I came here with a group of about 12 ppl right when it opened on Sunday.. We had to wait about 30 minutes from when they opened before ordering our food..:( ..but it's ok because it didn't take too long for the food to come out from the time that we ordered it... We ordered family style which works perfectly at this restaurant because their portions are huge--well the main course entreees are at least!! Butter Chicken Boneless ($4.99) -very buttery but tastes good and a little spicy (if you can't handle spice..maybe ask them to make it not spicy?)--portion isn't as huge as the Chicken Biryani and it doesn't come with rice/bread so I would definitely recommend you order rice/bread with it (only costs $0.50 extra. This is a little more saucy so it's perfect for dipping your bread/mixing with rice. Chicken Biryani ($3.99) - portion was huge for sure--can be shared amongst 2-3 people, tastes decent. Daal Lentil ($1.99) -portion is like a cup of soup -it's not spicy so it tastes good if your mouth is on fire Bread ($0.50 per piece)--pieces are big, but if you didn't order any rice with your food--you might want to order like 2-4 pieces to go along with your food..useful for dipping into sauce and etc. My mouth and tummy were on fire by the time I left this restaurant.. I know that we order a lot more dishes, but these are what I can remember for now.. Costs: ranges from $2.99-$4.99 --expect to spent from $6-$7 if you plan on getting 1-2 entrees/sides/etc. It is still affordable and you will definitely be FULL. Atmosphere: This place is small so it's definitely not recommended for groups to dine in unless you don't mind standing and eating or you might get lucky & be able to hog all the tables. It would be perfect to eat outside when it's warmer out! I would recommend taking the food to go or just coming with a friend. Good to know- FREE (yes free!) Street Parking on Sundays!! Otherwise, they have metered street parking available and I'm sure if you don't mind a walk, you can find free parking in the area. If you want your car under a roof--there's garage parking nearby as well (you will need to pay though) I would come here again if I was craving spicy affordable food, looking forward to food coma/nap, leftovers, and reading--it's connected to the bookstore..:) read more

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Decided to come get dinner and parking was hard to find. I think their was a convention going on, so my guy just parked somewhere out of the way while I went to go order. Since it was my first time, I had gone online and picked out what I wanted, but when they didn't have lamb, it threw me off on what to order. Their menu board up above was the kind that rotates between the menu items so it was a bit hard to read it. Mango Lassi - You get it out of a dispenser yourself. It wasn't bad as it wasn't too sweet. Butter Chicken - Can't go wrong with butter chicken. Fish Piece - It looked burnt, but it wasn't bad. Aloo Masala - Good with plenty of potato chunks. Side Order of rice - What a deal! Large container for $1. Paratha - These were okay and they were huge! I prefer naan to this. Prices are cheap. Everything had a spiciness too it which I was a bit surprised by. So, if you can't handle spice, I think you should pass. I would be back to try it again since it's closer than driving up north and the prices. read more

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I order food fro here pretty often on weeknights, but quality has dropped significantly. Tonight I ordered few dishes including a chicken beryani. The rice was old, and it came with a single drumstick! will never order from here again... read more

Ghareeb Nawaz Express - chicken beryani - Indian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Ugh, could you believe I got two GIGANTIC meals for only $16???? I did, if that's what you're wondering. To be honest, I've never craved Indian food before. But on this one fateful day, i was really craving butter chicken, and I knew I had to go to Ghareeb Nawaz. A friend had taken me to the one close to Loyola a couple years back, and I was delighted to see one in the South Loop. When I got there around 7PM, I promptly ordered my two dishes and sat down. Lucky me. As I finished ordering, I turned around and saw a line out the door. I've heard that this place gets busy often, but since they go through orders quickly, you'll never wait too long. My butter chicken came out in a short amount of time, and after that I was immediately whisked to butter chicken heaven. I am by no means a butter chicken expert, but to a newbie like me, the taste and juiciness of this chicken is something I absolutely love. My one complaint is that there is not that much chicken in each order, which explains the minus one star. Beyond that, I will definitely be back! read more

Ghareeb Nawaz Express - Two orders of Boneless Butter Chicken Curry and bread - Indian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I'm reheated packaged foods Lacks flavor and finesse that these cultural foods usually possess. Overall poor quality. But it was near closing time, it could have been a bad batch read more

