Immediately when we walked in and sat down this placed seemed like a place that has "regulars." It was intimate and personal. I got the veggie soup and eggplant smear while my boyfriend got a marinara pizza. Both were amazing although I suggest if you get a bowl of soup get something a little more solid to accompany it. The waiter (who I'm pretty sure was the owner) was great and not overbearing at all.
Go here if you want an intimate setting and good food :)
People, please patronize Barbari!
It is right in my neighborhood, and it is such a gem. First of all, the food is delicious. Â You can tell everything was made with fresh ingredients, and some of the recipes seem like they were handed down through generations. Â The beans and leaves soup is hearty and filling; their pizzas are simple but really tasty; they have a chicken and feta salad (add beets!) that perfectly rounds out any meal.
The guy who owns the place has been there every time I've gone in and he's really nice and friendly.
It's also BYOB and the prices are great.
Closed Sundays!
This is my second review of Barbari. Â I wanted to say that a big group of us went back here again recently, and it continues to be a fantastic place with excellent food. Â The menu is slightly larger now, and all the old favorites are still prepared to perfection. Â
I highly recommend the plates that have been added since my last visit. Â Al, you've done it again. Â Bravo!
My girlfriend and I were looking for something close to home and cheap, but not McDonald's, Subway, etc. We found this place on Yelp and it had awesome reviews! It deserves them!
We went in and the owner was serving us so you can tell that he is dedicated to his establishment. Not only did he wait on us but he talked to us and we got to know each other, but he wasn't annoying us or anything. We were the ones trying to talk to him!
The food was absolutely delicious, you can taste the quality of the ingredients used and the prices were VERY reasonable.
I am certainly becoming a regular.
The beans and leaf soup here is possibly one of the best soups I have ever tasted. The other offerings are the menu are similarly fresh, healthy, and tasty. This is not the kind of place you go to to stuff your face; it is the kind of place where you leave feeling a bit virtuous afterwards. The dining on-site is casual, not particularly atmospheric, but service is friendly.
Review Source:Ever once in awhile you stumble into a place starving and you cross your fingers and hope you hit the jackpot. Â Bingo! Â Barbari was on my short list of places to try in the neighborhood but I just hadn't gotten around to it. Â I came in for a later lunch and plan on many return trips. They have gluten free and vegan options and specialize in natural healthy ingredients. Â I had the sausage mushroom pizza which is thin crust and served on a wooden pizza stone. Â Amazing. Â You can taste how fresh everything is and it was just the right portion so I didn't feel like a sloth when I left. Â I also had a tangerine tango smoothie. Â Fresh and wonderful an an excellent addition to a light, heathy lunch. Â The owner also offer me tea to end my meal which was a treat. Â Great small business with wonderful food. Â This is a spot on Chicago Ave. people should not skip over.
Review Source:Ordered delivery (first time trying this place) tonight. Â After reading all the reviews, I had pretty high hopes. Â The bean and leaf soup was lacking in salt (and I am not a big salt user) and a lot of the beans were undercooked. Â My husband said it tasted like hippie soup. Â LOL Â The pomegranate soup was pretty good, but still I felt it was missing something. Â The salad olivia smear was also good, but the Barbari bread (which i really really wanted to love) was a bit burnt on the bottom and rather hard and chewy - i.e. inedible. Â That said, the sausage/mushroom pizza was great. Â A true thin crust and not too saucy. Â I might have their pizza again, but think I'll keep looking for other options in the area.
Review Source:Overall: A hidden BYOB gem. Would recommend for lunch or a low-key dinner and takeout.
Food: The Bean and Leaf soup was complex and beautiful. The Chicken Pom-wich was tender, zesty and unique. It could have used some grilled veggies or arugula to round out the flavor of the sandwich.
Ambience: The space is charming and homey, but the walls are a little barren.
