I have never had mutapq before but I'd read about it in the last year and found that Sheeba Mandi House was one of the places that sold it so my friends and I went to check this place out. We also ordered a lamb dish although unfortunately I am blanking on the name. Both were super good, but the mutapq was sooooo delicious. We all loved it so much and I would come here just to get mutapq. It's easily one of my new foods that I really love. I think about this meal periodically and my friends were similarly impressed. Definitely stop by and try it, you won't regret it. read more

Sheeba Mandi House - Lamb dish - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Snowy day find turned into a hidden gem! This was my first time trying Middle Eastern food, and I can't believe I've been missing out. The food was absolutely delicious, the service was great, and the place was very clean. I ordered the lamb and rice, and it was full of flavor and perfectly cooked. Prices are fair for the quality you get, and I really have to highlight how clean and welcoming the restaurant is. Special shoutout to Hani, who helped me out and provided top-tier service. Definitely coming back! read more

I have tasted some really authentic arabic food so my liking might be a little on the authentic side. I was excited to visit this restaurant as I have been looking for haneeth anad fasah for sometime. The service was good, the gentleman at the counter was respectful and was trying his best to cater to oir needs. Food service was quick and the restaurant was clean and very family oriented. The food was not the best I have tasted. It was 6/10 at best and may be it was not a good day to visit but that my honest opinion. I will still give this place another try but for now 3 stars is what they get. read more

Sheeba Mandi House - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I love this restaurant so much. When I was a student at the neighboring university, I will go there almost every single day and call in my order and get the Lamb Chops over a bit of rice and we'll probably get extra Lamb Chops. The staff was always great. The food is top-tier amazing I've tried pretty much everything on the menu and it's really good if you wanna try something new while not spending a lot of money. Good ideas for a date night and I love the restaurant so much peace and love. read more

Ordered the chicken tikka wrap. It was delicious. Must try. Will explore the menu further.

Good was fresh and tasty, prices are not high for large portions. Service was quick . Atmosphere is good and friendly . read more

Sheeba Mandi House - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Had the food delivered so can't speak to setting or service but the food was Chicken Zurbian - delicious- huge portion of rice and chicken, similar to biryani, slightly different flavor profile. Mutapq - an incomparable sandwich. Any description will not do it justice. I do not know what sauce is on it that makes it so incredible but I will be coming back specifically for this. Had it with chicken, so flavorful. Also had hummus and oven bread which is more similar to naan than pita which was great for me. read more

Amazing food, clean, very well organized and prepared. Lamb is cooked to perfection. 10/10

A hidden spot since you would easily drive by it if you didn't know it was there. It's an exclusive place for Algerian food and it a tasty blend of Yemeni belonging to Middle Eastern flavors. If I misrepresented the food type, please reply back here and I can update this to the right information. Cons: Small staff and so it is difficult to know when they can help you or when to place an order for food. One or two seemed overworked since they have to serve everyone including the fast takeout and the dining area. It's a new business and that we in the learning stages. Pros: Comfortable and nice interior design elements to bring back from their native town. Nice and welcoming host to help you order and serve you. I am not sure what they language speak. They are a pleasure to be around. Good size portion and the food is very tasty and flavorful. Hit a few thumbs up below if you feel this helped you to get a chance to try their food out. Swipe left on the screen to see and Like the rebel views that I have posted. Let me know if you have any other questions. read more

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After reading Mike Sula's review of Sheeba Mandi House in the Chicago Reader, we put SMH on our list of "musts." Anyone who loves exceptional food would be well advised to do the same! When we walked in, owner Abu Hani was dining with his family. He nicely suggested three dishes for newcomers to Yemeni food: the mutapq (pan fried lamb folded in bread), fahsa (a concoction of meat and potatoes served bubbling hot), and zurbian, a rice dish similar to biryani. All three were crazy good! Portions are generous, service is prompt and courteous, and prices are very reasonable. Heck, we left with enough leftovers for a second meal. One tip: no alcohol is permitted. read more

