari. They also make chicken/goat khadi's and the veggie choices are good to, chana dal is my favorite. Their food is fresh and nothing tastes or is out of a box. Their food is not what I call "Americanized" so be prepared for your taste buds to see some action! You can order the food tamed down or spiced up.

I stumbled upon RKH a number of years ago and have been a regular ever since. I agree that it is absolutely fantastic -- I have never had a bad meal there (tho sometimes a mediocre one, when I haven't ordered well). My out-of-town guests have been similarly impressed.

Their chana dal is remarkable.

marriedtoapacki,

When coming from South Bend, what are some of the other stops along Devon that you enjoy?

Could we get some details as to why RKH food is better than other places?

What do you think it is that makes the Chana Dal better at RKH better than at other Devon restaurants?

pd

mtp,

when did you first start going to Ravi? My experience has actually been quite similar to c8w's - went a while back didn't think it was all that and haven't really returned. Have you tried some of the other similar places on the strip, btw, such as JK or khan's?

I also agree with c8w on the nehari front, It's still very good at sabri, if other stuff isn't as good. I think their downhill slide hastened once they opened up the place in the burbs.

Mike G - some are chains (such as udupi, shahnahwaz, tiffin) other's aren't - I'd say the majority aren't (other than locally)

I happened to be on devon yesterday running some errands and we needed a quick bite so we stopped in to Ravi.

The place is much spiffier than I remembered and folks were pretty nice.

I can't say however, that I share MTP's enthusiasm for the food based on what we had. Admittedly we let them know we were ina rush and so they may have been a little quick with stuff.

We ordered 3 Naans - garlic, plain, and cheese. The garlic was pretty assertive, the plain well plain, and the cheese, which I assumed would be filled with paneer had instead either cheese qhiz or processed americna cheese - not so much to my taste. They were OK, but lacked the crisp edges and little burnt parts pockets of the best Naans (akin to burnt parts of pizza rust)

On the meat side, thinking they would be quicker we ordered a couple dry dishes - chicken tikka and beef kabob. Neither of these was real spicy, aside from the sliced jalapeno strewn on the top, but the beef had a pretty nice flavor, more akin to "frontier" preps with onion and tomato than a straight up boti kabob. The chicken was alright, not all that special.

We also sampled the channa that you mentioned. Listed on the menu as channa masala, it is indeed different from most versions on the strip, some might find it preferable, however it wasn't so much to my liking. To be specific it was more of a daal, think a urad or masoor daal with a few channas thrown in and a strong garlic component as well, and without much of a tarka

MTP, are there dishes we missed that are "must haves" at Ravi, if so what are they? As I wouldn't want to judge it based on dishes that are not really their strengths.

pdaane- Although it has nothing to do with food, I always have to stop at Sohny Jewelers! Also Tahoora's is a must do before we leave for Ras Malai.

RKH is better than other places in my opinion, because the food doesn't taste like it was in a can or plastic bag and heated. When you go to some places on Devon their food is so tamed down. If I want to have food without a punch, I will go to my Mothers home where the most spice I get is an onion and if I am lucky a little bit of garlic powder.

As far as the chana dal, it's just good.

Zim- We have been going to RKH now for about 3 years. We have tried other places and always ended back up at RKH.

I am glad that you stopped in. A big change in the atmosphere, eh?

As for the naans, I don't like mine with the burnt parts so I can't agree with you on that. If they have the burnt edges when you fold to scoop your food the bread crumbles (that is if you bypass the forks).

Did you order seekh kabobs or the chapli kabobs? I think that the chapli's are much better and am not a fan of seekh kabobs anywhere. I am surprised that neither dish was real spicy as most of the time we eat there my nose runs and sometimes my eyes tear! Did they ask you how spicy you wanted it?

Try the chicken or goat khadai next time, although I do reccomend the frontier chicken which is my husbands favorite (I only like white meat, not dark so this is not a favorite.)[/i]

Zim, most of my Devon Ave. dining these days consists of kabob runs to places such as discussed in this thread. Weary of the excruciating waits at some places (I still like Kababish fine when it's on) I went to Ravi, for maybe the third time.

I went back and read your post above, and I am of the same opinion. The nan, which is like a Wonder Bread style of nan and not a blistered version, is not for me. I also always order keema nan for eating with some veggies and a Pakistani tea ordered across the street at Zam Zam (a time killer), and Ravi's keema nan is not great by comparison.

But, and it's a big one, Ravi is very fast. It is not bad by any means, and if I didn't have the other kebab/nan places around to compare, I'd think it was one of my favorite sandwich places in Chicago. Luckily, there is a high level of oven-tending on Devon.

I thought it interesting that most of the kitchen guys at Ravi were Mexican last night. Of course, Mexican cooks can (and do) do it all, from Italian to Korean, but I hadn't seen them on Devon.

I'm not sure that Usmania is a chain - that said, chains in the american sense are becoming more commom amoung desi stores. The recently defunct Rajbhoj was part of the NJ-based chain & Sukhadia is also part of one - which, incidently, recently opened a branch in midtown Manhattan that my friends are very fond of. This makes me envious - I could use a branch near my office in the loop, please. Details http://www.sukhadia.com

JeffB wrote:
But, and it's a big one, Ravi is very fast. It is not bad by any means, and if I didn't have the other kebab/nan places around to compare, I'd think it was one of my favorite sandwich places in Chicago. Luckily, there is a high level of oven-tending on Devon.

