Al Halal Zaiqa Restaurant — Restaurant in Chicago

We enjoyed dinner at Al-Halal Zaiqa restaurant, a place known for its traditional flavors. The ambiance was welcoming, setting the stage for a pleasant dining experience. The menu offered a variety of dishes, and we decided to order chicken biryani, mutton karahi, grilled qeema, and Behari kebab.

The chicken biryani was flavorful, with perfectly cooked rice and tender chicken pieces infused with aromatic spices. It was a satisfying dish, meeting our expectations for this popular delicacy. The mutton karahi was equally impressive, featuring succulent pieces of mutton in a rich, spicy gravy that was both hearty and delicious.

However, the highlight of our meal was the grilled qeema. It was exceptionally well-prepared, with a perfect blend of spices that made it stand out. We found it to be the best dish of the evening and would highly recommend it to anyone visiting the restaurant.

On the other hand, the Behari kebab was not great. It did not resemble the traditional Behari kebab we were expecting. Instead, it looked and tasted more like grilled boti, lacking the distinctive flavors and texture of a true Behari kebab.

To conclude our meal, we had milk tea, which was veryvery tasty and authentic, providing a perfect ending to our dining experience.

While the food overall was enjoyable, the bill seemed higher than expected for the dishes we ordered. It felt like there might have been a mistake or that we were overcharged as we were not given a printed copy of the bill.

There is paid street parking around the restaurant, but no free parking until 10:00 pm.

In summary, Al-Halal Zaiqa offers some excellent dishes, particularly the...

Excellent portion for price especially the Vegetarian dishes. A dive. A new family business that has a lot of cultural habits. Traditional, home-style cooking. Shabby table service that Counter Service with no tips would be better.

Cultural Habits: (1) Water - he will give you bottled water and charge you $1.50. Water in Chicago is automatic tap as it's one of the best (as fine dining servers call it). Restaurants are also required by health regulations to have filter installed. So, ask for TAP WATER...they have filtered water dispenser in the back.

(2) Food temperature was next to room and slightly cold.

(3) Preference for plastic or foam plate, container instead of washable stuff. Got dishwasher?

(4) GULAB JAMON is pre-packaged as a To-Go item with plastic spoon.

(5) Limited table tissue.

(6) Pack your own Brown Bag (in their case, aluminum container).

(7) Bring your own toilet paper and/or paper towels. 🫢

Traditional, Home-style cooking: (1) Boiled BASMATI RICE as traditionally made, not steamed.

(2) Oil separation from dish is a sign of proper cooking. As much as I love my ghee and butter....it doesn't have to float t.h.a.t much that it severely interferes with my gravy-n-rice moment. Please take 90% of the floating oil out.

I'm truly ecstatic about the BREAKFAST OPTION. Note, you don't have a choice on the 3 sides...hence the fab price.

ALOO NAAN is a generously sized pie (not, naan) that I will gladly have for breakfast. Pie is bigger than pre-cut aluminum cover. 😮

Now that your standard set of expectations are ruined....enjoy The Food along with harmless...

Souped up Cabbie Indo-Pak joint with much nicer ambience. It's similar menu to other joints nearby. Smaller Veggie options, but enough for me to get here regularly. Palak Paneer, Chili Paneer, Cholay and Bhindi Masala are all good. Pakoras are freshly made. Nice addition is they have some good pre packaged desserts in the fridge. Also, they have chapati in addition to parathas and naans. A very expansive meat menu offering beef, chicken and mutton dishes, as both curries and grill items, but no opinion on that as I is vegetarian!

ETA: I don't understand why Google doesn't allow me to filter out reviews from people who aren't up to at least Local Guide level. A lot of these reviews look like drive by nonsense, with people having less than 10 reviews overall. Now these may be legit, but I'd rather look at people with a bit of history....