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    Tabaq Restaurant

    3.9 (186 reviews)
    InexpensivePakistani, New American
    Open 10:00 am - 1:00 AM (Next day)
    Updated 2 months ago

    Order Tabaq Restaurant Takeout or Delivery

    Tabaq Restaurant Photos

    Business Info

    TABAQ RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Classy
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Tabaq Restaurant

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    Cynthia H.

    This is definitely a no frills kind of place, but almost too much for my liking. I was a bit unsettled when I saw the staff prepare my food on a plate and then walk directly to the microwave to heat it up. I ordered the tilapia and my friend ordered the chicken curry. We both didn't finish our food. There was some flavor to the meal but not much. However, Tabaq is in a good location in Near North/Cabrini area not far from the Target.

    Chanpreet K.

    Super casual/cabbie spot open 24/7 in Lincoln park serving pretty decent desi food. This is not a place you come to for a date or a proper dinner but if you're craving Indian food after a night out/clubbing in DT or especially for a take out..come right over. Some dishes are made in a buffet style so you can order straightaway, otherwise there's a whole menu like the norm. It's easier to get it off the buffet and I believe it is freshly prepared because its quite a busy place. Chicken curry tastes just like home, mango lassi is alright, paranthas are amazing and piping hot, kulfi is great. My go to is their anda parantha (omlette attached to the bread) and Chai. I don't understand why take out dishes are like a dollar or so more expensive than to dine in..that's a little weird but not the biggest issue. The staff has always been super friendly to me, I've been here so many times that I've made friends with the Uncle behind the counter, sometimes we share our Punjab stories...My Indian Punjab & his Pakistan Punjab. Overall, neat, solid, inexpensive spot!

    mutton curry with rice and a side of dal.
    Eva S.

    We came here for a late dinner after a comedy show at Second City and it was a VERY good decision. Ample helpings, flavorful dishes, and lots of options. I love lamb in general, especially in South Asian cuisine so the mutton curry was naturally my order. The friendly mustachioed man behind the counter scooped a heaping pile of rice on my plate. With the rice almost pouring over the sides, he jokingly asked, "more?" and I seriously replied "yes absolutely." After the mile-high plateful of rice from a huge vat, the gentleman popped it in the microwave. Since Tabaq is open 24/7, I imagine they only cook one vat of rice per day and heat it up for customers as the day goes on. Instead of rice, you can also choose chapatti with your dish, but I wanted something able to soak up all of the sauce. When you approach the counter, you will see all the dishes du jour. My friends ordered the chicken kabob and the spicy frontier chicken. With my mutton curry, I requested a sample of dal which was given for free. You will also get a side salad, which from Yelp pictures can range anywhere from green lettuce and tomatoes, to lettuce/onion/jalapeños (what I had). We had a larger group, so the man behind the counter told us we can close out after we finished eating. I made sure to grab a yogurt drink from the fridge (do it) and my dining companions also grabbed a mango yogurt drink. When you step inside, it's almost like a different world. Male cabbies, college students, men discussing business or individuals taking a break for a quick meal. My friends compared this, endearingly, to a spot you'd easily find in New York. As a bonus: If you need air freshener for your car, a phone charger or perhaps a SIM card, you can also purchase these items from a glass case by their front window. I wouldn't mind eating here again, and I would most likely get take-out next time so I could heat up the food even more. Heating the curry or dal over the stove and served piping hot is my ideal, so having the food barely warm is the only reason for the 4 stars. Otherwise, my highlights here are the mutton curry and the yogurt drink.

    Has updated seating
    Riam P.

    Great restaurants for authentic Indian Pako food. Great for iftar and they have a masjid inside for prayers.

    Nandana N.

    Huge let-down. I ordered a delivery it arrived 20 mins late, so I ended up waiting more than an hour. I got mutton biryani. The portion was huge but the taste was terrible. Can easily tell that there weren't a lot of spices used, the meat tasted bland. Will never order biryani from here again

    Biryani rice with Mutton curry.Salad n Mint chutney
    Harish V.

    "Hole in the wall" are my kind as there is no need to follow dress codes or make reservations,only just showing up when u feel like eating.Simple n Quick. Went around 12.30 am and not too many people. Straight to counter but Mutton Biryani was not available hence ordered Biryani rice and mutton curry that came along with rice.Naan was so fresh and mutton curry was decent and not too spicy.Biryani rice was ok but not great.Friend ordered Gulab Jamun which was hard as it was not fresh.For me Chai is a must when visiting these kind of places.Order at counter and serve yourself.As most places,the quantity is huge.Nothing to talk much on the decor. If you crave for Indian style Food after a pub crawl,this is one nearby option to downtown but if you think you can travel a bit then definitely Devon is the place. Go check out yourself

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    4 months ago

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    5 days ago

    Great atmosphere and hospitality. They also have a masjid so you don't miss prayers if you stop there. Food is affordable and tasty.

