One of my favorite middle eastern places to get something quick right near the L at Belmont. Food always comes fast, the falafel is never greasy and comes out fresh, and any of the meat is really tasty, all at a really good price under $8. The baklava, though a little pricey, is in a few varieties and is fresh and delicious. The staff are always super friendly too!
Review Source:'Used to go there regularly, but i guess i don't get up to Belmont that much anymore.
Here is the secret to Sinbad's: Â Wait/ask for fresh falafels. Â Just out of the fryer, they are fantastic!! Â All the lamb and chicken off the grill is equally good. Â hummus and baba are very good, the fried eggplant is to die for. Â drinks are good, but pita is uninspiring. Â the owner is quite friendly, but won't let you open any alcoholic beverages (religious reasons i think). Â still, great place for a quick falafel or lamb kabob fix, or take-out.
nb - the falafels for the place on Clark are made on belmont and reheated on Clark. Â Buy at the source, fresh!
To be honest, I was surprised to see so many negative reviews for this place. I go here on a semi-regular basis. While I recall the falafel being dry and underwhelming, and haven't ordered it since, their lentil soup is a beautiful experience. In fact, their lentil soup and kibbeh alone help to break this place out of the 3-star range, as far as I am concerned. This evening, I went here with a friend. She had the kefta kabob entree and I ordered the chicken kabob dinner. Overall, the food was good, the meat tender, although I think I would have liked a little more seasoning on my chicken, perhaps the option to sprinkle a little sumac spice on my meat and rice. My friend's kefta kabob was tender and very good. I have yet to try their varieties of baklava, but they look very good and I hope to do so next time. Just as important, the staff at Sinbad's Restaurant is always extremely nice and welcoming; they do a great job of making me feel at home.
Review Source:The owner is always happy and friendly and the food is tasty. Â It's a little bit of a dive but it's a friendly one.
I love the chicken pita with hot sauce and extra tahini. Â Jerusalem salad and Falafel are yummy as well.
The juice is good too... try carrot, beet, and ginger for a sweet juicy kick.
This review is purely for delivery - I have never been to Sinbad's physical location.
The order was timely, and the driver was friendly. (Also, nothing inside the bag was spilled, which happens so often with delivery that I feel like this was a plus.)
I ordered the pickles/olives/feta appetizer and the Sinbad platter dish with beef kebab and a Strawberry Raspberry Orange Smoothie.
The smoothie was fantastic - definitely smooth (lots of yogurt, I think), great flavor.
The 'pickle/olive/feta' was.. interesting. I was expecting some Arabic/Medi pickles and some fantastically pungent olives. Instead there was: A slice of dill pickle, four jalapeno-y peppers (the kind you get with pizza), a few slices of pickled radish (the only actually Arabic pickle), and about 8 CANNED BLACK OLIVES. I was a little taken aback.. Who wants to pay for those bland little cocktail olives?? The thing that saved this appetizer was the feta - it was sheep's milk feta and packed a definite punch. Just how I like... my olives. I'm gonna give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they were all out of Arabic pickles and actual olives.
The platter was delicious. The meat was a little bit tough, but had a great flavor. The grilled veggies were lovely and delicious, and the rice was cooked well.
Over all, I would definitely order again.. But not for the olives!
It's cheap enough...but that's about it.
The chicken shawerma has no distinct flavor and the falafels are the same deal.
Kinda depressed about it, but it's so close and somewhat decently priced. There is no salad bar however like Pita Queen down the street (bummmmer)
The employees here are nice too. Dats all I got.
I've been going to this place for quite some time and the owner is very friendly. Customer service is very important to me. It is not a "five star" restaurant but I give it 5 stars compared to other restaurants on the same level.
I don't know what it's called but I normally get a greek salad (that might be what it's called) with grilled chicken and it is delicious. I sometimes get falaffel and that's good too.
I usually go to this restaurant when I'm running around in the neighborhood and I want something good to eat. The prices are low. Why spend your money at these fast food restaurants when you can have real food for the same price.
