Ghareeb Nawaz [Pakistani HItW - Devon]

In the interest of slipping this nomination in before the deadline, I'll start this thread with a very brief post and a question. This post will be every bit as no-frills as Ghareeb Nawaz.

How is this joint not already on the GNR list?

Ghareeb is an archetype of a Great Neighborhood Restaurant. It hits some very high highs, remains a screaming good value, and is always an adventure. (Give menu board bingo a try next time you order. Good times.)

This is what the track record of a GNR looks like: Some Riches @ Ghareeb Nawaz.

--Rich

Ghareeb Nawaz
2032 W. Devon Avenue,
Chicago, IL
773-761-5300

I'm so happy that you slipped this in 3 minutes before the deadline! I'm more than happy to second this nomination. Ghareeb has been my go-to on Devon for years. I also can't believe it hasn't been awarded the GNR award already.

It's a place I'm proud is in my city - my friends from out of town brag to their other friends how awesome Chicago is, and use Ghareeb as a prime example. Yes, it's a hole in the wall - no they don't always use the finest of ingredients, but that is part of what makes it legit. It is a no nonsense eatery straight out of Pakistan - they don't dumb anything down, or try to gussy anything up. They serve many harder to find menu items and do them well (Baghare Baigan, Mirch Ka Salan, Bitter Gourd with mutton), my favorite biryani in the city, and chili chicken that will blow your face off. We're lucky to have a place like this in Chicago, and they deserve to be rewarded.

A definite GNR in my book!

Oof -
I get this nomination, totally, but imo, it needs to have a big old honkin' asterisk:

* If you know what you're getting yourself into.

This is NOT a place for an out of towner or newbie to be pointed to to try out (unless you know their adventure level.) I like this joint, and I like the adventure of menu board bingo, but you have to know that this place is just slangin out grub at a ridiculous price, and alter expectations accordingly. I could TOTALLY see someone reading lthforum, and looking for an Indian / Paki place, reading that GN is a GNR and thinking, "ok, we'll give it a shot," then ordering what they usually get at other places, and swearing off lthforum for life. Seriously. I really like this place, but I know what I'm in for - there's a pretty decent chance that some of what I order will NOT be good. The prices are laughable, so you can't really complain. Are there other GNR that have land mines on their menu? I totally get the nomination, but I know what this place is, and how to navigate the land mines, and what to expect. I usually do a baseline of some form of a chicken biryani, a lamb/gravy dish, chana masala, and then play bingo with my fingers crossed.

And oh yeah -their naan is pretty weird tasting.

GNR? Maybe, but you gots to KNOW what you are getting into here, imo. I'd call this a "Deep GNR" for lack of a better term. I love the character, and the fact that it's gonna be a bag of surprises each time you go, but if you're not familiar with what this place is about, you might write it off after first visit.

seebee wrote:... it needs to have a big old honkin' asterisk:

* If you know what you're getting yourself into.

Isn't this asterisk essentially the huge description on the GNR certificate (beginning with the HItW designation included in the title) - complete with bold menu items?

I don't feel that the LTH should begin pandering to the unadventurous, we never did that in the past. Those people can stay on yelp and manage their lives just fine. This adventurous attitude is what brought me to LTH and keeps me coming back.

I make a distinction between "adventurous" and "roulette." The former also keeps me coming back to the site and using the GNR list weekly. The latter causes me to lose appetite or credibility (or both) when a place can't consistently deliver on even the most heralded items. I have had some unforgivable food at the Devon location of Ghareeb Nawaz. The quality control, down to the length of time things are cooked or reheated before service, has in my experience been completely haphazard.

Conversely, I've also had things that were better (and at 1/5th the cost) than anyplace else on the street, so I've given it more retries over the years than many places. I will not recommend against inclusion on the list, but I think I see where seebee is coming from.

laikom wrote:Isn't this asterisk essentially the huge description on the GNR certificate (beginning with the HItW designation included in the title) - complete with bold menu items?

I don't feel that the LTH should begin pandering to the unadventurous, we never did that in the past. Those people can stay on yelp and manage their lives just fine. This adventurous attitude is what brought me to LTH and keeps me coming back.

1. I'm not ashamed to admit I didn't know what HItW meant until I thought about it for a few minutes after you wrote this.

2. A mild "yikes" on the Yelp comment. I see a lot of folks bashing Yelp here. I don't have a dog in the Yelp fight, I just don't really use it for anything since the reviews are usually very shallow - I don't really even think about Yelp in selecting a place for grub. As for "pandering to the unadventurous," I completely get that, and agree, but I was trying to be a little more diplomatic since I'm a horrible reader. I could totally see being on the road and looking for an Indian joint on Devon, and looking up the GNR list on my phone and saying "They recomend Ghareeb Nawaz." "Let's go." Then ordering up a bunch of lukewarm butt, because I didn't take the time to sift through the thread.