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    5 months ago

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    7 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Food not freshly cooked, on complaint front desk staff rudely advised speak Urdu name Khalid

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    2 years ago

    Best Home Made Food in Chicago Downtown area .. Love there BBQ and Goat Palou .. Very Friendly Stuff

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    3 years ago

    The real deal! Frontier chicken is the best! We'll be ordering again and again! Delicious

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    6 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Phenomenal flavors!! Not the greatest ambiance but tried multiple dishes and everything tasted great.

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    9 years ago

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    8 years ago

    I guess my trip here was uneventful as I don't remember anything good or bad, so I'll split the difference on my ratings.

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    13 years ago

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    Ghareeb Nawaz - Chili Chicken Paratha

    Ghareeb Nawaz

    (1.2k reviews)

    $$

    West Rogers Park

    You literally cannot beat the prices for the portion size. Everything had great flavor, and even me…read more(who can't tolerate spice well) found myself going for more. I really enjoyed their roti. I didn't see it on the menu but they accommodated when I asked!

    It is difficult to find the exact words to tell you how much I love Ghareeb Nawaz…read more We live in a world where a burger and fries at a fast food joint costs somewhere around $10. Some focus on Instagram-ability instead of quality, and others dump a man versus food size portion in front of you in an effort to show "Hey! Look! vAlUe!!" while the quality is AWOL. Ghareeb Nawaz delivers across the board. The portions are massive, enough for three-ish lunches, even if you're perpetually as voracious as I am. The quality is excellent - meats are consistently tender, rice is cooked perfectly, and the spices bloom into the nose, the palate, and the heart. As for value, the $13 realistically comes out to less than $5 per, $3.25 if you aren't as gluttonous as myself. Not only that, cans of soda are $1.50, and the bank machine is also $1.50 (something I haven't seen even 10 years ago). When it comes to the service, it is imperfect, but efficient. There are no unnecessary pleasantries; it is a "hello, what do you want" sort of deal. If you didn't realize it was cash only? The order is placed, here is the receipt, the cash machine is over there. The small change I would offer is to have order numbers (which, I appreciate might be challenging with a cash-only establishment). When items leave the kitchen, the runner yelling out the order can bring up the question 'is this me?' Order numbers would be better. Service like this has to be earned, and I assure you Ghareeb Nawaz has earned it. Final verdict: For an establishment to have a rough-around-the-edges, surly nature and be successful, it has to earn it. I can think of no example more perfect than Ghareeb Nawaz. The quality is top-notch, the value is unmatched, and the nonsense is chucked out the window. Order - pay - devour with glee. What are you doing still reading, set your GPS already!

    Bundoo Khan -Chicago - Garlic Naan

    Bundoo Khan -Chicago

    (442 reviews)

    $$

    West Rogers Park

    +4/5 Food was delicious we had the mixed grilled meats and…read morechicken karhai (bone in) and spicy chicken tenders . The mixed grill was good - felt the red chili on the chicken tikka was too strong. It was also overpriced for the offering. Highway chicken karhai was delicious well balanced, very tasty. Ambiance was okay. Service was okay. Felt the price was a bit high for what we had . $120 for the aforementioned three dishes, naan plus tip/tax.

    Heard good about this place so we decided to go here. So we wanted to give it a try but we are…read moreutterly disappointed. Place is packed and it was extremely loud.... We ordered a lot of food including goat biryani, chicken Kashmiri and highway goat Karahi. To our surprise goat Karahi was really skimpy quantity and when we started eating it almost90% of the goat pieces were all bones with very little flesh remain it. Together with the skimpy quantity and all boney pieces we were very disappointed. Chicken Kashmiri was of pretty good taste. We ordered a card different naans and some were left uncooked. Goat biryani was simply terrible and very very mediocre to bad taste. We also ordered a chicken kabob and they were so undercooked that we had to call them and we asked about it. They said they would replace it but we were not interested because we were so disappointed. Overall we are very disappointed Go try other options of similar food all around Devon Ave. Bundoo Khan is way overrated and we will not be going there again.

    Tabaq Restaurant - pakistani - Updated May 2026

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