I'm not sure why it took me till somewhere around the age of 30 to discover the wonder that is falafel, but it did. Sinbad's has really really good falafel. They also have other good stuff. In fact, everything there that I have tried has been really good.
The service is pretty good too, and always with a smile.
I gotta update this one. Went here last night with my seven star companions, and really changed my opinion of their food.
I got the Kofta Kabob sandwich, and it was juicy and delicious. Nice amount of yogurt/tahini sauce, and the pita held together well. An appropriate amount of lettuce.
My little friend got the Falafel salad, and YUM! That was the winner of our three meals. Three falafel balls, appropriately green inside. On a bed of chopped red cabbage, lettuce and seasonings - this was great. I had to keep sneaking bites of it.
I returned not expecting to be impressed, and I was.
Underwhelming, that's for sure.
I'm a falafel lover, and run lots of errands around the Belmont corridor, so I've popped in here a couple times for carryout. The falafel itself is decent - fairly well spiced (but I've had better), crisp but not dry. But...the hummus is bland, the tahini sauce is watery, and man, can we talk about the pita? Worthless industrial-strength preservative-laden stuff. The Wonder white bread of pitas. Weak hot sauce...some heat but little flavor.
Two stars for speed and convenience. The falafel search continues.
Oh, yuck. Â Did I visit here on an off night, or is this place usually nasty? Â I don't know, but I gave them an honest shot and won't be back.
My food was awful: the stuffed grape leaves (expensive for the number and size) were uneven and soggy. Â The lettuce surrounding them was turning slightly brown. Â They could've served ranch dressing instead of the bland tahini sauce, and I would've liked it better. Â The chicken shawarma was sweet and tender, but it was uninspiring as well. Â The entree and grape leaves came to an astounding $15--more than the combination plate at another Middle Eastern restaurant.
I'm usually forgiving of a little messiness, but their bathroom was scary. Â No toilet paper, and the door didn't lock because the door couldn't be closed due to the humidity. Â There are a couple of Middle Eastern food places that serve much better food in creative, clean atmospheres over on Broadway. Â I'll stick with them.
if you need a lat(er) night (open until 10:30) mediterranean food fix, sinbad's is...open :)...
nothing good nor bad about it. Â just mediocre fare. Â the falafel was a bit overcooked - overly crispy. Â the hummus and baba ganoush were decent - no complaints nor any cartwheels either. Â after a late vball game, we wanted to pick up a quick bite and between the usual subway and potbelly's in the area, it was a nice alternative but would never dine during "normal" dinner hours when there are loads of better options.
Okay, Jill's just hatin' cause she was probably having a girltime moment of the month. Â Or maybe because she, and very unnaturally I might add, has a strange aversion to cilantro. Â She shouldn't be alowed south of the border for that one. Â But yeah, I dragged ya here, here's why you bitter old hag:
First off, it's like the only place in this 5block radius that I can get something somewhat healthy for a reasonable price. Â What are the options really? Â That 9 dollar sandbag of a sandwich the fatbelly's across the street is pedaling? Â Or blandway next door? Â Oh wait, maybe we could go and get that excellent, authentic, Chicago-style Pizza NOT at Giordano's? Â Or maybe Mexican, no wait, i have 4,718 mediocre places in Logan for that. Â Let's face it, the food in the neighborhood is lacking, well, i should say cheap food. Â Sure, I can spend 20 bucks just like any schmutz each day at lunch and get something fresh, tasty, new everyday and somewhat healthy, but my trust fund is about to run out and I got me some bills to pay. Â That's why we do Nookies for lunch now biacth! Â Note to self: cilantro-free establishments only in the presence of Jill.
Lunch this week?
I don't see how anyone could possibly consider recommending anyone stop in this place for even a piece of pita bread. Â How they managed to open and support 2 stores within a block of each other is beyond me.
