Chopal Kabab & Steak [+Usmania]

Last week’s discussion of Khan’s BBQ, chicken boti and other such dishes led me to Chopal Kabab & Steak for dinner last night - my first visit. I convinced a neighbor of mine to accompany me.

Though the restaurant has parking in the rear, we surprisingly found a spot on the street, ½ block away. When we arrived at the front door of the restaurant, there was a vacant parking space at the front door. Unusual occurrence for this part of Devon Ave.

Even before walking through the door to the restaurant I was struck by its attractiveness provided by the view through the front windows. A prettier, more “authentic” décor along Devon Ave. will be difficult to find (the modern-décor at Tiffin has always been a favorite of mine). It’s said that the furnishings were imported from Pakistan. The dining tables are oversized and the high-backed chairs and cushion’s comfortable.

The menu contains lots of dishes, but is outdated - as a number of items are no longer available (including some of the drinks). The waitress, who wasn’t Pakistani, seemed inexperienced - she was unable to effectively explain menu items (she was unfamiliar with the food). She was polite, however.

We wanted to start with soup, but there was only one soup available and the waitress said it was Chinese, not Pakistani - “egg drop soup.” We then started to think there was a Chinese cook, and we swore we heard Chinese music over the speaker system (maybe it was Pakistani music (I’m unfamiliar with it), but it was close in sound to Chinese). I began to wonder just what we’d gotten ourselves into. We were later told, by other diners, that they, too, were surprised by the soup - because it’s not traditionally Pakistani soup. However, many people were ordering and eating it and no complaints were overheard.

For the main course I ordered frontier chicken - medium spiced. My neighbor ordered the lamb chop/quail combination platter - lightly spiced (he survived a near-death heart attack/transplant “issue” last year). For the naan, I asked what was available and was told the restaurant only prepares “regular” or “plain” naan, so the choice was easy to make (unfortunately).

When we walked-in only two other tables were occupied. By the time our meals arrived the place was ½ full, and when we left (7:30 p.m.) is was almost full. Most diners were well-heeled Pakistani’s, with a sprinkling of “foreigners” such as ourselves.

The platters of food are large for the prices charged. With the entrée came a healthy portion of so/so basmati rice (which I describe as “dirty rice” - light tan in appearance, not white) and a small lettuce/onion/tomato salad.

The frontier chicken was finely-diced pieces of chicken that might in total equal ½ of a medium-sized chicken breast. Spicing, as requested - was mild and not overpowering. I found it to be lacking in character and without reason to order it again. It was just “okay.“

The naan was the size of a dinner plate, and my neighbor who’d never eaten it before remarked, “It’s like a pizza crust.” And that it was - like a Domino‘s pizza crust. Thicker than naan I’ve eaten before, it was chewy - you had to work with it. I don't like naan that you have to struggle with.

The neighbor liked the lamb chops, until the spicing kicked in. He thought the meat too spicy. He’s a first-time Indo-Pak food eater, and not one who typically has spicy food, so I don’t know if he was right the meat was too spicy (for those of us who’ve eaten this type of food before) or if his reaction was due to his initiation. He finished the 2/3 thinly-cut chops though, before moving on to the quail (something else he’d never eaten before). The quail wasn’t very meaty, but apparently it wasn’t as spiced as the lamb was. He had a mango lasse (correct spelling?) to wash down his meal and alternated between the pitcher of water and an odd-tasting glass of diet Coke.

As condiments for your meal, several cups of chili paste in varying degrees of intensity are placed on the table, and there’s a bottle of soy sauce and Louisiana hot sauce (if the spices from the kitchen aren’t enough!).

The restaurant’s owner graciously worked the room, stopping to speak with diners and checking to see if all was well. We asked him some questions about the menu, and he also reminded us of the free parking in the rear (and of the separate entrance into the restaurant from that parking area). A well-dressed middle-aged Pakistani couple dining at a table next to us was marveling at some of the wall decorations because they reminded them of home and they took the time to explain to us the cultural significance of some of the furnishings (it was their first visit to the restaurant). A Pakistani family seated at a long table on the other side of us were equally gracious as they explained to their children (who’ve yet to visit Pakistan) and to us the uses of certain pieces of furniture in the homes back in Pakistan. The courtesies and education were a nice compliment to the food and generally pleasant environment.

Each entrée was economically priced. My frontier chicken was $5.99 and my neighbor’s combination plate $7.99. The check for two with meals and drinks came to about $20.00.

I was very comfortable at Chopal, and I’ll return - and I feel comfortable recommending the place to others. Next time, I’ll try some one of the clay pot offerings. Thanks to those of you who’ve written about Chopal before.

Chopal Kabab & Steak
2240-42 W. Devon Ave. (between Bell and Oakley)
Chicago, IL
(773) 338-4080
Hours: 11 a.m. - Midnight (7 days a week) (Ramadan: 1 p.m. - 1 a.m.)

I most frequently see the soy and louisiana hot sauce being used with that damned egg drop soup.

Give the chili chicken a try next time, as well, if you've got room. It's one of their standout dishes.

And, unlike you, I find the tables and chairs unbelievably uncomfortable. The chairs, especially, but I think I also have something against glass tables.

Even before walking through the door to the restaurant I was struck by its attractiveness provided by the view through the front windows. A prettier, more “authentic” décor along Devon Ave. will be difficult to find (the modern-décor at Tiffin has always been a favorite of mine). It’s said that the furnishings were imported from Pakistan. The dining tables are oversized and the high-backed chairs and cushion’s comfortable.

Heh I find the decor amusingly over-the-top, myself - and often point
it out to everyone who comes to Devon with me But then when Tiffin
first opened, within its first couple of weeks of business (several years
ago now), a good friend who accompanied me to our first visit there
had laughingly described their decor as "Punjabi Baroque". To each
their own I suppose

The menu contains lots of dishes, but is outdated - as a number of items are no longer available (including some of the drinks). The waitress, who wasn’t Pakistani, seemed inexperienced - she was unable to effectively explain menu items (she was unfamiliar with the food). She was polite, however.

The two original waitresses were from Jordan - not sure if they are
the ones you met. And yes, they arent overly familiar with Indian
or Pakistani food.