Service: Relaxed, friendly and helpful when deciding on my meal.
my boyfriend and i were looking for a quick, cheap dinner that wouldn't make us feel like bloated cows. after a long day we were exhausted and had kind of sadly succumbed to our fate of having subway for dinner. we just so happened to park our car in front of this place, and i'm so glad we did!
it's small and quiet, so perfect if you're looking for something relaxing and low key. the menu is concise and offers good vegetarian options. we took our order to go, and the guy that helped us was the nicest! i had questions about the soups, and he was quick to give me a sample instead of making me order something i wasn't sure about. while we waited, he was very gracious and accommodating, making sure we had water and were comfortable.
i ended up ordering the pomegranate soup, which also had beets, tons of greens and legumes. it was not overly sweet and perfectly acidic. i also had a side of the salad olivia smear- a luscious and creamy chicken salad with golden potatoes, olives, and peas. my boyfriend had a ceaser salad which had a great dressing. not as creamy as traditional salads, but it was tangy which was an interesting twist. it wasn't over dressed and the salad tasted bright and fresh. i think the most surprising part of our meal was the pizza he ordered. it looked like a regular sausage and mushroom pizza, but was probably one of the best i've had. the sauce wasn't runny or overly acidic with tomatoes, the cheese was perfectly melted, the sausage wasn't overly salty, and the crust was crisp and buttery without being greasy. we capped everything off with a shared piece of baklava.
i love this place and am so happy to have stumbled upon it so accidentally. it's a great addition to an up and coming neighborhood and i hope they stick around for awhile
Like others, we have walked by this little place many times on our way to other restaurants in the area. Â Last weekend we decided to buy a bottle of wine across the street and have pizza at this BYOB. Â The thin, crispy crust is a nice change from our typical thick, greasy pizza. Â Reminds me of pizza I had in Italy. Â
I almost want to give this place four stars due to the ambiance (we were the only ones in the place for most of our meal), but the nice owner, great food and BYOB push it closer to five stars.
So, these reviews have been pretty spot on..true, the atmosphere isn't exactly desirable, though not a dump by any means. In terms of food, though, this humble establishment has the BEST sausage and portabello pizza ever! Â Thin crust and brick-ovened, I'm pretty sure. Â The eggplant smear is super delicious too.. I like this place's style---you should check it out:)
Review Source:After months of walking by this place, I finally decided to stop in and check this place out. The owner is nice and welcoming. The pomegranate/beet soup is good, nice light sweet taste. Though, not my cup of tea.  I prefer and love the vegetable soup and  the Beans n' Leaves soup, especially the latter. It has a nice aroma and the creamy/light taste is just so good. A great combination of chicken broth, yogurt, herbs/greens, beans & rice. I love it! Defiantly, will be getting this next time.
After reading great reviews about the eggplant kashk, I decided to try it out and it defiantly is a must to get at Barbari. Don't even need the barbari bread to eat the eggplant kashk. Its that good. Though, I must say the bread is good. Great combo.
The sandwiches which I had so far were good as well. The Pom-Wich (chicken sandwich with a pomegranate spread like) is good. The pomegranate spread they use on the sandwich gives it a nice sweet flavor to the chicken breast. And the roasted vegetable sandwich is good as well (though the pom-wich is winning so far for me...lol) Both sandwiches came with a small cup of cucumber/onion/tomato in vinaigrette (not sure if its vinaigrette) whatever is, nice addition to add to the sandwiches.
The  Napolitano Margarita  pizza is great! I prefer this pizza over Papa John's any day. I'm no fan of thick/hand tossed/pan, deep dish pizza. I love my pizza to be crunchy and actually be able to taste the toppings, and here you do. In the near future, I'm going to try out more of the pizza and their plates.
A must go, if you're looking for something healthy and not too heavy, yet still satisfying. I defiantly will be coming here in the future.
