Reviews for Al Basha Restaurant

06/21/2021 - MenuPix User
Al-Basha Restaurant is a family owned venue that has served traditional Middle Eastern fare to residents of Palos Heights, Illinois for over 15 years. An extensive menu of items at Al-Basha Restaurant contain made from scratch meals and hearty entrees that are sure to satisfy. Try the beef shawarma, falafel sandwich, kefta kabob, meat pastries, meat pie or hearty salad to taste.
After dinner, enjoy a traditional Arabian coffee or hot chocolate with whipped cream for a sweet dessert. Drinks are prepared to order and contain the freshest ingredients available. Al-Basha offers event specials for guests who wish to make the restaurant a premier location for their next party or corporate event.

08/24/2010 - Citizen Falco
Authentic Middle Eastern cuisine. The atmosphere is like being in a restaurant in a Middle Eastern country. Large groups of people eating together, talking animatedly, often in Arabic. The staff are a bit gruff seeming, but in a way that you can tell they are actually nice people. I would imagine that if you visit a few times that will fall away once they become familiar with you. When I ate there, around 9pm on a Thurdsday, there were about 40 or so people there and I was the only non Middle Easter person in the place. When I first walked in I thought I there was a family function going on or something. It seemed that way because the food was laid out in big platters on one side of the room and it was filled with people who all seemed to know each other. I had to ask if they were open to the public.
They welcomed me in and after noticing my confusion, explained how it worked. It was a buffet setup. I paid $15 for all of the delicious food I could stuff in me. The hummus was awesome, the salads were crisp and fresh, the lentil soup was savory and spiced wonderfully. All the warm pita bread you want. Two kinds of rice, one light yellow, the other the same rice but with spices, small pieces of some kind of tasty meat (I'm vegetarian and didn't notice the meat until I started eating) and, again, seasoned wonderfully. There were around five or six large platters of different meats in sauces which I didn't try but I'm sure were delicious.
If you want really delicious food in an authentic cultural context and can relax when you are the different one you will love this place. I've added it as a favorite in my GPS so next time I'm in the Chicago area I can get there quickly.
The best food experience I've had in Chicago, hands-down.

Citizen Falco, August, 2010