In the Neighborhood
Chopal Kabab and Steak2242 W. Devon | 773-338-4080
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The exceedingly friendly Ali Khawaja appears to have sunk a lot of naan into his restaurant on the sleepy eastern end of Devon Avenue’s Indo-Pak strip. The room is crammed with elaborately carved and painted tables and high-backed chairs, and the walls are bedecked with Pakistani handicrafts Khawaja traveled the homeland to procure. Khawaja, who owns another restaurant in Los Angeles, grills zabiha halal meats, and he’s not afraid to see what sort of guts you’re made of. Intestinal armor comes in a bowl of raita and (in an odd nod to an altogether different cuisine) a velvety egg-drop soup, meant to be spiked with abundant bottles of soy and Louisiana hot sauces. The standards—lamb, goat, beef, chicken, and seafood—are aggressively seasoned and marinated, grilled or stewed, then served beside a pile of rice to stanch the flames; critters found less frequently on Devon include yogurt-marinated quail and veal steaks. There are only a few concessions to plant eaters—dal, okra, mixed vegetables, and a buttery and luscious pureed rapini. Khawaja named the place Chopal, which means “gathering place,” and it’s hard to discount his enthusiasm for the venture’s party potential when he sits you down on the large woven bench in the front window and fires up the hookah. —Mike Sula
Named for a benefactor of the poor, Ghareeb Nawaz has a reputation as an oasis for cheap and freshly made home-style Indo-Pakistani food. One of the few spots on Devon open for breakfast, it offers inexpensive paratha (griddled wheat flatbread) filled with egg or aloo (seasoned potato) and halwa puri, the traditional Pakistani breakfast, three crisp, puffy fried breads served with lightly sweetened sooji halwa (a semolina pudding) and aloo chole (curried potato and chickpeas); for $3, it beats the hell out of McStyrofoam. Biryanis here are among the best in town, and the thali is an amazing deal: $4 gets you a veggie combo with a choice of bread (chapati, paratha, or naan), a generous portion of rice, an achar (pickle) of some kind, and servings of four or five dishes such as chana masala, dal, aloo palak, and bhindi masala; meat thali are just a dollar more. Veggie kebabs are deliciously dense disks of potato, chickpeas, egg, and spices, though the beef shish kebab suffers from too much filler. Samosas, meat- or potato-filled triangles of pure snacking pleasure, are, at 50 cents each, an addiction I’m prepared to indulge. You order at the counter here, and the restaurant’s two brightly lit rooms are spartan, but there’s cricket on the TV in season and a prayer room for the devout. —Gary Wiviott
$Indian/Pakistani | Lunch, dinner: seven days | Open late: friday till 2, other nights till 11 | Vegetarian friendly
Sabri Nehari2502 W. Devon | 773-465-0899
Raters find Tiffin cleaner and more refined than many of its neighbors on Devon. Service is a little more attentive, and the dining room is spacious and attractive, with wood-paneled walls and windows onto the kitchen. Tandoori menu selections such as chicken and lamb are tops. The $9.95 lunch buffet ($10.95 on weekends) maintains high quality with frequent hot refills. Says one Rater, “Consistently terrific food, excellent service, and even a nice wine list round out a great dining experience.” —Laura Levy Shatkin