So I guess there's a GNR model that has awesome ppl who are passionate about their food like La Chaparrita. GN just does not fit THAT model - and that is FINE. GN is just slangin out grub at fantastic prices, and if you get a clunker of a meal because you didn't order right that day, you better not complain. And I love that about GN. In the end, I think laikom is right - you better read up on what's good if you come to GN - I was just stressing that for ppl that are unfamiliar with GN, and might be looking at the GNR list after having a wildly successful meal at a different GNR where the hosts were passionate about their food, and there was care taken in the prep. GN is NOT that joint. And it's not trying to be that joint.

To help clarify - HITW = hole in the wall.

I'm a huge fan of Ghareeb Nawaz. I wish a place like it existed for every cuisine. The menu is huge so you can sample a wide variety of interesting dishes, they have tons of throughput so they can prepare a number of dishes well, the food is aggressively spiced which really is how the cuisine should be prepared, and perhaps most noteworthy, the prices are jaw-droppingly low.

So many times I'm just looking for something quick and cheap. Ghareeb delivers just that, and at all hours of the day. I enthusiastically support the nomination.

turkob wrote:I'm a huge fan of Ghareeb Nawaz. I wish a place like it existed for every cuisine. The menu is huge so you can sample a wide variety of interesting dishes, they have tons of throughput so they can prepare a number of dishes well, the food is aggressively spiced which really is how the cuisine should be prepared, and perhaps most noteworthy, the prices are jaw-droppingly low.

So many times I'm just looking for something quick and cheap. Ghareeb delivers just that, and at all hours of the day. I enthusiastically support the nomination.

I agree with so much of this. While the place isn't perfect, what it might occasionally lack in greatness, is more than made up for in wonderfulness (if that makes any sense). Even the missteps are interesting and worth eating. I also think, because of its mission, it would be a great addition to the GNR list.

I enthusiastically support this nomination.

=R=

In thinking about Ghareeb Nawaz and this GNR nomination it occurs Ghareeb Nawaz is one of the few places I've been for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, early, late, intoxicated power fressing, with friends, relatives, groups, solo and pretty much every occasion in-between.

Breakfast I'm a fan of their halwa puri, served only until 11am. Lunch, meat or veg thali, maybe a chili chicken paratha depending on how hungry I am. Dinner, biryani, lately with mirchi ka salan learned from REB via Mike Sula, green chili chicken, chickpeas, lentils, curies and an extra paratha or two.

This doesn't even begin to cover the items I've enjoyed at Ghareeb Nawaz over the years, my love for the place runs deep, its one of those places that should be hard-wired into every LTHer, or serious eater for that matter, as a go-to.

Ghareeb Nawaz GNR, yes, absolutely.

Ghareeb Nawaz, count me a fan!

RAB wrote:In the interest of slipping this nomination in before the deadline, I'll start this thread with a very brief post and a question. This post will be every bit as no-frills as Ghareeb Nawaz.

How is this joint not already on the GNR list?

0

Ghareeb Nawaz is the Ron Santo of GNR nominations, it should have been elected long before now.

G Wiv wrote:hard-wired

Precisely. That's exactly how it is with Ghareeb Nawaz and me. Thanks.

Marco wrote:Ghareeb Nawaz is the Ron Santo of GNR nominations, it should have been elected long before now.

LOL, a perfect analogy.

=R=

Marco wrote:Ghareeb Nawaz is the Ron Santo of GNR nominations, it should have been elected long before now.

I'm tempted to:
A. Start making crass, crass, and I means SUPER crass jokes about Santo (which would only be offensive jokes and nothing else, I also believe Santo should have been in the Hall long ago, and have much respect for him.)

OR

B. Say that Ghareeb is more like the Barry Bonds of GNR nominations. If you look at what they are doing, they should easily be a GNR...just don't dig any further than that.

rubbbqco wrote:I love GN....I don't know how they possibly make any money, though their volume is impressive - their prices are RIDICULOUSLY low!

jimwdavis wrote:Some things in life are best left undiscovered.

(That quote by jimwdavis cracked me the f up, in the GN thread, by the way.)

Great nomination. I vote yes!

Really a fantastic lunch today at GN. And at $10pp. I also didn't think there was a dud in the bunch. I fully support this nomination.

Endorsable.