Relatively fast food, good sized menu. Price is great as well. Overall very busy. I would definitely enjoy this place more if they indicated what was spicy or not. Being someone that can't handle a lick of spice, found it hard to find a dish that was mild or no spice. read more

Ghareeb Nawaz Express - Indian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We visited the restaurant and ordered a bunch of items. Butter chicken was okay but Chana masala and butter paneer were below average and extremely spicy. We specially mentioned for the veg items to be mild spicy but still no one could eat it. Rotis and parathas tasted raw and made on a high flame. We asked for chai but they said it's finished and they can't make more. Overall very bad experience. read more

Very fast service, extremely generous portion of food, and a rather wide variety of dishes to choose from. I was a little disappointed because they were out of lamb biryani and naan when I visited, but chili chicken biryani and chapati were great substitutes. I also tried the butter chicken and mango lassi and both were very tasty. read more

last 3 times I ordered from here they completely gave me the wrong food after items were available on site. The rice is so dry I never had an issue before since the last 6 months I ordered! Never again will they get a dime from me! read more

It is really tasty food. The tables were all pretty dirty when I came in. The stack of used trays and dishes was to the brim. The portion of rice they gave me was gigantic. For those with sensitive stomachs, the food was pretty darn spicy and I regret getting it. read more

It's great authentic homemade food. Great prices! I love it! My first time I went I haven't stopped going.

This branch of Ghareeb Nawaz is a cleaner version of the restaurant in Little India catering primarily to college students at UIC. The food is cheap and tasty. There are no menus available at the establishment and customers are told to make their selections from the online menu. I suspect the blank TV screens above the counter once featured menus. If you are not sure what to get, try the meat or veggie thali. These platters enable you to sample several items from the Ghareeb Nawaz offering. I've also tried and enjoyed the Lamb Biriyani and the Chili Chicken Paratha. The Lamb Biriyani was a mountain of rice and lamb. As much as I liked it, the dish was too much to finish in one sitting. The Chili Chicken features sweat inducing whole chili peppers so you may want to grab a few extra napkins if you decide to try it. Their Mango Lassi, though on the weaker side, will help quell the burn. The restaurant has about a dozen tables for those who wish to dine in but also seems to have a thriving takeout business. Ghareeb Nawaz is an excellent option for cheap yet generous portions of traditional Pakistani and Indian fare. read more

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Surprisingly cheap and reliably delicious. Food is always fresh and hot. Biggest Complaint is that they have a menu posted on the wall that is not obvious to find... Don't have to go menus, and have dead/off TV monitors that obviously exist to show the menu. That all said... This is a go-to spot for people living or working in the area. Simple, blue collar, good! read more

Ghareeb Nawaz Express - Butter Chicken Sandwich (to stay... To go the Sammy is prepared and wrapped in foil). - Indian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I ordered delivery from here, and swear it was at our place in about 20 to 25 minutes which was *awesome* but things kinda went down hill after that. We ordered the "Boneless" Chicken Biryani and Butter Chicken. To be fair the Butter Chicken was 5* but the "Boneless" Chicken Biryani was almost nothing but rice and bones. My girlfriend went through the "Boneless" Chicken Biryani and aside from the rice, the "chicken" part of the dish was almost entirely bones and connective tissue, which she separated out on the left side of the container in the photo. There was definitely at least one confirmed piece of chicken in the dish, but given that it was a full-on bone-in drumstick, I can tell you that it was about as far from boneless chicken as humanly possible so if I could give the dish no stars I would. Averaging between the two meals it comes to a 3*. Order at your own risk. read more

Ghareeb Nawaz Express - Boneless Chicken Biryani - Indian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I had the palak paneer here. The food is really good for how cheap it is! Service was fast and staff was friendly

Didn't seem like the owner wanted to make a sale. Just a bunch of old guys hanging around drinking cups of tea. I

An example of the almost perfect restaurant for a college student to go to. Cheap food, but a large quantity provided. Fairly basic as far as Indian cuisine, but it's pretty good. However, service is pretty bad for take out. Several times this semester have I gone with friends ordered butter paneer (no chicken) and one of my friends will have a meal containing chicken. That's after we sit down back on campus (UIC) which is a 15-20 minute walk. That's food going to waste and someone who spent money on food they cannot eat anymore. If this didn't happen so often it wouldn't be an issue, but this happens at least every other time we order to go. read more

