Al Sufara Grills - Charcoal Grilled Kebabs [closed]

Al Sufara is a Palestinian/Jordanian place that recently opened in Palos Heights. The place is a combination butchery shop and eatery. The menu is very simple: kebabs, shawerma (lamb or chicken) and a few sides - hummus, baba, turkish salad, cucumbers w/ yogurt, mothawama.

What makes this place special, nay, essential, is the fact that all of the meats, including the shawerma (!!!) are charcoal grilled. I had a mixed sampler, and the shawerma and kofte were out of this world - charred and smoky but juicy, with a pleasantly strong lamb flavor that is a welcome departure from the beef kofte and shawerma that we find on the North Side. The hummus and baba ghanouj were the BEST, bar none, I've ever had in a restaurant, maybe anywhere. The cucumber/yogurt salad was out of this world. Everything is very carefully prepared.

Also of note: grilled lamb loin chops. And, they let you specify how you want your lamb cooked. Feel free to ask for medium or medium rare if you are the type that decries dry kebab.

This place is very special. It reminds me in spirit of the old Salaam. It is no frills; no fake palm trees or gilded seating and accessories. This place is the real deal; and it's no surprise because these guys operate two restaurants by the same name in Jordan.

Get your ass to Al Sufara ASAP. You won't regret it.

7215 W. 103rd
Palos Hills, IL
(708) 576-8420
https://www.facebook.com/alsufara/

Well, this just shot to the very top of my list in bold with a bullet point.

Dined at Al Sufara again yesterday evening. Totally worth the drive from Lakeview.

Lamb shawerma was perfection: charred exterior, succulent lamb. I love their kofte; it is very stripped down, just fatty lamb and maybe a bit of salt and a tiny bit of onion, a departure from the classic Palestinian recipe that includes allspice and parsley. The lamb is the star of the show here. Lamb kebabs were expertly cooked. No overcooked pieces, just tasty, slightly fatty lamb. Hell even the shish tawook - chicken - was excellent.

The sides, as usual, were perfect. This place will be in a GNR in a year or two if this continues.

I could go on and on about this place. The owners are super cool, too.

Damn Habibi. Find of the Year. A throwback to the good old days before this became more of a social site. Just wanted to say thanks for the enthusiasm and taking the time to give the heads up to those of us still listening. I took note of your post around the time it was made but wasn't out that way until recently.

Palos Hills, IL

As you can see in the pic up above the shopping lot Al Sufara sits in can get smokey. That's due to the fact that all the cooking here is done over charcoal. Both the lamb and chicken shawarma lay diagonally over a bed of coals while the area to the left is for grilling kebabs.

Fire Roasted Meats

Atmosphere is about the same as most every other shawarma spot I've stepped inside and that's ok bc it's all about the food. First visit in I decided to try the combo plate as the kebabs sitting in the display case caught my eye. Beef, Lamb, Chicken, it all looked good so I wanted to try all three.

Sides with your platter

Meals include the hummus that Habibi labeled the best he's ever had in a restaurant. Damn, that really was best hummus I've ever had. So creamy and extra soothing on one's tongue. As far the kebabs go these are as good as it gets. It's my belief that if you want them any better you need to go directly to the Middle East. The flavor in these is all about the kiss of charcoal that each skewer gets. Just fantastic. They have a huge storage locker with big ass pieces of meat hanging. All of the butchering is done in house. These guys are dead serious about their craft.

Kebab Platter

I got a chance to go back this past weekend and was excited to try the shawarma. It too lived up to the excitement. Again it's all bout the smokey taste they develop by rotating over live fire. I tend to prefer chicken to lamb/beef when it comes to shawarma and that was the case here. I just felt the meat was a bit more tender but it all tastes delicious. If this is the last spot I find through this site it's a hell of a way to go out. This is the peak of the Middle Eastern food mountain in Chicagoland. Thanks for the heads up.

Mixed Shawarma Plate

Al Sufara Grills
7215 W. 103rd
Palos Hills, IL
(708) 576-8420

A weird set of circumstances led me to drive by this place yesterday just after opening time. The sweet smelling smoke chugging out of the chimney put a smile on my face.

I selected the "Meat Shawerma Combo1." The Palos Hills cop that walked in behind me order the same. The only downside was that they were behind schedule on the Shawerma and it would be abut a 20 minute wait. No big deal. I was dining solo and I had a newspaper with me to pass the time. It was worth the wait. Precisely 20 minutes later, I was delivered a tasty well presented sandwich with fries, a side mix of raw veggies and a can of pop. I was a happy camper.

FWIW - there's a freakingly huge Pete's Fresh Market across the street. A great one-two punch.

Closed. (Moved to Orland Park sometime last year; now both locations are no more.)