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The cuisine is from the country of Yemen. So if you enjoy Middle Eastern and South Asian (Indian & Pakistani) foods, you should find Yemeni cuisine enjoyable. Popularity in Yemeni food has been growing the last decade (plus) since the emergence of competitors like, Shibam restaurant which operates in the Albany Park neighborhood or random Mom & Pops that had tried yet failed to continue business in other northwest areas of Chicagoland. Star wise, I'd say they are a solid 3.5 stars. This because customer service at the counter, wait times, delivery of food and dining-in, could be expedited if having staff with proper training. You can can give them some leeway because of the pandemic and having to ramp up their abilities since dining-in is coming back. However, given that there are few Yemeni restaurants in the area and this is one of the two best on the northwest side of Chicago, y'all gotta get that under control. If they could operate better than their competitors, that would make them stand out. Funny thing though, front of house staff at their competitor (Shibam) is low brow. When my food is done or I am finished eating, I like to pack and run promptly. Because their counter staff is inefficient, this process can drag. As well as, tables getting cleared for new incoming diners. My go-to orders include Mutapq with lamb and a spicy order of lamb Zurbian. Most Yemeni restaurants serve their Zurbian with a medium spice level but you can request more or less. The Mutapq is like a quesadilla. It's a bread that is like paratha, pan fried and stuffed with the protein of choice with diced tomatoes, peppers and cilantro. The ingredients are stewed together and then added as a filling. Very tasty. I like their version quite a bit. And the Zurbian is a rice plate which is akin to Indian biriyani. The rice will be flavorful because it is pressure cooked with marinated proteins, long grain basmati rice, scallions, parsley and onions. A side of hummus or cucumber and yogurt salad will pair as a nice garnish to reduce spice/heat. Last but not least, one can never go wrong with an order from the grill. It will round out a nice meal for you and friends. read more

I can't explain how delicious and aromatic the rice was... This was a spectacular meal. I just came in to find something that was healthy because I'm on a diet but the truth is I ate three times more rice than I should've but it was absolutely delicious. I HAD to get another meal to go for my wife. read more

Sheeba Mandi House - Chicken Mandi Dish - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Friendly service and ......EXCELLENT food! Loved the flatbread pizza and Adeni Tea. Will be a regular!

You can't beat the authentic Yemeni food also amazing Customer service. Looking for food with a lot of taste, and want to experience nice service look no further. read more

Very tasty, varied menu, friendly service, won't break the bank. A few more beverage options would have been nice. Also a little free spraying around strongly scented cleaning products on adjacent tables while we were eating. read more

My bud and I were looking to try a new restaurant on Sunday, so we targeted a relatively new place that served Yemeni food. When we ate our Sunday lunch at Sheeba Mandi House, we happened to be the only customers throughout our stay until we were leaving when some other customers finally came in. The interior is quaint and pleasant with scenic photos on the walls, plus a "wishing well" near the register. We heard about the "Mutapq" appetizer but could not pronounce it, though my bud seemingly did a better job of saying it than I did. Fortunately the menu has pictures so you can easily point to the food items. Definitely order the Mutapq - it is sort of like a quesadilla and is absolutely delicious. We went with the beef filling, and other options are lamb or chicken. For lunch I ordered the lamb mandi. I imagine you can do well with about any of their dishes, as many of these Yemeni options seem similar to this untrained eye. Lamb mandi is a traditional rice dish, and it is a flavor bomb of tender lamb pieces mixed in with the rice, and sided with onion and a wedge of lemon. The lamb is fatty and is bone-in so you need to pay attention while eating, but the lamb mandi is scrumptious and yes I am looking forward to eating the leftover portion. Any dish with the lamb option will be several dollars pricier than other proteins, such as my bud's Chicken zurbian. He said his dish was spicy, so he did not need the side of salsa-like sauce at all. Sheeba Mandi House features weekday lunch specials, and free parking in the strip mall. This is terrific no-frills dining, with fairly quick service. If you have not tried Yemeni food, run to this place (with the easy to remember address of 3456 West Foster) and prepare for your taste buds to be wowed. read more