Given the price, it is the best deal in town. You pay for what you get. Food overall is very tasty. Chicken overall not the best quality however given the price can't expect much more. Giving it a five out of five stars because of the overall value of the place. Interior decoration very minimal, place overall not very well-kept however the food is delicious. read more

I first tried Ghareeb Nawaz from Devon, that location has never given me a problem. Then when the express version opened up I was happy that I could get Ghareeb closer to me, except on a couple of occasions I got metal shavings in my food and I stopped trying here. Now a couple years later, I remember I love their food and ordered it online. In my chili chicken biryani, again, I found metal shavings. I don't know where these metal shavings are coming from, but its wild that they've been serving people metal shavings all this time with no problem. Careful when you eat here, there's small pieces of metal like from a steel wool sponge. read more

Never eat at ghareebnawaz. They are not hygienic at all. My friend got baryani and it had a bug in it- this shows how unhygienic and unsanitary it is. The food isn't good at all either and it's such a big disappointment. Never go to this place again. Even if you go to uic and want cheap food. Don't. This isn't hygienic. Pls don't go here. read more

Ghareeb Nawaz Express - LOOK AT THE BUG IN THEIR FOOD! - Indian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Really like the Boneless Chicken Biryani here. They give you a huge portion. (I got 3 meals out of it) The prices were also great. Anytime I go to a sit-down restaurant, the same dish costs $20-$30. read more

dirty ass food don't go there and you'll get food poison.we're visiting Chicago from Mishigan and this part was worst ever. Service is also bad. read more

Quick Indian/Pakistani cuisine at under $10? What more could a college student ask for?? You'll be asking for a lot more after you've visited here! I've been to Ghareeb numerous times over the past year or so, and I've finally come to the conclusion that the food is very mediocre. Here are some of the items of tried: Chili Chicken Biryani- Very large portions. The rice is a straight red color and the chicken is slightly sketchy (tastes old/reheated). Would not recommend this item. Chicken Biryani- Once again, very large portions, but this is definitely my go-to! Tastes pretty authentic but not as flavorful as home cooked/authentic Biryani, and once again, the chicken is a little suspect. Butter Chicken- At first, I really liked the Butter Chicken; however, after I tried it a few more times, it lost its appeal. They serve really small chicken portions with the gravy, so don't expect a lot of chicken with your order. Very thick/buttery, but could have more flavor and spice. Butter Paneer- see butter chicken (it's literally the exact same but with Paneer) Palak(Spinach) Paneer- DO NOT order this! It tastes really bland and watery. Definitely get the Butter paneer over this item- Chili Chicken Paratha- Also one of my go to's! The chili Chicken doesn't seem very fresh, but what else can you expect at $3.50? I'd recommend getting this item for carry out as they give you a lot more meat. Boti Chicken Paratha- very similar to the chili Chicken Paratha, with a slightly different style of chicken. Overall, Ghareeb has very mediocre food with the exception of their chicken Biryani. Their service is alright, but when it gets crowded, expect to wait for a while. Also, they will run out of rice items at random times when they get busy, so be aware of this! However, they have very low prices and huge (I mean massive!) Serving sizes, so in the end you get what you pay for! read more

How can folks stomach Ghareeb? I was so excited to learn that we had Indian and Pakistani cuisine near UIC. I wanted so hard to be a fan of this place. It has all the makings of Andy's seal of approval: chicken, curry, and cheap. But alas, I expected a bit more. Most options here will indeed be $5 (pre-tax) and won't include rice or... wait, where's the naan? You're telling me that they don't sell naan here? ...That should have sealed the deal. The chicken marsala that I ordered came in a small container and wasn't anything to write home about (minus this Yelp review, eh?) It felt very basic and unimaginative, and seemed like they had simply reheated up some existing curry and dropped in some pieces of chicken. On top of that, I felt very uneasy after eating at Ghareeb- even resulting in some full on hiccup episodes that lasted for a good two days, That by association may be enough for me to not want to come back. It pains me that I can't recommend this place since it's so convenient, but there are likely better options out there in Chicago to better satisfy your Indian cravings. read more

Food here is great if you love desi nonveg. Right near the UIC campus and cheap cheap cheap. Biryani is the highlight. Slightly on the greasy side but biryani is far from a health food. Everything came out hot and tasty. We ordered thalis which give you a taste of everything. One Veg and one non Veg and a mutton biryani. Three stars because of the nasty factor. Yucky tables, yucky trays. The original on devon is just as yucky. Why do I return despite the lack of parking and dirty tables? It's the food. You find yourself craving it at odd hours. I think I want some now. read more