I've been to the restaurant on Belmont, and I also gave the one on Clark a try, thinking different chefs/cooks would equal a different experience. WRONG!
The food was disappointing at best and otherwise just downright nasty. Â The Swama was OK, yet the hummus was not good at all. Â Prepackaged Store bought hummus tastes better. Â How do you screw up hummus? It's chick peas and garlic. Â The pita basically tasted like it was 3 days olds. Â Then the baklava tasted like dish soap, I kid you not.
I lived in Detroit for 17 years before moving to Chicago.  For those who don't know, the Detroit area has largest  Middle Eastern communities outside of Lebanon.  Therefore  I have acquired a taste for good, authentic Middle Eastern Cuisine.
In my opinion, Sinbad's is just Bad. Â It has some of the worst Middle Eastern Food in Chicago. Â Reza's is a close second simply because they are so over rated and over priced. Â
Per the recommendation from Eric, I will try Sultan's. Â A place that I find really good for Middle Eastern fare is Zad's on Broadway.
Plagued by a angry stomach after not eating lunch, I swung in here after getting off the brown line commute home yesterday. I must have walked past this place about 600 times and never gave it a second glance. Partly because I have an unvocalized love affair with Sultans Market, and the cute Mediterranean boys who  work there..... Any who.... The interior was bright, clean and kitschy. I ordered a Hummus and Falafel sandwich and a cheese and spinach pie  (gotta have those carbs!!) tossed it in my bag and proceeded to eat at home. That way I wouldn't miss Americas Got Talent (shhh, my guilty pleasure) The cheese and spinach pie was great, flaky pastry with wonderfully salty cheese, but moving on the the falafel sandwich I was MARJORY disappointed.... The actually falafel was so dry I thought I was going to choke, plus the over all sandwich was just kind of gross, the lettuce tasted like it had been frozen, the hummus had a funny sour taste and there was nothing remotely authentic tasting about it.
They were quick and cheap, but I'll calk this place up to a drunk or hangover quality establishment. If you want a KILLER falafel sandwich head down to Sultans Market on Clark, just north of Fullerton!
This place is okay when you're having major falafel cravings like I was. With my low impulse control, that means I must have them *now*. Add the fact that I was exhausted from working 12 hours, plus all the running and wall climbing I've been doing as of late - I could only go to a place that was on the way home from work. So here comes Sinbad's to my rescue.
I had my worries about coming here - out of the 40-some reviews, 4 of them talked about bugs. Silverfish in 2 of them. But hell, I'm a bit of rebel I guess and took my chances of having a bug marinade as a side. Really, who died of that?
I got the vegetarian platter - falafel, the baja gan-whatchamacalit, and hummus. Falafel was okay, the hummus was OUT OF THIS WORLD. Seriously, I'm not sure if that was hummus - it was so good and smooth and creamy - hummus is creamy? I thought it was gritty, from the grainy chickpeas. I need to get my hands on that blender that they made that hummus with.
Hummus and falafel had a spicy kick to it. I liked that.
And the baba gan-whatchamacalit was meh. I had to add salt to it to  make it taste decent - it wasn't bad, but flavorless.
Oh, and I got a baklava for my sweet tooth. I liked it but I doubt that most people would - initially I thought there was a soap residue - I was tasting something floral for sure, but then again, I'm the girl who loves violet candy and adds lavender flowers to her sugar, so there you go.
It's good in a pinch, but I'll skip the eggplant side next time.
Oh, and I know you're dying to know - no bugs! And I'm still alive!
PS - should I mention that I have no idea what silverfish looks like?
It isn't terrible, but there are much better places to get your shawarma/falafel/hummus/etc fix than here. Â I'm not sure if they are affiliated with Sinbad's on Clark a bit south of here, but I had a great meal there several months ago, and this one was nothing like it.