I didn't get the pizza. The place has pizza in the name and I didn't order it. I dunno. From all reports, it was just your typical flatbread. Been there and done that. Give me something new. Give me something like... pomegranate soup. I was expecting a hot bowl of pink, pulpy stuff with some seeds mixed in. Admittedly, not the most appetizing of descriptions, but I thought it sounded adventurous. Instead, it's a dark red, almost brown, pomegranate/beet concoction. The soup is hot, the taste is pretty subtle and the trick is realizing that you're enjoying something outside the norm and very healthy. I don't think I'd order it again, but I'm glad I tried it. The eggplant kashk was much more to my liking but how can you go wrong with roasted eggplant blended with yogurt and made into a schmear? The bread portions were pretty skimpy and I wound up eating the lionshare of the dish by the forkful. It was good that way but I would have preferred an ample amount of bread to start.
To wash down my healthy starters, I ordered a hot tea, thinking I would soon be sipping on some wild blend from the Middle East. I got a tea bag. Thinking that the pizza sounded routine, I asked the owner for his suggestion for a sandwich that really captured the essence of the restaurant. I wanted something exotic that would introduce my mouth to a new flavor profile. From his enthusiastic response, I went for the inventive Chicken Barbari sandwich: chicken with marinara sauce and cheese. Yep. I can pick 'em.
Order the pizza.
I cashed in on a LivingSocial coupon for a free $10 voucher to Barbari Cafe. I am very happy at the results! I had the mushroom/sausage thin crust pizza and it was excellent. Â I live in the neighborhood and will definitely be back.
The exterior of the place can throw people off but the atmosphere inside is cozy and clean.
Looking forward to going back.
So good, so healthy, and so cheap! Â I was initially turned off by the look of the restaurant-it looked, well, not as good as the food is. Â My boyfriend surprised me with carryout on moving day, and I'm hooked. Â
Here is what I suggest: Â start with a soup. Â The pomegranite is unusual, but good, as well as the veggie soup with lentils. Â Follow with the chicken/apple salad, then GET THE EGGPLANT APPETIZER. Â No, really, do it. Â It's amazing. Â I enjoyed the cucumber/yogurt dip, but it's not nearly as satisfying with the bread-maybe needs some warmed pita instead? Â
I haven't tried an entree or sandwich, but have tried two pizzas (arugula-get the anchovies) and sausage/mushroom; both were solid choices. Â The sausage is homemade, and tasted healthy, which I previously did not know could even happen. Â The cafe is vegetarian and gluten-free friendly, and you can order the pizzas with an Udi's GF crust. Â
I haven't tried the baklava, but trust, I will be going back.
Boyfriend and I searched yelp for a nearby, cheap restrauant with good ratings. Â We couldn't have been happier with this find. Â The menu describes the place as a mix of Mediterranian, Iranian, and Italian food.
Great service: The owner, or atleast I believe he's the owner, serves you. Â He's extremely polite and kind. Â
Good food: Â We shared the mushroom and sausage pizza and the meatball plate with a pomegranite sauce. Â Both were amazing, especially that pomegranite sauce.
Awesome Price: Â Two dishes, and a small order of eggplant dip as an appetizer, came to about 25 bucks.
Barbari was just a great experience as we left full, but not weighed down by food, got to try some new flavors, and didn't have to dig into our pocket books.
Oh yes, and BYOB.
I could say a lot of nice things about the menu overall, but they've already been mentioned here and I'm just so happy to finally have good pizza in the neighborhood. The pizza at nearby places is nearly inedible, but the pizza here is very good.
The crust is a perfect crisp, with a little bit of chewiness to it. Â The tomato sauce has the right level of tang, and the toppings are all high quality. The sausage is delicious (I believe I read it was from Bari), and the arugula pizza is fantastic, too.
The crust isn't quite as good as coalfire (missing the char and the coal), but it's pretty darn close.
So happy to have them around.