Ghareeb Nawaz Express - Veg and non Veg platter... - Indian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We ordered a few biryanis for delivery, and when they arrived, we found a big cockroach in one of the biryanis. Needless to say, we are never ordering from here again. I then saw here that many other people have also found disgusting roaches, and metal wires in their food. I guess hygiene and cleanliness are not their top priority. I even have a picture of it put up now. I don't care how tasty and cheap your food is, if you have a callous disregard for the health and safety of your diners, you will not get my business. I understand that it is difficult and expensive to run a clean restaurant, and some amount of filth is to be expected, but you guys have crossed the limits. read more

Ghareeb Nawaz Express - Ordered a biryani from this location. I asked for a goat biryani, I guess they misheard me and gave me a roach biryani instead. - Indian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The butter chicken, chili chicken , rice, and paratha always delivers! Great and delicious.

Not the Chicken Korma I was expecting. Maybe I'm used to more gringo Indian cuisine, but it was quite spicy, not at all creamy and used drumsticks instead of off the bone meat. read more

Ghareeb is a quick, Indian, counter service restaurant near the UIC campus that offers a full range of North Indian vegetarian options. I was in Chicago, on my way to Madison with a close friend, and met up with a friend that was a grad student. Ghareeb didn't have any naan left: at 1:30 PM, they shut down the naan operations. Imagine the feeling of a red rubber stamp hitting you on the forehead with some red ink that said "No Naan." The man at the counter offered a naan equivalent: he saw the look on my face and knew I needed some form of bread. They also were out of paneer, and didn't have some of the lentil dishes either. We ended up ordering the chana masala, a mixed veggie curry, a potato (aloo) curry, and a spinach (palak) curry. The chana masala was great: it wasn't too spicy, and the chickpeas were nice and tender. The palak is something I won't order again: the blended spinach was just not my cup of tea, and not because I don't drink tea. I can do saag dishes, not but palak dishes. The potato curry was decent. It had this lightness, which was very surprising because lightness is not the first thing that comes to mind when I think "potato." The mixed vegetable curry was a bit disappointing. I need to stop ordering mixed vegetable curries: they always end up mushy. This place was super cheap; each entrée was only a few dollars, and my friends and I only spent 25ish dollars on enough food for two or three meals. The interior was a bit small, and connected to a bookstore, so it's a strange eating environment, but it works. If I came again, I'd definitely just order one rice and one chana masala. Keep it simple, and focus on the best tasting dish I had there! read more

Ghareeb Nawaz Express - Spinach curry, potato curry, chana masala, mixed veggie curry - Indian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Butter chicken was probably the best I've ever had and the chili chicken was definitely spicy but very delicious

Alright, so if you're in the mood for Indian food this is an extremely FAST and AFFORDABLE option, get this! The Butter Paneer is amazing and affordable. The Butter Chicken Paratha is like an Indian burrito jammed with the same delicious flavors, but wrapped in warm paratha and the Chicken Biryani and a MASSIVE portion of flavorful rice with chicken. These three dishes were enough to feed Jordan & me for more than 2 meals, cost under $30 and took less than 20 minutes to arrive when ordered through UberEats! Win-win-win! read more

I love the paratha and chilly chicken here. The biryani is ok. The prices are on the lower end. They have recently upgraded the interiors but the restrooms are out of order all the time for some reason. Would recommend this place to a friend who wouldn't want to spend a lot and get some decent Indian food. read more

Ghareeb Nawaz Express - Indian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This is for their delivery service, which was surprisingly fast and efficient. We ordered through the yelp online system and got the following: gyros $5.99, chicken biryani $5.99, dal $2.99 I think, and butter chicken $5.99. The delivery fee was $4.99 which wasn't a bad price considering everything here is SO DAMN cheap. They gave us one hour estimate but the food came within thirty minutes. The food plentiful- our $31 (tax plus tip and delivery) were enough for six meals! The flavor of the food is more mild than other Indian places to suit the UIC college students palates, but equally as delectable. The chicken biryani is packed full and filled with shredded chicken. The butter chicken sauce is silky smooth. The gyros is boneless cubes of ground lamb marinated in yogurt, it is soft and chewy... the texture is surprising but good. The dal is always very delicious and my husband loves it read more