5 stars for the world class best Haneeth in the US. I have been following a strict diet. However...When it comes to haneeth at Shibam with the best foodie friends including Yelpus Maximus Ahmad A, diet and cost can step down for a moment. We have been coming here on a regular monthly basis. As Ahmad A mentions in his review, do get the haneeth only here. Do not make a mistake and order other stuff. Haneeeeeth and haneeeeeth only. It is a glorious dish of the most tender, most flavorful, perfectly season roaster bone-in lamb with a rice basin. Served with a slasa and yogurt salad. In a city like Chicago, it is a shame to try the same restaurant twice because of the million restaurants and exploding cuisine scene. Having said, if the meal is lamb haneeth At Shibam City Restaurant, coming here every month is a mandatory habit. Ahlam, one of the staff here, has been the loveliest to us, adding to our haneeth amazing experience. She greets every single customer with her big welcoming smile. This is a cozy warm place with outstanding haneeth. read more

No words to describe how food is delicious there . I ordered Lamb Mandi - the rice is fantastic and lamb -so soft and tasty ! Highly recommend to everyone who love middle eastern food! read more

Mutapaq (lamb?) - Meat sauteed in spices then folded into bread. Meat inside had a chicken texture, but still could have been lamb- delicious either way. Haneeth lamb- As fall off the bone as all the other reviews says. Rice was light and fluffy. It was the highlight of our meal. Lamb chops- It came with unexpected pickled vegetables and onions on top. Not bad, tender but had a slight vinegar flavor. Arika- I found myself looking for the dates/date flavor. I was told that the dates were mixed in with the bread. Good dessert, just not what I was expecting. Large portion, definitely made for sharing. Receipt: shows the prices for the items we ordered, not bad pricing for the large portions we received. We had leftovers of everything except the mutapaq. $53.12 after taxes for an appetizer, two main dishes, dessert, and two teas. read more

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I love their Mandi so much that I actually filmed a video reviewing the dish along with a few other favorites. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_NWViIltMA& is a link where I explain the heavenly-ness that is the Mandi here. Check out the channel for the other dishes: + Megalgal with Hummus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFhJ3bkVTQE& + Ful (Foul): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9Vk8_ZyUjc& Hope this helps :) read more

Home away from home, excellent service and although they were very busy they managed to bring our order in a very reasonable time. The food was very good, I enjoyed the broth soup, seafood platter and the haneeth. The haneeth was perfect, the food fell off the bone. Will definitely come back again! read more

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Wonderful! My wife and I had a great experience dining out. Friendly service, reasonably priced, clean and amazing food. The chicken hummus was out of this world. I've tried many versions, this one is superior. The lamb and seasoned rice was excellent, the chicken stew very tasty. We were most impressed. Can't wait to take the kids. Thank you. read more

So we landed in Chicago around 1 am. Went to the hotel dropped off our luggage. We didn't get a chance to eat dinner so decided to go here since they were open all day. Got there around 4 am. The food was amazing. Ordered the beef Mutupaq. And let me tell you it was amazing. Definitely needs to be ordered by anyone who goes there. I ordered a lamb mandi plate. The lamb was delicious and tender. The rice with the food was very good as well. read more

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I'v visited this place many times, but every time I visited it like it more. the service is great and hospitable especially Ahlam. I had lint soup and the seafood combine the lint soup is the best soup I've had from long time. And the seafood is good but I do recommend their main dishes for example Mandi lamb and the Haneeth too. read more

Zahra's - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great authentic yemeni place in Chicagos, no the countries, no the WORLDS most diverse neighborhood: Albany Bubba Spark Park. Got a fantastic homley unpretentious vibe when you walk in, was greeted immediately as I walked in and met my friend and Yelp Celebrity, Rami. Then I had a fragrant cup of tea placed in front of me. Did not try it as I dislike tea but it smelled great. As the third member of our party sauntered in late, the server promptly attended to our needs and questions. We all had never dined at a Yemeni place before and had many questions which were all answered. They even catered to the tardy member of our party who has "a sesame allergy". This place is all about the LAMB and Chicken. We ordered one Chicken and 2 lamb dishes served in classic Yemeni style meaning one MASSIVE platter with the meats seductively laying on a California King Bed of rice. Mandi Chicken, Zurbian Lamb, and Lamb Haneeth. A side of yogurt sauce and "hot sauce" was given and were great accompaniments. Nothing is spicy here, just tasty. They had made a mistake and given us three lamb dishes instead of one chicken. This is a great mistake to be made and we didn't mind but they insisted on bring out the proper chicken dish quickly. The chicken was beautifully done and slow cooked, fell apart with a spoon. In fact they don't even give you knives because you don't need it. Lamb was so soft and succulent, never dry. We wished we couldve donated all the rice to someone in need, felt like a waste. The place got BUMPIN as we were finishing up so check out took a little while as there seemed to be only 2 servers. Recommend going in around 5:30-6pm to avoid the rush. Def want to revisit and further explore the menu. read more

Inflation is 7% and Shibam raised their prices more than a 100%. Mandi lamb went from 9.99 to 20 dollars. Does not make any sense..