I really didn't think this would be as good as it was. Â But it was. Â We had the beans and green soup (so freaking good), the pomegranate soup (also so good, clean tasting, mellow, tart but not too tart) the eggplant smear (I was expecting it to be more smeary, but it was chunky) and the Arugula pizza. Â The pizza was really good - I would come back here any day!!
And, the owner and his daughter are super nice people. Â Always a bonus!
Pomegranate soup, eggplant smear and arugula pizza. Â All three were standouts. Â The soup did not taste at all like pomegranate- Â I did not know whether to expect cold or hot - but it was hot and tasty. Â It had various grains in it and had a little tang to it that was nice. Â Also seemed to have some spinach in it. Â The arugula pizza was perfect. Â The crust is a flat, crispy one that is a perfect accompaniment to the fresh tossed arugula on top. It is tossed in a lemony vinaigrette that is devine. Â Fresh slivers of parmesan cheese top it off. Â So delicious, so light. Â Crust had a little oil with maybe some cheese, but over all very light indeed. Â The owners are a couple, one is Persian and he has a nice combo of Italian and Persian treats on the menu. Â Serving sizes are small, but we need smaller serving sizes in this country.
Review Source:This is a kind of interesting Persian-fusion health food restaurant. Â I have had my fair share of excellent Persian cuisine, and sadly Barbari misses the mark.
We had the arugula pizza for two with anchovies, large eggplant kashk appetizer, and baklava for dessert. Â I thought everything was pretty tasty and fresh, even if I would have preferred more unadulterated Persian comfort food, particularly when it came to the eggplant kashk (did it even contain actual kashk? Â I would have liked it with a little more sour).
We are tiny people, but it was simply not enough food for us. The $2 extra I paid for anchovies on the pizza only bought us 3 anchovies (I got one, and my date got the other two). Â After dinner, we went home and had leftovers.
The service was excellent, the food was tasty, and the atmosphere was comfortable. Â I think I understand the concept the restaurant owner is going for, but I also think that cozy food would go so much nicer with the cozy atmosphere... Â A filling and warm baked rice, stews, Persian cookies... Â this could be a restaurant where we would come very often.
My husband and I were looking for somewhere low key to grab dinner last night so we decided to check out this new spot in the hood. It gets great reviews on here and was BYOB.
The food was good. We shared a sausage and mushroom pizza that we were both quite happy with. My husband also had the vegetable soup. The prices were also great. Our pizza which easily served 2 was about $11.00.
The service was also good- but I would have expected it to be since we were the only ones in the place at 6pm on a Friday. It was almost awkward being the only ones in there because the owner and waitress just watched us the whole time.
It really lacks atmosphere and feels a little bit run down. Â It feels much more like a deli where you would grab a sandwich to go rather than a restaurant and maybe that is what we will be doing in the future!
YUM. Everything about it is delish!!!!!!!
Their soups are healthy and still very tasty, love their mozzarella and basil sandwich and their pizza is light fresh and not oily. I thought I wrote a review already.... Weird that I didn't see it. My new favorite neighborhood place! Al, the owner is very polite and very welcoming. Â I really hope they are here to stay! Give them a try and you will love it!!!
fresh and honest food here. Â The eggplant kashk is a MUST have, it's unlike anything I have ever had before. Â The spread is warm and not at all what I expected--it's chunky, with soft pieces of eggplant and onion--WOW. Â seriously SO good even if you're not a fan of eggplant, you will LOVE this.
for four people, we ordered two flatbread pizzas--the mediterranean and the mushroom and sausage. Â Delicious! Â I'm typically not a pizza person, but EVERYTHING about these pizzas tasted so incredibly fresh. Â luckily the pizzas are cut into small rectangular pieces, because I seriously could not stop reaching for the sausage and mushroom pizza.
we finished off with a small piece of baklava for dessert each, and the bill came to about 12 dollars per person including tip.
