Al Basha

One of the worst Arabian Buffets I have ever been to. I came here earlier during Ramadan and the food was horrible and unsanitary. Rather than having an extra table to place food, the tables were crowded to the point where the edges of the table were placed with plates. The waiters were okay, and the lighting was very poor. Everything and every aspect of my experience could’ve been better.

Excellent food, friendly service. The owner took care of us and was extremely hospitable. Per her recommendation we started with the Maza plate, which was a sampler of humus, baba ganoush, falafel, etc. Then we each had the Combo plate which was a nice sampling of meats served with rice and vegetables. Large portions, reasonable prices. Highly recommend.

Great food, Specially the Ramadan Buffet. There are lots of people for iftar and you may find the atmosphere kind of weird if you are not an Arab.

Great Ramadan buffet, preferred over Al Bawadi buffet. Lots of variety in salads and appetizers, food was delicious. The place is very clean, servers are nice and efficient. Plenty of space to move around so you feel comfortable and not overwhelmed by crowded chairs.

Mom ordered for a ramadan dinner (60 people). Amazing food! The meat was tender and juicy. Our guests were very satisfied. Basha is always a great choice.

Awesome food !
Mandi is my fav
Ramadan buffet is tremendous…
Must try this place

I personally love this place, they have been there for years and I cater once a month and never had any problems with them. Food is alway good and they always have it ready when they tell you it’s gonna be.

Our first time! The food was amazing and our server was so great! We went with friends and ordered a bunch of dishes to share. Everything tastes fresh and delicious. The pita was still warm from being fresh baked! The sage tea is refreshing! Highly recommend Al-​Basha! Love this place! Definitely going back!

Great Food!

I’ve only ever eaten the shwarmas here but they are probably the best in the area. I’m sure everything else tasted just as good

This place is DA BOMB. Make sure you order your food to go, because the atmosphere is weird as fuck. I suppose it’s in a weird area, between a weird grocery store and even weirder white trash bar — so it’s not totally their fault that the restaurant has a weird vibe.
Regardless, you dont go to Al Basha to eat there. You go for the hummus and the shwarma. Both dishes are out of this world.

We always cater a mixed grill platter for 5 from here, which is loaded with chicken tenders, kefta Kabob (ground bee (maybe lamb) filet steak, Grilled vegetables and rice. They say it is only for 5 but it really serves about 9 or 10 people. You also get hummus, salad and baba gannoush. Price is about $ 85 with tax And they do a good job packing and wrapping for takeout. I dined in a few times but prefer taking to go and eating at home.

Love this place. The portions are big, the food is delicious, and the people are friendly enough. I have been several times and the shawarma (beef and chicken) is fantastic, other traditional dishes are good as well, such as the the falafel, the fattoush, and kebab. All very authentic, recommend highly if you like middle eastern cuisine.

I have been wanting to come here for a while. I am so glad I finally came! This place is really good. My husband had the Steak Platter and I had the Combo Platter. The dishes came with a salad, Hummus, and baba ganoush (dk how to spell sorry). The prices were very reasonable (around $ 13 for our platters) and the portions were huge & that is saying a lot coming from me because I am a BIG eater. The flavors of the meats were amazing! The meat was juicy and full of flavor the beef Sharma was THE BEST! I had Arabian coffee for dessert and it was super strong coffee with a very distinct taste. I definitely recommend this place.

Nice place, the food was pretty good, I like how they served the appetizers (hummus, baba ganoush, pita bread, olives, and falafel) before the actual meal and the portions are good,
The one thing I was disappointed at and I was actually looking forward to was the grape leaves, when I asked the waiter as I was placing my order she said you have to call ahead for grape leaves not quite sure if she said a day before or a couple hours in advance either way it really was a downside for me, when I go out for MiddleEastern/​Mediterranean the first thing I ask for is the grape leaves.
All in all I would probably ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ chance bring someone here if it’s a small group of 3. I went there for lunch and there was only one group of men dining, the place was empty I have no idea why.

The best Arab food I’ve had in the Chicagoland area. The hummus is perfect and all the chicken dishes I have tried are delicious. The portions are very very generous.

Been there about three times and had to write a review. One of the few places that serves Mensef everyday (though not on menu). Pickled vegetables and a generous amount of pita bread come with every meal. Hummus was fresh and I ordered a beef appetizer with a tomato sauce. Just feel food is better and more auethentic than other middle eastern places. I feel this place is way better than Al Bawahi. Service is alright, gave me free bottled water when I was coughing and generally nice and pleasant. There are definitely a lot of ethnic diners and I had no issues feeling out of place. I would definitely recommend this place to anybody.

Stopped here on Christmas Eve and was very happy. with the meal.
Had Falafel sandwich and babaganouj. Loved both. Everything was flavorful and fresh.
Admittedly the service wasn’t great (didn’t get the feeling they even cared we were there), but if I still lived in the SW burbs, this would be a regular in my rotation. Recommended.

If you’ve read any of my reviews, you know that I am always on the prowl for good Arabian food, but that I am often disappointed. Well, here’s an exception to my recent experiences!
This food is very good. Not outstanding, but very good. The portions are really generous (enough so that you can eat your fill at the restaurant AND bring half your dinner home for the next night). Also, I’ve noticed a lot of places will just serve the meat and rice, but not add grilled vegetables to the entrée. Not here! You get it ALL.
The starters are even more of a pleasant surprise: Jerusalem salad, falafel, hummous, baba ghanouj and an olive plate with your dinner. Plenty of warm, fresh pita.
And the prices are very reasonable.
I had the mixed grill and my husband had a chicken entrée. The chicken was maybe a little dry, but the seasoning was delicious and not overwhelming. I look forward to trying more of their dishes.
The décor is just okay – more of a banquet-​type atmosphere, more conducive to large parties than to couples or small family groups. I kind of felt like we were on display, all by ourselves in a huge, open, well-​lit dining room. Actually, I felt like we had interrupted something, because there was a group of men huddled together in a room off the main dining room, and they kept glancing at us like, «Hurry up and leave!» The waiter was prompt and polite but a little TOO quick to get us served and out of there. It was kind of awkward, but it would have been more awkward to get up and leave before having eaten anything. This was in the evening during the week; maybe there’s a friendlier vibe going on with the lunch crowd.
I will be back, and I hope there will be more fellow diners next time. Partly because it would be less weird, and partly because I hope this place does well and stays in business. There are too few viable options in this area for Arabian food.
If you’re out that way – shopping or maybe hiking at Lake Katherine – give this a try. You’ll be glad you did.

Ended up here by accident on a Saturday with two friends. We started at the jazz bar/​restaurant next door, but their menu didn’t have any vegan options, so we walked here.
The atmosphere is very strange — it is a giant banquet hall, with banquet tables. The lighting is extermely bright.
We were the only customers in the entire place, with the exception of a table of about 10 men that were just talking.
The food was good, not great. We did get complimentary vegetables and falafel. The veggies were hot pink in color, and we couldn’t figure out why, nor understood the explaination from the server.
I would probably not go back, more due to the atmosphere — it was just very strange.