We wanted to start with soup, but there was only one soup available and the waitress said it was Chinese, not Pakistani - “egg drop soup.” We then started to think there was a Chinese cook, and we swore we heard Chinese music over the speaker system (maybe it was Pakistani music (I’m unfamiliar with it), but it was close in sound to Chinese). I began to wonder just what we’d gotten ourselves into. We were later told, by other diners, that they, too, were surprised by the soup - because it’s not traditionally Pakistani soup. However, many people were ordering and eating it and no complaints were overheard.

Argh! Its supposed to be Sweet Corn Chicken Soup! And its good, I tell
you! Good! I refuse to hear any different!

It doesnt have anything to do with a Chinese cook BTW. And Iam not
surprised some Pakistanis may have been thrown by it It is an
Indian thing, not Pakistani - every Chinese meal in India starts with
Sweet Corn Chicken Soup, its the Law. And people love Sweet
Corn Chicken Soup. Thus some Indian restaurants here have begun
serving a complimentary version of it before a meal too - JK Kabab
House still does (the current owner of Chopal used to originally own
JK Kabab House, thus their serving soup is not surprising. But it
should be Sweet Corn Chicken Soup, not Egg Drop Soup! Though,
of course, the only real difference in India is that you probably add
a little bit of shredded chicken and sweet corn to egg drop soup,
and then load it up with soy and hot sauces

The owner of Chopal is an Indian Muslim from Hyderabad IIRC - thus
the presence of Indian touches as opposed to just straight Pakistani
food.

The neighbor liked the lamb chops, until the spicing kicked in. He thought the meat too spicy. He’s a first-time Indo-Pak food eater, and not one who typically has spicy food, so I don’t know if he was right the meat was too spicy (for those of us who’ve eaten this type of food before) or if his reaction was due to his initiation. He finished the 2/3 thinly-cut chops though, before moving on to the quail (something else he’d never eaten before). The quail wasn’t very meaty, but apparently it wasn’t as spiced as the lamb was. He had a mango lasse (correct spelling?) to wash down his meal and alternated between the pitcher of water and an odd-tasting glass of diet Coke.

Well, their best dishes supposedly are the Lamb Chops above, and the
Chilli Chicken. I like their Chili Chicken a good deal, I think its awesome.
However, note, I dont ask for any special spicing levels - and it can be
very hot. I sometimes have to go with gulps of water during the meal
(on days when theyve really kicked it up a notch), and I grew up on
and love spicy food, the spicier the better usually. (This was often
with their carryout order however - they used to do a Chilli Chicken
carryout for 5 bucks, with rice and salad). However they served
a smallish quantity of rice with that cheap carryout order, the rice
platter will probably be big if you eat in. Make sure to mix the Chilli
Chicken into a fair bit of rice, and you should be able to deal with
the heat-level much better IMHO.

Each entrée was economically priced. My frontier chicken was $5.99 and my neighbor’s combination plate $7.99. The check for two with meals and drinks came to about $20.00.

Chopal isnt the cheapest place around, but it is pretty reasonable - on a par
with most other restaurants of its kind. It is a touch more expensive
than the cabbie joints, but offers quieter atmosphere and better service
etc (and probably better food, especially in its standout dishes). Its
price-range is comparable to Usmaniya across the street - I think
Usmaniya is probably better overall, but Chopal does a couple of
their best dishes better than anyone else in Chicago IMHO. (And
these dishes arent available at Usmaniya anyway - things like
Chilli Chicken, Sarson ka Saag etc; this is because Chopal is more
an Indian-Muslim place than a Pakistani one like Usmaniya).

Elsewhere in the last couple of days there was a review of Bhabi's
Kitchen. Bhabi's is probably a similar kind of restaurant in some ways
to Chopal, and is right around the corner from it. However Bhabi's
is far far more expensive than Chopal now, and IMHO isnt nearly
as good with the actual food either.

I was very comfortable at Chopal, and I’ll return - and I feel comfortable recommending the place to others. Next time, I’ll try some one of the clay pot offerings. Thanks to those of you who’ve written about Chopal before.

It is a very comfortable place, yes - Ive recommended it to several
people myself, especially for a couple of dishes. When people
visit and want to go for Indian food, its among the top choices for
me on Devon I think - probably Usmaniya would be the top choice,
but then it sort of depends on the person and the kind of food one
is looking for. (If its just Kababs, Id say Khan BBQ. If its just non-veg
food including gravy dishes and biryani, which is the most usual,
the #1 choice IMHO is Usmaniya. If its a vegetarian accompanying,
then neither of the above two are options anymore... and then
Chopal might well be the top choice, as long as the vegetarian
is in the mood for something like Sarson ka saag Chopal does
good vegetarian dishes I believe, but has only about 3 of them,
so the choice is sort of limited).

Chopal Kabab & Steak
2240-42 W. Devon Ave. (between Bell and Oakley)
Chicago, IL
(773) 338-4080
Hours: 11 a.m. - Midnight (7 days a week) (Ramadan: 1 p.m. - 1 a.m.)

Ramadan ended not so long ago, so those hours are not applicable for
another 11 months, just about. I heard Chopal was doing a fine
Haleem during Ramadan, though I unfortunately never got around
to trying it myself.

c8w

Thanks for the detailed and thoughtful comments.

Chopal isnt the cheapest place around, but it is pretty reasonable - on a par with most other restaurants of its kind. It is a touch more expensive than the cabbie joints, but offers quieter atmosphere and better service etc (and probably better food, especially in its standout dishes). Its price-range is comparable to Usmaniya across the street - I think Usmaniya is probably better overall, but Chopal does a couple of
their best dishes better than anyone else in Chicago IMHO.

I've not tried Usmaniya, but I noticed that, next to Chopal, there's new construction/renovation of a buildingset back from the sidewalk and with which looks to be parking in front. The lit sign on the building reads, I believe: "Usmaniya." We parked east of the restaurant and when we arrived there appeared to be a fence in front of the new construction blocking the view.

About including the Ramadan hours with the address, I put it there because these threads have a long life, and, next Ramadan, someone may be looking at the thread and it may prove useful.

Again, thanks for the remarks.

Bill wrote:The lit sign on the building reads, I believe: "Usmaniya." We parked east of the restaurant and when we arrived there appeared to be a fence in front of the new construction blocking the view.

Bill,

Here's a picture of the under construction Usmania I took a few weeks ago.