I knocked a star off because the service was quite slow. Â Our waters were never refilled until we asked for the check, and then after that, we had to wait for another 10 minutes for the owner to return to take our card. Â I don't blame him though, he was the only one waiting tables, and every table was packed!
Definitely a winner -- cozy,delicious, friendly, relaxing, byob, veggie friendly, fast, healthy...
Eggplant dip is a standout.
Pomegranate soup is awesome if you like a little sour in your savory.
Arugula pizza is a winner -- it's in the "pizza with salad on top" family, flavorful & bright, very fresh tasting.
Service is extra nice.
Go here.
BYOB.
Felt a cold coming on (boo) and was craving soup - not from a can, but homemade soup that I did not have the energy to make. Did a quick yelp search of the area and found this place. What luck! I tried the beans n leaves as well as the pomegranate beet soup. The bean soup was so good, perfect for what I craved. The pomegranate soup was not quite my taste, but hey.
So they locked me in with a single cup of soup. I'll be back for dinner!
This place is cute, and is run by a sweet couple who are very open to causal diners who might linger and linger over a BYOB bottle or two or three. The food was good, and there are some stand outs. The breads - pizzas are quite good. The meatballs are also amazing. The sweets are also amazing. Some woman in Indiana makes the deserts and I suggest these to you - I am not sure who that lady is, but her deserts are great. I thought the chicken was just ok, and I thought that they tended to scrimp on the bread with the appetizers, but everything else we had was amazing.
They were a great couple and took the time to talk to us and chat and really made us feel welcome. They were not speedy since there were just two people working in the place, but the low pressure, low key, take your time mood was perfect. They are family friendly and there was a birthday party for toddlers the night we came. The parents were good when the kids got loud, but even though I don't have kids, I think a place where parents can go have a good meal and bring the kids is a good thing to have in this area.
**In my best Stephanie Tanner voice**
HOW RUDE!!
I called to inquire about their menu and delivery specs (latest delivery time, delivery zone, etc) and was met with the rudest, craziest and I'm pretty sure slightly racist jerk!. I asked  - "do you deliver?" rude guy said "umm... well we don't go to your neighborhood"
Que? I didn't give you my address. Then when I asked if they sold soup I was told that they wouldn't just deliver soup. Que? Who said that I ONLY wanted soup? This continued on for a few minutes and his behavior grew increasingly rude until I hung up on him after calling him something that rhymes with "glass bowl".
You see Babari Cafe, a couple of things could've prevented this negative review:
1. Join the rest of us in this century and get a website. Make sure your menu is on it as well as your delivery zones.
2. Stop assuming that every African American who calls your business mustn't live within your undefined delivery zone or that they won't spend money (dude read a book).
I will never spend a red cent in this dump.
You could miss this great find with a blink of an eye! Barbari owners make all of their own breads, sauces, soups and the like. They are unique and outstanding! The pizzas are light, crisp and perfectly match the relaxing atmosphere. The service is great- they are fun and very talkative!
It is a great place to grab lunch (they offer a lunch bag to go!) or stop in to catch up with a friend bringing your favorite beer or wine-no corkage fee!
My girlfriend and I went here tonight for dinner. We walk in and I immediately notice how the environment is sober and clean reminding me of an italian "Osteria". The owner welcomes us and let us pick a table since the restaurant is empty. Good sign, the owner is our server. We ordered Pomegranate and Veggie Pot soups, Eggplant Kashk smear and Pom-Walnut plate. EVERYTHING was delicious. The food is what I would call "honest", meaning it is simple and healthy. You can taste the good ingredients, the different flavors that have been mixed with art. Finally, the owner offered us some homemade baklava made by a friend. Simply fantastic.
One day, when I will open my restaurant, this is what it will look like. I loved this place, everything about it: the food, the owner, the decor, the honesty, the "Osteria vibe" and the great feeling of inside peace I was left with when I walked out of the door.
