Ghareeb Nawaz Restaurant — Restaurant in Rogers Park Township

One-line Review: Budget-Friendly Bites with a Busy Charm!

Taste: 3/5
Quantity: 4/5
Quality: 4/5
Value for Money: 4.5/5
Service: 5/5
Hygiene: 4.5/5
Environment: 4/5
Overall: 4/5

➡️ First Impression: I visited Ghareeb Nawaz Restaurant at 2032 W Devon Ave, Chicago, IL 60659, craving some Indian food, and was pleasantly surprised by its affordable vibe despite the hustle.

➡️ What I Ordered: I ordered chicken biryani, masala biryani rice, and karahi ghost, which came to $21—a steal, especially since it’s cash-only with no card option.

➡️ Taste & Quality: The chicken biryani was above average—tasty but not quite what I’d hoped for, with decent seasoning and tender meat. The masala biryani rice felt similar to the chicken biryani rice, lacking a distinct flavor difference, which was a bit disappointing. The karahi ghost, though, was a winner—rich, spicy, and full of flavor, making it a highlight. The quality was solid for the price, with fresh ingredients shining through.

➡️ Portion vs Price: At $21, the portions were generous, leaving me satisfied, and the cheapest price I’ve seen in the USA made it an incredible value for the amount and taste.

➡️ Service & Environment: It’s self-service, so I picked up my order, but the staff were really good—friendly and quick despite the crowded place. The seating area was good, and the restaurant was hygienic, with clean restrooms adding to the comfort. The crowd made it lively, but it didn’t detract from the experience.

➡️ Final Thoughts: Ghareeb Nawaz in Chicago is a budget-friendly gem with tasty karahi ghost and decent biryanis, especially at $21. The self-service setup and cash-only policy are quirks, but the great staff and clean environment make it worth a...

One of the coziest and nicest place in Chicago. Friendly , pleasant and warm atmosphere with excellent food and very good price.

I love to come here with my family and friends: I introduced this place to many people. All of them became a loyal clients of GN. The staff is multitasking and the lady 🌷in cashier is a super woman: she never loose her temper even when there is a lot of people in front of her waiting to order their food ; also she is a very skilled multitasking person: taking orders by phone meanwhile taking orders from you.

We had three dishes: #1 Chicken Biriyani with bone. If you like spicy you can ask them to add more spicy depending on your taste. It’s always oily and smell delicious. Sometimes it comes with more chicken, sometimes it comes with less chicken. On the side you always have delicious sweet, raw onion and yogurt (raita). Chapati or paratha is of your choice. (There is also boneless Chicken Biriyani #2)

#17 Chili Chicken Paratha It’s small amount of chicken so if you very hungry you should order something more :). It’s spicy enough to enjoy a great flavor of it.

#81 Palak Daal Delicious lentils full of flavor and spinach

I always ask for çay (Tea)! They are open till 2am.

I’m very grateful that we have this kind of place in Chicago.

My only wish and desire is : the place could/ should be much more cleaner. Specially the washroom and it’s area...

When I came here there were a lot of things I took into consideration when I did my review. 1. The price. We paid $27 for our food and honestly that's amazing because we got a lot of food. 2. Menu. This place has a ton of options for veg and non veg. They even have beef. 3. Cleanliness. This place was pretty clean and had plenty of seating. 4. Food. This is the most important. Sadly I has a bit disappointed in the food. I got chilli chicken biryani, I expected a kick and instead got a tap. Biryani is usually sold with raita but this just had plain yogurt. Maybe that's why it's so cheap? Samosas didn't have any chutneys at all, only yogurt. Samosas on their own were good though. Butter chicken honestly just tasted like tomato soup with butter and heavy cream. Idk something was missing. Even the mango lassi didn't taste of mango it was yellow sweet milk. I know this food is supposed to be cheap so everyone can afford it but I've had homemade biryani and butter chicken that had more flavor. Also make sure you bring cash because this place is cash only. There are no signs outside saying cash only so we didn't know until after we place our order. They do have an ATM and the cashier allowed up to zelle him. Overall considering the options, price, service and food I feel like 3 is a fair review because I'm a tough...