-Grubbing in ChicagoWhere the locals eat.George's kebab is one of these spots Ive passed by a million times and always said I would try it and never did...until recently. George's is also one of quite a few Middle Eastern restaurants in the neighborhood of Albany Park and according to some of the posts I read about it on the internet it is also a 24 hour joint. If its true about it being a 24/7 type spot I think its even better due to the fact you can get some good grub late nite that isn't just American hamburgers/hot dogs and breakfast. My first trip to George's I had no complaints whatsoever about a meal I enjoyed while dining in. Upon entering if you glance over to your right you'll see a shawarma spit. So far so good.
Lawrence ave. is full of ethnic eatsAs I was driving around the city with a buddy we passed Georges while looking for food and we both decided it was worth a try since we had a taste for something Middle Eastern. I had read pretty much the same stuff on George's from different reviews around the internet and none were bad so I was expecting a good meal and I would say that's exactly what it was. If you do some searches on this place one of the things you'll read is they have alot of regulars-mostly men. Along with that they point out there is a regular Russian waitress. On my visit (around 6p on a Friday) I didn't see the Russian waitress but there was a pretty younger girl working and one regular and a cabbie who I assume had been before both eating. It seemed as though George was working the food and it was pretty quiet but I guess its busy late nite. We started out with a couple of their sandwich offerings and ordered a chicken kebab on bread and a shawarma on pita. I was very pleased with both but enjoyed the shawarma much more and will for sure be back for one or two. I liked how everything on it included giardineria-nice Chicago touch. Also included are lettuce, tomato and onions and tahini sauce. I will always go with pita from now on.
Chix Kebab Sandwich on Bread
Shawarma Sandwich on PitaThe sandwiches were a nice start and I even ordered another shawarma to take home. I would say at five bucks each they are some of the better lunch options in the area. The meat was crisped well and had some nice flavor to it. Its a place that will no doubt get a spot in my rotation for both lunch and dinner. We also ordered a combo plate which comes with shawarma, beef kefta kebab and your choice of chicken or beef kebab or both for extra. Included with that are a side salad and soup. I opted to go all beef on that ass and got the three beef options along with a chickpea soup. You kind of had the feeling it was going to be legit when I saw George (?) grab the marinated kebabs out of the fridge and throw them on the grill. He cooked them to perfection and along with the rice and plenty of tahini, it made for a great dinner choice and again something I will be back for. Also according to other posts around the 'net about this spot I had read that the catfish is quite good as are the specials which Ill have to check out.
all beef combo plate (shawarma in middle, kefta kebab in back and beef kebab in front)Now I do consider Yelp! to be totally useless and
downright shady-they extort businesses to move reviews up and down and delete or leave them up but that's another story. However a girl who seemed to be legit and not a complete idiot did have this to say- "Doesn't look like much on the outside, but definitely worth venturing in. The atmosphere is a bit intimidating - at least late at night. (The reason I gave 4 stars.) As a female, Id be uncomfortable there alone, as 99% of the clientele Ive ever seen are male. (Ok, so I shouldnt be out alone late at night anyway, right?)" Well she seems to know whats up and luckily this isn't a problem for me. Check it out.
George's Grill Kebab
3216 W Lawrence Ave
Chicago, IL 60625-5209
(773) 588-1800