Fire fire fire, ordered hummus biryani and grilled chicken and it was super good. Maybe it's the Moet but this food was amazing. If y'all haven't tried this gem of a place you must. Order now! read more

I hate to do this and never do I do this but want to talk about filth...let's go. First off, what restaurant have you ever walked in w no Ice? None, that's what I thought. Asked for ice w my warm water I was served and the waitress said they have no ice there. And finally, want to eat w cockroaches walking around your feet??? Than this is the place to come eat at. Literally saw atleast 5 cockroaches walking by my feet as I was sitting having dinner. Filth. Disgusting read more

One of the best Arabic restaurants in Chicago. I really like the fish dish . Mande chicken is also one of my favorite if you don't like fish you can eat Mande beef . I recommend everyone to try this place. Also, the most important thing for me is the workers are so nice they treat you as you are old customers in the restaurant. They welcome you form the entire. read more

I ordered from this restaurant for the first time and I ordered the hummus with lamb and lamb biryani. The hummus with lamb was just OK. I felt like it was missing something, but it was still good. The lamb biryani was excellent. Don't expect to get a yogurt sauce to go on top like you would at an Indian restaurant, but it tastes great without it as well and the spices are very flavorful. read more

Updated 4/6/18: Having the craving for Yemeni food, I decided to give it another go. When I came to pick up the food, the waitress was very friendly and welcoming, and the vibe overall seemed homey. Perhaps it was a misunderstanding after all, and she had just hung up by accident. Who knows! But let me tell you, once I finished the lamb and chicken platter, all was forgiven. It was the most perfectly cooked mid-eastern food I've ever had. Most places, the chicken and lamb is generally over cooked and dry. I've never had lamb so soft and flavorful. The chicken was fall off the bone tender. Rice was plump and moist. Everything was perfect. Though I wished for some vegetable components to brighten up the dishes, the food itself seemed entirely authentic and without any fluff or gimmicks. Go try it, you won't be disappointed! read more

One of the best restaurants in Chicago the food was very delicious, the staff very nice and friendly, especially the server Ahlem, she was very helpful and professional I highly recommend this place. read more

Zahra's - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Food went downhill, shibam!! What's going on? This is not the Yemeni food we know!! The zurbian tasted like a jar of spices was poured over. Chicken and rice are always reheated, not fresh and tasteless!!! Where's shibam from 3 years ago? We couldn't stop eating there!! I understand covid affected businesses a lot but that much?! You can't serve fresh food anymore? read more

This place has gone from GOOD to 'Dine at your own risk'. Both quality and quantity had taken a nose dive. Their service is worst, all the servers show attitude as if we dine for free. No courtesies and dishes come in jumbled order( I as told that soup comes 10 mins after my entree. Forget it if you top up your food orders, I have to remind them at least 3 times for My additional muthabak. Do yourself your favor and avoid this place at any cost. read more

Amazing yemeni restaurant. Try lamb haneeth, chicken haneeth, grilled chicken and lamb or chicken mandi. These are the go to dishes. They tend to overcook the lamb chops so be sure to tell them how you want them. Overall a pretty good place, only down side is their service. read more

Tried lamb mix, lamb haneeth and menhdi with lamb chops. Tastes amazing with the spices and grilled onion rings on top. Prices are fair for the quality food. Would totally recommend and will come again to try more. read more

Zahra's - Lamb mix: menhdi lamb, haneeth lamb and lamb chops. Alot of tasty rice with grilled onion rings on top. - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great food, the best Yemeni food in Chicago, I tried fahsa lamb, mendi lamb, mglgal , and the zerbian lamb all are great, but my favorite is the zerbian lamb. Service is great. read more

Sure it looks good but the taste is disgusting it taste like arse and I'm taking it lightly everything looks so delicious but it's not it's literally the most disgusting food I had really disgusting and they call it Yemeni food read more

Shibam city is a great place to dine in. I love the food at Shibam city. The chicken is juicy and tasty. The vegetables and salad are fresh and crunchy. I am glad this restaurant is in my neighborhood. You will get a lot of rice with the meal! There's plenty of food served at Shibam. Can't wait to come back! Only downside of this place... it is not cheap! Great food but too expensive. read more

I don't know what is happening with this place but going down is not the way what you get for 17$ it's a shame, I wish I took a picture disaster, good luck but you will need lots of it read more

Exellent, excellent food! Great service, lovely restaurant

Amazing, not only is the food great, but the service is phenomenal. I came here recently with a friend and we both loved what we ordered (the mixed grill and lamb special). The portions were very generous and the waitresses made sure to ask how everything was. Very hospitable and I would definitely recommend if you have never tried Yemeni food. read more