I thought it interesting that most of the kitchen guys at Ravi were Mexican last night. Of course, Mexican cooks can (and do) do it all, from Italian to Korean, but I hadn't seen them on Devon.

quite a few mexican cooks on devon actually, fwiw the kitchens taff at hema's is entirely latin.

Jeff, if you're looking for speed, I think Hyderabad House is the fastest, with khan's just slightly slower. I do a lot of pick up in the area so have timed this sort of thing quite a bit.

zim wrote:

JeffB wrote:
But, and it's a big one, Ravi is very fast. It is not bad by any means, and if I didn't have the other kebab/nan places around to compare, I'd think it was one of my favorite sandwich places in Chicago. Luckily, there is a high level of oven-tending on Devon.

I thought it interesting that most of the kitchen guys at Ravi were Mexican last night. Of course, Mexican cooks can (and do) do it all, from Italian to Korean, but I hadn't seen them on Devon.

quite a few mexican cooks on devon actually, fwiw the kitchens taff at hema's is entirely latin.

The best Indian food I've had in an US restaurant, was in LA a few years ago. Punjabi food, Punjabi owner, only Mexicans in the kitchen.
I forget the name and exact location, (maybe somewhere on Wilshire Blvd. and another major street). The owner had recently (then) renovated/remodelled after a car drove/crashed into his establishment.
*Underneath the neon sign with the resaturant's name in one of the large glass windows, the owner had put up a hand written sign, "No Drive Through"

*edited to remove the word "Now" I had meant then (when I had been there - 1995/1996 ish

not sure if you're talking about this place?

Shere-E Punjab Cuisine
5370 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles (323)933-2031

it's on Wilshire and La Brea, right by the work of a friend of mine... who says there hasn't been an Indian restaurant at that locale for a few years now?

zim wrote:quite a few mexican cooks on devon actually, fwiw the kitchens taff at hema's is entirely latin.

Jeff, if you're looking for speed, I think Hyderabad House is the fastest,

Zim,

Hyderabad House has a Mexican chef as well.

(L) Head chef Bisantae, who hails from Guanajuato, Mexico (R) Naseer, owner of Hyderabad House


Never tracked the speed of Hyderabad House, but I do like their food. Hyderabad House Post

Enjoy,
Gary

Hyderabad House
2225 W Devon Ave
Chicago, IL 60659
773-381-1230

You know, often, I get so sucked into the vortex on Devon that I don't try new places. I have my favorites - I did my eating research years ago on Devon, and I stay pretty rooted to my 3 favorite places (Khan 80% of the time, Usmania and Sabri the rest). This weekend I forced myself to break free of the uncharacteristic single-mindedness... and I actually tried a new place (for me).

Ravi was a good experience, for one main reason: The Chapli Kabobs were out of this world good. Texturally perfect, crispy-fried on the outside, soft and popped with coriander seed on the inside, robustly flavored - spicy, but tempered with herbs. I loved these things - it was an eye opener, and likely means I'll be branching out with new eyes when I hit Devon the next few times.

Skip the seekh kabobs - not on par with Khan's or a few others on the strip. The Dal was fine tho.

I feel renewed


Ravi Kabab House
2447 W Devon Ave
Chicago, IL 60659
773-381-2400

ab wrote:
Ravi was a good experience, for one main reason: The Chapli Kabobs were out of this world good. Texturally perfect, crispy-fried on the outside, soft and popped with coriander seed on the inside, robustly flavored - spicy, but tempered with herbs. I loved these things - it was an eye opener, and likely means I'll be branching out with new eyes when I hit Devon the next few times.

Sounds like you owe it to yourself to try the Chapli Kabob (chicken version) at Bismillah sometime. Like the one you had at Ravi, Bismillah's are crispy, slightly blackened, and generously (but not unreasonably) stuffed with broken coriander seed. They are also pretty damn greasy; excellent junk food and a well known hangover palliative. The Biryani is also spectacular. Spec-tacular.

We visited Ravi Kabab in 2006 to purchase the first meal eaten in our new home. The cheese naan turned out to be Velveeta, and the rest of the food was unmemorable when not actively unpleasant. With all the other options on Devon, a second chance was never given.

I had an excellent lunch today at Ravi. It was easily some of the best Karahi Goat, Goat Biryani, and Naan I have had in on Devon. I didn't get the full story, but I got the impression that they have changed menu and/or chef and/or owners recently. I'd be interested if anyone else has had Ravi recently, and had as impressive an impression as me. I hope it holds up to the consistency test!

laikom wrote:I'd be interested if anyone else has had Ravi recently, and had as impressive an impression as me. I hope it holds up to the consistency test!

Ravi mid February for a quick solo lunch. I was the first customer of the day and left singularly unimpressed. Garlic naan I'd guess from previous day service and mealy flavorless kababs.

Your lunch sounds terrific, and I've been on a Karahi Goat kick lately, so chef change, first in the door a bad idea or I simply ordered wrong, though kababs in a place named kabab house seem reasonable, my lunch did not measure up to yours. I'll give Ravi another go for Karahi Goat and Biryani.

Service was friendly and efficient and they seemed surprised a plus/plus size fellow did not finish all his food.