Usmania 1/16/06


Here's a link to older thread of LTH dinner that started out at Evanston Chicken Shack and, in true LTHForum fashion, ended up at Usmania. Usmania link

Enjoy,
Gary

Bill wrote:I've not tried Usmaniya, but I noticed that, next to Chopal, there's new construction/renovation of a buildingset back from the sidewalk and with which looks to be parking in front. The lit sign on the building reads, I believe: "Usmaniya." We parked east of the restaurant and when we arrived there appeared to be a fence in front of the new construction blocking the view.
Again, thanks for the remarks.

Yes, Usmaniya has been doing very well the past year or two, and is
soon going to expand across the street (just as Tahoora did a couple
of months ago). The "old" location is still open, of course - it is
bang across the street from where the new one will be (the new
one is taking over what used to be a grocery store - thus they
will have their own parking lot as well, which will be a huge boon
to all Usmaniya-patrons).

The last time I popped in to Usmaniya (about a week and a half ago),
IIRC the guy there told me they were planning to open the new place
sometime in mid-February. HE might even have mentioned a date,
but I wouldnt swear to it (might have said 15th February or some
such, actually).However I forgot to ask him if the old location would
stay continue to exist after the new location opened (I presume it
wont, but who knows - Tahoora's old spot has still not been
replaced by anything at all).

c8w

Popped into "old" Usmaniya today at the stroke of noon (the new one still isn't open). Was told by the gentlemen in the back (the room was totally empty) that they didn't open until one. Huh?

How strange, I thought, and promptly walked across the street to Chopal. The owner (I think) was chatting with someone who was working on their gas bill with them. Again, I was the only patron and the owner seemed more ill-at-ease than I did. He looked at me. I looked at him. After a brief standoff, I finally asked, "Are you open for lunch?" He seemed a bit unsure and finally said "yes." I took a seat.

Briefly: chapli kebab, naan, and a salted lassi were lunch. He appeared to be the sole staff. Eventually the food arrived: the kebab is served hamburger style; two reasonably-sized patties. Highly, but very well, spiced. Lots of coriander seed. Delicious and worth returning for all by themselves. There was the de rigueur cucumber, tomato, and some lettuce. Large helping of rice. Three bowls: a yogurt-based, hot "sauce," a green-based (sorry) very hot sauce, and a "fire-engine-red"-based, sweet fruit sauce (distinct tamarind notes, as well). I'd love to know more about all of them. And I would have asked except that the staff spent virtually my entire time there back in the kitchen. I had to have the gas man get him back so I could pay and leave.

The surprisingly (to me) hot yogurt sauce was great on the rice. The green sauce was too hot to use much of, but also had a very nice flavor. The naan was, fresh, but I'm not convinced it was naan. A bit too..."tough" (I use the word advisedly because it's not quite right; it's just that the naan wasn't as "soft" as I believe it should be). Salted lassi was surprisingly good and worthy of note. Also a big plus that it was served in a stainless steel container (like milkshakes were a hundred years ago). Kept it quite cold.

Lunch was about $9.25 (chapli kebab was $6.50). Enjoyed it very much; definitely will return. More than a little disappointed about Usmaniya's strange hours.

Popped into "old" Usmaniya today at the stroke of noon (the new one still isn't open). Was told by the gentlemen in the back (the room was totally empty) that they didn't open until one. Huh?

How strange, I thought, and promptly walked across the street to Chopal. The owner (I think) was chatting with someone who was working on their gas bill with them. Again, I was the only patron and the owner seemed more ill-at-ease than I did. He looked at me. I looked at him. After a brief standoff, I finally asked, "Are you open

Not entirely suprrised. Usmaniya has long been, I thought, a 12-12 place -
maybe they are 1-12 instead. They are not really a "lunch" spot as
such. Depends what day you went too maybe - on Fridays they are
probably less busy at 1 or so due to Friday prayers (Tahoora, for
example, closes between 1 and 2 on Fridays IIRC). Iam not
surprised Chopal is similar - lightly staffed around lunchtime,
and probably didnt expect any customers. Glad you made it
there (and liked it) though.

quite right; it's just that the naan wasn't as "soft" as I believe it should be). Salted lassi was surprisingly good and worthy of note. Also a big plus that it was served in a stainless steel container (like milkshakes were a hundred years ago). Kept it quite cold.

Milkshakes still are, in some places If you ever make it down to the
southside, 95th street's Top Notch Hamburgers still serves their
milkshakes this way. Excellent shakes they have, too - you can
pour it into a regular glass and have em, and then you still have
almost another glass left over (if youve ordered the large that is -
not sure the "small" would come in the stainless steel container).
Very cool, it is.

Lunch was about $9.25 (chapli kebab was $6.50). Enjoyed it very much; definitely will return. More than a little disappointed about Usmaniya's strange hours.

The chapli, I suppose, would come under a grill item thingy. A few of
Chopal's items (I think the Chilli Chicken, or else the combos) come
with bread (naan, or paratha) and some rice. Cant remember,
but I think those are under 10 bucks too (so basically youd get
some rice in addition to what you got above, for about the same
price - if you did want to try those items, that is, you may not).

c8w

c8w wrote:

Popped into "old" Usmaniya today at the stroke of noon (the new one still isn't open). Was told by the gentlemen in the back (the room was totally empty) that they didn't open until one. Huh?

Not entirely suprrised. Usmaniya has long been, I thought, a 12-12 place -
maybe they are 1-12 instead. They are not really a "lunch" spot as
such. Depends what day you went too maybe - on Fridays they are
probably less busy at 1 or so due to Friday prayers (Tahoora, for
example, closes between 1 and 2 on Fridays IIRC). Iam not
c8w

Bad form to respond to ones own post, but...

The "Old" Usmaniya is finally closing, probably tonight I think. The
"new" Usmaniya across the street has its "Grand Opening"
tomorrow, March 3rd, "after prayers". That traslates to
approximately 1:30 in the afternoon tomorrow, Friday, one
would guess.

The old location for Usmaniya will remain shut for a couple
of months, apparently. And then, "maybe 2 months" from
now, there will be...."a Chinese restaurant" there. (On asking
I was iniformed that said Chinese restaurant will still be
"part of Usmaniya", ie a subset of the "Usmaniya group" one
supposes. Thus, presumably, "Halal Chinese", to go along with
the "Halal Fried Brown'sChicken" outpost on Crawford Avenue.)

