Naf Naf Grill

Recent changes have brought this place down sadly. I went there opening weekend and have been back almost every other week since. The food was fantastic, it’s exactly what CU has needed and is very similar to many places I’ve tried in Chicago. The bowls are big enough for 2 meals and it’s always fresh and delicious. I raved about this place to anyone looking for something different or people I know who like Mediterranean food. It had become a place I can count on for a reasonably priced meal that would also be healthy and tasty. Recently however they’ve increased their prices and started charging extra fees. I like to get my hummus on the side so it’s not all mixed in while I eat, have always gotten this included. They are now charging a fee for anything outside of the bowl. I’ve often been able to get 2 free falafels instead of their flatbread because I can’t have gluten, again no longer an option. The food quality has sadly gone down hill as well. It’s still good, but not as consistently. Some of still tastes fresh if you can time it right but it’s become disappointing more often. This is especially concerning that it would now cost me $15 for a meal (before $10-12). I hope that these are temporary changes and they will go back to how it was even just a few weeks ago. Or they add new options (like new sauces, sides etc.) to make the price increase worth it. This was a restaurant I was extremely excited about opening, it’s a place I loved eating at, and I’d hate to have this decline continue and stop going. Update 12/2021: we have continued trying to give this place a chance but after continuing to go down hill we are done. Changing my review from 3 stars to 1. They have now reduced the portion size to only filling the bowls about 1/2 of what they used to be. We thought the first time was a fluke but it has happened repeatedly. Paying $15 for a bowl of food that actually will leave people still hungry is ridiculous. We won’t be back. Update 2/2022: have tried reaching out to customer support per their request. No response yet but will try again. We did also try again and now they’ve actually gotten smaller bowls so that the fact that you’re getting half of what you used to get isn’t noticeable. The new bowls are half the depth the old ones were. Only been back because the falafel is so good.

Highly recommend! I love that they mark their menu items that are vegan or gluten free. It makes ordering so much easier. We ordered a veggie feast plate, a chicken kebab plate, and a side of Naf fries and lentil soup. All of the toppings were delicious. The falafels were the best I've ever had, flavorful and not dry at all. I was told the chicken was the best they'd ever eaten. The fries were somewhere between skillet potatoes and kettle fries. I would definitely order them again. The lentil soup, was lentil soup, you either like it or not, this was a tad salty. For being their first week open, everything went smoothly, our order was correct, and everyone was friendly. They have a rewards program and I will be signing up.