The lady and I went in today. Â The place was abandoned for some reason, but it turned out great, it felt like we were having a family dinner with the staff. Â They were so personable, and not in an annoying enthusiastic way. Â Just good conversation. Â The setting is really cool too, whoever painted the place did great. Â I kind of liked it before we even saw food.
But then food came. Â We got the barbari bread, which I think the menu said was Persian. Â I'm not versed in that fare, but I liked it, sort of like Little Ceaser's crazy bread but for adults. Â We also ordered a margarita pizza, which took maybe 12 minutes to come out, and the owner apologized that it took so long. Â I didn't notice, but it was nice of her. Â Food was all fantastic, I'm going to try everything on the menu.
Also on our way out she let us sample two soups, which were both great.
And it's byob, and right across the street from the Dominick's, so cheap drinking.
We're definitely going back. Â Super cheap but highly enjoyable date or group activity.
Cute, quaint and healthy dining meets BYO for a fresh take on Persian cuisine. The result? A party of four lingering, laughing and talking much too loudly after sharing almost four bottles of wine (hey, the boys like to drink) (okay, me too).
My buddy Phil recommended this new-ish spot after being tempted by tall tales of a pomegranate soup that could apparently make a good ol' Balkan 'man's man' cave for a fruity porridge. We ordered it straight away, along with a chicken salad-esque spread and a warmed eggplant spread, all meant to be slathered on the housemade Persian bread. Everything was great though the eggplant spread triumphed as the standout, succeeding in amplifying our anticipation for the next round of dishes.
(Oh - and the bread surely didn't hurt matters as we sopped up every last speck of spread with its wondrously irregular terrain, indicative of old-world baking.)
Next came our sausage and mushroom pizza. Every ingredient tasted fresh and even though pizza isn't known for being wholesome, I can't think of a better way to describe it. Yes, wholesome. It's not the best pizza I've enjoyed in Chicago but I appreciated the taste of made-to-order, handcrafted pie with a healthy bent. My fellow dining companions tried the chicken cooked with walnuts and pomegranate... the flavor profile was exquisitely simple but it just works.
Al (the owner) gave us the space to enjoy our meal and before we knew it, we had killed four hours and those aforementioned four bottles of red vino. Now how many restaurants out there will allow you to have good fun on your own time, while ordering a bunch of food and drinking through an obscene amount of wine without kicking you out?
Not many. Support good, local guys like Al... and enjoy eating well for the body and the soul!
My first visit to the new neighborhood spot left me wanting more.
In a good way!
I want more of that freshly made-to-order arugula pizza- a lovely baked dough covered with fresh arugula lightly dressed, slivers of Parmesan and I opted for the additional anchovies (do it- they are good quality anchovies). Â The pizza was for two, and was a good portion, but I could have polished it off myself. Â Not a bad price at about $12.
I'd talk now about the second item ordered- a veggie sandwich which was on a really nice roll and stuffed with a series of roasted veggies. Â I say I'd talk about it because my partner-in-eating ended up eating the whole thing before I could try a bite. Â Must have been pretty good!
I look forward to making this a local part of my eating. Â Food seems incredibly fresh and vibrant, and the staff was very hospitable even during the short time I was there waiting for my take out order.
The food at this cozy spot is really excellent! We started with the pomegranate soup, which has lentils and spices in it to complement the pomegranate. After that, we tried the eggplant kashk and the Salad Olivia along with the signature bread that the restaurant is named after. Let me just say, I hated eggplant for the longest time, but the Persian preparation of it is amazing and even more so at Barbari. It has caramelized onions which add this perfect sweetness to it as it practically melts in your mouth.
We also split the pomegranate chicken and the margarita pizza--both were great, but let me explain the pizza since you might not think to order it at a Persian cafe. The crust was nice and thin, but it had the same awesome texture as the barbari bread. The tomato sauce tasted fresh and house-made, the fresh mozzarella is my favorite thing on any pizza, and the basil tied it all together. Definitely try it!
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