At the moment only that spot on Devon/Western offers "Indian
Chinese" in the area - and that isnt a patch on the Indian-Chinese
offered at "Hot Wok" in Schaumburg. In a couple of months
Usmaniya will join the list apparently - and the last time I was
at Sabri Nehari, they claimed their "changes" this summer will
include adding "Chinese items" to their menu as well. An
Indian-Chinese glut in prospect

c8w

c8w wrote:The "Old" Usmaniya is finally closing, probably tonight I think. The "new" Usmaniya across the street has its "Grand Opening" tomorrow

c8w,

Was at the 'new' Usmania for lunch yesterday, very nice interior, good service and a parking lot. Though the lot does not look car friendly, if that makes any sense.

I happen to have the newest edition of the Reader in tow, which focuses on Devon, so I turned to the very nice review of Usmania and attempted to find items mentioned with little luck. The menu I was given was, comparatively, small with a number of scratch-outs. The new full-scale menu should be in from the printers in a day or two.

I ended up with a nice rendition of Butter Chicken and a couple of naan, tasty, but as I was dining solo it made for a not very well rounded lunch. Though the included plate of cucumber, tomato and lettuce helped a bit.

I liked the 'old' Usmania and, minor menu wrinkles aside, like the new Usmania. I'll be back again soon, though not solo.

Enjoy,
Gary

c8w wrote:The "Old" Usmaniya is finally closing, probably tonight I think. The "new" Usmaniya across the street has its "Grand Opening" tomorrow

c8w,

Was at the 'new' Usmania for lunch yesterday, very nice interior, good service and a parking lot. Though the lot does not look car friendly, if that makes any sense.

Yes, I actually made it for what turned out to be the "Grand Opening" Had
dropped by to pick up something that evening earlyish, place was packed,
they told me they only had a buffet. Had some chicken biryani I
think, and a very good nehari, plus a couple of veggie dishes. Discovered
on finishing that it was actually free Apparently they had a buffet,
with no charge from about 1:30 to 9pm or so, in celebration. Anyway,
the new place looked very big and Ive heard is very very busy
now - 2 massive rooms (one of which is sometimes for private
parties) etc.

I happen to have the newest edition of the Reader in tow, which focuses on Devon, so I turned to the very nice review of Usmania and attempted to find items mentioned with little luck. The menu I was given was, comparatively, small with a number of scratch-outs. The new full-scale menu should be in from the printers in a day or two.

Yes, they didnt have a new "to go" menu when I asked. However, on asking
I was told that they had a couple new items on the menu, compared to
the old spot (I think they had planned on even more, but decided
against it - those may be the "whiteouts"). He pointed to a couple
of them, but I cant really remember what they were (maybe a
makhani ghost or something - not sure they used to have that).

Oh, and I read the Devon-review a couple of days ago in the Reader.
Didnt think *that* much of a few of them, but anyway (For Usmaniya,
the biryani Ive always thought is very good - I believe that was
mentioned. However I dont agree that it is only recently busy - it
was sometimes ridiculously busy in the old location too).

I also disagree with the (probably facetious) theory that IPA's were
invented just to make gulab jamuns palatable I dont know of
*any* Indians who consume IPA's with gulab jamuns (and most
Indians *love* gulab jamuns - the more cloyingly sweet the
desserts, the better, for many Indians

For "our" reviewers... I have mostly only quibbles ie yours, of
Ghareeb Nawaz, for instance... there *is* cricket on the TV,
but only very rarely (cricket is much more regularly seen at
Hyderabad House, Daata Durbar and Baba's in downtown, if
anyone is interested And while GN *is* open for breakfast
and does a fine halwa-puri breakfast, the consensus IMHO would
be that the halwa-puri breakfast at Tahoora and King's (both down
the street) are probably better. Khan's also does a halwa-puri
breakfast IIRC (and places like Hyderabad House and Daata
Durbar are open for breakfast too - just not the halwa puri
kind. BTW... as a matter of interest, if one is driving past
Devon any morning, one can actually dash in to GN and get
one of the best deals anywhere, the "omlette paratha" for
99 cents!

For Mike's Hyderabad House review... as noted above, more
cricket (and less Bollywood) than at Ghareeb Nawaz (you guys
could have switched those lines in your reviews And, while
Hyderabad is undoubtedly in the south of India, I think some of
the Hyderabad House folk themselves may have vigorous
objections to their cuisine being referred to as "South Indian"
I think this is because most Indians usually would think (wrongly
obviously), on reading that review, that Hyderabad House was
a haven for vegetarian cuisine (ie dosa, idli etc - food that is
typically referred to in the rest of India as "South Indian food").
The kind of cuisine served at Hyderabad House, OTOH, is
usually just referred to as... Hyderabadi Very distinct from
the rest of South India (mostly since it is Muslim and non-vegetarian,
in contrast with a lot of the rest of the south).

Anyway. Just a couple of quibbles with "our" Chicago Reader
reviewers (who, BTW, were far superior and much more useful
in general than any of the "other" reviewers in the Reader this
week - but then thats a given

c8w

Having an Indian jones today, I tried the new, spiffier Usmania today-- though the owners would probably not be pleased to hear Myles' comment as we walked up to it, "This looks like a tire place!"

Several Indian businessmen were busy working their cell phones at the front, and passed us off from one to the next effortlessly (and impersonally). From there, though, getting our order taken was an ordeal of many minutes, even as red-shirted waiters and busboys swarmed the floor. Finally, I successfully ordered chicken boti and dal palak (chosen because I had recently had them at the late, soon to reopen Khan BBQ). Or so I believed, given the mumbling that followed my order. And here it is:



Yes, that's right, the gringo who ordered chicken boti got... tandoori chicken, the only chicken dish gringos ever eat. It was decent enough, if slightly less fresh off the tandoor than the chicken that comes with the buffet at Indian Garden. However, given that by now I had a bit of a time press, I accepted the wrong dish and ate away.



Here's the dal palak. Reasonably tasty, but swimming in ghee, as you can see; which meant that after half a dozen or so bites, I'd had enough.

