In the end my lunch companion made the call today and opted for Al Bawadi, which was excellent, and just blocks from his house. The crusty and juicy Chicken Shish Tawook stole the show (all white meat chicken should be cooked this perfectly) but hummus, baba ganoush and falafel were all great, too. The fluffy yellow rice topped with crunchy toasted almond silvers was an outstanding accompaniment.

It's 60 miles round-trip from my office so it won't be a regular lunch stop for me but when I'm in the area again, Al Bawadi will be at the top of my list. Thanks everyone, for the updates. They're very much appreciated.

=R=

Four of us shared the 'Large Mixed Meat Platter for Five' at Al Bawadi and took home a lot as this would easily feed 7 people but as we had traveled from Wisconsin today for a noon lunch, we wanted to try many things.
Water, yogurt drinks, sage tea for one and sweet Turkish coffee for two and Falafel completed the order.
The gratis eggplant-tomato appetizer was excellent with the great roasted eggplant flavor.
Pickles excellent.
Salad brought out on huge plate was extensive with lemon/oil dressing, maybe too heavy on the lemon.
The grilled beef/lamb sausage was the highlight for me!
The other appetizers were great!
Next the grilled lamb chop, very good and juicy..
Baby quail, a little dry as was the chicken shawarma.
Lamb kabobs, very good but again the chicken kabobs dry.
Presentation with the thin bread sheet on the botom and covering the whole service was excellent.
I assume that one eats this traditionally with fingers and using the thin bread as a scoop for rice and things.
For a large group, one cannot beat the 'Large Mixed Meat Platter for Five'.
My Department in Graduate School had Egyptians and Palestinians.
My wife and I were fortunate in Graduate School to attend a Palestinian Wedding Dinner. The bride was met by the groom at Truax Field and I was asked to be the photographer.
Unfortunately from this vantage point I don;t remerber a lot except that it was vegetarian.
Whether Syrian, Palestinian or whatever based, this was a great re-introduction to this cusine.-Richard

Not in Bridgeview but down the road on Harlem is the generically named Pita Falafel. I've always wondered about this drive-thru only spot that I think used to go by another name with different ownership. Is that Taco Bell neon in the front window? Haha.


Palos Hills, IL

After a purchase at my buddies place, shout out to Martin & Martin Jewelers, best in the biz. I didn't want to leave my car with it in there so I figured why not finally try this place out. I went up to the ordering window and got myself a chicken shawarma sandwich. There's not many other options on the menu aside from beef shawarma, grape leaves, falafel and hummus. After pulling up to the window I waited about five minutes for my food which was perfectly fine as I watched him shave the meat off the spit. No pre-slicing here, at least not on this day.


Chicken Shawarma - Shrak Bread, Garlic Sauce, Pickles

First thing you notice is the wonderful toasting job of the wrap. This made the flatbread even more flavorful releasing some extra flavor. The insides were every bit as good. Perfect chicken meat with just the right amount of sauce and pickles to even out each bite. This was as good if not better than beloved spots like Tuhama's and Hamido out in Dearborn Michigan (round-up coming soon). I've only been in once so I cant comment on consistency but I sure hope it's there. I've been looking for a spot around here to match the best from there.


The insides

Pita Falafel
10348 Harlem Ave
Palos Hills, IL 60465
(708) 576-8405

boudreaulicious wrote:Pretty sure Al Mawal closed earlier this year due to a fire (and after changing hands I think as well).

Had another great buffet meal the other day @ Fattoush, so being in that lot, I can confirm that Al Mawal is gone