Sabri Nehari Pakistani Cuisine
Sabri Nehari
2502 West Devon Avenue (between Campbell & Maplewood Avenue)
Chicago, IL 60659
(773) 743-6200
*Reservations not necessary
Sabri Nehari Pakistani Restaurant
Front and side view of Sabri Nehari Pakistani Restaurant
Chicago is home to some of the largest communities of Pakistani and Indian people. Yes there are other South Asians here and there, but nothing like the two groups that I mentioned above. A trip to Chicago is not without its charm if you do not visit Devon Avenue. Devon Avenue stretches blocks after blocks of predominately Pakistani and Indian businesses. Never have I ever seen so many restaurants, clothing shops, mosques, cash & carry stores (aka supermarkets), and bakeries/dessert shops. Definitely will put New York’s Jackson Heights to utter shame. Oh there are so many delicious bakeries which is paradise for me because I love dessert and there is one in particular that is very famous called Tahoora which I will feature in my next post.
Sabri Nehari is a must try and it is highly recommended. There are so many positive reviews on this restaurant and also my friend recommends this spot too. I am open to almost every and any cuisine, as long as it doesn’t make me vomit, because that is what Finechinagirl enjoys the most. Scouring the city for delicious, unique, and scrumptious food is my mission and I am always very eager to try new cuisines.
To be very mindful, Pakistani cuisine and Indian cuisine may look very similar, but they are very different by taste! So don’t get the two confused. From what I noticed, and I can be very wrong, Pakistani food infuse a lot of meat in their dishes while their Indian counterpart predominately use vegetables in their dishes due to their religion. Also, Indian dishes use a lot of their own homegrown spices like chili pepper, black mustard seeds, cumin, turmeric, ginger, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and maybe paprika. Pakistani dishes incorporates brown and green cardamon, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, mace, black peppers, jalepenos, cumin, bay leaves, coriander, caraway seeds, and fennel. Curry of course is curry and will look the same anywhere, but the tastes is vastly different because of the usage or non-usage of meat and their seasonings.
So that’s the background! I’m always mindful about the differences in cuisines because there are times where my friends or co-worker says Chinese and Taiwanese food are the same thing. While there are many similar elements in their dishes, it is not politically correct to say that they are the same when they’re not. Think about that!
Let’s move on to the food!
Complimentary salad from Sabri Nehari
Again, in my experience only Pakistani restaurants will serve you complimentary salad the moment you sit down which is nice. The servers are very hospitable and will 100% try to be very accommodating to your needs. When I first sat down, I was asked what drink I wanted to have and informed me that there was no rush to order. Being a New Yorker, I just hate being rushed, especially rudely rushed, so it was nice to know that I could take my time to soak up the atmosphere around me.
Speaking of atmosphere, Sabri Nehari makes you feel like a guest at a Pakistani home. At least that’s how I felt. There were families with small children in there, giggling and laughing and being well behaved at the same time. The decor is very warm. There are red velvet curtains by the windows, the floor are carpeted to a similar color and the tablecloth for all their tables are an off-white color. There are many paintings on the walls with still-life artwork which is very homely. I like, I like!
Mint and Mango Chutney
Complimentary jalapenos and ginger
Sabri Nehari Menu
Sabri Nehari's Haleem
No, no, this is not curry although it looks so much like it. Haleem in a nutshell is this thick mash-up of grinded up beef, wheat flour, lentils, and an assortment of different kind of spices that is cooked slowly for hours and hours to get this paste-like/goulash-ish, consistency of awesomely good yummyness. To properly enjoy this heavy dish since it’s an all in one combo, you have to eat it with naan!
Sabri Nehari's Fresh Naan
The naan is huge here! Each order comes with two pieces of freshly made naan that has just left the oven and it is so soft and delicious. The naan reminds me of the dough on pizza, if not even better. Just imagine the potential with pizza that is made of naan! Oh, I’m sure it will be so delicious! Anyways, trust me, two pieces is enough for one person, especially me since my stomach cannot handle so much food.
Rip a small piece of naan and dip it into the haleem. Swim it around and slowly lift up the bread and rotate your wrist in a corkscrew like movement to prevent the haleem from dripping. Bring this drenched naan and bring it close to your nose and smell the muttony goodness of beef, wheat, ginger, garlic, lentils, peppercorn, tumeric, chili powder, coriander, mint, and chillies. There’s this creamy texture that works so well with the naan and the taste is incredibly delectable. It’s very light and simple, compared to the one that I had at Sunshine and very enjoyable to eat.
Sabri Nehari is definitely a must try when you stop by in Chicago. My friend and I loved the food here but unfortunately did not have the time to try other items here. But when I return to visit, I will make sure I will try other dishes!
Until next time,
<3,
FCG
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Mhmm…that naan looks so yummy. Did you eat the jalapeno and ginger? Is the Sabri Nehari’s Haleem similar to the roti canai in Malaysian restaurants?
You need to learn how to make this stuff for me! Thing how much money you can save if you made it instead. =)