The best thing was the mango lassi Myles ordered, which had a tart yogurty tang other, waterier versions have not had.

Total bill was certainly at least 50% higher than a buffet like Indian Garden, double or more what the more modest spots along Devon east of Western would charge. I had plenty of leftovers at the end of it, which means it's not necessarily a bad deal, except that I can't really face reheating that oily dal palak.

The new spiffier Usmania, paid for by the profits of the same owners' Brown's Chicken franchises*, surely fills a niche for moderately upscale dining on Devon, and I'm sure it was packed like mad on Mother's Day. But it's hard for me to see why I need a place with less good food than cheaper places, yet an atmosphere and service level that is not nearly as polished as a genuinely upscale restaurant in other parts of the city (note the spoon smear on the bowl in the dal palak photo, the kind of thing a more polished place would never allow out of the kitchen), and arguably not even up to the level of the nicest buffet spots downtown or in the suburbs, such as India House. I wouldn't say precisely that there's an inverse relationship between decor and food in Devon restaurants, but it is surely significant that several of the nicest ones (Tiffin, Sabri Nehari) are on my "ennh" list, only Indian Garden manages to find a happy medium between pretty nice decor and pretty good food. In short, Usmania fills a niche, I don't doubt, but it isn't mine.

Usmania Restaurant
2244 W. Devon Ave.
773-262-1900

* Incidentally, there's a sign in the window of the old Usmania across the street announcing that they're also opening another of those Indian Chinese food restaurants that seem to be a constant presence, if never long lived individually, on Devon.

Yes, that's right, the gringo who ordered chicken boti got... tandoori chicken, the only chicken dish gringos ever eat. It was decent enough, if slightly less fresh off the tandoor than the chicken that comes with the buffet at Indian Garden. However, given that by now I had a bit of a time press, I accepted the wrong dish and ate away.

I have actually had this dish at Usmaniya - its not quite tandoori chicken the
way it shows up in buffets, differently cut pieces IMHO. I find this version
tastier than the other, even if not as sizzling-fresh. But its not my "usual"
thing at Usmaniya - have it rarely, sometimes as part of the "Grill Platter"
ordered if its a few people. The kababs are better IMHO.

Here's the dal palak. Reasonably tasty, but swimming in ghee, as you can see; which meant that after half a dozen or so bites, I'd had enough.

In several excellent meals at Usmaniya, I have *never* had this dish - and
never will, either I dont think Id ever order anything vegetarian at
Usamaniya (or at Sabri Nehari, or at Khan's). - those items are just so
obviously a low-priority there IMHO. They have only about 3 vegetarian
dishes on their entire menu. I have been there with vegetarians who have
tried this dish and not been unhappy - but this really isnt a place for
vegetarian food IMHO.

Total bill was certainly at least 50% higher than a buffet like Indian Garden, double or more what the more modest spots along Devon east of Western would charge. I had plenty of leftovers at the end of it, which means it's not necessarily a bad deal, except that I can't really face reheating that oily dal palak.

It isnt really fair to compare buffet prices with non-buffet ones IMHO - usually
a buffet (even at the buffet places) costs about as much as 1 entree would
cost. I mean, an Indian Garden buffet may be 8 bucks - but their individual
entrees, if youre ordering off hte menu, is also about 8 bucks. And thus
if you ordered 2 entrees (as you did here), I think youd pay about 50%
more than for a buffet anyway.

The new spiffier Usmania, paid for by the profits of the same owners' Brown's Chicken franchises*, surely fills a niche for moderately upscale dining on Devon, and I'm sure it was packed like mad on Mother's Day. But it's hard for me to see why I need a place with less good food than cheaper places, yet an atmosphere and service level that is not nearly as polished as a genuinely upscale restaurant in other parts of the city (note the spoon smear on the bowl in the dal palak photo, the kind of thing a more polished place would never allow out of the kitchen), and arguably not even up to the level of the nicest buffet spots downtown or in the suburbs, such as India House. I wouldn't say precisely that there's an inverse relationship between decor and food in Devon restaurants, but it is surely significant that several of the nicest ones (Tiffin, Sabri Nehari) are on my "ennh" list, only Indian Garden manages to find a happy medium between pretty nice decor and pretty good food. In short, Usmania fills a niche, I don't doubt, but it isn't mine.

To each their own I suppose I dont go there for the upscale atmosphere -
I was a frequent visitor at the old spot, after all, and that was definitely
not upscale. I go there for what is, IMHO, the best non-vegetarian
subcontinental food in town, bar none

I dont agree with the characterization above, that several of the upscale
Indian restaurants are better, quality-wise. Maybe on the vegetarian
items - they often may be. However, for non-vegetarian food, heavily
meat-based - dishes like Nehari, Mutton Korma, Kadai Gosh, Goat
Biryani, Haleem etc - I personally havent yet found a single restaurant in Chicago
that does it as well as Usmaniya does.

I would be glad to know of any moderately priced restaurant that does
any of those meat-dishes nearly as well as Usmaniya - I often take food
to go at Usmaniya anyway, so the atmosphere doesnt matter in the
least, if the food alone is better elsewhere Id love to know where!
(Well, other than Khan's kababs, or the Chili Chicken at Chopal

* Incidentally, there's a sign in the window of the old Usmania across the street announcing that they're also opening another of those Indian Chinese food restaurants that seem to be a constant presence, if never long lived individually, on Devon.

Yes. At the moment there isnt actually a single Indian-Chinese spot on
Devon of any kind - Sizzle India (which offered some Chinese items)
has closed, as has Jewel of India (location taken over by Khan's). And
the only purely Indian-Chinese restaurant in town remains Hot Wok
in Schaumburg.

c8w

It isnt really fair to compare buffet prices with non-buffet ones IMHO

Well, it is when you find the food fairly indistinguishable (and when they have a buffet setup which apparently is used at dinner or sometime), but the main comparison clearly is with other non-buffet spots in that stretch. And I have to say that I have yet to have any dish, the nehari included, at Usmania, new or old, that would have risen above the middle at Khan, Chopal, Ghareeb Nawaz, and Hyderabad House-- and most of those were, of course, quite a bit cheaper.

I might give it another shot sometime and use your suggestions as guidance, but neither of the meat dishes I've tried has been to my taste to date.