This place was everything i imagined it to be. Decently priced and friggen delicious!!! I couldn't choose which dish to pick so the hostess/cashier/waitress helped us in deciding. She was super sweet and helpful. The lamb soup is incredible! Anything with lamb here is succulent and melts in your mouth. The cucumber and mint yogurt goes great with everything, get it!. Also try the Yemeni milk tea. You can taste the love in every dish!! Fantastic! Food so good it'll make you wanna convert! Hahaha read more

Went back after so long. I feel like either the cook changed or maybe management but the food tasted different and not in a good way. Mutabaq was fantastic as always however the foul, haneeth and kabsa just weren't as good as they usually are. Kabsa rice was overcooked and mushy and had potatoes in it. Since when did Shibam start putting potatoes in Kabsa? Also haneeth was a bit dry wheras its usually perfectly cooked and flavorful. Don't know if maybe they were having an off day or what. Hoping thats the case because normally I love this place. Really disappointed in the change though. read more

Zahra's - Chicken mandhi - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Fix your HOURS OF SERVICE online!! You are NOT a 24 hour establishment !!! Wasting costumers time!!

Ordered on the phone and was told to wait 5 minutes just for the person to not even take my order.. ended up making the order once i got there and waited some more. They ended up giving me the wrong food that seemed like it was from the previous day. CHECK YOUR FOOD!! Hopefully this was just a bad experience and they dont do this to all customers. read more

This is my first time having such a great food like this one.. from the start our server name was Ahlam .. she was amazing along with the entire experience we had .. patient on explaining to us the menu since I wasn't familiar that much with it.. Ahlam was a very nice person and team player, she proven her self to deserve an A ... she also took our request favourably and friendly on showing us the special occasion hall.. food was great .. couldn't locate any issues with it Thank you all for the great experience and I would highly recommend for future preferances Amin read more

I loved this restaurant. I went to it on Friday they were super busy. They were nice and accommodating. They told me there is a long wait and there is no tables. It was worth every minute I waited! The food was so delicious. I also, want to point out Ahlam the waitress . She was absolutely amazing and very nice lady. I came back on Sunday because of her and how welcoming she was! Good job with customer service! read more

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I've been traveling to Chicago more often lately and normally visit the classical restaurants of Devon, but thought I'd try something different and definitely plan to come again. Recommend: Mudapaq (had the beef) as an appetizer and any of the lamb dishes (have had Lamb Haneeth and Mandi). read more

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The food was amazing! The lamb and chicken were so tender and flavorful and the rice and bread complimented it so well. Our server, Ahlam, was so kind and provided the best service you could ask for!!! Highly recommended eating here, especially on the bottom floor in the private floor seated rooms. read more

Good home made tasting food. However, they brought us a dish we did not order, they apologized and then they asked us if they could charge us for it (awkward and tacky). Secondly, they advertise Yemeni red tea and brought us Lipton tea bags. read more

Very authentic and the meat was very tender and prepared well. However, the meat was a little bland but the tomato salsa was also delicious and could be mixed in. read more

Review is based on a delivery order, which arrived in 45 minutes. Delicious cuisine with unique flavors. 5 dishes were sampled: Chicken & Lamb Mandi, Fahsa Lamb & Chicken, and a side of seasoned pan-fried liver. Tender, succulent meats. The rice reminded me of Indian basmati rice. Flatbread roll was similar to naan bread. Quality of the food was great! Would order again or visit in person. Cash only, no Grubhub orders. read more

Tried Yemeni food for the first time and was thoroughly satisfied. Both the chicken and lamb was delicious. Had three different types of rice (mandi, kabsa and haneeth) which was all delicious. Price was reasonable as well. They don't have a parking lot so street parking is the only option which wasn't bad considering it was a Saturday. The staff were very helpful and accommodating. read more

Zahra's - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I hate to give a one-star review, but unfortunately this place earned it. They managed to not only give me the wrong food, but even the part that was right (lamb biryani) was no good; it was full of bones to the point of being dangerous to eat as many of the bones were very small. Biryani should be boneless and there is no indication on the menu that theirs is bone-in: diner beware. read more

Zahra's - Lamb biryani - more bones than anything (many of them very small and easy to miss!). - Middle Eastern Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place made me beyond upset. First, four guys came right behind and were sat before me. No big deal it's about 11:30 PM and I thought that they were going to spend more money than me because I was dining alone. The worst part, the lady that took my order completely forgot to put in my order. After waiting for about 30 minutes I went up to the counter and asked her what heads happened to my order she tried to make up an excuse that my meal took a long time because my food was made fresh or something crazy like that. I was angry and starving at the same time, not a gooWhen I looked to my left, no surprise the four gentlemen that came in with me were almost done eating their meals. Never again, waitress never made an effort to make it better in a any way shape or form. read more