Kabob Corner

Love this place. It’s what I imagine a truck stop on the road to Kandahar would be like… and the food (the naan, the biryani, etc.) is outstanding.

2.5 stars for Kabob Corner. My fellow food whore convinced me to try out this place, telling me that «it has to be good, all the cabbies go there!»
I was a bit apprehensive, due to it’s shady appearance and the fact that we are both girls and neither one of us is a Middle Eastern cab driver. However, the people who work here are both friendly and helpful. Aside from a few «What are THEY doing here?» glances from the cabbies who hang out here, everyone left us alone.
There isn’t really a menu to speak of here. They had several dishes pre-​made, but we decided to order something fresh. The cook said he had chicken and beef kabobs, so we ordered one of each. Even the naan was fresh made – we watched him roll out the dough and put it into the oven. Our dinner consisted of 5 pieces each of beef and chicken kabob over rice, with sides of hummus, tabbouleh and naan. The chicken was tender and flavorful, but the beef was a little dry. The hummus was REALLY good – very lemony and smooth. We both loved the piping hot and fresh naan as well. The tabbouleh salad was also refreshing.
I got the impression that this place is pretty big, but we stayed in the main dining area, which is basically a cafeteria. It’s a little grimy, but don’t be squeamish! There’s a pool table and a big TV – unfortunately, NOT showing Al Jazeera the night we were there! There’s also a coin-​operated massage chair, to work out those knots from sitting in a cab all day! If you’re running short on cigarettes, batteries, or if you are in the market for cellphone accessories, you can get those here too, at a little counter at the back of the room. There is a prayer room downstairs, with people constantly going up and down. There is another room behind the cafeteria area, maybe another prayer room?
Definitely a unique dining adventure. Great to see a different side of Chicago. I would maybe go back for the hummus and the naan. The food was good, but I think you can get the same quality food with a better atmosphere elsewhere.

This isn’t Indian food– it’s Pakistani food. Not Hindu veg-​friendly, but Muslim no-​pork.
I had a mixed vegetable curry sort of thing (it was in a thin broth instead of a thick ghee-​based curry), some super-​spicy daal, and naan. They warned me about the daal being spicy, but I didn’t expect that– wow. The vegetables were ok but more stew-​like than anything. Nothing amazing here.
Like Pilsen, my friends and I were constantly asked to please move to the front room. Was it because we were women? Was it because there was actual functioning air conditioning? Was it because they thought we were uncomfortable, being surrounded by cabbies speaking Arabic? Who knows. We didn’t move.

When you think Greektown, you dont immediately think «Kabob.» But according to reports, this place has been around for ages.
This place was something I had been wanting to try, as I pass it daily on my way to work. I finally got bold (hungry) enough to go there. The huge parking lot for the place is 90% cabs, which to me is a good sign, as it tends to mean value and some type of flavor.
The door looked somewhat like a non-​traditional restaurant. Couldnt explain why. But I stepped in, and the first thing I noticed was the hollowness. PLace had very high celings, and somewhat cavernous. The cooking area was off toward the back, and the eating area was to the left and front. a stairway going down to a basement was in the middle of the room. This place is very hole-​in-​the-​wall-​ish, and is exactly the type of place I like. And no windows.
A lady with a burka was at the counter, and asked if there was a menu. She tells me «Everything you see here is delicious», which meant no menu, and no published prices. I *did* see a list describing entrees for $ 6, $ 8 and $ 12 for a full order. I suppose its somewhat of a fixed price for any items. Behind the glass warmers I sw very familiar Indian-​type curry stews with chicken, lamb, and some mystery meats. There were some Indian-​style samosas and those other potato or onion thingies too.
The food looked Pakistani or Afghan to me, which was fine. Since I was to meet a friend for dinner later, I deicded to go light. I asked about bread, she said that they had «good naan bread.» I went with that, and some rice, and a samosa. Again, very Indian, but everything was Halal. Paid $ 6 for the meal (kinda steep, shoulda gotten a protein). The rice was somewhat cold, and tasted like it had been sitting there all day. But at least the samosa was excellent, and so was the fresh, hot naan.
As I waited for my food, I turned and watched the big screen tv tuned into Al– Jazeera. Man, that channel is dpressing. So much strife in the MIddle East. I thought it was funny, however, when the news showed Momar Qaddafi of Libya, and the cab drivers eating started to laugh at him. He *did* look kinda silly, but it was just funny to see the cabbies laugh at him.
I will return to try a protein dish, and give an updated report.
Also, I noticed men constantly walking in and out of the basement, which kinda threw me off. I also saw a partially folded sign saying something about shoes. I was thinking the only reason I would see something like that is if there were a mosque or somthing there. I later found out that was the case. I just thought it was odd — a mosque inside of a restaurant.
UPDATE: Demoted to 2 stars, after my lunch date and I were whisked away involuntarily to another room, apparently because of prayers or something. The door was rudely closed behind us after we were relocated, which was just bad social etiquette. I realize that there is a Mosque in the basement, but this should not excuse the tacky treatment we received. I would give it one star if it wasnt for the delicious food. $ 21 lunch for 3 dishes.

the food is terrible, the service bad and the prices not cheap! i suppose if you are a cabbie its ok, but not for someone off the street looking for a place to eat!

The archetypical «cabbie joint,» with minimalist (and frankly somewhat grubby) atmosphere. (People muttering in any number of languages, with Al Jazeera on the big-​screen TV, an actual functioning mosque in the basement, etc.) Pakistani food predominates, though I’ve seen some Egyptian things as well. The food is a bit meat-​centric, but otherwise somewhat similar to Indian. Naan is made to order and quite well done. The chicken biryani is excellent, and make sure to order a masala chai for after your meal — it’s the only good example of the art form for a mile in any direction.
A good value for the money, though I’m disappointed that they shut down the $ 6 buffet (thank you, Chicago health department), which was the best part of the Kebab Corner experience. The atmosphere can be a little weird (not to say intimidating) for honkies coming in off the street, but I’ve always been treated extremely well by management.