And I was saying that on the whole I find the upscale Devon spots to be inferior to the hole-in-the-walls.

This year, I have eaten at Tiffin, Usmania AND Indian Garden. Of these, the only one I enjoyed thoroughly was Tiffin. It's still not great food, lacking as well noted, a certain ooph, a certain panache. Still, I found the overall quality on the buffet fine enough. Indian Garden was pretty bad actually, combining poor preparation with poor selection. I've kinda avoiding dissing Usmania, because it seems such a competitive situation on this board, like Usmania vs. Sabri is a vigorous 5 day test match. But, like I say, in my visit to its new incarnate, my experience roughly mimiced Mike's, down to some awful service. The nehari was the best dish I tried there, but in picking sides, I'm still a Sabri guy.

Though I agree with c8w's recommendation of not ordering veggie items at places that are heavily meat focused, I've mentioned before that I at leat have never been all that taken with usmania. I actually tried the new spiffy place recently as well (for takeout at least) and found it be tastewise exactly the same as previously across the street. If you liked that, you'll like the new stuff, I didn't before and can't say changed my mind either.

It isnt really fair to compare buffet prices with non-buffet ones IMHO

Well, it is when you find the food fairly indistinguishable (and when they have a buffet setup which apparently is used at dinner or sometime),

There isnt one, BTW - they dont have a buffet at all. I too noticed the
"setup", and asked about it once a few weeks ago - they indicated they
had it for parties etc. But there isnt a lunch or dinner buffet available
at Usmaniya anytime as far as I know.

but the main comparison clearly is with other non-buffet spots in that stretch. And I have to say that I have yet to have any dish, the nehari included, at Usmania, new or old, that would have risen above the middle at Khan, Chopal, Ghareeb Nawaz, and Hyderabad House-- and most of those were, of course, quite a bit cheaper.

I might give it another shot sometime and use your suggestions as guidance, but neither of the meat dishes I've tried has been to my taste to date.

It just comes down to individual tastes I suppose. Ive been to all those
places regularly as well - Iam a very big fan of Khan's, actually,
considering them to have the best kababs in town, I like Chopal
plenty (liked their goat chaaps, and their chilli chicken is the best
in town for me), and Ive lost count of the number of meals Ive
had at Hyderabad House (used to be the default cricket-watching
spot, usually - ate there about 12 times in 3 weeks due to that
reason a couple of months ago, for example

Despite all that, I personally find that, if you want an example of
Muslim food (that is, a kind of mix of Muslim-Indian and some
Pakistani food), there is no place that is a better bet overall
than Usmaniya, to me. The last couple of times their mutton
korma and frontier gosh has been outstanding, their naans
are habitually terrific, and their goat biryani is by far my
favourite in Chicago (it is more a Hyderabadi-style goat
biryani than a Pakistani-style one - and I personally love
goat biryani, my fave dish, and only tolerate lamb biryani,
so it fits perfectly). All these dishes have, IMHO, been better
than those dishes pretty much anywhere else in Chicago.
(I suppose this is where taste comes in as well - in large
parts of India, Muslims are goat-eaters, love dishes
cooked with goat. Lamb dishes are rare in many parts
IMHO - though, as zim will tell you, this is not the case
in Kashmir Chicken is eaten everywhere, but is not
IMHO anywhere near as beloved as goat is - thus few
chicken dishes will be considered to be *that* high on
a favourites-list. I mean, some of us still consider the
idea of chicken-biryani to be blasphemy, it must always
be *real* meat Id probably rather have a "decent"
goat biryani than an "outstanding" chicken biryani myself
(at Hyderabad House a couple of times Ive actually
switched to Chicken biryani however - that should tell
you how poorly I thought of their mutton biryani in those
couple of weeks. They *used* to have a great mutton
biryani at HH several years ago - but, IMHO, they havent
in a while now).

I went with a friend to both Usmaniya and Chopal and Khan's
a while ago - he thought Khan's the best, and Chopal second.
But that is at least partly because he eats chicken and doesnt
eat beef *or* goat Thus Khan's chicken boti ranked
#1 for him (an awesome dish), and Chopal's Chilli Chicken
ranked #2. The chicken kadai or whatever at Usmaniya didnt
hold up - but *he* had that, I had the goat biryani and thought
it was excellent as usual A lot of it comes down to what
your favourite meat might be, I think. (And thats just meat -
I wouldnt order a veggie dish at *any* of the above
locations myself, though some do an acceptable veggie
dish or two I suppose).

Personally, I find Chopal to be great with a couple of chicken
dishes - and ok with a couple of lamb ones. They dont even
do a biryani! I still find that crazy. I like Hyderabad House,
but again find their chicken dishes to be better than their
meat ones - at times I havent cared for the quality of their
meat very much. Ghareeb Nawaz... I think their best thing
is also their biryani, I find it a very good biryani indeed,
but they charge only 4 bucks for it and I find they skimp on
the meat as a result. (This is the main reason I prefer the
Usmaniya biryani - it is about 8 bucks, but it has beautifully
cooked goat meat, and there is a huge amount of food,
making it actually about as economical as GN's for takeout IMHO).
At Khan's, I stick mostly with the kababs and have never
been disappointed (OTOH, 2 friends have had bad stomachs
the day after a trip to Khan's - I personally never have, however

And I was saying that on the whole I find the upscale Devon spots to be inferior to the hole-in-the-walls.

On the whole I agree - I dont care much for the Tiffin's or India
Gardens of the world myself (the only times Ive had good food
from those places was when there were private parties held
at them - and the food was markedly better on those occasions.
The off-the-menu stuff has never been very good, to me). I
do like most of the cabbie joints, and the holes-in-the-wall.
However... to me Usmaniya *was* a bit of a hole in the wall
place, it took over Sabri's old spot (when Sabri was a hole in
the wall itself, before it moved).