Bad service. They cater only Middle Eastern customers as the waiters and all the staff working are speaking in arabic. And the waiters don't know English so they don't understand your needs. Don't go here. Food is okay. But service kills the deal. I am not going to visit again and will tell all my friends to avoid this place because you don't want to be humiliated because you are not from Middle East. read more

I was totally confused as to what to get because the closest thing to Yemeni food id had was greek/generic "Mediterranean" food so I knew about hummus and kebabs and baklava but that's the extent of my knowledge. Worker who took my order was super friendly and answered all my questions. I got chicken mandi and it FELL OFF THE BONE. I've never had chicken so tender before in my entire life. Incredible. read more

Sheeba Mandi House - Chicken Mandi - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Abu Hani is back ! I can eat outside again. Sheer delight at Sheeba the other night when I ordered mutapq and Adeni Tea to go, and none other than Chicago's own, Original Yemeni Chef, Abu Hani, walked out from behind the swinging doors with a huge platter of spiced right rice and steaming hot lamb. I haven't tasted authentic Megalgal and Masoob in many, many moons. Sheeba is crowded, it's chaotic, it's crazy; but in that charismatic old school, family-style, sit down, homesick remedy soup, saltah and sahawegg type of way. ! NEIU student discount! Have the Haneeth! read more

Sheeba Mandi House - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great food the lamb was sooo tender!! Everyone there is soo nice. I'll be back for sure

Wonderfully fresh and delicious food. The Mutabq will be our new go-to on the frequent drives we make down Foster. The staff was incredibly friendly. We also ordered the chicken mandi and the fahsa. The servings were enough for two to share. read more

We must have walked by on previous visits to the neighboring Ban Po Jung thinking it was still the Wok N Chop, but as we drove to the address, we realized that it had changed to the SMH under our noses for months now. Roomy dining area with large south facing windows made the space bright and though relatively busy (no line), their small staff were able to greet us, get us seated, and take orders for multiple tables. Food was prepared quickly and our mutapq ($7) came quickly to the table with its wrap crisp - splurge for the lamb upgrade here for just $1. This is such a great appetizer, you should get it on each visit and easily share. Next we got the megalgal ($7) since breakfast is available all day. Got the chicken version and think it wasn't quite our thing as it's a drier preparation as it is fried. Will give their breakfast entree of liver/hearts/kidney a try on our next visit. We skipped the mandi since we thought the rice dish wouldn't be as unusual, but we'll have to have it for our next visit. Instead we jumped to saltah stew ($10) with chicken which was fantastic. The megalgal and saltah brought a total of two large pieces of fresh baked flat bread which was crisp on the outside with increasing moistness towards the middle. read more

Drove over to try it tonight (Wednesday) at 6:30 pm. Lights on yet doors were locked? Hours posted: 12-2? No note posted explaining why???

DELICIOUS! My two friends and I ordered a chicken Mandi, chicken and root vegetable stew and a lamb stew. Started with hummus and flatbread, which was so flaky, hot and soft. Everything was excellently seasoned, we all enjoyed everything. And the portions are very generous - I was able to have my leftovers for lunch the next day and it was even tastier. read more

My first time trying this type of middle eastern food. Is it Yemeni? Still unsure honestly, but the service was great because the lady helped me choose knowing that it was my first time. I got the lamb mandi and chicken zurbian. The lamb was very tender, the meat slid off the bones. Chicken zurbian was good too because of the veggies that it came with but I personally thought the lamb was better just because of how tender, fatty, and soft the meat was... yumm. The lamb dish would have been perfect if it came with veggies like the chicken zurbian did. Both came with a side of sauce that seems like it was made with tomato and small pieces of jalapeño. It added a fresh kick to the meat and rice. Next time i order, I would definitely ask for more of this sauce. read more

Sheeba Mandi House - Chicken Zurbian Special - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Great food! The lamb Mutapq was wonderful and the Baba Ghanouj was Smokey, creamy and just delicious.

