Broosters & Babba Grill — Restaurant in Darien

I have been eating here off and on for 30 years! So when I was in town again later this year. I decided to stop in again and immediately saw a big sign stating new ownership. Wasn't a good feeling but I didn't worry too much until I walked inside. They blocked off the entire grill area where you could see and smell the chicken being prepared. That was dissapointing as it was a part of the appeal. The same cook that had been there forever wasn't there anymore either. The unfortunate changes sadly didn't end there. The menu has a lot of new items which is fine, but they removed some of the famous sides. But worst of all, the actual chicken isn't even the same! That was why I always came back and spoke so highly of the place. How can this business even call themselves Brooster's any longer when the preparation and chicken taste has been compromised. I could tell from the taste myself and they even confirmed both here in the review responses but also from the business owner when asked about the change. This is NOT the Broosters the local residents have been enjoying for decades. The final straw for me was the asinine decision to charge a 10% fee to sit in the dining room. This is a fast casual restaurant, there are no servers or reason to charge your guests a fee to simply eat inside the restaurant. When I asked about it the cashier just said it was the new management's decision. The owners were right next to us ignoring the chance to at least stand behind their greedy policy. This is on top of a price increase across the board for their food. When I browsed the recent reviews I noticed that several other people who have been enjoying the food for many years are just as saddened and disappointed as I am. Sure, things in life change, but unfortunately none of the changes are for the better. Just take a moment to read the defensive, rude and arrogant responses from the Owner who responds to the review criticisms. That says all you need to know about whether this place is worth your money. I will never come back here again. I'm not even mad about it, just saddened because the Broosters I once loved is no more. There is another location that hasn't changed the classic chicken recipe in Lombard, I will try them out next time. Change your name to Baba Grille and drop the Brooster's branding because you have ruined a...

12/14/24 update: It’s been a long time since we came here. We came after 7 pm on a Saturday. Parking is easier to find for those that said parking is a pain. They actually redid the menu from last time. I’ve never tried the Broosters chicken because the Macedonian food is that good. This time we ordered Macedonian fresh pork/beef sausage dinner (I chose rice & broccoli and Yukon Gold mashed potatoes for the sides) and Babba speciality pizza. The pizza I already reviewed last time but it’s one of my favorite pizzas of all time. You just have to try it. The Macedonian fresh pork/beef sausage was very tender and savory. You can see/taste the spring onions and sun dried peppers in each bite. The mashed potatoes were creamy and had just the right amount of salt. The rice and broccoli was delicious, I love the way they cooked it. The bread that came with the meal was warm and soft.

This place is still 5 stars in my book. Just a FYI, look at your receipt if you dine in. They do charge automatic gratuity.

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My gps on the IPhone made the mistake of taking me to the old address of Babba Grill and I was going to search for something else. I decided to check their fb page to see if they had any updates. They merged with Broosters and are located at 1010 Plainfield Road. The parking lot is the only bad thing, it’s small and cramped. They need to redo the parking lot design so it has more space. We were immediately greeted when we walked in the door. The staff is very friendly. Very authentic Macedonian food. Prices are fair. I had a feeling that we would have huge portions after eating at another Balkan restaurant in Brookfield, you can never go hungry. We ordered the Babba speciality pizza and sharska burger with mashed potatoes. The Babba speciality pizza comes with diced fresh pork, smoked pork, bacon, and eggs. 5/5. Crust was thin and a little chewy. Meats were perfectly made. The sharska burger has the burger stuffed with provolone cheese. Burger was also moist and melted in your mouth. Bun was freshly made not store bought. 5/5. I highly recommend these two items if you’ve never been here before or if you were...

‼️ BEWARE OF DECEITFUL PRACTICE‼️

PER THEIR ONLINE MENU WHICH SHOWS #4 AS COMING WITH 16 PIECES "&" 2 WHOLE CHICKENS 3 LARGE SIDES 8 PIECES OF TOAST.

On September 21 2025, I placed an order for the #4 family pack. Before placing my order- I asked the lady whom answered their phone," so the order comes with 16 pieces of chicken; on top of 2 additional whole chickens, as well as the 3 sides and 8 pieces of toast," she acknowledged that as being correct. I asked her if the price reflecting on their website was accurate, and at first it sounded like she said it would be $65.99, but after I repeated that total; she corrected me and stated was $55.99 which would actually be cheaper than their reflected cost on their website. I thought ok, this is an amazing deal, especially considering the additional 16 pieces (8 pieces per 2 additional whole chickens) bringing the total amount of pieces of chicken to 32 pieces for the order.

Upon my husband getting the order home, we counted only 20 pieces of chicken.. thought that was odd, I called them promptly (I live in bolingbrook & their location is in Darien) told her and she was extremely apologetic, saying they will get the chicken ready and it would be done in 10 minutes.

My husband drives back to the location to be met by the same woman I spoke to on the phone telling him he had to pay for the pieces and that we were wrong. HERE IN AMERICA THE INCLUSION OF THE "&" SYMBOL MEANS EVERYTHING. Own up to your mistake, correct your typo &... you make good on the mistake you made when the customer points out the issue of the typo.

Who in their right mind would pay $68.82 AFTER TAX. For 16 pieces of chicken, some roasted baby potatoes, a mashed potato with gravy and 8 small pieces of chewy inedible garlic toast. (we did add a slice of baklava, WHICH IS FROZEN ALSO!) while the flavor of the food is was good, their DECEITFUL practice is leaving a bad taste in our...