A few years ago, when Sabri was in their old location, it was
by far my favourite spot in town. It then moved to its present
location, Usmaniya took over its old location... and Sabri remained
my favourite. It took, IMHO, a year or two for Sabri to take a bit
of a downturn in my estimation - I think their food deteriorated,
became more oily and less flavourful etc IMHO. Thats when
Usmaniya became my own personal favourite, a couple of
years ago

Now Usmaniya has moved across the street and gone more
upscale. This was a worrying development to me, and still
is - but, so far at least, IMHO the food has *not* taken a turn
for the worse. Yet. On my last visit a couple of weeks ago,
it was probably the best Ive ever had at Usmaniya, actually.
So, as of the moment, it remains my own favourite spot.
Iam hoping it can avoid the slide that invariably seems to come
with a move to upscale dining... but, of course, there is no
guarantee of that, it is merely a fond hope

c8w

Vital Information wrote:. I've kinda avoiding dissing Usmania, because it seems such a competitive situation on this board, like Usmania vs. Sabri is a vigorous 5 day test match. But, like I say, in my visit to its new incarnate, my experience roughly mimiced Mike's, down to some awful service. The nehari was the best dish I tried there, but in picking sides, I'm still a Sabri guy.

I think, actually, that the nehari IMHO might be the one dish that Sabri still
does better than Usmaniya

Iam not exactly a Sabri-hater - far from it It used to be my favourite
spot for years, and I still like it. I just find it very inconsistent i
suppose (maybe it was because I took friends there once a while
ago, and it was *awful* that day - sort of soured me on them a
bit Ive returned since, and had some good meals, but just
find that, apart from the nehari, they can be a little too up-and-down
for me.

To me, the only two restaurants that are really comparable are
Sabri and Usmaniya - because theyre almost identical in so many
ways, in terms of menus etc. Khans to me is a purely kabab
spot; Chopal excellent for their specialties but not really a
"complete" restaurant to me either (no restaurant that doesnt
even serve a biryani can be truly complete ; HH an excellent
late-night cabbie-joint, probably the best of its kind etc.

And, in that comparison of Sabri and Usmaniya, the latter
comes out on top (for me) a bit more often. However that
doesnt mean in any way that Sabri is less than good - it
really is isnt, their nehari is excellent, their biryani very
good etc. If its a 5-day test, its one decided post-tea on
the fifth day in a two-wicket win, not a game won by an
innings within merely three days

c8w

c8w wrote:Yes. At the moment there isnt actually a single Indian-Chinese spot on
Devon of any kind - Sizzle India (which offered some Chinese items)
has closed, as has Jewel of India (location taken over by Khan's). And
the only purely Indian-Chinese restaurant in town remains Hot Wok
in Schaumburg.

Driving down Devon a couple of days ago, it appears that the Usmania Zabiha Chinese restaurant's sign is mounted, at least. I had barely noticed it before I was past the point of figuring out if they were actually open for business, but I've been interested in trying an indo-chinese place since reading the New York Times article on hyphenated-chinese cuisine. I never made it to Jewel of India.

I had never actually been to Usmania, but I think this is the "original" location on the south side of Devon, east of Western Ave.

I've not read the NY Times article, and I understand from relatives in NYC that good indian-chinese is to be had there, more akin to that which is available in Calcutta.

However, My experience with Indian Chinese in Chicago, and for that matter in India has definitely not led me to seek out more of it. It reminds that dining out on the food of other ethnicities is a relatively recent phenomenon in India and that it suffers from some of the same flaws as chinese food in the US had in the fifties/sixties (i've been told) overgloppy, oversweetened, cooked by non-chefs etc. Though with a few redeeming qualities as the tastes they are trying to approximate is that of indians so there is more use of chilies, coriander etc.

There were a couple of good threads on this on chowhound a long time ago which I've linked (by the way they seem to have fixed the internal links)

back to chopal, I'm not sure this is the best place to post this, but the thread is titled witht their name. The only one named so in a quick site search.

so. . .. had a nice new (At least to me) dish there - I think its either on the menu as sabzi gosht or it was a special (we just asked the guy what was good that day) anyway, its goat with a few greens in a sauce heavy with mint and black pepper. the somewhat few goat pieces that were in the order were all marrow bones, enriching and flavoring the sauce, which was the reason to get this, to dip in naan.

even the vegetarians at my house were trying to get their hands on this stuff.

LTH,

Had a late solo dinner on Devon last week almost went to Usmania, but they were mildly crowded and, anyway, soon as I saw Chopal goat champs started calling my name.

Dinner went well right from the start with a nice greeting from the sweet tempered waitress, pitcher of water and array of sauces, including an onion/cucumber mix in vinegar for the egg drop soup. No c8w it was not sweet corn chicken soup.

Tandori roti, which she said was a draw, was quite good, Dal Fry delicious, though my quotient of butter/oil/ghee for the month, and Goat Champ ok. Spices on the goat champs were pasty, granular and, in spots, seemed spackled on, two of the four chops were overcooked to the point of desert dry. Spicing seemed to be having an argument with meat as opposed to working in chorus.

I've had goat champs at Chopal before, so am willing to write this experience off as an anomaly. Overall I like Chopal, including the over the top decor, though, as I may have mentioned in the past, I find the chairs exceedingly uncomfortable.

Enjoy,
Gary

Hello,
First, let me start by saying that I never leave reviews. The only reason I am doing so is to avoid people getting fooled by outdated reviews left about Chopal barbeque on this forum.
I went to Chopal barberque and steak and I have to say that this place is by FAR the worst of the worst in regards to Indian/Pakistani food.

I got 3 dishes from Chopal:

-Dal: this is usually one of my favorite vegi dishes. Chopal's dal is actually an insult to what this dish is all about. Chopal's dal is so disgusting that it is actually challenging to describe the taste of it. There is actually no taste to it beside ghee and oil.

-Chilli Chicken: On Chopal's menu Chilli chicken is described as: boneless chicken cooked with chilli & green pepper on grill. What i got was: the worst part of the chicken cut into tiny cubes with spice and lots of oil. The actual taste of it is greasy chicken with a twist of louisiana hot sauce. Yes, no kidding, it actually tasted very vinegary!!!

-Chicken Shaslik:
It's basically chicken with a 'gravy' type sauce which tasted and looked like chinese sweet and sour sauce with some green peppers thrown in. I took one bite of it and threw out the rest. I can't actually believe that a restaurant would serve something like that.

I am not trying to be rude with anyone here but please...when making comments about a Indian/Pakistani restaurant make sure you have actually had that type of food before. Anyone who likes Chopa, needs a serious lesson in Indian food.
I enjoy trying new places but this was beyond....