The counter guy was super-friendly to everyone who came in. Â However, the kitchen was apparently "out" of my chosen entree, so I substituted a chicken shawarma sandwich. Â It was bland and what flavor there was seemed too sweet. Â Also, the grease from the chicken soaked the pita, causing the sandwich to fall apart about halfway through. Â I also had a kibbeh appetizer which was nothing special either.
GROSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I ordered take-out, brought it home, opened it, and there was an earwig crawling on the top of my falafel. I called to tell them that there was a bug in the food and the girl "Nancy" said that there was nothing that she could do about it and proceeded to give me a bogus number to her manager.
STAY AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It seems like every time I've eaten here I've had HORRIBLE stomach pains afterwards.
The falafel was tasteless, overcooked, and dry. The iceberg (!) lettuce in the pita was wilted and sad looking, and the tahini tasted odd. My French fries were cold and tasted like they'd been sitting there since last week.
Go to Sultan's Market instead for more authentic food.
3.5 stars is closer to the truth...
Sinbad's is decent. If I'm in that neighborhood, I'm more likely to go to Sinbad's than a lot of other places but it's nothing too impressive.
The last time I went there I placed my order (Beef Shawarma on Hummus) but then when they rang me up they charged me for something else (it was a mess-how could they screw it up so badly when I ordered by number!!)
For my money-Pita Inn is WAY better...
I eat at Sinbad's because it's cheap and convenient.
The biggest weirdos seem to hang out here though (which I guess makes me a weirdo). Â The last time we were there, this middle aged guy was eating his food by himself at a table nearby and kept farting. Â Really loud. Â Over and over again. Â We didn't know what to make of it, so we ate really fast and left.
We have carried-out ever since.
When it is cold outside, it gets really cold in the restaurant because the wind just blows in. Â Another reason to carry-out.
Hummus, falafel, all is good.
Yum!
I go here after every doc appt. at the hospital - which has been every week lately. I only get the same stuff, because I know that I love it and crave it as I sit strapped to the baby monitor for my NST exam.
So, this is what I get....the falafel sandwich with hummus, stuffed grape leaves and for dessert - the fingers. The sandwich is soo good, I always put the hot sauce on it and also extra taziki sauce. The grape leaves are really good, and lemony - which I love! I always get the fingers to go, they're like baklava rolled up in a little cigarette. You get 2 for $1.50. I always have good intentions with them but they never make it a block...they're so good!
Decent food. I used to be a crazy regular here when i lived down the street but since then i get my falafel fix from other places. The staff here is very friendly. The sandwiches used to be dirt cheap. I once bought a bookbag full of them and handed them out to halloween revelers at the now defunct Redmoon All Hallows' Eve party. They're that cheap. Anyway cheap fast friendly and decent chow. They sell fries which is a dangerous vice and a plus.
Review Source:Any combo meal from Sinbad's will make you feel like a fatass when you're through with it. Â Which is a good thing considering the price. Â I usually go here everytime i'm in the neighborhood and their service is fast and consistent (as well as their food). Â Desserts are excellent, turkish coffee is excellent. Â Not crowded.
Went here a lot of times and had one bad experience:
Went to fill up my cup with Coke and saw NO FIZZ!....After deciding that my eyes have deceived me, i drank it and found that it was flat. Â Ran over to carbonato-drinkspenser and tried the 7up, which was also FIZZ-LESS....this time with a silverfish-like insect floating around in it. Â I told one of the employees and he told me to grab a can instead, and he'll 'take care of it'. Â I'm not sure if he did.......though he probably did.
I've been here too many times, and this was the only bad experience i had. Â So i'm sure it was a fluke.
I think they have some of the best (fast) hummus in the city. (I always order extra pita.) The falafel pitas sandwiches with hummus are AMAZING. I also really like the Turkery Burger in a pita and the Grilled Chicken Salad is great.
Baklava is great - and they make it with pistaccios which I prefer to walnuts. Lowfat brownies are a great not-so-guilty option, if you catch them on a "fresh" day.
