OK. I have a love hate affair with the place. The food this place serves is something to die for. Especially the grilled stuff. Its as close to authentic Southeast Asian food as it well get. The Frontier Rice Chicken, Seekh Kabab, Behari Kebab are just fantastic. Really I have lived in Chicago for 10 yrs and seen nothing close it, especially for the price. The food is a bit spicy, and really hot for the Western palate. so if you think Taco Bell is spicy, you may wanna avoid this place.
Now for the not so good news: like a previous reviewer said if you are looking for attentive waiters, fancy decor, clean surroundings, overall good service and believe Check! Please is the standard guide by which to chose restaurants, then I say forget this place. There is a reason why the food is affordable (although it has gotten much expensive over the years, this place used to far cheaper in 2002/3).....Mr. Khan doesn't keep the place very clean (Have you seen the back kitchen? Thanks Chicago food inspectors), no ventilation (his first restaurant burned down) , and probably pays minimum wage to the service personnel. the waiters look like relatives of his, so he probably skimps on paying them decent wage. So the waiters don't care about greeting or hospitality or anything like that. In their defense though they may come off as rude, they really dont mean it because they are underpaid and busy as hell and the Southeast Asians customers dont expect them to be all smiley and cheerful. The customers want cheap food. Like another reviewer said, be careful of the plates, I dont think he cleans them very well and probably doesn't put them in a dishwasher, the curries he makes are probably not made in the most hygiene of conditions (dirty hands that have touched body crevices, grubby crock pots etc). and God knows if he uses the toilet bowl water to keep his parched customers happy. Once I order some grilled stuff and the cashier pulls the meat the from oven, digs his nose and then with the same hand massaged my meats into a tin foil and gave it to me. Since most of the clientele are lower to middle class South East Asians and are used to similar restaurant conditions in their home countries they dont expect much from Mr. Khan. They know they want cheap priced food, so cheap food is what they get. Mr. Khan knows his clientele, so he caters in a way that make business sense. I wonder how this place passes food inspection every year and how the place passed fire dept inspection without having proper ventilation is beyond me. Which is why it burned down the first time.
Also Mr.Khan used to very friendly when his place first opened, but now he doesnt give a shit about his customers. All that money has gotten to him.
My advice is try the place. only ask for freshly grilled kababs straight from the oven (ensure the cashier doesn't spice it up with his goobers). Avoid the curries. Otherwise like most customers, you will probably end up with giardia. read more