Chef Abdul Mediterranean — Restaurant in St. Charles

I hate to be that guy, but... Im gonna be that guy. I REALLY wanted to love this place, but after being here 5 times and trying multiple menu items, I have to be honest here. Almost everyone has given this place 5 stars because of the owners personal story (which is a noble and courageous one), but at the end of the day, the food is what I care about, and thats my beef with this place. Allow me to explain...

There are 2 major problems I have with the food. Number one, the "kabobs" here, are not real kabobs. Real kabobs are real whole chunks of unprocessed meat. This place, their "kabobs" are preformed processed pieces of meat that have been formed into a certain shape to look like a kabob. This is a very obvious ploy to cut costs and also to cut the real meat with a lot of fat and oil, which trust me, you will taste in these "kabobs." Meat is always the most expensive thing for a restaurant, and this owner very obviously is trying to cut those costs, while at the same time, charging premium prices. Thats just an insult to me as a consumer and really grinds my gears. I can go literally down the street to just kabobs and get actual real kabobs, and for a cheaper price. Most idiot Americans with the most basic and unrefined taste pallets probably wont notice, but smart food connoisseurs, such as myself, can see it clear as day. And I have zero shame calling someone out on it.

The second problem I have with the food is it is VERY, and I mean, VERY, oily and fatty. This is similar to the first problem. Its basically a cheap ploy to make your food seem more filling then it actually is. You can make smaller portions and save money (which they do), and cut it with a bunch of oil and fat to make it seem like its more filing. But then, youre hungry again and hour or two after eating. This is very commom in both Arab and Indian food. And again, its an insult to my intelligence as a consumer. It would be one thing if the owner did this and the prices were cheaper, but no, he does this, and charges premium prices for his food. That may fly with all the yuppie suburban soccer moms that just see the personal story and want to help out and buy your food, but again, it doesnt fly with me, and again, I have no shame calling someone out on it.

I will say one big positive about this food, it is very well seasoned and very well cooked with excellent texture. The rice and baklava are delicious here. Very different from most food in the area.

In conclusion, again, I REALLY wanted to love this place. Owner and his family have a great story. But at the end of the day, food sells food, not your personal story. And until the owner changes his practice of cutting his meat and food with cheap fats, I will not recommend nor give my money to...

Update: as promised, we came back for breakfast the next day. We ordered some more of our favorite appetizers, the Arabic coffee, Turkish Coffee, the beef Burger, and my wife got the makhlama. No surprise, everything was great and delicious. Be warned, their regular burger is huge and tastes nothing like an American burger. It was seriously good. We agreed that if we road trip up to Green Bay, we'll be stopping in St Charles overnight and coming here to eat.

Original review follows:

My wife and I are in town for a wedding and saw this place has amazing reviews, and for very good reason. We weren't extremely hungry, more snacky and tired from our travel day. I state this because typically, if you're really hungry, everything is going to taste so much better.

We split the combo appetizer because it had a lot of things we wanted to try. Great deal. I'm not normally a fan of falafel, but their veggie falafel was so very tasty. The blend of herbs and veggies all contained in a crunchy shell. A little dab of their hot sauce changes the flavor for a new experience. Both with and without the hot sauce, these things have a great herby flavor to them. The dolma were generously filled and had a great initial sour punch to them. Filling was perfectly seasoned and prepared. Really, everything in this appetiser combo was very tasty.

Next, we decided to split Chef Abdul's combo plate. This basically gave us a second round of falafel, which we graciously accepted and enjoyed. The beef kabob has this deep charcoal flavor to it, in a good way, as if cooked over an open fire. Tender juicy and delicious. Chicken kabob was similar. The only thing we couldn't finish was the second portion of rice.

All in all, highly recommend and very much enjoyed. We'll probably come back tomorrow morning to try their breakfast. We only have a few days in town but this place is worth coming to...

This family-owned and operated restaurant was an absolute gem of a find. The dishes are delectable creations inspired by various Mediterranean cuisines; they are absolutely fresh and delicious. The baba ganoush is slightly chunky, giving it a great texture, and the smokiness was perfectly balanced with the eggplant and lemon. The vegetable falafel is perfectly crispy on the outside with a moist interior; the two sauces with this, a creamy tahini base and a textured hot sauce, are tasty. The fries...perfectly cooked with a crunchy exterior and tender interior. They are so good! The spinach soup was incredible; simple and incredible. The tabouleh is light and good. This version has less bulgur and olive oil and isn't mushy like many other iterations. In addition to the wonderful food, try the cardamom coffee and cardamom tea. If cardamom isn't your jam, try the Turkish coffee. Yum! They have a steady stream of take-away business, and the interior is interesting with photos, cool artwork, family history, and positive energy. The family is incredible - friendly, happy, welcoming... They make one feel as though they've known you forever, that you've been life-long friends. Chef Abdul was kind of enough to tell me about a warm sipping drink (non alcohol) to address my (nagging) cough, which cough suppressants and inhalers haven't controlled well. Chef Abdul went beyond that; he made a cup for my partner and myself. It absolutely worked! No kidding. Weeks with a cough, but after a few sips of his concoction, I didn't even have an urge tocough; my throat and all were soothed. Fantastic! Thank you, DR. CHEF ABDUL! His daughter, Hanadi, was incredibly personable and helpful with the menu and translating. I found this dining experience uplifting with great food, great drinks, and amazing people; one which I look forward to repeating. I highly recommend...