I'll be honest, my score and my appreciation for this place is probably skewed because I'm such a repeat customer. I love the owner - who is so happy and charming. The girl behind the counter is so sweet and really nice if you can get her talking. The guy who usually prepares the food is really nice too.
They could probably do a little work to make the place a little cleaner, but for the price, the convenience, the service and the food... who cares if the floor doesn't shine?
Oh - here's a friendly tip for drivers - I almost always park in the loading zone for the hotel just a few doors west and just turn my hazards on. I'm always back to my car in 10 minutes and it beats trying to find a free meter on Belmont.
+it was cheap
+sheer proximity to an El stop (it matters when it's 6 degrees)
+ i was hungry
+ they didn't fuck up the falafel balls.
+ i asked for it 'spicy' and they gave me a very flavorful side of spice to add at my discretion.
+ they accept credit cards (i bat my eyes in Sultan's cash-only direction)
+they had a relatively clean bathroom. for a little hole in the wall. and paper towels. for some reason, i thought they'd have no paper towels.
they did.
that said, it's not really stellar food. just fast & not terrible.
i'd give it 3.5 if i could. because i reallly wanted fries, and
they totally came through for me. with flying colors. the fries were unsalted
(which is good. because my potatoes enjoy leading an unsalted existance), and yeah.
my dining companion got the meat combo. it didn't make him sick.
also, it wasn't terribly crowded.
i'd return, if i was in the mood for falafel
and in that area. and wanted fries.
A very good friend of mine talks this place down to no end. Â He provides no reason for his strong dislike of it, he'll just say something like, "it's just bad!" Â Clearly he a) has down's syndrome, or b) is tripping balls on some sort of phsycotropic drug, because this place is fucking great. Â Everything on the menu is affordable and really good. Â I think vegetarianism is really gay, but try the vegetarian sampler. Â You get seasoned sauteed spinach, hummus, baba ganouj, mousaka, stuffed grape leaves and two fresh falafel balls. Â It's seriously some mind-blowing stuff. Â I know a lot of dweebs who rant and rave about how good Sultan's is, but for real, Mr. Sultan can give Sinbad the Sailor a goddamn blumpkin cuz this place fucking slays!
Review Source:I am no doubt the friend mentioned in the most recent review of Sinbad's (Luca C). Â In the review I'm accused of mental retardation because I think Sinbad's food is vulgar. Â I have two specific examples of why one should avoid this place like the plague. Â The first time I stumbled into this crummy little joint I had high hopes. Â Their appalling Middle Eastern dishes had me throwing up at both ends for the next two hours. Â Let me tell you, that L ride home was no treat. Â But you know, I'll try anything twice so I figured I'd give it another chance. Â
Upon my second arrival I noticed that the food tasted a little under cooked. Â Further inspection proved that my girlfriend's chicken was completely raw in the center. Â Gross! Â Anyway, if you're a fan of excessive vomiting and spending hours on the toilet then by all means listen to my roommate and visit Sinbad's. Â I'd give it zero stars if I could.
Good cheap mideastern fast food. Yum.
For about $5, you can get 3 pitas, a heaping scoopful of rice, hummus, baba gannouj, lettuce and tomato. Terrific!
Smoothies are watery/powdery, though. I hate to admit it, but you get more bang for your buck at jamba juice.
For good fast food, though, this is it.
I really like this place - I've been on a hummus kick lately and I really like the falafel wrap with hummus. Â The cous cous was pretty good too, but it was only the first time I'd tried it, so having no point of reference, it could be crap for all I know but I liked it anyway. Â I didn't really like the baklava (a little dry) or spinach pie, but I think it's just because I'm a bigger fan of the Greek versions with lots of flaky phyllo instead of the more solid Middle Eastern that I've had. Â I really like the Mint iced tea too - tasty stuff, very refreshing. Â I've only gotten delivery, so I can't comment on the place itself, but I really like it and will continue to order from there as long as my hummus kick lasts.
Review Source:
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