If you are looking for a great place to try, this is it!!! The chicken dishes we had were perfectly cooked....the chicken was so tender it was falling off the bone so juicy and delicious. The Mandi is a great first time dish!! Kabsah is great for those that like a bit more spice! The restaurant was clean and the staff was great. Shout out to Aya, who was welcoming, friendly, and professional! Thanks to the whole team! read more

Lamb Haneeth and Whole Greek fish is mouth watering. Whole Greek fish is not available all the time but if they are, better get it. Professional staff. Good and correctly priced food. Being going back every month read more

Large portions of really tasty food which never disappoints! Lamb dishes are amazing. read more

Excellent ! Amazing food ! Hot and delicious. The perfect amount of spice in every dish.

I used to love food from this restaurant but today I bought two different dishes and I am disappointed. I ordered and picked it up in person. They gave me food that was not fresh. entered the discussion. Always check the food on the spot before you get home. read more

Picked up food here once. Got both the lamb and the chicken Mandi.. both were awesome.. they were not cheap when it comes to the meat and that lamb meat was just falling off the bones. The star of the show was the rice. It was perfectly made and tasted amazing. Looking forward to visiting them again. Highly recommended. read more

I ordered Lamb Mandi for Pick up, they put lots of Bones & very very few meat inside pick up food. It is not the first time this happens to me! When I asked the employees about it, they said they have noticed that several times and are not allowed to talk about it. They were told not to interfere with this policy!!! If you sit & eat inside the restaurant, they tend to have a policy to offer you more meat and less bones, so customers would not complain inside the restaurant. Where as if you order the same food for Pick up, they give you more bones & very very few meat!!! Very cheap policy. read more

Talk about Hidden Gem! You walk in and you have a young girl great you with a smile. She very patient and vey helpful. So I order the chicken zubarbian for dine in. After 15min the food came out. The plate was filled to the top. I quick grabbed my spoon and took a bite. My mouth was bursting with flavors. The rice is long and colorful. Each one has different flavor. The chicken was cooked to perfection. Amazing! The way it smelled would make you hungry for more! After the meal one of the waiters insisted I try their chai. Amazing! After that I wanted to meet the chef(they call him abu hannie). This guy is the most humble guy who loves to cook. Beautiful background story.Very friendly guy who loves to talk to his customers. read more

Sheeba Mandi House - Chicken Zubarbian - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Sheeeba has the best Mandi In Michigan their meat is so tender and juicy their rice is amazing. Their service is great and it's a great atmosphere. read more

I would highly recommend this restaurant for unique Yemeni food. This place is very professional when it comes to catering food.

The food was pretty good. However the meal that I ordered came with raw chicken. The rice mix however was very seasoned and quite nice. Would possibly order again but would maybe order something else read more

I told my friends about this restaurant with my warmest recommendations. I go to this restaurant often. I get very good feedback from my friends. The the cooking is great and the crew is attentive and cooperative. Every time we visit this place we enjoy a lovely time. I warmly recommend this restaurant read more

What a fantastic restaurant this is! There was eleven Yelp reviews, all very positive. After passing this place to and from work for months and seeing what seems to be a very brisk carryout business, I finally decided to stop and give it a try. So glad I did Inside of the restaurant it was remarkably clean well-lit and most importantly was greeted by a friendly young lady at the cashier counter to take my order.  I opted for the Chicken Mandi, which consist of a large 1/2 of chicken very well seasoned and roasted to a beautiful golden brown color Its was laid of top of a bed of great flavored biryoni rice, similar to Indian and or Pakistani style. The chicken was tender and the flavors just bursted in my mouth. The rice was also addicting with so much added flavor from what seemed very complex mix of spices and herbs. Can't wait to try other menu items on what will now be a regular stop. read more

Highly highly disappointed. The chef has changed. The food used to be spectacular. Lamb was always cooked to perfection but not anymore. The rice was not at all like typical haneeth rice that they used to have here taste has changed. Legit heartbroken that another mandi place (shibam was the OG place to be until they lost their chef Abu Hanai) lost its touch. Also the prices have gone up which I wouldn't mind paying if the food was as good as it used to be. Time to find a new Yemeni place. read more