Thanks
David

I am not trying to be rude with anyone here but please...when making comments about a Indian/Pakistani restaurant make sure you have actually had that type of food before.

All comments, including yours, are welcome here, David. While we call each other sometimes on bashing or being cynical about restaurants which we have not personally sampled, any firsthand report - whether the diner is well-versed in that cuisine or not - is the basic unit of LTHForum, our very lifeblood, and should not be dismissed.

Thank you for updating the thread with your recent experience. Please note that the overwhelming majority of threads in the Eating Out forum have gone months or years without updates. Some of the favorite restaurants for those of us that get together regularly have very little current activity. But the historical record is preserved here, and is important both as a grounding for potential patrons, and as a sociological document.

Welcome to the board. Which are some places that you do really like?

I think c8w likes Chopal a lot more than I do and has probably been there more recently, but until he shows up, some questions:

Why shouldn't chilli chicken taste vinegary? And what do you consider the worst part of the chicken?

(I'm quite confident that no Louisiana hot sauce was used in the preparation.)

I think c8w likes Chopal a lot more than I do and has probably been there more recently, but until he shows up

Actually made it to Chopal last week, after at least a 4 or 5 month hiatus. And it was sort of by compulsion - an old Indian friend in town, 3 of us looking for dinner, time a little past 11pm, Khan's (first choice) closed, Usmaniya (2nd choice) also closed... we were deciding between Devon BBQ (the new place I wanted to try again), and Chopal, and went with Chopal in the end.

Now, brief background - my friend is Indian, lived in Chicago for 15 years, but moved 4 years ago to El Paso. He isnt vegetarian, but unlike me enjoys some vegetarian dishes (his wife is Jain, ie ultra-vegetarian, but she wasnt in town). He would surely fit in any "had the style of cuisine before" category - for 90% of the meals of his life, actually

Anyway. We had a Chili Chicken combo, a Goat Dish (blanking on which one), a Sarson-ka-saag, 3 varieties of lassi's, and kheer. The Chili Chicken was good.. Ive always liked this dish, but both my friends liked it quite a bit as well (the sheek kabab with it was ok, no great shakes). The Goat dish was decent, but unspectacular - better than many places on Devon, but not quite up to goat at Usmaniya or Sabri. The Sarson-ka-saag was, according to tastes far more refined with vegetarian food than mine, perfectly wonderful - the best on Devon by a mile, my friend claimed (enough so that we actually returned to Chopal the next day so my Texan friend, who loved it, could order one and get it packed so he could fly back to Texas with it, so that his vegetarian wife could try it too!)

And the lassis! They actually came in these big wide earthen containers - never seen that before. My friend with the salty lassi thought his was quite good; my mango lassi was decent too; but the sweet lassi (I tried some of it).. my friend specially asked for the owner to come to our table if he was around (he was), because he wanted to personally tell him that it was the best sweet lassi he had tasted in almost 20 years of living in the USA! (Not in his life, however - he spent a few of his teen years in Jullundar in Punjab, and finer sweet lassis than in Jullundar supposedly may not exist anywhere on earth

So, another data point for Chopal - and a quite recent one at that. I make no statements about any of the dishes I didnt eat there (I dont order most vegetarian dishes there myself - daal et al -, and saw Chicken Shaslik on the menu but didnt consider ordering it for a second). But the Chili Chicken, to my taste at least, remains very good. The sarson-ka-saag (which I remember zim recommending many years ago) remains terrific. And the sweet lassi (at least on that day - late night, probably prepared by the owner himself) was magnificent. Oh, and the kheer for dessert was very good too, one of the best versions on Devon - maybe specially good given its Ramzan.

c8w

c8w wrote:And the lassis! They actually came in these big wide earthen containers - never seen that before.

I've gone twice in the last 6 months or so and they have been served in these containers both times. Earthenware yes, but you forgot to mention that they must be quart-sized. Or damn close to it.

I enjoyed Chopal both times and I believe I got the chili chicken at least once.

Still, perhaps the most compelling thing about this restaurant are the enormous tables and colorful seating.

If I were renaming Chopal, I would have to go with The Garish Chair.

(more in the ostentatious sense than the tasteless sense).

gastro gnome wrote:

c8w wrote:And the lassis! They actually came in these big wide earthen containers - never seen that before.

I've gone twice in the last 6 months or so and they have been served in these containers both times. Earthenware yes, but you forgot to mention that they must be quart-sized. Or damn close to it.

I enjoyed Chopal both times and I believe I got the chili chicken at least once.

Still, perhaps the most compelling thing about this restaurant are the enormous tables and colorful seating.

If I were renaming Chopal, I would have to go with The Garish Chair.

(more in the ostentatious sense than the tasteless sense).

I actually think the chairs and furniture are fairly attractive, but just about as uncomfortable as they could possibly be. I think also that there a lot of misses on the menu but a few standouts, like the chili chicken and the saag - IMO their signature dish and what I go back for, but also the bindi/okra is pretty decent and there is an herbacious gosht dish thats pretty nice as well

I don't even try to judge the chairs on attractiveness. They are simply amazingly eye-catching. Also uncomfortable.

I can also vouch for the okra which I have gotten at both meals.

I actually think the chairs and furniture are fairly attractive, but just about as uncomfortable as they could possibly be. I think also that there a lot of misses on the menu but a few standouts, like the chili chicken and the saag - IMO their signature dish and what I go back for, but also the bindi/okra is pretty decent and there is an herbacious gosht dish thats pretty nice as well

I agree entirely on the chairs - theyre over the top garish (in a not entirely unattractive way , I actually try and get visitors to take a quick look if we're passing by, just so they can see it They are very uncomfortable to actually sit on, of course.

Iam glad I sort of remembered your saag rec - hadnt had it myself, but rec'd it to my friend, and he thought it was fantastic on the night. Their chili chicken remains my favourite. Didnt remember the gosh rec.. never tried that particular one I dont think (never been all that impressed with the gosh dishes that I *have* tried). Ive had their Frontier Chicken rec'd strongly to me by a friend, but havent tried that either.

If their sweet lassi is usually anything like it was that night however, I strongly rec it - it was excellent, and (as gg pointed out), monstrously large. All in all that one night last week turned out to be a very good meal (great lassi, 2 outstanding dishes out of 3 in chili chicken and sarson ka saag, good dessert).

c8w